Matt.8:14,15 – And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.
I love the images this story brings up in our mind, a family house with Peter’s mother in law, his brother Andrew, Peter’s wife with possibly several small children. The house was a bundle of activity, especially when Peter was catching lots of fish. Today was quite different, the mom was sick, apparently sick to the point of death most likely with the ‘Black Death’, malaria. Everything changed in a moment of time when Jesus came walking into mom’s bedroom, Jesus grabbed her by the hand and according to Mark lifted her up. That was it, when Jesus does something everything is settled. The mom got up and starting serving Jesus and the entourage, Jesus had brought joy back to Peter’s home. Here is how Robertson’s Word Pictures describes this moment.
“Peter was married and both he and Andrew lived together in “Peter’s house” with Peter’s wife and mother-in-law. Peter was evidently married before he began to follow Jesus. Later his wife accompanied him on his apostolic journeys. This incident followed immediately after the service in the synagogue on the sabbath. All the Synoptics give it. Mark heard Peter tell it as it occurred in his own house where Jesus made his home while in Capernaum. Each Gospel gives touches of its own to the story. Mark has “lay sick of a fever, lay prostrate burning with fever” . Matthew puts it “stretched out with a fever.” Luke has it “holden with a great fever”, a technical medical phrase. They all mention the instant recovery and ministry without any convalescence. Mark and Matthew speak of the touch of Jesus on her hand and Luke speaks of Jesus standing over her like a doctor. It was a tender scene.”
There is nothing remotely close to what the touch of Jesus is like. He grabbed this woman by her hand. What did she experience? She felt His love, love like no other, His kindness, His healing virtue, and sense of God’s glory beyond anything she had ever known. That’s how is touch is, in a moment of time your pain and fear are swallowed up by His love. That’s how it is with Jesus, when He comes into the room you know on the inside everything is going to be just fine.
