Prostitutes and Preventative Medicine

And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. Joshua 2:1

In medical school, I thought I wanted to be a family practice physician but in residency, I realized that I didn’t enjoy managing chronic disease or practicing preventative medicine. If a patient had diabetes but they didn’t feel sick, my job was to convince them to manage their blood sugars now so they could enjoy better health years from now. That was a tough sell for my short attention span. I much preferred the Emergency Room where patients had lacerations and broken bones. I didn’t enjoy trying to convince a patient to make changes and I found a lot more satisfaction in taking care of those who were desperate for my help.

This same trait has driven me to work with the addicted and the incarcerated. Though many of those who’re actively using live in denial, most of those in jail, once they sober up, recognize they need to make radical changes. I don’t enjoy trying to convince people they need help. So, I work in jail. Maybe I’m just lazy, but I find it a lot more rewarding to work with those who know how badly they need to change.

I got to thinking about this while pondering today’s passage, in which the hero of the story was a prostitute named Rahab. Rahab lived in Jericho, which was the first city in the way of Israelite’s conquest of the promised land. Joshua sent two spies into Jericho, where they stayed with Rahab. When the king heard of this, he sent his men to arrest the spies. Rahab hid the Israelites and helped them escape, explaining that she’d heard what the Israelite’s God had done and that she had come to fear him. When Jericho fell to God’s people, Rahab and her family were the only ones spared and Rahab later married an Israelite, becoming part of the lineage of Jesus himself.

The obvious question to me was, Why would God use a prostitute? Several Bible commentators have suggested that God did this to show that anyone can come to faith and that in faith, our past is forgiven. That is a great lesson, but I think it’s not the only reason God used a prostitute. I think God used a prostitute because she was the one in the story who knew how badly she needed God. She and the king had the same information regarding the Israelites and their God. The king saw the approaching destruction and, in his arrogance, tried to resist God. Rahab, however, knew she needed to be saved. God used Rahab because, as a prostitute, she was humble enough to see her need.

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:31). Thankfully, Jesus came to save tax collectors, prostitutes, and the addicted – like me. Why did Jesus go to the lowly instead of society’s elite? Jesus ministered to the worst people because they were capable of comprehending their need. The truth is that we all need God, but only the desperate among us can see that need.