Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001292
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00:01 [Music] >: It has stood the test
00:08 of time, God's book, the Bible, 00:17 still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written. 00:25 Sharing hope around the globe. 00:37 [Music] 00:45 John Bradshaw: I'm John Bradshaw and this is It Is Written. 00:47 Thanks for joining me. 00:50 In the Bible in John Chapter 9 there's a remarkable 00:53 story of healing. 00:54 You know, Jesus actually spent more time healing than 00:56 preaching. 00:57 There were times Jesus would go into a village 00:59 or villages and every one in the village who was sick 01:02 would be healed by Jesus. 01:05 In this instance, a man who had been blind from birth 01:08 caught Jesus' attention, and Jesus' manner of healing him 01:12 was a little out of the ordinary. 01:15 The Bible says that Jesus spat on the ground and made 01:18 clay of the saliva and then anointed the eyes of the man 01:23 with the clay. 01:24 And then he said to him, go and wash in the Pool 01:27 of Siloam. 01:28 So the man went and washed and he came back seeing. 01:31 Now, the methods might have changed, but the results 01:34 have not. 01:36 Here in India Jesus is still giving sight to the blind 01:40 by working through a remarkable man of vision. 01:47 Dr. Jacob [Prabaka] is an Indian ophthalmologist 01:49 who is working tirelessly to restore 01:52 the vision of some of the world's poorest people. 01:55 And this is no small problem. 01:58 As well as the dubious honor of having more than a third 02:01 of the world's poorest people, almost 40% of the world's 02:05 blind population call India home. 02:08 That means more than 15 million Indians 02:11 are unable to see. 02:12 And most shocking of all, more than 75% of these cases 02:17 could have been avoided or cured. 02:21 So, Dr. Prabaka, together with a team of highly 02:24 skilled medical professionals, is taking 02:27 on the problem one eye at a time. 02:31 [Music] 02:35 >: I have never seen a man that is gifted with hands 02:38 like he is. 02:39 God has blessed him tremendously. 02:43 >: Because he comes from a poor background, he knows 02:45 the poverty And that's why he want to give vision 02:49 to the people. 02:51 He want to help the poor people of this world. 02:54 >: [Foreign language] >: Dr. Jacob is the kind 02:59 of man that inspires others by his caring 03:03 and compassion. 03:04 He wants to restore sight to the blind so that they can 03:11 work and have a job, take care of their family. 03:15 JB: Remarkable words of praise indeed for a man's 03:20 whose early beginnings were anything but remarkable. 03:23 [Music] Jacob Prabaka: I was born 03:26 in a remote village on the east coast of, of South India. 03:32 It's about, um, three or four kilometers from the--the coast 03:36 of bay of Begal It's really a country life. 03:40 They have beautiful rivers passing by, the backwaters, 03:44 the green fields with, uh, rugged roads right in front 03:46 of my home. 03:50 We did not have electricity. 03:52 The well was, uh, situated about four or five homes 03:55 away from our house. 03:57 These homes are made of mud walls, mud floors, 04:01 and thatch roofs. 04:03 Utter poverty. 04:05 As a child there is nothing much to look forward to. 04:09 JB: But despite the extreme poverty Jacob and his family 04:14 faced, they were still able to find simple joys in life. 04:18 JP: Raised in a, a family of, uh, eight siblings 04:22 and five of them sisters who actually took care of me 04:27 and raised me. 04:28 It was a very, very joyful thing to have a large 04:33 family. 04:34 I had all the affection that a, a boy could receive. 04:39 My mother delivered all the children in my home, 04:43 giving birth to eight children in a village home 04:48 with no physician, with no nurses around. 04:51 It's a miracle. 04:55 [Music] JB: So, how then did 04:58 a boy born and raised in poverty become one of India's 05:02 most respected ophthalmologists? 05:05 JP: If it is not for the grace of God I wouldn't be what I am. 05:12 It's been a--an opportunity for me to go to church 05:16 which my parents attended and the church pastor, 05:20 identified in me some potential. 05:24 JB: In fact, the church pastor saw so much potential 05:26 in Jacob that he secured him a place in a church-run 05:30 boarding school. 05:32 It was a difficult transition. 05:33 JP: I would cry almost every day for my parents. 05:39 I had only one pair of clothes, no shoes. 