Matthew 8:14-17 Mark 1:29-34 Luke 4:38-41

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/At_the_Home_of_Simon_in_Capernaum_on_the_Sabbath.htm

Publicity can be a blessing as well as a curse.  It is very interesting to see how Jesus handled publicity.  There were times where He seems to completely try to avoid and publicity at all and then there were other times where He performs miracles in public that He knows will become highly publicized.  It seems that He desired to teach the people but He also had great compassion on the people.  The miracles that He performed attracted great crowds that were desirous of healings but did not seem to be very interested in hearing His teachings.  The publicity of His miracles could often hinder the productivity of His teaching.  His ability to balance these two aspects of His ministry is very impressive and should serve as a model for us.  There are those ministries that get so wrapped up in serving the physical needs of people that they abandon any attempts to teach the Word of God.  There are other ministries that allow the pendulum to swing in the other direction and end up focusing exclusively on teaching biblical principles while they completely ignore the needs of broken people all around them.  One key to effective ministry is being able to strike a proper balance between these two aspects of ministry.

JESUS CURES PETER’S MOTHER-IN-LAW: After teaching and casting out the daemon in the Synagogue Jesus comes into Peter’s home.  Upon arrival they discover the Peter’s mother-in-law is ill with a fever.  Jesus heals her and then she begins to serve Jesus and the disciples food and refreshments.  This passage gives us several insights as to how Jesus lived.  It seems that He really had no place of residence but went from home to home where He and His disciples would be hosted by families and friends who helped to meet their physical needs.  It is clear that Peter had a wife and it seems that he is helping to take care of his mother-in-law who may have been an elderly widow.  Peter’s example is a good one for us to follow as he provides for the elderly members of his family.  We often make jokes about mothers-in-law but we must fulfill our responsibilities to our family members who need our help.  Jesus has the power to heal this woman and does just that.  Her response is to spring into action and begin waiting on Jesus, her son-in-law and the other disciples.  Even though she is elderly and been sick she is willing and ready to serve in any way that she can.  The compassion and power of Jesus, the responsibility of Peter and the servant’s spirit of the mother-in-law paint a wonderful picture of how the body of Christ ought to work.  We all go through various phases in our lives as we grow from the strength of our youth to the fragility of old age.  God wants us to make sure that we are living each phase well and for His glory.

JESUS CURES THE CROWDS IN CAPERNAUM: The intimate scene of friends and family eating together in Peter’s home is interrupted by the crowds of people who have heard of the power of Jesus to heal the sick and liberate the daemon possessed.  His earlier actions in the temple were quickly publicized and the people who were desperately looking help and relief came flocking to find help.  Jesus receives them graciously and meets the needs of the people.  Interruptions are often an unavoidable part of ministering to people.  Jesus may have preferred to spend a quiet evening with His friends in the comfort and protection of Peter’s home.  He might have had a really powerful message that He was longing to be able to teach to the people.  In this case He graciously receives the people, cures the sick and liberates those who have evil spirits.  The daemons once again seem to vocalize that Jesus is the Son of God but He commands them to be quiet.  The needs of people will often interrupt our plans and we need to be willing to change our plans in order to show the love of Christ to people God brings to us.  However, the needs of people can also dominate our lives to the point that we are completely distracted from other priorities God has taught us in His Word.  It takes a great deal of wisdom and discernment to be able to balance these opportunities.


APPLICATION: Honor and care for the elderly people in our families.  Make us of the opportunities that we have to serve people and the kingdom as long as we live.  Graciously serve and meet the needs of the people God brings to us.  Pray for wisdom to be able to understand and practice the necessary balance between meeting physical needs and teaching spiritual truth.

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