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
Jesus had a full morning at the temple. After all that preaching and teaching and speaking and healing…we would expect Him to be ready for a sabbath day nap. But instead, the five of them (Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James, and John), all go to Peter’s house after church. I don’t think Peter phoned home to make sure it was ok. 🙂
The scripture says Peter’s mother in law was in bed with a fever – certainly not in a condition to make lunch! When Jesus hears about her illness, he goes to her, he takes her hand, and he helps her up. The fever is gone, as our Lord demonstrates His authority over sickness.
And then let’s not miss the great truth to be gleaned from her response. What did she do after she was healed?
She began to wait on them.
Why do we pray for those we love to be healed? Every one of us knows someone who is suffering physically in a big or small way. Every church has a prayer list…and most likely 99% of the prayer requests on that list relate to physical illness. But….why do we pray for someone to be healed? So …they can get back to work or to the golf course…get back on the ball field….get back to the couch and not miss their favorite episode of whatever…?
The response of Peter’s mother in law provides a purpose for healing:
Heal us Lord, so we can serve you.
The healing of Peter’s mother in law provides a perfect analogy for salvation.
Just as Jesus heard of the plight of Peter’s mother in law and chose to go to her….He didn’t expect her to come to HIM for healing….He comes to us, he extends His hand to us and lifts us up from our bed of sickness. Our sickness is called sin.
We know our choices bring consequences.
Jesus releases us from those consequences. He helps us up when we cannot do anything to help ourselves.
Peter’s mother in law could do nothing to make her fever go away. We can do nothing to make our sin go away.
Jesus did it all for her physical healing….and Jesus does it all for our spiritual healing.
Her response to the physical healing should be the same response we have to our spiritual healing — gratefulness should leave us with a desire to serve our Lord.
We are saved…so we can serve!
{If you are studying through Mark with us, please read Mark 1:16-39 this week. Here is the recorded teaching lecture on this passage: http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/2013/09/12/ladies-bible-study-mark-116-39-laura-macfarlan-9-12-13/ }