05:43 I was actually terrified to be left there. 05:47 I was put in grade one because I knew no English. 05:50 I didn't know the English alphabet there. 05:55 I was doing well in grade one and so they give me 05:59 a double promotion, from grade one I was put in grade 06:03 three. 06:04 JB: At the completion of high school Jacob applied 06:08 for medical school, but unable to meet the tuition 06:11 fees, he was turned down. 06:14 But that wasn't the end of his medical aspirations. 06:18 JP: I waited for one year By then I had some 06:22 sponsors who were willing to provide financial assistance 06:27 for me. 06:28 It was in 1985 August that I was chosen 06:31 to join the medical school. 06:33 That was the happiest, uh, moments of my life. 06:35 JB: If you had not had the opportunities you had, 06:43 you wouldn't be an ophthalmologist today. 06:45 You have come to school here, you'd have gone 06:47 to the public high school up the street. 06:49 What would have become of you? 06:51 JP: Some of my classmates who study with me in this very 06:54 same school are working in the field, laborers, 06:58 taking care of the cattle. 07:00 JB: What do they earn? 07:01 JP: Probably they would earn about, um, 200 rupees a day? 07:07 JB: That's, uh, just a little over four American dollars. 07:09 JP: That's right. 07:10 JB: A day. 07:11 JP: That's right. 07:12 JB: They can live on that? 07:13 JP: They can manage on a daily basis and buy their 07:16 food one day at a time. 07:17 JB: If you hadn't had some of the opportunities you had, 07:23 if you were an average kid who took an average 07:25 part, you'd probably today be working in a field 07:28 earning four dollars a day. 07:29 JP: I'm quite certain about that. 07:31 Since the time I was picked up from the school and taken 07:33 to the boarding school I've seen the hand of God 07:36 leading me all through. 07:40 [Music] 07:48 JB: John the Baptist was encouraged to continue 07:50 to trust in Jesus because the deaf could hear, 07:53 the lame could walk, and the blind could see. 07:57 It Is Written is committed to opening the eyes of the blind 08:02 and restoring sight to the visually impaired 08:05 here in India. 08:06 And I want to tell you how you could be part 08:08 of this work. 08:12 Eyes for India is giving sight to the blind and you 08:16 can be a part of this amazing work that God is doing. 08:19 Fifteen million blind people live in India. 08:22 More than any other country in the world. 08:24 And many of the blind in India could see again 08:27 if only they could have simple cataract surgery. 08:30 It Is Written is making that happen. 08:33 Would you support Eyes for India? 08:36 For just $75 you'll be giving the gift of sight to someone 08:41 who desperately wants to see. 08:43 Here's all you need to do. 08:44 Call 1-800-253-3000 to donate and support Eyes for India. 08:52 Or you can write to It Is Written, Box 0, 08:54 Thousand Oaks, California 91359. 08:58 You'll also find Eyes for India online at itiswritten.com. 09:07 >: In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says, it is written, 09:10 man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word 09:14 that proceeds from the mouth of God. 09:16 "Every Word" is a one-minute, Bible-based daily 09:19 devotional presented by Pastor John Bradshaw 09:22 and designed especially for busy people like you. 09:25 Look for "Every Word" on selected networks or watch 09:28 it online every day on our web site: itiswritten.com. 09:32 Receive a daily spiritual boost, watch "Every Word." 09:35 You'll be glad you did. 09:37 Here's a sample: 09:41 [Music] 09:49 JB: Astronomers in Australia announced a few years ago 09:50 that they calculated the number of stars in the sky, 09:53 seventysixtillion That's 70,000 million, 09:57 million, million. 09:58 Seventy followed by 22 zeros. 10:00 That's more stars than there are grains of sand in all 10:03 the earth's deserts and beaches. 10:05 And the astronomers say their number is likely way 10:07 to low. 10:08 In Psalms 8, verses 3 and 4, we read these words: 10:11 "When I consider thy heavens, the works of thy fingers, 10:14 the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, 10:17 what is man that thou are mindful of him?" 10:20 God has made a universe that vast and yet he is 10:23 still mindful of the human family. 10:25 We serve a great and a big God. 10:28 If he made all that, and he did, you can be certain he 10:31 can take care of you and your burdens today. 10:34 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 10:36 Let's live today by every Word. 10:41 JB: I'm John Bradshaw and this is It Is Written. 