LOC 034 Peter's Mother-in-Law

LOC 034: Life of Christ: 

Peter’s Mother-in-law?

Last week we looked at Jesus’s effect on the congregation in the Capernaum Synagogue--they were astonished at how he spoke for he taught as one who had authority in and of himself. He had the right and the place to demand their allegiance, attention and affection. 

Jesus’s ministry was so powerful that an unclean spirit spoke up.  This too left the congregation amazed.  Jesus had authority in his words to compel men and to command spirits. 

We noted how Mark used the term immediately to give a sense of urgent time.  There were not large gaps between these last few events, they occurred one after another. Friday, Jesus calls the four to be his permanent disciples. Saturday, Jesus goes to the synagogue and immediately after the episode at the synagogue, he goes to Peter’s house. 

These are connected events along a time line in rapid succession.  Bang, bang, bang...........

Today we will look at this narrative that describes for us the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Sabbath at Peter’s house.

Turn to Mark 1:29-34

Mark 1:29 ¶ Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

        32 ¶ At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

The Parallel passage is in Luke 4:38-41:

Luke 4:38 ¶ Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.

        40 ¶ When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying,  “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Matthew also records this event, but out of chronological order.  We find it in Matthew Chapter Eight.

Matt. 8:14 ¶ Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever.  15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.

        16 ¶ When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,

Matt. 8:17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”

The broader context of Matthew Eight is dealing with the man with leprosy who was healed (vs 1-4), the Faith of the Centurion and the healing of his son (vs. 5-13) the healing of Pet’s Mother-in-law (vss 14-15) & the healing of many in Capernaum (Vs 16) to show how Isaiah 53:4 was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ.  Many examples of how the Lord Jesus “Took our infirmities and healed our diseases.” In that context it is easy to see why Matthew would use this narrative to illustrate an important point--that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.  Remember a year ago when we talked about that concern as one of Matthew’s major one’s.  He wanted to convince his audience that Jesus fulfilled all that the prophets spoke so many years before.

Under inspiration of the Spirit, Matthew uses this narrative as an illustration of his main concern, even thought it is out of chronology.  It does not violate the meaning of the text, nor distort the understanding of who Jesus was and did.  It enhances the meaning as we compare Scripture with Scripture to see what Jesus did and as we find in Matthew, why he did what he did.  In this case it was to fulfill prophecy about himself.

On the human side of it all, Matthew had not yet been called to be a disciple.  Therefore he had not experienced these episodes in the life of Christ personally.  The Human dynamic cam make this all so much more interesting.

Back to Mark

Let’s look at the Mark passage with greater detail under four heads:

Turn back to Mark 1:29-34

1. After Synagogue Hospitality

Mark 1:29 ¶ Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 

2. The Situation at Home

30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 

3. Jesus’s Compassion on the woman

31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

4. The Townspeople Come to Jesus

        32 ¶ At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Let’s look more closely at what went on:

Turn to Mark 1:29-34

1. After Synagogue Hospitality

Mark 1:29 ¶ Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 

Even before word could spread throughout Galilee about what Jesus did and how he taught in the synagogue, Jesus, with his four disciples go to a home for hospitality on the afternoon of the Sabbath.  This home was Peter’s family home.

In this short verses we find three legitimate activities or concerns to take up our time on Sabbath day afternoons:

A. Works of Necessity--like walking or travelling to a home

B. Works of Mercy--like Jesus work of healing

C. Works of Hospitality and service--well, just a short word about Sabbath Day Hospitality--It is a great time to extend an invitation to others to come join you for a mean and an afternoon.  It can be mutual ministry as you keep the day unto the Lord. 

Another thing some could do, is prepare extra food for the Sunday meal in order to invite any visitors who might be here on a given Lord’s Day.  Hospitality is a Christian grace.  It needs to be recovered.  The Greek word is filo/xenoi which is literally translated “a lover of strangers.”  Remember when we looked at the woman at the well?  We noted how Christians are not to be xenophobic--afraid of strangers.  Here we learn that Christians are to be filo/xenoi, Lovers of strangers.  When Strangers come up those stairs they should be made to feel welcome and loved.

