Before 1921, the most feared and dreaded disease in the world, one that was taking thousands of lives all over the earth, was called simply, “sugar in the blood.” Researchers into the nature of this disease called it “sugar diabetes.” There was no known cure or treatment except extreme dieting. Many people, in an attempt to keep from dying of sugar in their blood dieted so severely that they died of malnutrition or starvation. Imagine starving yourself to death in a vain attempt to keep from dying from some other disease!
In 1920, Dr. Frederick Banting and a medical student, Charles Best, were conducting research into diabetes at the University of Toronto in Canada. In 1921, they discovered the hormone that they called isletin; we call it insulin. It was the first step taken to help control this horrible disease that still takes thousands upon thousands of lives in the most advanced countries in the world, including the US. Researchers say there are more than twenty million diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetics in our nation. Today, one advance after another is made in the care and handling of this disease, but eventually all must return to the use of insulin to “control” diabetes, and today the best we can hope for is control, for as yet, there is no cure.
Take just a minute to stop and consider what Banting and Best did for untold generations of diabetics, many of whom have never yet been born. How can one calculate the good done for the people of the world by these two scientists? Their work has improved and lengthened the lives of millions of people and unleashed a torrent of research the likes of which the world has never seen. What can we do but praise their memories? If we can begin to appreciate the contribution of these men, let us go a step further to note an even greater Benefactor.
Twenty-one hundred years ago in a nondescript village in Galilee Palestine there was growing to maturity a young man Who, if He was known for anything at all, it was His carpentry skills. He never wore the title Doctor, He never discovered any kind of medication to benefit mankind until the end of time, He attended no school, college or university except the rabbinical schools that were common in His time. However, in the days ahead of Him, He did cure all manner of illnesses and He even raised the dead from their graves, but He invented nothing of any great note.
About two and a half years into His preaching career He ran afoul of the powerful Jewish establishment and especially the “High Priest” Caiaphas who determined that he must bring this young man’s life to an end. Toward that end, he moved and finally succeeded in persuading the Roman Procurator to have this highly popular Benefactor of the people crucified on a Roman cross. However, he did not end His ministry or keep Him from benefitting the world in spiritual ways—ways that no mere human could hope to bring to us. Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead and brought salvation to the souls of untold millions, maybe billions. He rescued our souls from sin to prepare us for heaven. Many today do not even know His name. It was Jesus!
