Can God still heal in today's world? Discover the timeless power of miraculous healing as we journey through Jesus' ministry in Galilee, starting with the touching story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law in Capernaum. We'll delve into the historical context and archaeological discoveries that bring this biblical account to life, unveiling the significance of the synagogue and Peter's house. This episode also sheds light on the personal lives of Jesus' followers, revealing Peter's marital status and illustrating how Jesus' miracles had profound everyday impacts.
We'll also explore the role of faith in modern-day healing, drawing insights from 1 Corinthians 12 and James 5. Are God's healing powers still at work today, or have they ceased? And how should we approach prayer and faith in seeking His will? Finally, we reflect on how Jesus' acts of healing inspire those touched by Him to serve others joyfully and selflessly. This heartfelt journey through scripture and faith is a testament to God's enduring grace and the personal touch of Jesus in our lives. Join us, and be inspired to see God's hand at work in both grand gestures and intimate moments.
Can God still heal in today's world? Discover the timeless power of miraculous healing as we journey through Jesus' ministry in Galilee, starting with the touching story of Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law in Capernaum. We'll delve into the historical context and archaeological discoveries that bring this biblical account to life, unveiling the significance of the synagogue and Peter's house. This episode also sheds light on the personal lives of Jesus' followers, revealing Peter's marital status and illustrating how Jesus' miracles had profound everyday impacts.
We'll also explore the role of faith in modern-day healing, drawing insights from 1 Corinthians 12 and James 5. Are God's healing powers still at work today, or have they ceased? And how should we approach prayer and faith in seeking His will? Finally, we reflect on how Jesus' acts of healing inspire those touched by Him to serve others joyfully and selflessly. This heartfelt journey through scripture and faith is a testament to God's enduring grace and the personal touch of Jesus in our lives. Join us, and be inspired to see God's hand at work in both grand gestures and intimate moments.
Speaker 1:
Mark, chapter 1, around verse 29, and we'll jump in the Gospel of Mark in no hurry to get through it. We are diving into the ministry of Jesus, specifically in the area of Galilee. We're in a city called Capernaum at this point in chapter one. But last time we realized Jesus called his disciples, called them to follow him. It was a time of training and really you could say, education for them. They saw Jesus, they saw him live and work and heard him teach. And we're along for the ride on this, as Mark gives us all the details that he sees fit. In our last time together we were in the synagogue there in Capernaum, and they were in the synagogue as Jesus was teaching as one with authority, and then all at once a man with an unclean spirit pipes up in the middle of the Bible study and things get real right. Jesus very calmly and quickly dispatches the demon and everybody is in awe. Well, interesting, I don't know if I really said much about this last time, but we were in the synagogue and they've actually found the synagogue in Capernaum. They're in modern Israel, in Capernaum. They found this synagogue and it's good to realize that's a real place. Now, verse 29. Now, as soon as they had come out of the synagogue they entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. So we're moving from the synagogue to Simon and Andrew's house, simon aka Peter, so Peter's house, from the synagogue to Peter's house. And, interesting, nearby that modern synagogue they found an octagonal I don't know why I need to use that word. It had eight sides, a church, a basilica built around 500 AD. Now who cares? Right, there's lots of little churches and stuff and basilicas there in that area. But under this ancient church they found a home with a courtyard. The home had been later after it was a home. It had been used as a meeting place and kind of redeveloped for that. Plaster walls made a little more commercial like um. But the reason why it's there is because um tradition would tell us that this is peter's house that they found near the synagogue. And you know, soon after it was peter's house and jesus did a lot of work there. We'll see it in the gospel. It became a place where they would meet. As it became a place where they would meet, later on they built a church over it, because that's just what they did. But the cool thing for us is that it's a really good, strong possibility that this is actually Peter's house.
Speaker 1:
Now, if you want to get a picture of this, you go to Google Maps and you'll find it there in Capernaum. You know you can get the satellite view of this synagogue, the ruins of the synagogue and where this house of Peter seems to have been. And I did directions, right, just because we're here in Mark. I did directions from the synagogue to Peter's house and it's less than a kilometer. It's zero kilometers is how it came out. So I don't know what that means, but it takes less than a minute to walk from there. You probably could see. It's probably closer than my house is to here. I don't know if you look on the map, so when it says as soon as they had come out of the synagogue they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, that could be nearly literal. Right, they came out of the synagogue and they went right into Peter's house, right next door, almost. So we get that picture here. It makes good sense. You have your Sabbath service there and immediately from the service they went over to Peter's house, presumably for lunch, right, that would make good sense. Peter's house, presumably for lunch, right, that would make good sense.
