HEALINGS ON THE SABBATH, INCLUDING SIMON’S MOTHER-IN-LAW

“Christ Healing Peter’s Mother-in-Law”, Church of St. Savior, Choram Istanbul, C.1310

Matthew 8:14-17, Mark 1:21-34, Luke 4:31-41

Capernaum

Then he, they, went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and when the Sabbath came on, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. He taught the people. They, the people, were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority. He taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

This is immediately after Jesus called these fishermen to follow. They went the short distance to Capernaum, where Jesus had made his home. The “they” at this time was a small group, Jesus, Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. We aren’t given what day of the week it was that Jesus called these men. It was probably not Saturday, because that would have been a Sabbath and they would not have been working. The previous passages said they had been fishing all night, so it is possible this happened on a Sunday morning. These men may have set sail after sundown on Saturday, which by the Jewish calendar would have been the first day of the week.

At any rate, the next statement does bring us to the next Sabbath, so it is possible much of a week had passed. We are not told what they did during this time. Perhaps Jesus was preparing these men for what lay ahead for them.  We are also not told if all four of the fisherman went with him to the service. It simply says, “When the Sabbath came on, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.” 

Just then in their synagogue there was a man who was possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently. Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him and came out of him with a shriek.

All The people were all so amazed that they asked and said to each other, “What is this?  “What words these are! A new teaching—and with authority and power! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him and come out!”.  And the News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee throughout the surrounding area.

This man was not suffering from a mental disease; he did not have a multiple-personality disorder. He was possessed by a Demon. In fact, possibly by more than one, for the Demon asks, “What do you want with us.” We will see similar questions and statements later when Jesus sends the Demons out of another possessed man into a herd of pigs. The exact number of indwelling Demons is not clear in this instance, though. The Demon could be referring to himself and his victim rather than other Demons.

We should note two things about this. First of all, the Demon obeys Jesus. We must never lose sight of the fact that what we call Demons are actually Angels. They are fallen Angels, but still very powerful creatures. Still, rebels against God and powerful or not, they still obey the commands of Jesus.

Second, Demons know exactly who Jesus is. There is no doubt or rationalizing or denying on the Demon’s part. He knows this is the Messiah, “the Holy One of God”. That should give us pause, for obviously simply believing in Jesus as the Christ is not enough to save a creature. Nor is obedience to a command. Knowing who Christ is is essential, but obedience must come from devotion to who he is, not simply out of fear. This Demon did as he was told, but none too gently. He violently shook the man and threw him down before leaving, and when he left it was with a shriek.

I do not think the Demon repented his ways at that point. I think the Demon went looking for a new place to dwell and possess.

The effect of this stunned the people. They recognized this was different from what their Priests and Rabbis had said or done. This was not only new teaching they were hearing from Jesus, but his words were backed up with authority and power.

Note that in his early ministry he does things that spread his name, but he constantly says to be quiet about who he is. There will come a time when he will say openly who he is, but it isn’t time for that yet.

 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Jesus went. When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering with a high fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her and they asked Jesus to help her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up.  He bent over her, touched her hand and rebuked the fever, and it left her and she got up at once and began to wait on them.

The Sabbath began at sundown on Friday evening and lasted until sundown on Saturday. This was a day of rest and in Exodus 31 and 35 we can find definitions of what one was permitted and forbidden to do on the Sabbath. In Jesus day the Jewish people would basically do two things during the Sabbath, go to services at the synagogue or rest at home. We can see this is exactly the practice of Jesus and his disciples. They went to the synagogue and Jesus took part. Services were different from what most of we Christians think of as church. The men and boys of age would gather for a study of the Jewish sacred scrolls. Several of those gathered together would take a turn moving to the front and reading passages.

When not at a synagogue, people basically stayed at home and rested.  So after attending the service, we find Jesus going to the home of Simon Peter and Andrew. Here is what we can gather from this passage about who was with him at the Synagogue and why. Jesus goes to Peter’s home accompanied by the brothers, James and John, so they must have been to service with him. Simon Peter and Andrew apparently were not. Why?

Peter’s mother-in-law is very sick. She is lying in bed suffering from a serious fever. Notice that when Jesus enters he sees the woman in bed. They, most likely Peter and Andrew, immediately tell him about her and ask his help. If they had been with him at synagogue they probably would have told him of the woman’s illness then. Jesus now helps the woman up, indicating she may have been very weak and ill. He cures her of the fever and she gets right up and begins to wait on them. Not only was the fever gone, she was back in full vim and vigor.

One of the interesting aspects of this Sabbath day is how Jesus was not hassled by anyone for what he did. He was gaining some fame, especially locally, but people were still questioning who he was and why he had the powers he had. Although he had upset things in Jerusalem, literally, the Jewish authorities were not yet hounding him everywhere he went. Notice he drove a demon out of a man and then cured Simon Peter’s mother-in-law on the Sabbath and no one accused him of breaking the Law by working. We will see how this changes later in his ministry and he is confronted on this issue several times.

When that evening came after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick, who had various kinds of sickness, and many who were demon-possessed were brought to him and he drove out the spirits with a word. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus laying his hands on each one healed many who had various diseases. He healed them, all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” [Isaiah 53: 4]

Moreover He also drove out many demons. Demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” but he rebuked them, would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was, they knew he was the Messiah.

Saturday evening has come and the Sabbath is over. Now the people were free to move about and they flocked to Peter’s house to be cured. Here we have people not seeking Jesus out of any spiritual desire, no thoughts of being forgiven of sins, of gaining salvation, but to be cured of whatever physical ailments pestered them. He healed them all without demanding anything from them.

He continued to tell any Demons he dispossessed to be quiet about whom he was. This passage ends with the statement by Matthew that it was to fulfill a prophesy by Isaiah,  “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

This is found in Isaiah 53:1-6 in the famous description of the Suffering Messiah.

Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he has no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 Note the double meaning of that line, “Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.”  In the passage just finished, he took up the pain and suffering of those who came for healing and cured them. He also took on our pain and suffering, upon his own body upon the Cross to pay the penalty for our failings.