MANY HEALED

Mark 1:29-34

BRIEF INTRO: We have heard the testimony of John the Baptist declaring that Jesus is the Lord (v. 3). We have listened to the testimony of Mark regarding the voice of God from heaven proclaiming that Jesus is His beloved Son (v. 11). We have read the testimony regarding Christ’s teaching and how it was so unlike the scribes; it had authority behind it. We EVEN listened to the testimony of demons who knew Him to be “the Holy One of God!” And now we come to a place (and this is only chapter one!), where the attested deity of Jesus will be displayed privately to the few present in Simon’s house. Let’s take a look!

29 And immediately after they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with [a]James and John.30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever, and they immediately *spoke [b]Jesus about her. 31 And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she served them.

FOCUS ONE:

Luke says: “and standing over her (He rebuked) the fever and it left her, she immediately arose and served them” (Luke 4:38-40).

Matthew calls Simon Peter—”when Jesus had come into the home he saw Peter’s mother in law lying in bed sick with fever, he touched her hand, the fever left, she arose and served them (Matthew 8:14-15).

I only parallel these scriptures here to get the fullest idea of what is going on. This is a more personal and private miracle then will be witnessed in a bit.

A personal case 

Jesus enters Simon’s (Peter) and Andrew’s (brothers) house to find Simon’s mother-in-law sick (we learn that Simon is married; cr. 1 Corinthians 9:5), so she was lying down. They are concerned for her and speak to Jesus. Jesus listens to them, goes to her, He raised her by taking her hand, and she was healed and served them! Again we witness the fast-paced testimony of Mark (immediately twice).

This is one instance in which Jesus healed by rebuking and physical touch. But He does not always choose to heal in this way (Matthew 9:6 speaking). As these new disciples began to follow Jesus, they were given an up-close and personal display of the power of the person they had only started to know. Without hesitation, He provided the healing that she so desperately needed. Take notice that when Christ heals, He heals completely! It is not done in stages, or with the help of big Pharma, or with physical therapy, not at all. His healing is perfect!

What does she do after Jesus raises her by the hand? She serves them! She gets them food, drink, and whatever was customary for the occasion. The facts attest to this. 

These men would witness Christ do many astonishing miracles for others in their town and elsewhere, but how impactful must this have been on these men as they are only in the elementary stage of their walk with Christ. They have witnessed His authority and power on display with the demons being cast out (v. 24), and now they have observed this same authority being manifested in the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law! But wait, there is much more to come!

32 “Now when evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city had gathered at the door. 34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew [c]who He was.”

FOCUS TWO:

Mark tells us that when Jesus entered Capernaum, it was the Sabbath (1:21). So the cleansing of the man with an unclean spirit and the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law took place on the Sabbath. That fact makes the statement “now when evening came, after the sun had set,” very informative! Why? Because he is telling us by this double-time reference that the people of Capernaum waited until the Sabbath day was over (sunset) before moving the sick so they wouldn’t break the law (cf. Exodus 20:10). Restrictions such as carrying anything, like stretchers.

In these verses, we have a beautiful picture of Jesus. He heals as many as come to Him with great compassion for the people! Reports of what Jesus had done became more widely known (v. 1:28; Luke 4:37), so naturally, people came to him in hopes AND faith that He would do the same for them or their loved ones. The term “whole city gathered at the door” is in the sense of hyperbole, an exaggerated sense of what happened. In other words, it feels as if the whole town came to the door simply because there were A LOT of people there.

He healed the sick, which revealed His authority over sickness, and He cast out demons (in the plural), which displayed His sovereignty over the spiritual realm. All of which teaches us that:

1. Jesus is God (Philippians 2:6; John 10:30)
2. He existed on earth in the “likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6)
3. He has total authority (Matthew 28:18) in heaven and earth

We also should notice that He healed those who came to Him without prejudice. Young or old-irrelevant! Social standing did not matter, rich or poor-no issue. 

Jesus again does not permit the demons to speak because they know who he was. “Again silencing their cries of recognition, showing that they were powerless before Him” (Bible Knowledge Commentary).

John MacArthur makes a great observation regarding these demons: “The demons theology is orthodox (James 2:19), but though they knew the truth, they reject it and God who is its source.”

How sad that is. The rejection of Christ and His teaching is done by untold millions every day in our world. Next time we will read about Jesus seeking a lonely place to pray. Let us follow His example and find a place in which we can have quietness and alone time, and then pray for those we know personally who are rejecting Christ, that he would break through their hard hearts and seared consciousness and regenerate them through the working of His Holy Spirit. 

I’ll be praying with you.