Speaker 1:
Now, as they go here in verse 29, they go in Peter's house. Here as they come in Simon's wife's mother, so his mother-in-law is sick. Now we get some interesting information from this that we might not have known otherwise. Simon had a mother-in-law right Now. If he had a mother-in-law right Now. If he had a mother-in-law, that means he also had a wife. So Simon was married and Paul actually references that in 1 Corinthians 9, verse 5, that even Peter, even Simon Peter, brings his wife along on ministry outings. Why can't we bring a wife along with us?
Speaker 1:
But it's interesting to know, because we look at these guys as something more than just your average human being. Right, we know they were fishermen and stuff, but they were disciples, right, something crazy about them. Well, they had wives and they had mother-in-laws and houses and life much like ours. And there, as we go into Simon's house, there is a fever. All is not well, verse 30,. His wife's mother lay sick with a fever and they told him once about her.
Speaker 1:
So, verse 31, he this is the whole story as Jesus goes to Peter's house, he's got more ministry. That he's a part of the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. And I think there's some interesting things we can get from this One is that God wants to be personal in our life. I love how Jesus went into Peter's house. That's a pretty average thing, part of his life, part of his world. There he is going to heal Peter's mother-in-law. That's pretty personal.
Speaker 1:
Now what I mean by all this is, you know, a lot of times we think John 3, 16, classic verse God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. God so loved the world. That's a big place, the world right. Jesus gives his disciples there at the beginning of the book of Acts, command you know, you're going to go into all the world, you're going to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, judea, samaria and the ends of the earth. And we look at that and go like, oh, the ministry that God has for us is worldwide. God loves the world. There's a ministry to the world. That's everybody right. But sometimes we forget that God so loved you, god so loved me. I'm part of that, but I'm an individual in that. And here we see Jesus get real personal with his disciples. He loves them.
Speaker 1:
God is always wanting to work in the world. Even today, god wants to work in our world, our nasty, backward world. God wants to work in that world. But he always wants to work in individuals too, in us, right?
Speaker 1:
You look at the Old Testament and you look at Moses. Right, moses was called to this huge ministry to bring God's people, israel, out of bondage in Egypt. But then you look at the account and God works so personally with Mo himself, right, with Moses. He calls him personally, he deals with all these little, you know, insecurities that Moses has and these failures that Moses has. God just kind of works with him on these things and he leads them and he speaks to him personally. Look later on Moses' assistant, joshua, has this huge ministry of bringing a nation into the promised land. But then you look at all those personal times where God says to Joshua, while he's alone scouting out the city, don't be afraid, be of courage, joshua, I'm with you, I'm going with you. And so there's this huge ministry that God has in the world and yet he works with each one of us. So, personally, I love Elijah, elijah's intense, right.
Speaker 1:
Elijah faces off with people like Jezebel and Ahab and he tells the whole nation. Why do you waver between two opinions? If God is God, serve him. Right. And he calls down fire. And it's like this. You know this national ministry.
Speaker 1:
And then a little later you see Elijah in a cave and he's ready to give up. He's like I am the only one, god, nobody else follows you. And God speaks to him with a still small voice and we go. That's just so sweet. God wants to work with the world, but then he also cares about our problems. And we have to remember what Peter himself would say there. Peter would say and I think it's chapter five of first Peter casting all your cares on him because he cares for you. Right, so God cares for us personally. And here we see, they know the problem Peter's mother-in-law sick and they told Jesus about her at once. Good example of prayer Bring it to Jesus, cast all your cares it's first Peter, 5, 7, casting all your care on him because he cares for you. And Jesus is going to heal Peter's mother-in-law from a fever, is going to heal Peter's mother-in-law from a fever.
Speaker 1:
Now, pausing for just a second here, reading a very good commentary this morning and a solid guy, solid Bible teacher, and for some reason he felt like he had to make the point that God doesn't heal like this anymore. There was a distinct reason why Jesus healed in the gospels. There is a distinct reason why the early church had times of healing, but God doesn't need to do that anymore. I don't know why. I really don't know why. I think it was probably more of a response, right, I think it was more of a response to all the craziness that happens in Jesus' name, the wildness of, you know, these big healing sessions, and the healer has come to town. I think it was a response to that. But I think we ought to realize that Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever, is still able and willing to heal. The same yesterday, today and forever, is still able and willing to heal. Right? Paul talks about a gift of supernatural healing in 1 Corinthians 12, that that's something that God might do is heal somebody supernaturally.
Speaker 1:
James says some interesting things about healing. Let's turn there. Since we're talking about healing, turn to James, chapter five, which I think is after the book of Hebrews, isn't it? Yes, okay, good, you don't turn all the time. It gets scary. James, chapter five, verse 14.
