Matthew 8:14-17

Matthew 8:14-17 NIV

"When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. 
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

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Healing with a touch of the hand, exorcism with a single word; these are subtle but amazing details continuing the witness to the authority of Jesus. The conclusion of these brief healing and liberation stories is that Jesus is fulfilling prophesy.

Matthew quotes Isaiah 53:4. It's part of the Suffering Servant portion of His writings. The servant is likely a poetic representation of the nation of Israel, having suffered exile among the Babylonians, but now being consoled by Isaiah with hope of their restoration. Another interpretation is that Isaiah is speaking of his own ministry, suffering to speak the truth to Israel's wayward leadership. His ministry is redemptive in nature. He suffers, so that Israel might be saved from her sins. Regardless of the original meaning, the early church saw parallels to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus in the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. Matthew pointing to the passage sets up the reader for more than simply a healing story. Jesus is the Redeemer sent to save Israel from their sins by giving Himself as a sin offering.

I've always found the detail of the healing of Peter's mother in-law interesting. At first glance one might think Jesus healed her from her fever so that she'd get up and make supper for Him and His disciples. Immediately after she was healed she got up and waited on Him. Of course, that cannot be the correct interpretation. That's my modern mind imposing my cultural norms upon the text. Today, suggesting that a woman wait upon a man, is considered chauvinistic. But in Jesus' time it was a completely natural response to company in the home.

The more likely interpretation is that healing led to gratitude, which was expressed in serving the Lord. I think that is perhaps the reason Matthew includes this detail. When Christ, the Redeemer, heals us of our iniquities and sin, we will be free. What do we do with this freedom? Do we run back into a sinful life? No! We serve the Lord in gratitude.

The story of Jesus suffering and dying for our sins is a powerful and compelling message. The gospel has been freeing hearts for millennia. The church is filled with freed sinners happy to serve the Lord they love, who first loved them and gave Himself up for them. Everyday they join in Jesus' healing ministry, bringing good news to the hopeless, health to the sick, and holiness to Sin's captives. We teach. We heal. We liberate. We do this gratefully because Christ has set us free and we gladly serve Him and His mission to redeem this earth.

How about you? Have you experienced the healing of the cross of Christ. When He looked upon His tormentors and said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing", do you know He was thinking about you and your sin bondage? He died to free you. He took upon Himself your sins by giving His life as an atoning sacrifice, so that you might be healed and whole. What will your response be?