PETERS MOTHER-IN-LAWS FEVER: JESUS ALSO HEALS MANY OTHERS THAT EVENING (Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41) Matthew 8:14-17 - Then on coming into Peters house (in Capernaum, after healing the leper and the centurions servant in Matthews Gospel) Jesus saw that Peters mother-in-law had been put to bed with a high fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her. And then she got up and began to see to their needs. When evening came they brought to him many who were possessed by evil spirits, which he expelled with a word. Indeed he healed all who were ill. Thus was fulfilled Isaiahs prophecy - He himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. Mark 1:29-34 - Then (after healing the madman according to Marks Gospel) he got up and went straight from the synagogue to the house of Simon and Andrew, accompanied by James and John. Simons mother-in-law was in bed with a high fever, and they lost no time in telling Jesus about her. He went up to her, took her hand and helped her to her feet. The fever left her, and she began to see to their needs. Late that evening, after sunset, they kept bringing to him all who were sick or troubled by evil spirits. The whole population of the town (of Capernaum) gathered round the doorway. And he healed great numbers of people who were suffering from various forms of disease. In many cases he expelled evil spirits; but he would not allow them to say a word, for they knew perfectly well who he was. Luke 4:38-41 - When Jesus got up and left the synagogue (after healing the madman) he went into Simon (Peter)s house. Simons mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus about her. He stood over her as she lay in bed, brought the fever under control and it left her. At once she got up and began to see to their needs. Then, as the sun was setting, all those who had friends suffering from every kind of disease brought them to Jesus and he laid his hands on each one of them separately and healed them. Evil spirits came out of many of these people, shouting, You are the Son of God! But he spoke sharply to them and would not allow them to say any more, for they knew perfectly well that he was Christ. to Contents List JESUS CONTINUES PREACHING AND HEALING (Matthew 4:23-25; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44) Matthew 4:23-25 - Jesus (after calling the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, and James and John to be his disciples, and before the Sermon on the Mount) now moved about through the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news about the kingdom, and healing every disease and disability among the people. His reputation spread throughout Syria, and people brought to him all those who were ill, suffering from all kinds of diseases and pains - including the devil-possessed, the insane and the paralysed. He healed them, and was followed by enormous crowds from Galilee, The Ten Towns (Decapolis), Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the river Jordan. Mark 1:35-39 - Then (after calling the first four disciples and healing Simon Peters mother-in-law.....), in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a deserted place, and there he prayed. Simon and his companions went in search of him, and when they found him, they said, Everyone is looking for you. Then we will go somewhere else, to the neighbouring towns, he replied, so that I may give my message there too - that is why I have come. So he continued preaching in their synagogues and expelling evil spirits throughout the whole of Galilee. Luke 4:42-44 - At daybreak (after healing the madman in the synagogue and Simon Peters mother-in-law), he went off to a deserted place, but the crowds tried to find him and when they did discover him, tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he told them, I must tell the good news of the kingdom of God to other towns as well - that is my mission. And he continued proclaiming his message in the synagogues of Judea. THE LEPER (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16) Matthew 8:1-4 - Large crowds followed him when he came down from the hillside (after the Sermon on the Mount). There was a leper who came and knelt in front of him. Sir, he said, if you want to, you can make me clean. Jesus stretched out his hand and placed it on the leper saying, Of course I want to. Be clean! And at once he was clear of the leprosy. Mind you say nothing to anybody, Jesus told him. Go straight off and show yourself to the priest and make the offering for your recovery that Moses prescribed, as evidence to the authorities. Mark 1:40-45 - Then a leper came to Jesus (as he continued preaching and healing throughout Galilee), knelt in front of him and appealed to him, If you want to, you can make me clean. Jesus was filled with pity for him, and stretched out his hand and placed it on the leper, saying, Of course I want to - be clean! At once the leprosy left him and he was quite clean. Jesus sent him away there and then with the strict injunction, Mind