Take a word from the one who was the host on that particular sabbath day.  Years later he wrote to a Church under his care, in the midst of the Roman Empire, “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” We find that in 1 Pet. 4:9 written by Peter himself.  Here is a man who preached what his family practiced.

Back to Peter’s house....

2. The Situation at Home

30 But Simon’s wife’s mother

How is this to be understood?  There is a certain church that does not allow their ministers to marry believing that the first Universal Bishop was not married.  And, as some of you know, they believe that first Universal Bishop or Pope was the Apostle Peter.  Here in the text it is clear that it means Peter was married, because in order to have a Mother-in-law, a man must have a spouse, a wife.  One cannot have a mother-in-law unless he first has a wife. 

The explanations usually take this sort of route. The terms for in-law relations in Greek and Latin are generally vague terms.  An in-law can be any of a set of complex legal relationships. In this sense it could mean anything from stepmother to a guardian or caretaker.  But, there is a problem with this sort of thinking.  Where it may be true that the Greek term for woman is broad enough to be translated from any woman to a particular woman, the term in this passage is unambiguous.  The term is here is not a derivative of Goonei, the word for woman, but  penqera¿, a◊ß f: literally, the mother of one’s spouse — ‘mother-in-law.’Louw and Nida’s lexicon says, “In a number of languages the semantic components of ‘mother-in-law’ must be made explicit. For example, in Mk 1:30 one may translate ‘the mother-in-law of Simon’ as ‘the mother of Simon’s wife.’

Peter was married to a wife at some point.  We do not meet her in these narratives.  But at one point he had to have had a wife in order to have a mother-in-law living at his house. The word is explicit. Peter’s mother-in-law lived with him and Andrew in Capernaum. 

lay sick with a fever,

Peter’s Mother was ill with a temperature of unknown origin, at least to those observing her.   Fever’s were dangerous.  Naturally, they are the body’s way of fighting infections.  But, they did not have the medicines we do and left untreated fevers could cause damage to vital organs and the brain.  A fever in the ancient world was severe. In english we say a person has a fever, However the action in most ancient languages is to say a fever has captured a person.  It was that serious. Similarly, instead of saying ‘a person has a disease,’ it is ‘the disease which grabs a person.’ One may often speak of a fever as ‘to become hot’ or ‘to burn’ or ‘to be sick with burning.’  It was a serious thing to be sick.  We are so insensitive to the real dangers of what we consider minor ailments. 

They were in a serious situation.  Was the mother-in-law contagious?  Did they understand that people with fevers could spread to others?  Their world was very different than our own  But notice the action of those present. 

and they told Him about her at once.

Immediately, they told Jesus about Peter’s Mother-in-law.  They told Jesus she was ill, being seized by a fever.  Jesus is not concerned for his own well-being he shows his.....

3. Jesus’s Compassion on the woman

31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.

Jesus goes to where she is.  He could have made her well from a distance as he did before, but in this case he goes to where she is, takes her tenderly by the hand, lifts her up a bit as to wake her up--that’s how he word is used in many places--and the fever left her.

What was her response?  How well was she?

And she served them.

She dihko/nei she became as a deacon to them to serve their needs in hospitality on that Sabbath afternoon.  Quite a recovery from being seized with a fever to serving the saints.  That is the miracle Jesus did in the house of Peter and Andrew for Peter’s Mother-in-law.

This is another example of the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He spoke with authority, he had power over demons and he ruled the fevers of men.  There was nothing outside of his sphere of authority and that could escape his power.  Jesus was sovereign over all things.

This is the rumor that echoed throughout the land.  This is the news that compelled others to come to him for what they could get from him.  Jesus would do his signs pointing all who came to a power and authority higher than themselves, higher than the Scribes and Pharisees.

