Luke 4:38-41 38And after leaving from the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was tormented with a high fever, and they asked him concerning her. 39And standing over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately after rising, she began to serve them. 40Now as the sun was setting, all those who had people who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on each of them and healed them. 41And demons also came out of many, crying and saying, “You are the Son of God!” And by rebuking he did not permit them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.
The passage indicates that Jesus was still in Capernaum, where he met Simon, whom he later gave the nickname “Peter.” This passage has several implications about Simon. First, he had already met Jesus before Jesus invited him to follow him and become a “fisher of people,” which is described in chapter 5. Simon had already heard Jesus teach, possibly in the local synagogue, and witnessed what he did to the demon possessed man there. Second, Simon served as the host of Jesus in his house. Jesus relied on the hospitality of people as he traveled. Capernaum was one of the places he spent a lot of time, so it is possible that Simon opened his home as one of Jesus’ headquarters during the years of his Galilean ministry. Third, Simon had been watching Jesus and believed Jesus could do something to help his mother-in-law. Simon was married and was part of a larger, multi-generation household.
The mother must have been lying down, deathly sick. A fever in the first-century could be deadly. Luke uses a strong word for how Jesus rebuked (epetimēsen) the fever as if it were an enemy or in the wrong. The same word was used for the demon in verse 35. There is not enough evidence to indicate that Luke, the physician, associated a fever with Satan or demon possession but only seems to be indicating Jesus’ power over a disease that had no known cure. Jesus’ power becomes evident with how the mother got up immediately to serve the group, probably with food. The impact this made on Simon and his family must have been tremendous and something that drew him to Jesus and prepared his heart for the call that Jesus would give him in a short time.
Verses 40-41 expand Jesus’ healing ministry to many other people in the area of Capernaum. Word had spread quickly after the synagogue miracle. He was becoming known as a miracle worker. Jesus gave special attention to each and every person; no one was left out of the healing, and no illness was too difficult. Jesus healed by laying his hands on people, a gesture common in the early church as a sign of faith, concern, and fellowship. The demons knew his identity as the Son of God, but he did not want the word to get out. The motive for this is not clearly stated but only implied in the last clause that the people might misinterpret what the Messiah was like and what he came to do.
Jesus’ ministry was not only in preaching and teaching but in healing. These stories show how he was concerned for every person, no matter the problem or situation. He brought freedom to those enslaved by illness and demons. It had been a long day for Jesus, but he kept going to help every person who came to him.
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