XXXII.
Healing Peter's Mother-in-Law and Many Others.
(at Capernaum.)
A Matt. VIII. 14–17; B Mark I. 29–34;
C Luke IV. 38–41.
c 38 And he arose out of the synagogue [where he had
just healed the demoniac], b 29 And
straightway, when they were come out of the synagogue, they came {
c entered} b into the house of Simon and
Andrew, with James and John. [Peter and Andrew had dwelt at Bethsaida
(John i. 44). They may have removed to
Capernaum, or Bethsaida, being near by, may be here counted as a part, or
suburb, of Capernaum. Its name does not contradict this view, for it means
“house of fishing” or “fishery.”] 30 Now Simon's
wife's mother lay sick of { c was holden with} a great
fever. [The Papists, who claim that Peter was the first pope, must confess
that he was married at this time, and continued to be so for years afterwards
(I. Cor. ix. 5). Celibacy is
unauthorized by Scripture (Heb. xiii. 4
). God says it is not good (Gen. ii. 18
). Luke speaks as a physician; for Galen, the father of medicine, divided
fevers into little and great.] a 14 And when Jesus
was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother lying sick of a fever.
b and straightway they tell him of her: c
and they besought him for her. [Their interest in her shows the
spirit of love and kindness which pervaded the home.] b
31 and he came c 39 And he stood over
her, and rebuked the fever [Though it was an inanimate force, it was still
subject to rebuke, as were the winds and waves of Galilee—Matt. viii. 26]; a
15 And he touched her hand, b and took her by the
hand, and raised her up [thus showing the miracle came from him, and that
he felt a tender interest in the sufferer]; c and it
{ b the fever} c left her: and
immediately she rose up { a arose,} b
and she ministered unto them. { a him.} [Her
complete recovery emphasized the miracle. Such fevers invariably leave the
patient weak,
171and the period of convalescence is long and trying,
and often full of danger. She showed her gratitude by her ministry.]
b 32 And at even, a when even was
come, c when the sun was setting, { b
did set,} c all they that had any sick with
divers diseases, brought them unto him; b they brought
unto him all that were sick, and them { a many}
b that were possessed with demons. [Their delay till
sundown was unquestionably caused by the traditional law of the Sabbath which
forbade men to carry any burden on that day (John
v. 10). The Sabbath closed at sundown (
Lev. xxiii. 32). The distinction is drawn between the sick and the
demon-possessed. Lightfoot gives two reasons why demoniacal possession was so
common at that time, viz.: 1, the intense wickedness of the nation; 2, the
addiction of the nation to magic, whereby the people invited evil spirits to be
familiar with them.] c and he laid his hands on every one
of them, a and he cast out the spirits with a word, and
healed all c them a that were
sick: 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through
Isaiah the prophet [Isa. liii. 4]
, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases.
[Isaiah's vision is progressive; he sees, first, a man of sorrows; second, a
man sorrowful because he bore the sickness and sorrows of others; third, a man
who also bore sin, and healed the souls of others by so doing. Such was the
order of Christ's life. His early years were spent in poverty and obscurity;
his days of ministry in bearing, by sympathy and compassion, the sicknesses and
sorrows of others (John xi. 35; Mark xiv.
34); and in the hour of his crucifixion, he became the world's
sin-bearer—John i. 29; I. Pet. ii.
24.] b 33 And all the city was gathered
together at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of
divers diseases, and cast out many demons; c
41 And demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying, Thou art the
Son of God. And rebuking them, he suffered them { b the
demons} c not to speak, b because
they knew him. c that he was Christ. [Those who are
disposed to frequent spiritual seances and to seek information from mediums
should remember that the Son of God permitted his disciples to receive no
information from such sources. He forbade demons to speak in the presence of
his own, even on the most important of all topics.]
172
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