Skip to main content

59. Peter's Mother-In-Law


Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31, Luke 4:38-39,
Key Verse: So He went to her, took her hand and helped her up.  The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 
Mark 1:31

It's hard for us, today, in the age of antibiotics to appreciate the seriousness of this situation.  When we have a fever we usually just go to bed and sleep it off or call the doctor and get a prescription for penicillin and keep on going.  A little bug isn't about to keep us from our responsibilities. 

We only need look back, however to our grandparent's generation to understand how serious this fever may have been.  I'm thinking of the flu epidemic of 1918-19 that spread world-wide in which many people died.  When we remember that George Washington died from a strep throat, do we really need to look any further?  Infections, childhood diseases, bad drinking water, were all threats to life itself.  We forget that in our age of modern medicine, but travel to a third world country and we can be immediately back in the reality of Jesus' day.  Luke, the doctor, lets us know that the fever was "high," and in so doing, he is letting us know just how serious the situation was for this woman. 

It is interesting that this woman did not ask personally for healing.  Perhaps she couldn't.  High fevers often cause delirium or a lack of awareness of one's surroundings.  We don't know if this was the case or not, but it is possible. 

Jesus simply healed her.  Luke says that He rebuked the fever, but Matthew and Mark say that He simply touched her hand.  This may mean that, if Jesus did say anything, it was done quietly; perhaps so that He wouldn't startle her?  Who knows?  There is no comment about faith here by Jesus; no assuring that God gets the glory, just a simple touch and that is all that was needed.  Yet, even a touch is personal.  It is an act of love.  It is an act of reaching beyond yourself, outside of your comfort zone to someone who is in need. 

Then, there is the response of the mother-in-law to being healed.  She understands this act of love and appreciation and returns the favor by serving Jesus as her way of giving thanks.  This too may be a bit hard for us to imagine.  While it is true that in our day of good health care, it is hard to imagine seeing a fever as a real threat, we at least enjoy often laying in bed for a day to recover and get our full strength back.  That obviously is not the case here.  No recovery time was needed.  She was good to go as soon as Jesus touched her.  She didn't take that energy and do something selfish like go shopping or take off to visit a friend.  She turned right around and gave back to Jesus what she could.  Both she and Jesus understood the language of love and nothing more needed to be said. 

This healing also may have served to encourage Peter's faith in two ways.  First of all, it served as further proof that Jesus really was who He would later claim to be.  Secondly, if Peter really did follow Jesus and become a fisher of men, he was going to be leaving his household behind.  Perhaps his mother-in-law was essential to a smooth running home.  Her illness, or death, would have made it very hard for Peter to leave and follow the master.  Jesus eased that burden of concern by simply eliminating it. 

How do we show thanks for what the Lord has done for us?

Hymn: (chorus) "Give Thanks" 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

174. Pleading for the Fig Tree

Proverbs 27:18 , Luke 13:6-9 Key Verse: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18 We have here three main characters: a master, who acquired the tree in hopes of eventually enjoying its fruit, a servant, who looks to the tree to reflect his care and attention, and lastly, the tree itself. The master has the right to expect his investment to pay off. The servant, who has obviously put much effort into the tree, would also like to see fruit. The servant's interest is not only to show his own talent in gardening, but because he wants to please his master. Both the servant and the master are dependent upon the tree to do what it was designed to do. Their little parable is an interesting way for Jesus to finish off His exhortation to, "repent or perish."  God is the Master. He had a purpose for you before you were even born. ( Jeremiah 1:5 & Psalm 139:16 ) He planted you on this earth to ful...
Post a Comment
Read more

204. Come Like a Child

Psalm 127 , Matthew 19:13-15 , Luke 18:15-17 , Mark 10:13-16 Key Verse: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 The attitude of the disciples isn't much different than the attitude of many people, even Christians, today. Instead of seeing children as a blessing from the Lord, too many regard them as a burden to bear that gets in the way of our own selfish happiness. Family size is determined by what we think we can afford rather than openness to God's blessing, trusting God to provide. Satan hates children. Children represent innocence. The sooner he can corrupt and or damage a child, the happier he is. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drown in the depths of the sea." To corrupt or damage ...
Post a Comment
Read more