Jesus Christ Healing The Sick Series

Introduction

Jesus went to the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath and taught the people in the synagogue with his authoritative words. And he drove out a demon, an evil spirit in the synagogue and healed a man possessed by a demon. People were surprised to hear Jesus' authoritative teachings, and they were even more surprised by his authority and power when he commanded and cast out a demon, an unclean spirit. So the news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding area.

I. Jesus’ healing Simon’s mother-in-law (vv. 38-39)

Sabbath worship usually ends around noon. After the Sabbath service, they each go home and have lunch with their families. Perhaps Simon and his brother Andrew invited Jesus to their home. According to literature, Simon's house was about 30 yards from the synagogue. Simon is Peter's original name.

But what kind of person is Simon Peter? Peter was always the type of person to act first and think later. So, it is highly likely that he invited Jesus to his home without even discussing it with his wife. Perhaps he trusted his mother-in-law, who undoubtedly had better cooking skills than his wife, and invited guests. He might have thought that if his mother-in-law served food to Jesus, Jesus would have liked it and that it would be also be an opportunity for his mother-in-law to meet Jesus. Jesus followed Simon into the house (v. 38a).

But something unexpected happened. Simon's mother-in-law is in bed suffering from a high fever (v. 38b). Perhaps Peter didn't know that. She seemed to have suddenly caught a fever. Simon's wife must have been very heartbroken because of her suddenly ill mother. Simon's children would have hoped that their grandmother would get better quickly, and Simon and Andre, who found out later that their mother-in-law was sick, would have been equally worried.

What we can see here is that illness is never a problem of one individual. If a family has a seriously ill patient, the entire family must take care of the patient. It also causes a lot of disruption in daily life. Especially if the patient's illness continues for a long time, the atmosphere at home becomes depressed and lacks energy. In this way, each family's happiness and unhappiness are directly linked to each other. I hope that no one in your family is seriously ill. I wish you all good health.

Because Peter's mother-in-law was suffering from a highs fever, the atmosphere at home would have been chaotic, and they would not have been in a good position to welcome Jesus. How embarrassed and sorry Peter must have been to invite his guests. Simon must have been at a loss, not knowing what to do. However, those who saw the scene asked Jesus to heal Simon's mother-in-law in the hope that she would get better (v. 38c). Just now, people clearly saw Jesus in the synagogue, commanding and casting out evil spirits with authority and power, and healing a man possessed by a demon, an unclean spirit. That's why people asked Jesus to use His authority and power to heal Simon's mother-in-law, who was suffering from a high fever.

At that time, Jesus heard the people asking, bent over her, rebuked the fever, and healed her (v. 39a). Mark 1:31 says, “He went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her.” And in Matthew 8:15 says, “He touched her hand and the fever left her.” To summarize the contents of the Gospel, Jesus went to where Simon's mother-in-law was lying and first took her hand and touched her. Jesus took pity on her as she suffered from her fever. And He gently helped Peter's mother-in-law up, scolding the fever. Even though Peter's mother-in-law did not ask for it and someone else asked for it, Jesus accepted it. Looking at this, we can see that when we pray for other people's illnesses or difficulties, God listens to our prayers.

The woman suffering from a fever would have felt the fever leaving her and felt cool the moment Jesus touched her and rebuked the fever, and at the same time, she would have been able to experience Jesus' big and soft loving touch. The gospel does not only cure illness. The gospel is that God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son. It is more important to experience the love of the Lord than to cure an illness. Even if the disease is cured, it can recur again. Disease does not leave us as long as we live. However, once we experience the love of Jesus, we can live forever with the Lord no matter what adversity may come our way.

How did she react after experiencing amazing healing love? Peter’s mother-in-law “got up at once and began to wait on them” (v. 39b). She would have gone to the kitchen, put out everything she had, cooked with all her heart, and served Jesus' group. How joyful and happy she must have been! Her service did not end there. The tense of the phrase “to wait” is present tense. Peter's mother-in-law continued to serve them. This means that Peter's mother-in-law continued to serve Jesus and his disciples. That's right. Those who have received the grace of the Lord do not stop at just volunteering or donating to repay the grace. Those who truly receive the grace of the Lord serve their entire lives from the moment they receive grace until they die. It is to continue to serve the Lord and those whom the Lord loves. This is the evidence of those who have truly received grace.