When Jesus heals… -- Matthew 8:14-17
When Jesus heals… -- Matthew 8:14-17
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 14, 2019
Sometimes it is the little things that make a big impact on people’s lives. A kind word spoken at just the right time, a helping hand when it is least expected, and an act of compassion when hope seems lost. I grew up in poverty because of my father’s health problems caused by smoking. His heart was slowly failing. Back then there were no governmental programs, a plethora of community aid organizations, or anyone whom you could contact in order to get help. It was during some pretty desperate times I remember sacks of groceries all of sudden appearing on our back porch, school clothes, coats or shoes showing up. It was these little blessings that had a huge impact.
Here in Matthew’s gospel he records the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and it seems as if it is almost a side note. Mark and Luke go into greater detail of what occurred and the circumstances involved. It is one thing to see Jesus healing lepers, a centurion’s servant, but when it comes to your own family member that carries a greater impact. Let’s discover what it means when Jesus heals…
READ: Matthew 8:14-17
In Luke’s gospel Jesus has just been rejected in his own hometown of Nazareth and in Mark’s gospel he had just cured a demon-possessed man after calling his first disciples. A correct timeline was not important in Hebraic thought, only the telling of the incident. We discover that …
I. When Jesus heals we see his compassion! (Vv. 14-15)
When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
1. Matthew’s account is kind of straight forward, generic and kind if sterile at first glance while in Luke’s gospel after they attended the local synagogue the disciples and Jesus go to the home of Peter. And Luke relates that “Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.” Luke therefore indicates that she was “suffering” the cause being a “high fever” and Jesus is asked to “help her” while simply in Matthew’s account “When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.” Now before we want to throw stones at Matthew for being less descriptive let’s take a closer look at what occurs. First we see Jesus doing the normal things of life by going to a friend’s house for the afternoon and his friend, Peter, has done the right thing in taking care of his mother-in-law. Evidently she didn’t have any male children who could have taken her in, but Peter willingly does. The idea conveyed is that she is widowed. And in her gratitude she helped take care of Peter’s house, cooking, and serving guests but now she could not perform her own duties because she was ill. It also shows Peter’s mother-in-law’s willing spirit. Secondly, we discover the compassion of Jesus who acts immediately without fanfare and I believe completely out of concern. Jesus did not know what had caused her aliment only that she was sick. Now, one needs to understand a few things: Healthy male Jews did not go around touching women, any women, and especially sick women with unknown diseases even if it is a friend’s mother-in-law! But notice Jesus reaches down and “touched her hand”. That’s all it took. Like I stated earlier Luke’s account states that they, probably meaning Peter’s wife and Peter, had asked him to “help her”. And Jesus willingly and compassionately does. Immediately “the fever left her and she got up and began to wait on him”! What a wonderful moment caught by those who witnessed it! It reminds me of when Moses asks to see God when the Israelites are in the wilderness and God responds, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Exodus 33:19 NIV)” When Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law we see his compassion!
EXAMPLE: Compassion is more than just having empathy for someone. If Jesus only empathized we would’ve never heard of him. There are a lot of folks who have feelings for others but never do anything, they just have feelings. And compassion is more than the misguided massaging of one’s personal guilt. Giving a drug addicted panhandler money, putting your spare change in a Save the Puppies can at Minute Mart, or throwing a twenty in the collection plate twice a year is not kindness either. Real compassion responds with personal sacrifice. It takes one’s time, talent, and treasure to measure true compassion and here in Matthew’s gospel when Jesus heals we see his compassion!
Hope is often found in the least likely places and from the least likely people. Word was out about Jesus; not that he was the Messiah necessarily but that he could heal folks and in Jesus’ day where people died, were disfigured, or had chronic conditions this was a ray of hope! We discover that…
II. When Jesus heals we see his power! (Vv. 16-17)
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
1. People often make the mistake in thinking that the information age brought about instantaneous communication; it is certain they never lived in a small town or village! One person joked that you could cough or sneeze in a small town and within minutes there would be five families at your door with chicken soup! There was no way you could keep something as wonderful as Peter’s mother-in-law being healed a secret in a town like Capernaum. And so “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” Where there was once no hope the people now sensed hope and find it in the rabbi Jesus of Nazareth. Notice it was not some, those with money or the means, but “all the sick”. In our day and age there are those who scoff at saying anyone is demon-possessed but I tell you after seeing some of the actions of black-clad Nazi ANTIFA street thugs, drug addicted pot-smoking millennials, and the insanity being taught in classrooms today I wonder if we are not in the midst of the spiritual warfare Paul wrote about. He warned that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12 NIV)” Now I am not one who sees Satan sneaking around every corner, even though he “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV)! And he has devoured a lot of folks in our day and age whereby they have swallowed his lies. But I do know that it is Jesus who is the cure for what ails our society today! Sure there are those who will ignorantly spout that people back then often thought a lot of mental illness or disease was from “evil spirits” but I believe they knew the difference and Jesus certainly knew. It was for a greater purpose “to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.’” The people understood that because Jesus could do what he did the Messiah had come! Today’s world needs Jesus as never before and when Jesus heals we see his power!
EXAMPLE: As we walked along the beach with the missionaries the other day I picked up a cluster of purple seashells, placed them on my bicep, and declared: “Look at my mussels!” Of course I was using a play on words in a lame attempt to be humorous. Yet there are those who declare their prowess or think they have power when in fact they are mere shadows of real power. Some even use the name of Jesus as a means to garner a following from their false claims. However here in Matthew’s gospel when Jesus heals we see his power!
