Matthew 8:14 Yeshua went to Kefa’s home and there saw Kefa’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she got up and began helping him.
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Mark 1:29 They left the synagogue and went with Ya‘akov and Yochanan to the home of Shim‘on and Andrew. 30 Shim‘on’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever, and they told Yeshua about her. 31 He came, took her by the hand and lifted her onto her feet. The fever left her, and she began helping them.
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Luke 4:38 Leaving the synagogue, he went to Shim‘on’s house. Shim‘on’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him to do something for her. 39 So, standing over her, he rebuked the fever; and it left her. She immediately got up and began helping them.
A man was delivered from an unclean spirit in a very public way…then they went to Peter’s house for a church potluck?
Well, not really. It seems like Peter and Andrew invited Yeshua to their house after seeing what happened to that man in the synagogue. It seems like they wanted Him to come and help Peter’s mother-in-law.
But why not ask Him before now? She was more than likely sick before they went to the synagogue…for perhaps days or weeks. Why wait until now?
They were at the wedding and saw the water to wine thing. They likely heard him tell the royal officer to go home because his son was healed (but I guess they wouldn't know for sure if the boy was healed). But now…now they have just seen something that gets them to think it may be a possibility. Instead of asking for complete healing, they asked Him to do something for her. Something.
Why not ask Him to heal her? Were they still a bit skeptical? Probably.
“Hey man, do you think you could do something that could ease just a little bit of her pain? You know, nothing fancy…just make it a little less horrible for her. Appreciate it.”
Again, trust seems to be an issue. But at least it’s growing. Even if they are a bit hesitant to fully believe, they are at least willing to test the waters. “Could you please do something?”
In their defense though, what are the rules here? How do you know what He’s willing to do? Is there only so much authority and power He has per day? What if someone was about to die and they used up that day’s allowance on their family member? They’d feel horrible.
Going further, what authority does this Man actually have? What is a curable issue? Are there limits to what we’re seeing?
For a “today” analogy, think about AI. What all can it really do? Most of us just use it to cheat on exams or make funny images. But even clever people only use it to do what they know can be done, like simplifying tasks they themselves could do. Do you even know what questions to ask? Unlikely.
That’s where these guys are with all of this miracle and healing stuff. Lost.
So that loosely addresses why they were there. Now on to what happened once He arrived.
A fever is your body's normal response to fighting an infection or illness, and is usually caused by some kind of infection.
A fever can make you feel hot, cold, shivery, washed out, and sometimes have aches and pains. Other symptoms include: Feeling unwell, Sweating, Chattering teeth, Flushed face, Headache, Muscle aches, Loss of appetite, Irritability, Dehydration, and General weakness.
(thanks for that explanation AI ;-)
In summary, you don’t feel like doing anything. You’re too tired to sleep and too sore to stay awake. There is no comfort. All you want is for it to be over.
Enter Yeshua.
What did He do?
According to Luke’s account, Yeshua rebuked the fever and it left, while Matthew and Mark make it seem like He gently had her stand. Was the fever the problem or was it the cause of the fever that was the problem? Depends. If there was no infection and the fever was just camping within her, it was time for it to go. It was a malfunction in her body’s natural defense system and needed to be realigned. And if there was an infection, it needed to go in order to let the body’s defense system stand down.
In summary, something Abba never intended had infiltrated her body and the mechanism He created to stop it went to war to kill it. But it just wouldn’t die. It had her paralyzed.
Or there never was an infection and the body needed to be reset into its default state. A broken system in need of repair.
He spoke, touched her hand, then lifted her up by it. He called her body into alignment and she stood up.
Simple.
Did Yeshua wonder if it would work? Did He just guess and make up things so that if she didn’t get well He could just blame her faith?
Or did He know how the body was created and could tell when it was stuck? Or could He see a spirit of infirmity then commanded it to leave? Or is it some secret thing we are to never know about? (not likely since we are told to do what He did -- meaning it is accessible)
By what power could He have the ability to see? I’d guess it was by the Spirit of God -- the Holy Spirit. And Yeshua only ever did and said what He heard His Father do and say. Which the Spirit also testifies.
Why couldn’t the disciples see what Yeshua saw? Did the full Spirit rest on Yeshua and it had not come upon man yet? Maybe they are getting a crash course in the things of the Spirit so they have the faith necessary to perform miracles themselves when the Spirit does come to them?
A natural follow-up question is: If we supposedly possess this same Holy Spirit, why can’t we see?
Maybe we haven’t seen anything yet. Maybe we have insulated ourselves from those embarrassing situations by never even entertaining it. Or maybe we have seen and forgot. Or maybe we have seen and ignored it. Or maybe we’re just too busy. Or afraid. Worse still, maybe His Spirit isn’t as deeply embedded within us as we thought.
The punchline is that we can never help heal until we have grown our faith. And that takes time.
What actually happened in Peter’s home? Seems like such a casual example of healing and not a lot of detail was provided. Maybe it’s because it isn’t needed. Simply, Yeshua needs these young men to grow in faith. He needs them to see with their own eyes. This is going to be critical for them once He’s gone and they have to stand on their own legs.
Also, I don’t think Yeshua reprimanded Peter’s mother-in-law for a lack of faith because it wasn’t an issue of her faith. It was Peter’s.
There was a quiet correction that came in this healing. The message? There is plenty of healing to go around. Abba’s grace and mercy can never be exhausted, and His love for even the smaller things is worth the time.
As a final note on this, when Peter’s mother-in-law stood completely healed, she immediately served.
Gratitude manifested in service to others. She didn’t focus on herself, even though she had every right to do so. She turned that focus outward and blessed others in her thankfulness.
She understood that healing puts you back into the state in which you were created: serving others.
What all has Abba done for you? Has He healed any parts of your life? If so, how did you thank Him?
If you’re anything like me, you probably thanked Him for your improved state by focusing on your improved state, without ever showing your gratitude by serving others.
Don’t be like me. Look at Peter’s mother-in-law for the correct response to healing.