Unsung Heroines-Peter’s Mother-In-Law

Introduction: She’s only mentioned once, but in three of the Gospels. Look what happened to this lady after she received healing from Jesus!

Text: Here are the texts from each of the Gospels where this event is mentioned:

Matthew 8:14-15, KJV: 14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

Mark 1:29-31, KJV: 29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

Luke 4:38-39, KJV: 38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. 39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

Thoughts: Each writer describes Peter’s mother-in-law as being “sick of a fever”, Luke adding it was “a great fever”. In a word, “Ma’ was very sick. We don’t know what caused this fever except that it was strong enough to put “Ma” flat on her back. (Note: my own mother-in-law was pleased or at least tolerated me calling her “Ma” during the time my wife and I lived with her. This was a mark of love and respect to the lady who gave me my wife!)

Matthew and Peter were there, seeing this in person as eye-witnesses as some say. Either Peter, Andrew, or others, or a group—we don’t know for sure—told Jesus about Peter’s mother-in-law. Jesus came and saw for Himself it was true and then performed a very kind deed for her.

He healed her! Immediately!

And to show her appreciation, “Ma” immediately turned around and took care of the people. You can’t make this up. Moments before, she’d been sick as could be, and now she’s up and preparing something. “Ministered” here could mean preparing a meal or any number of things.

Talk about an unsung heroine! Once she was healed, she sprang into action to show her appreciation for what Jesus did. It was a little thing, but it came from the heart, and her deed of kindness should never be forgotten. This, and we don’t even know her name or anything else about her except what she suffered and what she did immediately afterwards.

How can we show appreciation for what Jesus did for us?

Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).