Speaker 1:
So James is just talking to average people there in the church and he says this in verse 13. Is anyone among you suffering, let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing songs. Is anyone among you sick, let him call for the elders of the church Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. So James here says hey, in church is anyone sick? Well, you guys ought to pray, get together and pray. Now there's a bit there about anointing with oil Really the only place we see that and it's kind of hard to tell exactly why he says that. Is it a picture of the Holy Spirit? Maybe Is it what would be to us their contemporary medicine, right? Kind of like saying, give them a Tylenol and pray for them. Maybe we're not so sure about that, but the thing that I think is interesting, he says if you're sick, get together and pray for people, because prayer of faith will bring healing right.
Speaker 1:
Now move on to verse 17. Kind of all along the same bit of ministry there in the church. James points this out Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three years and six months and he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth produced its fruit All along that same idea. James says look at Elijah, that's not all about just healing, but we're talking about Elijah and he says he was just a person, a person just like you're, a person, right, an average human being. And God directed him to pray that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain. God directed him again to pray and it did rain. And I think James' point here is an average human being praying to God by faith, and great things can happen, things can change, and I think that's his point.
Speaker 1:
Now I just think it's important again, for whatever reason, some would say there is no supernatural healings and such these days. I don't know why. I mean, god is the same. It really is no big deal for God. He created us, he knows us. It's no big deal for God to heal us. We just need to trust him, and I think that's really, in the end, what God wants. Right, casting all your cares on him because he cares for us. We trust him with every little thing fever, cancer, whatever, it doesn't matter. We trust God with those things in our life and we leave it in his hands.
Speaker 1:
Now the bottom line on this is that God doesn't always heal. He can heal, for sure, and he does in so many points. I mean, I think we've all seen it where, you know, things look pretty bleak. You're talking about my father-in-law and talking about a father-in-law and, like you know, he's been in this situation so many times where it's like, well, this might be it, you know. And then God brings them through it and I can't say it was the doctors, although I'm grateful for good doctors but God did, for whatever reason.
Speaker 1:
Now, the other side of that is that he doesn't always heal and the faith part is not the faith God, you're going to do it my way. That's pointless. Why would we want that? But the faith is God, you're going to do what you want and I'm going to trust that you're good and God, I'm going to leave it in your hands, whatever you decide to do. And it takes just as much, even more faith, to trust God with not healing than to heal. But in the end we trust God and he can do what he wants.
Speaker 1:
So here back in Mark, jesus is brought. This has brought this. If I can get back to Mark, he's brought this issue of a mother-in-law with a fever and we see this remedy here in verse 31. So he came and he took her by the hand and he lifted her up and immediately the fever left her and she served him. I like how it reads here. It's just so choppy. You know, he came, took her by the hand, lifted her up and immediately the fever left her. Not very spectacular, really, when it comes down to a healing, you don't look at that and go, wow, what did he do? Did he wave his hand over? He just came, took her by the hand and lifted her up and she was better. But the cool thing is that he did it right. Jesus came and that, just in general, is the thing we needed most was for Jesus to come into our life and into our world. Jesus came into our mess to save us and Jesus still wants to come into our messy lives, right, even your life this week. God wants to come into your life and that's what Jesus did. God became flesh and dwelt among us. Notice. He came and he took her by the hand.
Speaker 1:
Now flashback to the Old Testament again, in the Old Testament we see this amazing separation, it seems. You know it starts all the way back in the garden right. Sin separates us from God. Adam and Eve cast out of the garden, angel standing there with a flaming sword, whatever that was like. And there's this separation because of sin. You see the people of Israel at the mountain there, mount Sinai, and God says anybody who touches that mountain must die. You go, that's separation, right. You read there in 2 Samuel, as they're bringing the ark, this poor guy named Uzzah Not only does he have a funny name, uzzah, you remember, the ark is kind of getting a little unstable and Uzzah sticks out his hand to steady the ark and he dies on the spot. David has a hard time with that, we have a hard time with that. But there's this separation. There's a veil right Between everybody else and the Holy of Holies, where God's present was. There's this separation. Now check it out. God becomes flesh and lives among us. And here's Jesus. He takes her by the hand right, with just a protective layer of skin flesh right. God touches this woman, right there in Jesus.
Speaker 1:
Now, flashing back story of my life I remember the first time I held my wife's hand right and it was magical. Right, the music started and fireworks were like you know, a whole new world. Right, and that's our song, by the way. And I go wow, she's amazing. Right, I just saw a puddle on the floor, you know. But think about this. I mean she's pretty wonderful.
Speaker 1:
But God in flesh touched Peter's mother-in-law Really, I mean did she? Was there like a jolt, I don't know. I don't know. We're not told right, I mean he was total humanity. But just think about it. You have this crazy separation between God and man and he comes into Peter's house, god in flesh, and grabs a hold of her hand. Did she even realize what she was touching at that point? It's beautiful, though.