10:44 Thanks for joining me. 10:45 Here in India there's a man of vision doing the very 10:49 work that Jesus did. 10:51 One day when Jesus was leaving Jericho, a blind man 10:54 named Bartemaeus called out to him. 10:57 He said, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me." 11:01 Well, Jesus said to the man, "What would you like me 11:04 to do for you?" And he answered by saying, "Rabonai, that I may 11:08 receive my sight." Jesus said, "Go on your way, your 11:13 faith has made you well." 11:15 And immediately the man received his sight. 11:19 Well, here in India, thanks to the dedicated work of 11:22 Dr. Jacob Prabaka and his team, tens of thousands 11:26 are seeing again. 11:27 And in a country with no western welfare system, 11:32 where so many people are living in crippling poverty, 11:36 simple cataract surgery may save them from a life 11:39 of extreme hardship. 11:41 >: [Foreign language] >: 12:02 JB: But, although Dr. Jacob is operating on some 12:05 of the world's poorest people, the standard of care 12:08 they receive is world class. 12:12 >: I've stood over Dr. Jacob's shoulder for four hours 12:14 last night and he went back and forth from patient 12:17 to patient, his hands, his, his expertise, his focus, 12:21 his vision is just unbelievable. 12:25 An ophthalmologist surgeon in, uh, the western world, 12:28 the United States, for instance, would do 12:30 approximately 30 a day would be, a, a very good number, 12:33 a very good number. 12:35 JB: And while 30 surgeries a day may seem like a lot, 12:40 Jacob and his team have refined the process 12:42 so thoroughly that 30 surgeries now accounts for less than 12:47 an hour's work. 12:48 JP: We do about 40 surgeries in one hour. 12:51 When I began my career I was taking nearly one hour 12:57 or more per surgery. 12:59 But all through that time, because of the high numbers 13:03 of surgeries, we use these steps, 13:06 we use the instrumentation, on average the surgery 13:09 is less than two minutes, and then I work 465 surgeries 13:14 in one day. 13:15 Eleven thousand surgeries in one year. 13:17 And about 100,000 surgeries in my career. 13:20 We have a very small team, which is very, very efficient. 13:28 For the volume of surgery that we perform in a year, 13:31 our team should have been ten times bigger. 13:35 We're able to do a lot of surgeries because the team 13:38 is highly motivated and dedicated. 13:43 JB: With such an impressive number of surgeries behind 13:47 him, there is little doubt that Dr. Prabaka still would 13:51 be in high demand on this side of the world. 13:54 >: If Dr. Jacob was working in the United States 13:57 of America, his lifestyle would be at the top of the world, 14:01 so to speak. 14:02 His income would be in the multimillion dollar area. 14:05 He could have all the material things in life that he 14:08 would like to have, plus more. 14:10 JP: No doubt there is opportunity for me to serve 14:15 in higher institutions, in bigger cities, to be able 14:21 to amass a lot of wealth, but I see that there is so much 14:26 need. 14:28 There is more than 15 million blind people in India 14:30 and I realize that unless we spend most of our time 14:34 operating upon these patients, there is no way we can 14:37 clear the backlog of blindness. 14:39 This drives me to do as much as possible. 14:44 >:He always thinks about the patients and he wants 14:47 to support more patients and he want to go to the many 14:50 places to help the patients. 14:52 That it is his kind of nature. 14:57 >: Dr. Jacob, he want to help the poor people, 14:59 poor people of this world. 15:02 Nobody is operating them. 15:07 [Music] 15:11 JB: What was life like in this village when you 15:14 were growing up? 15:15 JP: Back in those years it was very remote, it was very 15:17 lonely, very few people, and these are the little shops 15:21 that we used to purchase our groceries on a, a daily 15:24 basis. 15:25 JB: Sounds like life was pretty simple. 15:27 These weren't big supermarkets. 15:28 JP: Very, very simple. 15:29 In fact, we would purchase or just for that meal. 15:32 We would, we'd like to have breakfast, we buy supplies 15:37 just for that day's breakfast. 15:40 JB: I know you spend much of your professional life now 15:45 in the villages, in the places where the people are the poorest 15:49 of the poor. 15:51 There's a connection, isn't there, between 15:53 your upbringing and what you're doing today professionally 15:55 to minister to others? 