Jesus, The Great Victor

Mark 1:29-31 Jesus, The Great Victor

One of the first Bible verses I learned as a child is found in Psalm 122. Doubtless many of you know it as well. "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." Like the Psalmist, I too am glad to be in the house of the Lord on this Sabbath day. And I am especially thankful for the opportunity to testify of my faith in Jesus, my Lord and Savior.

This Sunday has been designated as Victory Sunday. As I reflected on the title, Victory Sunday, I thought of that old familiar hymn, which proclaims there is no greater victory than victory in Jesus. I was also reminded of how the Bible gives testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Great Victor. The Apostle Paul said of our Lord that, "God has highly exalted Him, and has given Him a name that is above every name" (Philippians 2:9). Peter declared, "There is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). John the beloved disciple called Jesus "the Lord of lords and the King of kings" (Revelation 17:14). Even the angels of heaven were on hand to herald His birth (see Luke 2:9-14).

Yes, Jesus is the Great Victor, and this morning I would like to look at the story of the miraculous healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. It is the story of a grand victory, the story of a miracle, a miracle that took place in Capernaum, a town in Galilee, near the boyhood home of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all record this majestic event.

In the first chapter of Mark’s gospel we are told that Jesus called for Peter and his brother Andrew to come and follow Him. Shortly thereafter He called James and his brother John to be His disciples as well. These new disciples then journeyed to Capernaum with Jesus, where on the Sabbath day they entered into the synagogue.

I would like to continue with this story by reading from Mark Chapter 1,verses 29-31. "And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell Him of her. And He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them."

Simon-Peter’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. Luke in his account of this story says she was taken with a great fever (Luke 4:38). The battle between life and death had commenced, and so Jesus was summonsed to engage in this mighty struggle. It has been said that we need not fear should the black horse of death come to our door, if its rider be Jesus. In other words, for the Christian there is no reason to fear death. The Apostle Paul made this point as well noting that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:8). Still we pray for healings and for miracles to take place on this earth. Yet as we all know, sometimes the miracle we pray for does not occur on the earthly side of the veil. Instead the victory comes when our loved one is ushered into the eternal presence of the Lord.

A great trial had come to the house of Peter and Andrew, but a great blessing was about to manifest itself, for Jesus had come to the house as well.

Here we have a woman who was so sick she was unable to rise from her bed. As you think about this lady, is there someone you know who is facing a great trial? Do you have a loved one, a friend, an acquaintance, who is suffering from a great fever and is unable to rise? Do you know someone who needs your help? Who is it that comes to your mind this morning?

Romans 15:4 tells us that the things written in Scripture long ago were written for our learning, that through patience and comfort of the Scriptures we might have reason to hope. With this verse in mind, what can we learn from this story? Let us begin by observing the actions of the disciples.

First, consider the word “Invitation”.

Notice that Peter and Andrew invited Jesus to come into their house, for that is where the suffering one resided. Though Jesus no longer physically walks upon the earth, He is here in spirit, and through our prayers we can speed our invitation to Him requesting His presence. It is a good thing to invite the Savior to come and visit the needy. Think about it, you may be the only person making such a request for that individual. Making the request for the Lord to come is far better than simply waiting and hoping that your friend or loved one will eventually go to the Lord; Your friend may never do it on his own.