Speaker 1:
God touched us. In that sense Jesus could have healed from a distance. He did that sometimes in the Gospels just told people go, your servant is well, there were times where people touched the hem of his garment. Right, the woman with the issue of blood touches the hem of his garment and she's better. But so many times Jesus actually grabbed people by the hand right, we're going to see in a little bit bit. A man with leprosy might not even had a nose left, right, unclean, and Jesus touches him and he heals him.
Speaker 1:
There's a look this one up. There was a deaf, mute guy and Jesus puts his hands on any and he touches his tongue Right. I don't even know if that's okay to do right. I don't know if I want somebody touching my tongue, but Jesus actually touched the people that he ministered to and that's God's heart for us to touch Human touch, proven. It's important. Babies who are not touched and hugged and all these things they grow up with issues, I mean delays and such, you know. But that's because we're made for the human touch, we're made to be close to people. But God took on human flesh and he came to us and, more than this, he grabbed us by the hand and he noticed what happened after this. Jesus lifted her up. So he came, he took her by the hand and he lifted her up. This action of lifting someone up is all Jesus. He does that a few times with people who can't walk, who are stuck on the side of the road. He lifts them up right here. He lifts them up and that action, again, is all Jesus. How do you know if it's Jesus? Well, he's going to lift you up.
Speaker 1:
Think of an old song from when I was a kid we used to sing at church. We can sing an acapella afterwards around the fire or something if you want, but here's the words from it. I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, very deeply stained within, sinking, to rise no more. But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry From the waters, lifted me. Now safe am I? Love lifted me. Love lifted me when nothing else would help. Love lifted me and I think that's just a great thing to understand. Is that? That's what Jesus does? He lifts us up.
Speaker 1:
Jesus will always lift you up. I'm not just talking about positive words, right? But if you want to know the voice of Jesus versus the voice of the devil, it's what they say. Jesus will always lift you up. Check it out. Jesus will always say come on, get up, let's go. The devil very easy to spot will always kick you and say stay, don't get up, you can't get up, you won't get up, you're not gonna. And that's where he wants us is on the ground. When we sin, when we struggle with doubt, he wants us down and he will always say stay. But Jesus will always say get up. And that's really what he does here.
Speaker 1:
He came to her, took her by the hand and lifted her up and immediately the fever left her, just like that. And notice, and she served them. That's a pretty sweet picture. I think that's what she wanted to do. Right, you know when there's a difference between me and my wife when we get sick, if I have like 99.6 fever, I'm like on the couch, I'll like set the things out, I'm like YouTube. Can you get me some soup? You know, that's really I look forward to that. When I just punch a little bit of a fever, my wife, when she's down, right, you know something's really wrong. Right, she's like I can't move. Oh, come on, how about some soup? But I imagine Peter's mother-in-law is what she always wanted to do. She wanted to serve him. Man, it was lunchtime. Of course I'm going to have some food for you, but she couldn't. The fever was keeping her down.
Speaker 1:
But notice, after Jesus heals her, she served them and we see here, though, serving as a response. If we're looking at this spiritually, the problem that we have is that a lot of times we push people to serve so you can be saved, serve so you can make it a little further on up the ladder there of spiritual things. But it has to be this order we're serving because we're saved. It's a response, and that's really what happens here, as Jesus lifts her up and solves that problem. Because he's Jesus, she responds and she serves and of course, that's what God wants as a response from her heart.
Speaker 1:
God, you've done so much for me. That's the good inspiration for service. God, you've been so good to me. Why wouldn't I want to be good to someone else? You've helped me so much, god. Why wouldn't I want to help someone else? It gets ugly when it's the wrong way, right, because then we're looking for something else and we're a little upset when people don't realize how much we've done. But when we serve as like a cheerful giver, right out of the abundance of our heart, for what God's done for us, it's a beautiful, beautiful thing here as she gets up and she serves them.
Speaker 1:
So, god, I don't think we realize how helpless we were without you, god, how down for the count we really were, and what a wonderful thing that you personally came into each one of our lives and you touched us. You made that personal contact with us, god. So many ways in our life we've seen your hand in our life Even before we knew you were there, god. You were with us and you helped us. You protected us, god, but then, at our very worst, you lifted us up there at the cross. You raised us from the dead, literally.
Speaker 1:
And, god, we can't thank you enough. God, we just pray that we would understand that a little bit more, that we would be grateful and thankful in response to you, we would live our lives living sacrifice. In light of all you've done for us, it just makes good sense. So, god, help this to be something in our heart and in our mind this week. Gosh, I especially want to pray for it. Those that are just hearing that over and over again, you'll never get up, you'll never get through it. God, I pray that you'd lift them up and give them hope and give them strength. God, you're so good to be with us. Be with us today, in Jesus' name.