Thoughts for the Day

Jesus Heals Many at Simon’s House

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

A Preaching Tour in Galilee

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The energy of Mark's Gospel continues. At the end of this, the first day of Jesus' ministry, after healing a man with an evil spirit in the synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus and his four disciples enter the house of Simon and Andrew Here they find Simon's mother-in-law. She apparently lives with Simon and is sick with some kind of fever. In the shortest of accounts we are told that Jesus 'took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.'

As a teenager and becoming aware of the lack of equality between men and women, where my mother worked long and hard in the chrysanthemum greenhouses under temperatures that were off the scale and then would go home and cook the dinner and clean the house, I always somewhat sniffed at this little miracle, thinking unworthily, "Typical man! Jesus wanted his dinner!" It took years before I thought about this healing in a different way.

For a start, we should recognise that Jesus healed out of compassion for those who were sick, so it is that he ended this his long first day of work, 'curing many who were sick'. However, a second outcome was that he showed his authority over the powers of darkness by healing those who were spiritually possessed. A third outcome is one that I did not appreciate when I was younger - those who were healed now had the opportunity to offer something back - so Simon's mother-in-law would have been happy to serve our Lord and his disciples. 2,000 years ago those men and women who were healed would be the ones to spread the good news of God's Kingdom to the wider world. Today, those whom our Lord heals are also healed for a reason!

Lord Jesus Christ,
when we or loved ones are sick
we can be quick to ask for Your help;
but when we are healed we can be slow
to thank You for Your intervention.
Help us to see that healing can come
for a reason,
which maybe to help others in need
and to forward the work of Your Kingdom.
Amen.