Episode 26 - Peter's Mother-in-Law

Scripture is full of short and seemingly insignificant events.  Yet these events, like the more well-known events also teach us valuable lessons.

One such event was when Jesus healed Peter's Mother-in-Law.  It isn't by accident that this event is included in God's word.  It teaches us something important about Jesus and also our reaction to blessings.

I invite you to listen to this episode and think about what it teaches us about our Lord's love and compassion for all of us, no matter who we are.

I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.

Please contact me if you have questions or you wish to share with me something about your walk with the Master. My email is walkingwithourmaster@gmail.com

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Transcript

Hello friends, I'm your host Dave Laton and welcome to the podcast, Walking With Our Master, an outreach of the Prattville Church of Christ designed to inform, encourage, and teach as we daily walk with our Master. 

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul makes a statement to his young protégé Timothy about the value of scripture.  He said, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The Bible is full of small, simple, almost unnoticeable events that carry impact and can lead to even more opportunities to teach about our Lord.  These seemingly unimportant events would not be in scripture if there was not something we can learn from them.

One such event is the story of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law is a powerful demonstration of Jesus’ love and compassion.  

We read of this event in three of the gospels, Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31, and Luke 4:38-39.  They all basically say the same thing.

Jesus had been teaching at the local Synagogue in Capernaum, the home of Peter and where Jesus often stayed.  After leaving the synagogue, He visits Peter’s house, where he finds Peter’s mother-in-law sick with a high fever.  Those attending to her asked Jesus to help her.

He immediately bends over her, touches her hand, and the fever leaves her.  She then immediately gets up fully healed and begins to wait on them.     

Following this event, each gospel adds additional information that later in the evening after sunset people brought the sick and demon possessed to Jesus.  They state that the whole town gathered at the door and Jesus healed and drove out the demons.  

Back to my earlier point, sometimes the small opportunities are more significant in that they lead to even greater opportunities.  

This story beautifully illustrates Jesus’ compassion and the immediate impact of His healing powers.

It also teaches us that no issue is too small for our Lord’s attention and no act of service too small or insignificant.  

This story offers some insights into our Lord’s ministry.  

The events of healing and driving out demons earlier at the synagogue, healing Peter’s mother-in-law, and later healing and driving out demons for the townspeople, clearly show our Lord’s divine authority.  

We also see that meeting the needs of individuals were important to our Lord.  There are several incidents where Jesus took time to meet the needs of individuals as well as humanity as a whole.   No individual is insignificant when it comes to our Lord’s love and grace.  Yes, our Lord came to save humanity but He does so one soul at a time.  I think we really need to remember that.  As individuals its important to know that our Lord loves us as individuals.  As teachers of God’s word we need to remember it and to pay attention to the individual opportunities of ministry.  

OK…so I’ve spoken to a few insights into this event.  But how does that apply to us today?  What can we see from this seemingly insignificant event that makes is to powerful?

First, As I’ve just stated, we see that our Lord took time for small opportunities, so should we.  

There are more small opportunities to show our Lord’s love and grace than grand and glorious ones.  It might also be that these small opportunities have more impact on someone since they are likely more personal.   When Jesus took the moment to heal Peter’s mother-in-law, he showed that no need, nor any individual is too small or insignificant for his attention.  If we simply open our hearts and eyes, we will see opportunities.  I like to make it a part of my prayer each morning that I will see the opportunities and have the wisdom and courage to meet them.

I recommend that as you are preparing to leave your home that you offer a simple prayer that you will see and meet opportunities as you can.  If we just pay attention, we will see needs.

Remember that it is not our power that removes concerns in others or brings relief to their life.  It is God’s power.  We are just the conduit through which God’s power is shown. 

When we do meet someone’s needs, we have the perfect opportunity to point them to our Lord.  It wasn’t the people taking care of Peter’s mother-in-law or those that brought Jesus to her.  It was our Lord’s power. 

Another point I want to make is the reaction of Peter’s mother-in-law.  When she was healed, she gets up and begins to serve them.  My takeaway is that when we are blessed, we should use it to bless others.  I’m reminded of the statement by God to Abram in Genesis 12:1-2 when God first made his promise to Abram.  He said He was blessing Abram “so that you will be a blessing.”  Now I understand the context of this statement.  Our Lord would eventually come into the world through Abram’s family.  But the principle I want to state is that when we see we are blessed, we should immediately look to see how we can use this to glorify our Lord.  We do so by using it to bless others.  

Another example of this principle is found in Matthew 25 in what we know as the parable of the talents.  Three servants were given a set amount of money called talents.  One had 5, one had 2, and another had 1.  The 5 and 2 talent servants doubled their amount.  But the single talent servant didn’t do anything with it.  IN the Parable Jesus teaches that the two servants that did something with the talents were rewarded but the single talent individual was punished because he didn’t do anything with it that brought reward to the master.   

I hope this event in scripture encourages you to seek our Lord and to follow His example of looking to help others.

I’ve often stated through this podcast that one way to renew and strengthen our hope is to look to help others as we are able.  Each of us has gifts that we can use to help others and ultimately, glorify our Lord.  

Well friends, I'm your host Dave Laton.  Thank you for joining us in this podcast.  I hope you will continue to do so. If you wish to share with me something from your walk with our Master or you would like to learn more, please email me at:

walkingwithourmaster@gmail.com.

I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.  And until next time, remember, we give all glory to God the Father.