Conclusion:
When Jesus heals we see his compassion! When Jesus heals we see his power!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 14, 2019
Sometimes it is the little things that make a big impact on people’s lives. A kind word spoken at just the right time, a helping hand when it is least expected, and an act of compassion when hope seems lost. I grew up in poverty because of my father’s health problems caused by smoking. His heart was slowly failing. Back then there were no governmental programs, a plethora of community aid organizations, or anyone whom you could contact in order to get help. It was during some pretty desperate times I remember sacks of groceries all of sudden appearing on our back porch, school clothes, coats or shoes showing up. It was these little blessings that had a huge impact.
Here in Matthew’s gospel he records the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and it seems as if it is almost a side note. Mark and Luke go into greater detail of what occurred and the circumstances involved. It is one thing to see Jesus healing lepers, a centurion’s servant, but when it comes to your own family member that carries a greater impact. Let’s discover what it means when Jesus heals…
READ: Matthew 8:14-17
In Luke’s gospel Jesus has just been rejected in his own hometown of Nazareth and in Mark’s gospel he had just cured a demon-possessed man after calling his first disciples. A correct timeline was not important in Hebraic thought, only the telling of the incident. We discover that …
I. When Jesus heals we see his compassion! (Vv. 14-15)
When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
1. Matthew’s account is kind of straight forward, generic and kind if sterile at first glance while in Luke’s gospel after they attended the local synagogue the disciples and Jesus go to the home of Peter. And Luke relates that “Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.” Luke therefore indicates that she was “suffering” the cause being a “high fever” and Jesus is asked to “help her” while simply in Matthew’s account “When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.” Now before we want to throw stones at Matthew for being less descriptive let’s take a closer look at what occurs. First we see Jesus doing the normal things of life by going to a friend’s house for the afternoon and his friend, Peter, has done the right thing in taking care of his mother-in-law. Evidently she didn’t have any male children who could have taken her in, but Peter willingly does. The idea conveyed is that she is widowed. And in her gratitude she helped take care of Peter’s house, cooking, and serving guests but now she could not perform her own duties because she was ill. It also shows Peter’s mother-in-law’s willing spirit. Secondly, we discover the compassion of Jesus who acts immediately without fanfare and I believe completely out of concern. Jesus did not know what had caused her aliment only that she was sick. Now, one needs to understand a few things: Healthy male Jews did not go around touching women, any women, and especially sick women with unknown diseases even if it is a friend’s mother-in-law! But notice Jesus reaches down and “touched her hand”. That’s all it took. Like I stated earlier Luke’s account states that they, probably meaning Peter’s wife and Peter, had asked him to “help her”. And Jesus willingly and compassionately does. Immediately “the fever left her and she got up and began to wait on him”! What a wonderful moment caught by those who witnessed it! It reminds me of when Moses asks to see God when the Israelites are in the wilderness and God responds, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Exodus 33:19 NIV)” When Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law we see his compassion!
EXAMPLE: Compassion is more than just having empathy for someone. If Jesus only empathized we would’ve never heard of him. There are a lot of folks who have feelings for others but never do anything, they just have feelings. And compassion is more than the misguided massaging of one’s personal guilt. Giving a drug addicted panhandler money, putting your spare change in a Save the Puppies can at Minute Mart, or throwing a twenty in the collection plate twice a year is not kindness either. Real compassion responds with personal sacrifice. It takes one’s time, talent, and treasure to measure true compassion and here in Matthew’s gospel when Jesus heals we see his compassion!
Hope is often found in the least likely places and from the least likely people. Word was out about Jesus; not that he was the Messiah necessarily but that he could heal folks and in Jesus’ day where people died, were disfigured, or had chronic conditions this was a ray of hope! We discover that…
II. When Jesus heals we see his power! (Vv. 16-17)
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
1. People often make the mistake in thinking that the information age brought about instantaneous communication; it is certain they never lived in a small town or village! One person joked that you could cough or sneeze in a small town and within minutes there would be five families at your door with chicken soup! There was no way you could keep something as wonderful as Peter’s mother-in-law being healed a secret in a town like Capernaum. And so “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” Where there was once no hope the people now sensed hope and find it in the rabbi Jesus of Nazareth. Notice it was not some, those with money or the means, but “all the sick”. In our day and age there are those who scoff at saying anyone is demon-possessed but I tell you after seeing some of the actions of black-clad Nazi ANTIFA street thugs, drug addicted pot-smoking millennials, and the insanity being taught in classrooms today I wonder if we are not in the midst of the spiritual warfare Paul wrote about. He warned that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12 NIV)” Now I am not one who sees Satan sneaking around every corner, even though he “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV)! And he has devoured a lot of folks in our day and age whereby they have swallowed his lies. But I do know that it is Jesus who is the cure for what ails our society today! Sure there are those who will ignorantly spout that people back then often thought a lot of mental illness or disease was from “evil spirits” but I believe they knew the difference and Jesus certainly knew. It was for a greater purpose “to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.’” The people understood that because Jesus could do what he did the Messiah had come! Today’s world needs Jesus as never before and when Jesus heals we see his power!
EXAMPLE: As we walked along the beach with the missionaries the other day I picked up a cluster of purple seashells, placed them on my bicep, and declared: “Look at my mussels!” Of course I was using a play on words in a lame attempt to be humorous. Yet there are those who declare their prowess or think they have power when in fact they are mere shadows of real power. Some even use the name of Jesus as a means to garner a following from their false claims. However here in Matthew’s gospel when Jesus heals we see his power!
Conclusion:
When Jesus heals we see his compassion! When Jesus heals we see his power!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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