So Jesus and a few of His disciples go to Simon's house to grab some chow. But when they get there, Simon's mother-in-law is down with a fever. The guys say, "hey, maybe we can still get a table at Baltazar's downtown." But even as they spoke, Jesus healed her fever and she fixed them up with a good meal.
Okay, that's probably not what happened, but the narrative sets it up for a great joke.
The fact is, Jesus loves people, He empathizes with our suffering, whether a fever or persecution. He knows first hand even the worst possible suffering, and helps us to endure - to make us stronger going forward. But some suffering is beyond our ability to relieve. Jesus relieved that suffering for untold thousands during His earthly ministry. Simon's mother-in-law was one of these. He didn't heal her, as my crude joke suggests, as he could get a nice home-cooked meal; He healed her to relieve her suffering - and He healed the others mentioned in this passage for the same reason.
We all suffer. Sometimes it makes us stronger, and sometimes it drives us to the Savior to be healed. No matter what the reason, healing not only makes us feel better - it brings glory to God And the better we understand that, the more we can endure - because Christ endured the worst for us.
Content:
- Jesus, disciples go to Simon & Andrew's home.
- Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law of a fever.
- People brought their sick and possessed to Jesus that night.
- Jesus healed many, and cast out demons, prohibiting them from speaking.
Divisions:
- Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law of a fever
- Jesus heals many with diseases
- Jesus casts out demons, prohibits them from speaking
Subject Sentence:
Jesus heals Simon's in-law, and many others; casts out demons
Aim:
To cause the audience to recognize the healing power of Jesus.