Mum’s the Word

A quiet visit, a remarkable recovery, and a whole city at the door.

After Jesus had cast out a demon and generally disrupted the Sunday morning service, he headed over to Peter’s house with Andrew (Peter’s brother), James, and John. On their arrival, instead of the full English roast with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, gravy, and all the trimmings, they found that Peter’s mum-in-law was extremely sick. She had a fever and was lying down resting. Jesus then rebuked the fever, and she got up and started Sunday dinner.*²² When we think of this story, it’s astonishing to think that in a couple of years, people would be healed simply by Peter’s shadow falling upon them, but that’s for the follow-up book.

Word of Jesus being in the house got out, and by evening, the whole city was out there bringing their sick and possessed. I can’t even begin to imagine the commotion.

“Oh, Simon, I am glad you brought your new friends over. I have been hearing so much about you. Another Rice Crispy Treat, Jesus?” said Peter’s mum-in-law.

Next thing you know, the tasty treat was interrupted by people knocking on the door, asking for Jesus and wanting to be healed. Unlike on his trip to Nazareth, it seemed that people were being healed throughout Capernaum. Again, we had demons proclaiming Jesus to be the Christ, and again, we had Jesus telling them to be quiet. Now, once again, we’re not told why this was the case, and, as we already discussed, if my enemy were going around telling people I was better than them, I would be okay with it. The only explanation I have is this: Satan is a liar; it’s what he does. He can’t help it, any more than Yogi Bear can help stealing pic-a-nic baskets, and Jesus didn’t want a liar promoting him. It makes sense; I wouldn’t want it either. Of course, we cannot know for sure, and I am certainly no authority on the subject.

Either way, we do know that Jesus never tired of trying to help people, and he healed all who were brought to him. There are no records of him ever saying, “Hang five guys, I need a sandwich, I’ll be back in a few…” The scripture is clear on this; it is “all,” not some. He kept going and never lost sight of his mission of doing the work of the Father. Even though he showed the way, I am totally grateful that his grace is sufficient to make up for the shortfall where I fail. It seems so easy in theory to be a “good Christian” (whatever that means), but in reality, we are all like Peter’s mother-in-law, sickly, unable to do anything on our own, and in desperate need of his healing, just for us to be able to serve him. It begins and ends with Jesus.

*Adjusted for a contemporary audience; it was really Saturday.