Tag Archives: fever

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – THEY TOLD JESUS

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THEY TOLD JESUS…

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. Mark 1:29-34

Fishing, fishing, fishing! After the synagogue service, the two lots of brothers and Jesus went to Peter and Andrew’s house. Another crisis! Peter’s mother-in-law was gravely ill. She had a burning fever – the whole household came to a standstill. Jesus walked right into the situation and took charge. He reached out and took her hand – from tamai – unclean – to tahor – clean – in an instant. Jesus didn’t bat an eyelid. He moved in the environment of God where everything was tahor and perfect.

What went on in the household in that moment? Amazement, excitement, joy? One minute she was really sick and in the next instant, completely well – and all He did was touch her. It was as though her illness was a minor interruption that was over in a flash.

Well, that did it! The news was out and the whole community erupted into pandemonium. Hope rose in every sick person’s heart. Every loved one moved. “I’ve got to get…. to Jesus.” They waited impatiently for the sunset that heralded the end of the Sabbath so that they could legitimately carry their sick folk to Jesus. Not one person did He send away unattended.

What were the people thinking? “O boy, have we got it made! A healer in town and all our troubles are over.” A resident miracle-worker who would take care of all their needs? Is that why Jesus came or what He wanted? He could have won the popularity poll for the greatest beneficiary to the community hands down.

But Jesus hadn’t come as a magic cure for all their ills. What He did was a demonstration of the eternal kingdom He was introducing them to. He didn’t come to run a clinic for sick people. His intention was not to be a one-man show but to teach and train His followers to do the same as He was doing – to be a walking demonstration of the nature of that kingdom He was representing, and to call people to participate with Him in blessing people with God’s favour and kindness. It would take people a long time to get it – to become givers, not getters!

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – BRINGING HEAVEN TO EARTH

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BRINGING HEAVEN TO EARTH

“He left the meeting place and went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was running a high fever and they asked Him to do something for her. He stood over her, told the fever to leave – and it left. Before they knew it she was up getting dinner for them.” Luke 4:38-39.

Just like that! Luke tells the story in a matter-of-fact way, as though it was an everyday occurrence. Speak to the sickness and it goes! But to the people who observed it, it was riveting.

They were not unfamiliar with miracles. Their Scriptures were dotted with stories of miracles from the time their first forefathers were born; Isaac, conceived by two old people; Rebekah – barren; Rachel – barren; Hannah – barren ; and all the miraculous events surrounding their deliverance from Egypt and journey to the Promised Land, to say nothing of the miracles prophets like Elijah and Elisha did.

But that was then and this was now. God hadn’t even spoken to them in four hundred years until John. This was different. Jesus just spoke and things happened on a scale they didn’t believe possible.

What was happening? First John and then Jesus made an announcement that changed everything. “The kingdom of God is here.” What did that mean? Where was the kingdom of God before this? What was the kingdom, anyway? To the Jewish people the kingdom meant the land and people of Israel under their own king and not under the hated Romans.

What did the kingdom mean to Jesus? Jesus had been sent by the Father to represent Him in an enterprise that would take the whole of creation back to His original purpose. For four thousand years God had been preparing the way for His restoration plan, building a nation that would bring forth the Messiah, God in the flesh to show and tell by becoming one of us.

He would show the world what God is really like, repair the damaged relationship with His estranged children by paying their debt for sin, and build a world-wide body of loyal people who would continue what He began, bringing  heaven to earth through living like Jesus did. When demons invaded human beings, they had to go because they did not belong in God’s kingdom. When fever struck Peter’s mother-in-law, it had to go because sickness was not part of the way God did things.

Step-by-step Jesus was introducing His people to what the kingdom of God was all about – not a geographical and political realm like the land and people of Israel, but an inward change of heart towards God where His rule was restored. Like Jesus, His people would have the power to show the world, through their love and generosity and the miracles Jesus did through them, that God is good, all the time!

Of course He was operating in a fallen world where sin, pain, suffering and death were all very real. God’s kingdom was there, but so was the influence of the demonic realm, manipulating and dominating through deceit. By evicting what was part of the fallen world, Jesus was showing His people what it would be like to live under God’s rule and inviting people to return to God’s original intention.

He had come to pay the price the whole world owed God because there was no one else on earth qualified to do so. People would no longer have to hide from God. There was nothing in the way any more. They could return to the Father and become a part of His recovery plan because He was no longer mad with them.

It’s no wonder that what He said and did shocked them. This was new to them, not anything like the arrogant, harsh and judgmental attitudes of their religious leaders. And they loved Him for it

Without A Word

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WITHOUT A WORD

As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So He went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them (Mark 1: 29-31)

Have you ever wondered why Jesus didn’t give His disciples a “healing” formula to say over sick people? As His disciples, it would be part of their job description to do what disciples do, imitate their rabbi. In this case, healing would be expected of them if they wanted to be just like their Master. Perhaps they began to wish that some other rabbi with s’mikah had called them to follow him – except that no one but Jesus would do such a thing because they were not qualified.

Notice how much confidence they had in Him at this early stage in their apprenticeship. They may have known something about Him from hearsay, or even from listening to Him preach about the kingdom of God, but they had hardly had time to get to know Him. Yet – this was a crisis in the family. A fever could mean anything from a head cold or ‘flu to a serious and life-threatening illness. And there was no doctor on call with a range of antibiotics to treat the condition.