15:56 JP: I know what poverty is like. 16:00 I've seen it, I've experienced it, I've gone through it. 16:04 And I realize that it's so very important to be sensitive 16:09 to the needs of those people who are actually in need 16:13 of help. 16:15 [Music] 16:24 JB: Jacob Prabaka is unique among medical 16:26 professionals here in India. 16:28 His cataract surgery technique, the support 16:31 of his dedicated team, and a relentless commitment 16:35 to hard work makes it possible for him to treat an enormous 16:39 amount of people. 16:40 The poorest of India's poor, those who would have slipped 16:44 through the cracks without him. 16:46 While many medical professionals in India are happy 16:49 to get ahead, and many of them are happier to get out, 16:53 Dr. Prabaka has dedicated his medical practice 16:57 to deliberately seeking out the poorest of India's poor 17:01 and providing them with medical services that they couldn't 17:04 possibly get anywhere else. 17:07 So, what drives this remarkable man? 17:14 JP: Every moment of my life I depend upon God. 17:20 I cannot depend on myself. 17:22 I always give the credit to God whether I see a Hindu 17:27 or a Muslim or a Sikh or a Christian friend, I would 17:30 say to them, if it was not for the grace of God I could 17:33 not be what I am. 17:38 [Music] >: [Foreign language] 17:54 [Music] >: [Foreign language] 18:03 [Music] 18:14 JB: India is a land of great contrasts. 18:17 Incredible beauty and suffocating pollution. 18:19 Vast natural resources and terrible poverty. 18:23 Well paid professional cricket players and IT workers 18:27 and then the masses barely eking out an existence. 18:31 And for millions of people in India medical help is almost 18:35 impossible to find. 18:36 There are masses of people living here, living 18:39 in the darkness of blindness, who could see if only they could 18:44 get eye surgery. 18:48 Eyes for India is giving sight to the blind and you 18:52 can be a part of this amazing work that God is doing. 18:55 Fifteen million blind people live in India. 18:58 More than any other country in the world. 19:00 And many of the blind in India could see again 19:03 if only they could have simple cataract surgery. 19:07 It Is Written is making that happen. 19:09 Would you support Eyes for India? 19:13 For just $75 you'll be giving the gift of sight to someone 19:17 who desperately wants to see. 19:19 Here's all you need to do. 19:21 Call 1-800-253-3000 to donate and support Eyes for India. 19:28 Or you can write to It Is Written, 19:30 Box 0, Thousand Oaks, California 91359. 19:35 You'll also find Eyes for India online at itiswritten.com. 19:41 [Music] JB: In rural India when a person 19:47 loses their ability to see, everything changes. 19:51 Somebody who works in the rice fields, well, 19:53 they cannot work if they cannot see. 19:55 A person who tends the cattle, somebody who works 19:58 as a laborer every day, they're not working 20:01 if they're not seeing. 20:02 And there isn't an employer who's prepared to provide 20:05 benefits. 20:06 There isn't any sort of health insurance 20:08 for these most poor of the poor. 20:11 It just doesn't exist for these people. 20:13 However, the same Jesus who opened the eyes of the blind 20:17 when he walked here on the earth is still opening 20:19 the eyes of the blind here in India. 20:22 The compassion that drove Jesus is the same compassion 20:25 that fuels Dr. Jacob Rabaka and his team, to help the most 20:29 needy here and to demonstrate to them the love 20:34 of a loving God. 20:37 [Music] >: [Foreign language] 20:46 JB: Well, this is a special moment because here we 20:48 are in your home village. 20:50 As a matter of fact, at your home, surrounded by 20:54 people on whom you've operated. 20:58 How does that make you feel? 21:00 JP: Well, it's very exciting and really, really special. 21:03 The place that I was brought up and I was raised here. 21:06 And so these people were known to me since 21:08 my childhood I'm excited that I am able 21:12 to help my people. 21:15 JB: Why do you do this? 21:17 That is to say, you don't live anywhere near here now. 21:21 Just to get here is an enormous exercise. 21:26 JP: I was raised in this place and I know the poverty here. 21:28 I know the people, how poor they are. 21:30 And they have no health care facilities around. 21:33 JB: Just giving back to the community that really 21:36 gave you so much. 21:37 JP: Yes. 21:38 These people are the ones that gave for me 21:40 when I was in school. 