Mark 1:29-31
All
of us have jumped to a conclusion that later we found out was incorrect,
incomplete, perhaps totally wrong. God has given us the ability to size up a
situation very rapidly. And based on our learning history, we draw conclusions
that protect our life. Let me give you an example.
Imagine
a very small toddler, barely able to walk a straight line. They are in the park
playing, parent at the ready to rescue them when they fall. Everything seems
safe and secure, but a golden retriever bounds into the scene. This dog wouldn’t
harm a fly, let alone a child. The dog rushes over to the child, and stands eye
to eye and barks “Hello! Come play with me!” Its tail is wagging furiously. A
lick on the cheek. From an adult perspective we see all the signs of friendliness.
But
from that child’s perspective it is a very different picture. This huge yellow
creature, bigger than I am, has targeted me and run over threatening to eat me.
It even tasted me to see if I would fit in their diet. It yelled at me and I
don’t understand what it said, but it didn’t sound friendly.
At
first glance it could appear that Jesus did this miracle for selfish reasons,
so that he could get a home cooked meal. He finds out the cook, Simon’s mother-in-law,
is sick. He wants food. He heals her. He gets his food. But like many first
glances, some of the details get missed, thus making the conclusion incorrect.
So
what did we miss on our first glance? Read these three verses again. Then back
up and start reading at verse 21 and read right through this verse and through
verse 34. This miracle follows Jesus demonstrating His authority to teach Truth
about God and man. The demon possessed man is free from the tyranny of the
demon’s leading as a practical object lesson of Jesus’ authority. And now Jesus
is confronted with an illness, something else not under the control of ordinary
people.
As
Jesus left the synagogue several people follow Jesus. James and John are part
of the group that linkup and travel to Simon and Andrew’s house. This house
shows up five times in Mark (see 2:1; 3:20; 9:33; 10:10) as the place where
Jesus spent time when He was in that part of Palestine. Remember, there are no
Comfort Inn & Suites back then. I am sure he is expecting a quiet and
relaxing time with some friends. But someone is seriously ill in the house. She
doesn’t even get out of bed to greet Jesus when He arrives.
We
have no medical diagnosis for this fever. We know she is in bed. She must be
pretty sick. Jesus is told about her condition by family. They are obviously
concerned. Jesus goes to her room, takes her hand and helps her up. He doesn’t
need to say a word. Again, no magic formula. Just Jesus presence changes
things. And when she gets up, there are no signs of weakness or illness at all.
She is immediately back to her normal self. She jumps into the task of being
the good hostess.
Where
is Simon’s wife? We don’t know. Simon must be married if he has a mother-in-law.
But she is nowhere to be found. Is she pregnant and about to give birth and as
such unable to help? Has she died in childbirth? We just don’t know. These
questions miss the point. The mother-in-law is desperately ill with some
unnamed illness, perhaps near the point of death. The fever prevents her from
getting up and helping. Jesus heals the disease and quickens her to the point that
she is back to normal.
Jesus
has authority over sickness. We see this demonstrated repeatedly in the
Gospels. Not every person who was sick was healed. His hometown had sick
people, but because of their lack of belief in Jesus as Messiah, they were not
healed.
I
don’t know why certain people are healed in this life by the life-giving power
of Jesus and why some people die prematurely by our standards. But just because
we don’t understand the complexities of the universe does not mean that Jesus
doesn’t intervene with physical healing.