Mark 1:29-31 29And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
Mark continues to emphasize the power of Jesus. This section adds further proof to the identity of Jesus. No one except one with divine authority could perform such miracles. Jesus can heal simply with a touch or spoken word. He healed people in many different places, times, and circumstances .
The next scene takes place at Simon’s home. There are several background ideas that can be assumed from what Mark describes. One is that since they were in Capernaum, it can be concluded that Simon and Andrew, and likely James and John, were from that town. Second, Simon was married, which is interesting because of how he followed after Jesus. Did his wife also go with him? Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:5 that Cephas (Simon) and other apostles took along their believing wives in their travels. The impact of Jesus’ healing of Simon’s wife’s mother must have made a big impact on her and other family members.
The keyword immediately moves the story along and links verses 29-39 with verses 21-28. Having a fever is not a big concern in modern times because of medicine that can reduce it, but in the ancient world, a fever was bad news and life threatening. Fevers indicate the body is fighting some type of infection. The disciples had seen Jesus heal already and knew there was something special about him, so they interceded on behalf of the mother.
Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law with only a touch. This was not a gradual recovery from the illness but an immediate one. The proof of her healing was that she got up to serve. Jesus has faced two types of antagonists thus far in Mark: disease and demons. These were two of the most formidable opponents to humanity, but Jesus overcame both without even the smallest hint of struggle. He was in full control.
The first person Jesus healed was a woman. When compared to the unbelief of the male disciples, the women in Mark’s Gospel are models of discipleship. The response of humble service by Simon’s mother-in-law exemplifies the life of discipleship (see Jesus’ own actions in 8:34; 9:35; 10:43-45 and other women in 12:41-44; 14:3-9; 15:40-41). With healing comes the opportunity for service.
For older posts, click here.