21:41 They encouraged me. 21:42 And it's a, a very wonderful opportunity for me to come 21:45 back home and help them--transform their lives 21:48 through this cataract surgery. 21:51 [Music] 21:54 >: [Foreign language] 22:22 JB: But it's not just their physical lives 22:26 that are being transformed. 22:27 As vision is restored, their eyes are being opened 22:32 to the Word of God, and many are accepting 22:36 Jesus into their hearts. 22:38 JP: Some people they say, I want to read the Bible, 22:41 but they don't have it yet. 22:43 After surgery, they can read the Bible. 22:46 We are distributing Bible whenever we can. 22:50 We have great opportunities to restore their sight, 22:53 touch their lives. 22:55 What's more exciting is we are having an opportunity 22:58 to give them Bible study, distribute Bibles, sharing 23:02 the Gospel. 23:03 >: Dr. Jacob's patients, when they have their cataracts 23:08 removed and they have this new vision, it's not just a vision 23:10 that's physical. 23:12 He follows up with the Bibles, the spiritual emphasize, 23:15 so they have spiritual healing along with physical healing. 23:18 And you can't beat that combination. 23:22 >: Really grateful, I'm grateful to God, by the glory of the God 23:26 he has done that job. 23:27 By the glory of the God, Jacob Prabaka operated me. 23:33 How many poor people he help? 23:40 >: [Foreign language] 23:49 JB: Of course, this remarkable man and his team 23:51 could not continue their very important work were it not 23:55 for the support of Eyes for India and the generous 23:59 hearts of our donors. 24:03 JP: The need of operating upon patients is so vast 24:06 that without the generous support of these sponsors 24:09 it would not be possible for us to operate so many and give 24:13 them sight. 24:17 The sponsor that's provided by our generous donors 24:21 is utilized to purchase materials, consumables, 24:24 lenses, medicines, and in bringing the patients 24:30 from the locations to the place where the hospital is. 24:35 These sponsors are changing thousands of lives. 24:42 [Music] JB: And although 24:46 more than 100,000 people have already received 24:49 this sight-giving surgery, the journey is far from over 24:54 for Dr. Prabaka. 24:56 What's your vision of the future as far as your involvement 25:01 in this work? 25:02 JP: I'm excited, uh, to be able to be involved in opening the 25:05 eyes of thousands of people and I believe there is a long 25:08 way to go. 25:09 the road ahead of me seems to be very, very long and I 25:12 have, uh, thousands and thousands of people whose 25:16 eyes I need to open. 25:18 [Music] 25:25 JB: I want to tell you how you can be part 25:26 of Eyes for India. 25:28 Just $75 will restore the sight of someone who's 25:33 visually impaired or someone who is completely blind. 25:37 These cataracts often take the sight totally of people, 25:42 leaving them living in the dark. 25:44 Just $75 is all it takes to give the gift of sight. 25:49 Here's what I'd like you to do. 25:51 Call us right now, 800-253-3000. 25:55 1-800-253-300, or visit us online www.itiswritten.com, 26:02 itiswritten.com. 26:03 You can write to Box 0, Thousand Oaks, California 91359. 26:09 Only $75 and you open the eyes of the blind and give 26:16 the gift of sight. 26:18 How many eyes are you willing to open? 26:23 Seventy-five dollars for one individual, $750, 26:26 you've changed 10 lives. 26:29 Multiply that out and you can change the lives 26:32 of exponentially more. 26:35 I'd like to pray with you before I go, so let me do that now. 26:38 Father in heaven, I thank you that you are opening 26:42 the eyes of the blind and opening the hearts of so 26:44 many, who are receiving not just physical sight, 26:48 but spiritual sight. 26:49 They're seeing Jesus and receiving from you 26:52 the precious gift of salvation. 26:55 Continue to bless, please, the work of Dr. Jacob 26:58 and his team here. 26:59 Open the eyes and the hearts of multiplied more people 27:02 and bless those who give and support this great work 27:06 with a joy and a satisfaction and a peace from knowing 27:10 that they have touched a life for eternity's sake. 27:15 So, bless and keep us, I pray. 27:18 Lord, let us see Jesus. 27:20 In Jesus' name. 27:22 Amen. 27:29 [Music] 27:45 JB: Thanks for joining me today. 27:47 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:49 Until then, remember, it is written, man shall not 27:53 live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds 27:57 from the mouth of God. 28:01 [Music] |
Revised 2015-02-05