Jesus had been ministering throughout the region of Galilee. In our most recent lessons, He has come to the town of Capernaum. This was His home base (Mark 2:1). It was now the Sabbath day, and Jesus had been teaching in the synagogue (Luke 4:31).
Read today’s text in Luke 4:38-44. We see here that when Jesus left the synagogue, he went to the home of Simon, whom He had renamed Peter (John 1:42). Peter’s mother-in-law had an extremely high fever and her family asked Jesus to help her. She was too sick to ask for herself. It is possible that she may have been sick enough that her life was in question.
This family was particularly good friends of Jesus. He was staying in their home. It would have been natural for Jesus to be involved in the situation, even if He had not been the powerful being that He was. Verse 39 tells us that He bent over her. In a previous lesson, we saw Jesus heal the son of Herod’s nobleman from 15 miles away, but Jesus bends over Peter’s mother-in-law. This is what we do when loved ones are sick, even if they are contagious. We want to feel their temperature. We show compassion and concern. Jesus knew this woman.
We are then told that Jesus rebuked the fever and it left her. Jesus was exercising the authority that we spoke of in our previous lesson. He had ultimate power and authority over the fever. Whatever germ had invaded her body was part of His creation and it obeyed Him. It obeyed Him immediately and unquestioningly.
The Bible tells us that this woman got up from her bed at once and began to wait on them. She went immediately from a high fever that had her family thinking she might die to jumping right back into normal activities. Waiting on them was her way of showing gratitude for what had been done for her. What an amazing miracle!
In our culture, a day runs daylight and then night, but in Jewish culture, a day runs evening and then daylight. This is based on God’s act of creation (Gen 1:5). Under Jewish Law, one could not transport the sick on the Sabbath day. This is why, in verse 40, we see that the townsfolk waited until sunset to bring their sick to Jesus to be healed. At sunset, it would no longer be the Sabbath day. There were many people who were sick and we are told that Jesus healed them. Luke, the physician, provides extra detail in his account that is not in the other Gospels. He tells us that Jesus healed them by laying on hands. We also see Jesus casting out demons and silencing them. He is, once again, exercising His ultimate power and authority. Satan’s demons seem to turn up more in places Jesus is working to try and disrupt His effort.
Verse 42 tells us that at daybreak, Jesus stole off to a solitary place. We must go to Mark 1:35 to see the reason He did so. What was that reason? This fact gives us a little insight into just what Jesus gave up in order to come to earth as a man in order to accomplish our salvation. In His natural, Godly state, He could be in all places at one time and in constant communion with the Father, but in an earthly body as a man, He had to find opportunities to be alone in order to pray. The Bible often notes these occasions unobtrusively, and it is sometimes easy to not take notice of them, but they are there. He does it often, and we should make a point to do it also.
The townsfolk showed up and interrupted His prayer time…they had been out looking for Him… and tried to keep Him from leaving Capernaum. But Jesus explained to them that He must keep on spreading the good news of God’s plan of salvation to other towns also. This goods news, we have already learned in previous lessons, is for all mankind (2 Pet 3:9).
Bringing God’s plan of salvation to the world was why Jesus had come to earth and that must remain His priority. But if this is so, why was He healing people? First of all, miracles and healing help to confirm that He is the Messiah. Second, Jesus is loving and compassionate. He cares about our suffering, but God’s plan of salvation still comes first. Our physical health is only for a brief time (Psalm 39:5) but salvation is for eternity (John 3:16).
Our churches today, when doing God’s work, must have a ministry of meeting people’s physical needs. This is important. Jesus did that. However, the church’s primary priority/ministry must be getting the Gospel message out to the world. It was Jesus’ first priority/ministry and should be ours also.
Responding to God: Praise God for His love and provision in times of need and in times of plenty. Thank Him for your needs that He has already met. Pray for others who are sick or have physical needs. Commit to helping meet the physical needs of others.
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