you say nothing at all to anybody. Go straight off and show yourself to the priest, and make the offerings for your cleansing which Moses prescribed, as public proof of your recovery. But he went off and began to talk a great deal about it in public, spreading his story far and wide. Consequently, it became impossible for Jesus to show his face in the towns and he had to stay outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from all quarters. Luke 5:12-16 - While he was in one of the towns (of Galilee after the calling of Simon Peter, Andrew, John and James), Jesus came upon a man who was a mass of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he prostrated himself before him and begged, If you want to, Lord, you can make me clean. Jesus stretched out his hand, placed it on the leper, saying, Certainly I want to. Be clean! Immediately the leprosy left him and Jesus warned him not to tell anybody, but to go and show himself to the priest and to make the offerings for his recovery that Moses prescribed, as evidence to the authorities. Yet the news about him spread all the more, and enormous crowds collected to hear Jesus and to be healed of their diseases. But he slipped quietly away to deserted places for prayer. THE PARALYSED MAN (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26) Matthew 9:1-8 - (After healing the madman - or men - of Gadarene) ... Jesus re-embarked on the boat, crossed the lake, and came to his own town (of Capernaum). Immediately some people arrived bringing him a paralytic lying flat on his bed. When Jesus saw the faith of those who brought him he said to the paralytic, Cheer up, my son! Your sins are forgiven. At once some of the scribes thought to themselves, This man is blaspheming. But Jesus realised what they were thinking, and said to them, Why must you have such evil thoughts in your minds? Do you think it is easier to say to this man, Your sins are forgiven or Get up and walk? But to make it quite plain that the Son of Man has full authority on earth to forgive sins - and here he spoke to the paralytic - Get up, pick up your bed and go home. And the man sprang to his feet and went home. When the crowds saw what had happened they were filled with awe and praised God for giving such power to men. Mark 2:1-12 - When he re-entered Capernaum some days later (after curing the leper, and staying away from the towns because of his popularity), a rumour spread that he was in somebodys house. Such a large crowd collected that while he was giving them his message it was impossible even to get near the doorway. Meanwhile, a group of people arrived to see him, bringing with them a paralytic whom four of them were carrying. And when they found it was impossible to get near him because of the crowd, they removed the tiles from the roof over Jesus head and let down the paralytics bed through the opening. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man on the bed, My son, your sins are forgiven. But some of the scribes were sitting there silently asking themselves, Why does this man talk such blasphemy? Who can possibly forgive sins but God? Jesus realised instantly what they were thinking, and said to them, why must you argue like this in your minds? Which do you suppose is easier - to say to a paralysed man, Your sins are forgiven, or Get up, pick up your bed and walk? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has full authority to forgive sins on earth, I say to you, - and here he spoke to the paralytic - Get up, pick up your bed and go home. At once the man sprang to his feet, picked up his bed and walked off in full view of them all. Everyone was amazed, praised God, and said, We have never seen anything like this before. Luke 5:17-26 - One day while Jesus was teaching (after curing the leper and going out to lonely places where he could pray), some Pharisees and experts in the Law were sitting near him. They had come out of every village in Galilee and Judea as well as from Jerusalem. Gods power to heal people was with him. Soon some men arrived carrying a paralytic and they kept trying to carry him in to put him down in front of Jesus. When they failed to find a way of getting him in because of the dense crowd, they went up on to the top of the house and let him down, bed and all, through the tiles, into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, My friend, your sins are forgiven. The scribes and the Pharisees began to argue about this, saying, Who is this man who talks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins? Only God can do that. Jesus realised what was going on in their minds and spoke straight to them. Why must you argue like this in your minds? Which do you suppose is easier - to say, Your sins are forgiven or to say, Get up and walk? But to make you realise that the Son of Man has full authority on earth to forgive sins - I tell you, he said to the man who was paralysed, get up, pick up your bed and go home! Instantly the man sprang to his feet before their eyes, picked up the bedding on which