Beloved, I am glad to share with you today on the healing by the Lord Jesus Christ of a woman with fever. It was the stepmother of Peter, his disciple. After the leper and the centurion’s servant, here comes the healing of a third person, a woman who, according to the Law, is among the second rank. But, he remains in his mission and still shows that he has come to heal and deliver those who are suffering.
Then the Savior continues his work, as written in Mat 8.14-15 “ When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.”
So this third miracle is the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, who had a fever. Because it was necessary that the Master also act in the families of his own. He healed the stepmother of his disciple Peter and was not satisfied with healing. Indeed, He Himself “took our weaknesses and bore our diseases”, going back to their source which is sin. He felt the full weight of it, all the bitterness; in fact, it is the experience of many sick Christians.
And if leprosy is a figure of sin in its character of defilement, then paralysis represents the incapacity in which sin puts man when it is for him to do the will of God. Thus, the fever symbolizes the agitation which characterizes the man without God. For sin takes man away from rest and peace, which is the part of him who has been brought to God.
So all the feverish activity, which is increasing more and more in this world, comes from the fact that man, far from God, seeks his own satisfaction in what the world can offer; he is agitated to obtain it, a terrible distraction which prevents him from thinking of God and seeing his state in his presence! In this way, man is incapable of serving God; thinking that he does not have enough time for himself, he cannot devote time to God. When the Lord touched Peter’s mother-in-law’s hand, the fever left her, and she arose and served him. For when God has accomplished his work in a soul and delivered it from the power of sin which causes this agitation, this soul can enjoy the rest of the conscience and the heart; she is at peace; she has calm and can thus serve the Lord. The apostle Paul said to the Thessalonians, “You have turned from idols to God, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1: 9).
We understand that the disciple was married, and know that his wife accompanied him on his travels (1 Corinthians 9.5). Thus, having been so spontaneously healed, the first use that this woman made of the forces which had just returned to her was to serve him.
Recall that in ancient times in the East, all kinds of rites and incantations were used for exorcisms. While the simplicity of the way in which the Lord Jesus healed the sick demonstrated his authority, the power of his word, and also the fact of touching only those concerned to heal them.
The various biblical passages below have been compiled for your edification on the theme of this day.
- Contact with Christ brought health and comfort to those he touched:
-the touch that purifies: Mat 8.3 “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.”
-touch that calms: Mat 8.3,15 “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.”
-the touch that illuminates Mat 9.29 “Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”
-the touch which reassures: Mat 17.7 “But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” (Mat 20.34 “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”)
-the touch that liberates: Mark 7.33, 35”After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.”
-the touch that heals: Mark 10.13, 16 “People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”
– the touching on the servant of the high priest: Luke 22.51 “ But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.”
- mothers-in-law: Ruth 1.14 “ At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.”;
Mat 10.35 “ For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—”; Mark 1.30 “Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her.”
- ministry of women, compassion shown in a particular way:
-hospitality towards the prophets: 2 Kings 4.10 “Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.”
-goodness towards the poor: Pro 31.20 ” She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”;
-to the needy: 2 Sam 9: 1-7 “1 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. 3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” 4 “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” 5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied. 7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”; Pro 14.21,31 “He who despises his neighbor commits a sin, But happy is he who has mercy on the miserable! 31 To oppress the poor is to insult the one who did it; But to have mercy on the needy is to honor it. ”; Pro 19.17 “He who has mercy on the poor lends to the Lord, who will give him according to his work.”
-contribution to the well-being of Christ: Mat 27.55-56 “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
-Christ mentions women in the parables: Luke 13.20-21 “He also said: To what will I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and put in three measures of flour, to make all the dough rise. ”; Luke 15.8-10 “Or what woman, if she has ten drachmas, and she loses one, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds her? 9 When she found her, she called her friends and neighbors, and said, Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma that I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy before the angels of God for one sinner who repents. ”
Luke 17.35 “Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”; Luke 18.1-8 “1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
-the anointing of Christ by the Holy Spirit is prophesied: Psa 2.2 “ The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,”; Isa 61.1 “ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,”; Dan 9.25-26 “ “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.” Mark 14.3“ While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.”;
-is accomplished after his baptism: Mat 3.16 “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.”; John 1.32-33 “ Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ “
-Christians are anointed by the Holy Spirit: 2 Cor 1.21 “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,”; 1 John 2.20,27 “ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.”
-washing of the Savior’s feet: Luke 7.37-38 “ I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.”
-Service of the Church: Rom 16.1-2 “I recommend Phoebe, our sister, who is deaconess of the Church of Cenchreas, 2 so that you may receive her in our Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you assist her in things where she needs you, because she has helped many and myself. ”
-collaboration with Paul: Rom 16,3,6,12 “ Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.”(1 Tim 5.10“ and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.”)
-timely service to the Lord and his workers:
Mat 8.15 “ He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.”; Mark 14.8 “ She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.”; 1 Cor 16.17 “ I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you.”; Php 2.25 “But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.”; 2 Tim 1.18 “ May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.”;
-No difference between man and woman before salvation: Gal 3.28 “ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.;
-the Spirit poured out on sons and daughters: Luke 1.41-45 “ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”; Acts 2.1-4 “ When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
From what we have just seen, we note by this healing that the woman also put herself at the service of the Lord Jesus by the means of the ministry of the woman to support the work of evangelization, that she also receives the Holy-Spirit. And she obtains healing and blessing by her faith and her work. Our prayers support all of you and especially all women so that the Savior may strengthen them in the work of salvation that they are committed to doing.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows :
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all adoration, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to your questions and comments, before sharing with you next week on the healing ministry.
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you profusely.
David Feze, Servant of the Lord Almighty.