Ah, but for once they had hope. Jesus was on call. Had He already shown His power to heal? We don’t know, but He had, just an hour or two ago evicted a demon. Did they believe that this woman’s condition was caused by an invading “squatter”? Again, we don’t know. But as far as they were concerned, Jesus was there and He was up to dealing with any uninvited invader, be it demonic or bacterial – not that they knew anything about bacteria.

All they had to do was to tell Him and the rest was up to Him. And they were not disappointed. What did they expect Him to do? Say a prayer over her? Quote healing Scriptures to her and command the sickness to leave? Impress God with His confidence in Him to heal – after all, there was healing in the Covenant, wasn’t there?

Jesus did the absolutely unexpected. He simply took he hand and gently helped her to sit up and get off her sleeping mat. One moment she was shaking with fever and the next she was up on her feet, as cool as a cucumber and ready to get on with her day. How did that happen?

The answer is simple – God’s mercy, through the hand of Jesus, did a miracle. It didn’t even need a prayer or a command or a mantra or a repetition of Scripture to effect a miracle. The Holy Spirit was all over Him. He came on Him at His baptism. And the Father was with Him. Jesus and the Father were one. Hadn’t the Father affirmed Him vocally, verbally at His baptism? They were all there together, Father, Son and Holy Spirit to bring heaven back to earth. With that powerful presence, no word was needed. Just a helping hand and power flowed.

What did the disciples think of that? They must have been flabbergasted. “We are supposed to do that! Who does He think we are – some superhuman god-men or something?” By this time they must have known that He was someone more than a man. But how were they supposed to be like Him?

There were then, and still are now, two important factors that made all the difference. Firstly, Jesus had called them, them, because He had confidence that they could become what He was. That what rabbis with s’mikah did. Secondly, He was equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit, and so would they be after He had dealt with sin. That’s what He, Jesus, could and would do. No other rabbi could do that!

And what about us? Jesus instructed them to go out and make replicas of them because they were on the way to becoming replicas of Him. This was His simple but effective strategy. Any new disciples were to receive the same equipment as He had and they would have – His confidence in them and the power of the Holy Spirit in them. They didn’t need to do what other religions tried to do – get their gods to respond by formulae and babbling and mantras and ridiculous rituals and capers and . . . and . . . and. . . Just like the prophets of Baal.

Only “Christ in them”. They didn’t even need words – just the awareness that the Father was there, the Holy Spirit was there, Jesus was there. That’s all He did on that occasion, gave her a hand and she was up on her feet. Sometimes He spoke. Sometimes He didn’t. Sometimes He did strange things, like make mud with spit, or ask strange questions like, “Do you want to be healed?” It actually didn’t matter. What did matter was that God was right there and did the work through an obedient and trusting channel.

It’s not words that heal. It’s God, all God – because He wants to bring heaven to earth – now.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

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Bringing Heaven To Earth

Bible Study, , ,

BRINGING HEAVEN TO EARTH

“He left the meeting place and went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was running a high fever and they asked Him to do something for her. He stood over her, told the fever to leave — and it left. Before they knew it she was up getting dinner for them.” Luke 4:38-39 (The Message).

Just like that! Luke tells the story in a matter-of-fact way, as though it was an everyday occurrence. Speak to the sickness and it goes! But to the people who observed it, it was riveting.

They were not unfamiliar with miracles. Their Scriptures were dotted with stories of miracles from the time their first forefathers were born; Isaac, conceived by two old people; Rebekah — barren; Rachel — barren; Hannah — barren; and all the miraculous events surrounding their deliverance from Egypt and journey to the Promised Land, to say nothing of the miracles prophets like Elijah and Elisha did.

But that was then and this was now. God hadn’t even spoken to them in four hundred years until John. This was different. Jesus just spoke and things happened on a scale they didn’t believe possible.

What was happening? First John and then Jesus made an announcement that changed everything. “The kingdom of God is here.” What did that mean? Where was the kingdom of God before this? What was the kingdom, anyway? To the Jewish people the kingdom meant the land and people of Israel under their own king and not under the hated Romans.

What did the kingdom mean to Jesus? Jesus had been sent by the Father to represent Him in an enterprise that would take the whole of creation back to His original purpose. For four thousand years God had been preparing the way for His restoration plan, building a nation that would bring forth the Messiah, God in the flesh to show and tell by becoming one of us.

He would show the world what God is really like, repair the damaged relationship with His estranged children by paying their debt for sin, and build a world-wide body of loyal people who would continue what He began, bringing  heaven to earth through living like Jesus did. When demons invaded human beings, they had to go because they did not belong in God’s kingdom. When fever struck Peter’s mother-in-law, it had to go because sickness was not part of the way God did things.

Step-by-step Jesus was introducing His people to what the kingdom of God was all about — not a geographical and political realm like the land and people of Israel, but an inward change of heart towards God where His rule was restored. Like Jesus, His people would have the power to show the world, through their love and generosity and the miracles Jesus did, that God is good, all the time!

Of course He was operating in a fallen world where sin, pain, suffering and death were all very real. God’s kingdom was there, but so was the influence of the demonic realm, manipulating and dominating through deceit. By evicting what was part of the fallen world, Jesus was showing His people what it would be like to live under God’s rule and inviting people to return to God’s original intention.

He had come to pay the price the whole world owed God because there was no-one else on earth qualified to do so. People would no longer have to hide from God. There was nothing in the way any more. They could return to the Father and become a part of His recovery plan.

It’s no wonder that what He said and did shocked them. This was new to them, not anything like the arrogant, harsh and judgmental attitudes of their religious leaders. And they loved Him for it.