he used to lie, and went off home, praising God. Sheer amazement gripped every man present, and they praised God and said in awed voices, We have seen incredible things today. - Jesus now journeys south from Galilee to Jerusalem for a festival - possibly the second Passover of the Gospels: THE INVALID AT THE POOL OF BETHESDA John 5:1-15 - Some time later (after Jesus had met the woman at the well in Samaria, and then, in Cana in Galilee, saved the officials dying son) came one of the Jewish feast-days and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. There is in Jerusalem near the sheep-gate a pool surrounded by five arches, which has the Hebrew name of Bethzatha (the Pool of Bethesda). Under these arches a great many sick people were in the habit of lying; some of them were blind, some lame, and some had withered limbs. (They used to wait there for the moving of the water, for at certain times an angel used to come down into the pool and disturb the water, and then the first person who stepped into the water after the disturbance would be healed of whatever he was suffering from - this explanation in brackets is only in some ancient manuscripts.) One particular man had been there ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there on his back - knowing that he had been like that for a long time, he said to him, Do you want to get well again? Sir, replied the sick man, I just havent got anybody to put me into the pool when the water is all stirred up. While Im trying to get there somebody else gets down into it first. Get up, said Jesus, pick up your bed and walk! At once the man recovered, picked up his bed and walked. This happened on a Sabbath day, which made the Jews keep on telling the man who had been healed, Its the Sabbath, you know; its not right for you to carry your bed. The man who made me well, he replied, was the one who told me, Pick up your bed and walk. Then they asked him, And who is the man who told you to do that? But the one who had been healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away in the dense crowd. Later Jesus found him in the Temple and said to him, Look: you are a fit man now. Do not sin again or something worse might happen to you! Then the man went off and informed the Jews that the one who had made him well was Jesus. - Jesus returns to Galilee: THE MAN WITH THE SHRIVELLED HAND (Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11) Matthew 12:9-14 - Leaving there (the cornfields where Jesus and his disciples were criticised by Pharisees for picking corn on the Sabbath) he went into their synagogue (in Galilee, possibly Capernaum), where there happened to be a man with a shrivelled hand. Is it right to heal anyone on the Sabbath day? they asked him - hoping to bring a charge against him. If any of you had a sheep which fell into a ditch on the Sabbath day, would he not take hold of it and pull it out? replied Jesus. How much more valuable is a man than a sheep? You see, it is right to do good on the Sabbath day. Then Jesus said to the man, Stretch out your hand! He did stretch it out, and it was restored as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and held a meeting against Jesus and discussed how they could get rid of him altogether. Mark 3:1-6 - On another occasion (after the cornfield incident) when he went into the synagogue, there was a man there whose hand was shrivelled, and they (the Pharisees) were watching Jesus closely to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, so that they might bring a charge against him. Jesus said to the man with the shrivelled hand, Stand up and come out here in front! Then he said to them, Is it right to do good on the Sabbath day, or to do harm? Is it right to save life or to kill? There was a dead silence. Then Jesus, deeply hurt as he sensed their inhumanity, looked round in anger at the faces surrounding him, and said to the man, Stretch out your hand! And he stretched it out, and the hand was restored as sound as the other one. The Pharisees walked straight out and discussed with Herods party how they could have Jesus put out of the way. Luke 6:6-11 - On another Sabbath day (again after the cornfield incident) when he went into a synagogue to teach, there was a man there whose right hand was wasted away. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath day, which would, of course, give them grounds for an accusation. But he knew exactly what was going on in their minds, and said to the man with the wasted hand, Stand up and come out in front. And he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, I am going to ask you a question. Does the Law command us to do good on Sabbath days or do harm - to save life or destroy it? He looked round, meeting all their eyes, and said to the man, Now stretch out your hand. He did so, and his hand was restored as sound as the other one. But they were filled with insane fury, and kept discussing with each other what they could do to Jesus.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 00:38:46 +0000