Matthew 8:14-17

Matthew 8:14-17

And after Jesus came into the house of Peter He saw his mother-in-law having let to fall down and while suffering from a fever.  And He touched her hand and her fever departed.  And she was being raised up she was serving Him.  And after becoming evening they brought to Him many while being demon-possessed.  And He cast out the demons by a word and He healed all the ones who were having bad things so that the things that were said through the prophet Isaiah should be fulfilled while saying: “He took away our illness and He carried away our heavy diseases.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Notice where Jesus goes.  He enters Peter’s home.  This is an easy point to gloss over.  It might seem quite natural for Peter to invite Jesus into his home.  After all, Jesus is Peter’s mentor!  Why wouldn’t Peter invite Jesus in?  However, notice what this implies.  Peter’s house becomes a place of God’s work.  Peter’s house – in whatever simple condition it no doubt was – became a place of God’s presence and work!  How cool is it to think that our common houses can be places where God is at work.

Do you think that God is at work in your home?  How open are you to God being at work in your house and turning it into a place of ministry?  What is the danger of such a thing?

Second Thought:

Peter’s mother-in-law is healed.  But notice what she does.  She is raised up into service!  The verb for being raised up is egeiro (ἐγείρω) and it is the same word that describes God’s action in Jesus’ own resurrection.  No, I’m not claiming that Peter’s mother-in-law had died.  The word simply means to be raised up or to lift up.  But symbolically we get a clear theological message here.  God does not come into our life to heal us so we can go about our life.  He does not come into our life so that we can become a Christianized version of the person that we want to be.  God comes into our life and raises us into a life of service.  He raises us up out of our sinfulness to be servants in His kingdom.

Have you been raised to new life?  How do you know your answer?  What does being raised into service look like to you?

Third Thought:

This passage ends on a very clear note.  Jesus heals us from all of our maladies.  He can conquer whatever is wrong with us.  He can take away the evil that lies within us.  What I really love is the word used in the quote from Isaiah with respect to our disease.  The Greek word is bastadzo (βαστάζω) and it means “to carry away.”  It is often used for the times when a person lifts and carries a heavy burden.  It is a word used to describe something that takes effort and willpower.  This is the same word that Jesus uses in Luke 14:27 when Jesus tells us that anyone who does not carry his own cross and come after Jesus is not worthy of being His disciple.  As you might expect, it is the same verb used in John 19:17 when Jesus is led to his own crucifixion.  Jesus takes away all that is wrong with us.  He can heal us and cleanse us.  But it was not an easy task.  It took effort and willpower.  That is the example Jesus sets before us to imitate.

Do you pick up your cross and follow Him?  Where is that a difficult process? 

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 8:18-22