Matthew 8:14-17 14And after Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15And he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16And when evening had come, they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who had sicknesses, 17so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, saying, “He took our illnesses and carried away our diseases.”
We get a glimpse into the life of Peter in this story. He was married and lived in a home with his extended family, which at least included his mother-in-law. The story does not say why Jesus went into Peter’s house, but it may have been specifically to heal this woman. Everyone gets a fever at some point. Modern medicine has many drugs that help relieve a fever, but usually, a fever is caused by an underlying illness or virus. In the first-century, a fever could be deadly.
All Jesus did was simply touch her hand, and the healing was instantaneous. Proof of Jesus’ power could be seen with how she got up and served him. There sequence of verse 15 may be intentional by Matthew: touch, healing, rising up, and serving. This is the order that should happen to each of us spiritually. What will our response be to the miraculous touch of Jesus on our lives?
As word spread that Jesus was in town, people got excited and wanted to experience healing. Matthew mentions two areas that highlight Jesus’ sovereignty as king: he had complete control over demons and could heal any sickness. Nothing was too difficult or impossible for him. The unstated question is whether or not people recognized Jesus as the Messiah and accepted his authority. They liked the healing, but were they willing to get up and serve Jesus like Peter’s mother-in-law?
One of Matthew’s purposes in his Gospel is to show how Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and the one for whom the Jews were waiting. The words so that (hopōs) can show purpose or reason. If that is the case here, which it seems, then part of the reason Jesus did miracles was so that people would recognize him as the fulfillment of the servant of Isaiah 53:4. Matthew interprets this verse to imply that the coming Messiah would be a healer. Jesus’ ministry of healing was not limited to the first century but includes our time. He still touches and heals, both spiritually and physically.
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