Look at the effect the spreading news had on

4. The Townspeople as they Come to Jesus

Time of their coming:

        32 ¶ At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 

Note carefully how explicitly the time of their arrival is stated... At evening, when the sun had set.

Do you see what is going on in the minds and actions of the people as revealed in an ever so subtle way in this passage?  Why would it be important to state explicitly the time of their coming?  How are these phrases to be understood?

What day was it? Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.  What happened at sundown on the sabbath?  The sabbath was believed to have ended.  The Jews reckoned the day from the evening and the morning.  They saw this as the pattern in creation:

1. Gen. 1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

2. Gen. 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

3. Gen. 1:13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.

4. Gen. 1:19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

5. Gen. 1:23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

6. Gen. 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

7. The day of rest, the sabbath--no evening and morning mentioned.  Okay back to the Jews...

To the Jewish mind, it was now alright to pursue your own concerns and recreations.  The evening brought a new day.  They could bring those who needed the power and authority of Jesus without violating the restrictions of man as regards the sabbath.  Jesus did not heed the traditions of man surrounding a rigid view of the sabbath prohibitions, he sought to set straight what was allowed.  And certainly healing, casting out demons and making men well by rebuking fevers were works of mercy.  Jesus did not teach as the Scribes, he did not live in bondage as the Scribes.  He came to set the record straight about what God expected.  Jesus honors the Sabbath, by doing good actively, works of necessity, mercy and allowing himself to be served via hospitality.

But notice too..........

The Number of their coming

33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 

It is a bit of sanctified hyperbole to make a point.  The people saw and heard what Jesus had done.  And, now the crowds wanted a piece of his authority and/or power for themselves.  Notice from verse 32b who they brought:  they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 

What a picture!  It was as if all the townspeople brought all the sick and possessed with them to be healed by Jesus.  Just after the end of the sabbath. 

They didn’t want to violate the sabbath outside of their houses. All must have been quite and orderly.  It seems. But, what preparations must have been going on inside the houses in order for them all to be ready to rush to Pete’s house at sundown.  In a matter of a half day, Jesus fame had spread so much to have had this effect.

Would the Scribes ad Pharisees think talking about Jesus was legitimate Sabbath Afternoon conversation?  After all, he taught with greater authority than they.  And, they must have heard about it too.

The Description of Jesus’s mighty works, authority and power

This is what Jesus did for the pressing crowd that day:

34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

He did not do what all wanted him to do.  But, he healed a vast majority of those who came with disease and those who were possessed by demons. 

As he silenced the unclean spirit in the synagogue so he silenced the demons at Peter’s house with one thing added.  He preempted their comments by forbidding them to speak before hand.  He did not allow them to say anything, because they knew who he was. 

This Lord Jesus Christ, the same to whom we can go, has a reputation of authority and power among men and demons.  Anyone thinking straight would want him to be at his side and on his side.  That’s the problem, natural men do not think straight. 

What a blessing it must have been for Peter to see the power of Christ in his own home.  Notice what Peter did--he immediately built a shrine so pilgrims could come to pay to burn candles. Peter knew he had a great opportunity to keep him in spending money while he followed Christ. Isn’t that what he did?  Is not that what happens in our day and age when something is perceived to have happened--even if it is a likeness of a woman that appears in spilt milk? 

What did Peter do?  We’ll see that what he did can be described in two words, he “followed Christ.”

This is the Jesus that wants all men to follow him on his terms.  This is the Jesus with grater authority than man, this is the Lord Jesus Christ, the sovereign ruler of all things, this is the tender compassionate healing Christ, this name is the only name under heaven whereby men can be saved.  What will you do about his authority to command you?  On whose side will you be on.  There are two options--you are either completely for him, or you are against him.  Choose you this day who you will serve. Christ, yourself, or some other thing or person.  Only the Lord Jesus Christ will win over all things to triumph in the end.  Even if it is for selfish preservation, come to him, trust the one who has the power to save to deliver you from yourself to God.  Come to him.