Harmony of gospel in the miracles of Jesus Part 4

Simon’s wife’s mother healed

Jesus had made his home in Capernaum after he came out of the wilderness where he had been tempted by the devil.

Matthew:4:12-22 12: Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13: And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16: The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 18: And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19: And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20: And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21: And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22: And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

This passage quotes Isaiah.

Isaiah:9:1-2 1: Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. 2: The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

So not only was Jesus living in Capernaum, but also Simon Peter lived there, Andrew his brother, James and John also live there. They were all fishermen because Capernaum is a seaside village.

It also tells us later that Matthew was from that town.

Jesus did a lot of miracles in this town and later cursed it for the unbelief there.

Matthew:11:23: And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

Luke:10:15: And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.

Capernaum, in the Galilee of northern Israel is a Biblical village, located not far from other important Christian sites in Israel such as Bethsaida, the Mount of Beatitudes, and Tabgha, as well as the Jordan River and Tiberias on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Today the town of Kfar Nahum (Talhum in Arabic) stands where Capernaum once stood, and the site attracts thousands of pilgrims and tourists from around the world every year.

In Biblical times Capernaum was one of the main trading villages in the Gennesaret area which was a vibrant populated and prosperous part of Palestine and was inhabited by about 1,500 people many of whom were fishermen. Many travelers, caravans and traders passed through Capernaum on the Via Maris, the main trade route connecting Damascus in the north and Egypt in the south. There remains a Via Maris highway mile stone in Capernaum today. The village was thought to have prospered from the 2nd century BC to the 13th century AD when it reverted to a simple fishing village until the 1800s.

This story is mainly about the healing of Peter’s mother in law.

Matthew:8:14-17 14: And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15: And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. 16: When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

The scripture quoted here is as follows:

Isaiah:53:4: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

The verse in Matthew is translated correctly. Griefs should be infirmities, and sorrows should be sicknesses. Some translations translate it this way. The KJV mistranslated it here. This means no mater what the problem, Jesus is there to heal it.

Mark:1:29-34 29: And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30: But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. 31: And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 32: And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33: And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34: And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

Luke:4:38-41 38: And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. 39: And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. 40: Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. 41: And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

Both Mark and Luke show that just before this, Jesus was speaking in the synagogue of Capernaum, and delivered the man with the demon in the synagogue there. We covered this deliverance in lesson two, so we will not go over it here. But it did gather the people together to receive from Jesus healings and deliverances.

He then goes to Peter’s house. Apparently they were using his home as their headquarters. The home was small compared with our homes today. Modern archaeologists think that this was Peter’s home with a Byzantine church built around it.

Before Jesus healed the multitudes who came to him, Jesus healed Peter’s mother in law.

There are several points about her fever.
1. It was great.
2. She was bedridden.
3. She was in another room from the main room, because they told Jesus she was sick.

Jesus did several things.
1. He touched her hand, or took her by the hand
2. He lifted her up
3. He rebuked the fever.

This is like it tells us in James. James was the brother of Jesus, so he was probably here, and that is why he said.

James:5:14-15 14: Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

And three things happened to her
1. The fever left
2. She got up
3. She ministered to others

When God heals us we should do the same. We need to get up, and go to minister to others.

Now notice how Jesus healed the multitudes that came. Some he laid hands on. Others he just spoke to, and cast out the devils. It says many were healed. Luke tells us that as many as came, they were healed. This is the important thing. It took a step of faith on their part to come to be healed, and therefore they were healed. It does not say that all in Capernaum were healed, but that those who came were.

Acts:10:37-40 37: That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38: How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. 39: And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: 40: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;

Here we are told that the miracles started after the baptism. The reason for these miracles were twofold. First of all he published the word beginning in Galilee and then going throughout all Judaea.

Romans:10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

That preaching lifted their faith so that they could come in faith to be healed.

The second reason for the miracles was that the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus. And the same Holy Spirit is promised to us.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

We can follow Jesus example and lay hands on the sick. In fact, he commanded us to do so.

Mark:16:15-20 15: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.17: And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18: They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19: So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20: And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Traveling throught Galilee

We are told that after these healings in Capernaum, Jesus spent time going around Galilee and healing.

Matthew:4:23-25 23: And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.24: And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25: And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

Mark:1:37-39 37: And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.38: And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. 39: And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

Luke:4:42-44 42: And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. 43: And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. :44: And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

Galilee was different from Judaea at the time of Jesus. This was the area that Jesus spent the majority of his time in.
1. Racially the area of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel had had, ever since the Assyrian conquest in the eighth century B.C., a more mixed population, within which more conservative Jewish areas (like Nazareth and Capernaum) stood in close proximity to largely pagan cities, of which in the first century the new Hellenistic centers of Tiberias and Sepphoris were the chief examples.
2. Geographically Galilee was separated from Judea by the non-Jewish territory of Samaria, and from Perea in the southeast by the Hellenistic settlements of Decapolis.
3. Politically Galilee had been under separate administration from Judea during almost all its history since the tenth century B.C. (apart from a period of “reunification” under the Maccabees), and in the time of Jesus it was under a (supposedly) native Herodian prince, while Judea and Samaria had since A.D. 6 been under the direct rule of a Roman prefect.
4. Economically Galilee offered better agricultural and fishing resources than the more mountainous territory of Judea, making the wealth of some Galileans the envy of their southern neighbors.
5. Culturally Judeans despised their northern neighbors as country cousins, their lack of Jewish sophistication being compounded by their greater openness to Hellenistic influence.
6. Linguistically Galileans spoke a distinctive form of Aramaic whose sloppy consonants were the butt of Judean humor.
7. Religiously the Judean opinion was that Galileans were lax in their observance of proper ritual, and the problem was exacerbated by the distance of Galilee from the temple and the theological leadership, which was focused in Jerusalem.
Jesus took time to travel all through Galilee to tell the people there about salvation. He said that he must preach the gospel of the kingdom. He knew as Paul said, that it is important to preach the gospel to build faith.

Romans:10:14-17 14: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15: And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16: But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

When Jesus realized there were more people that needed healing and deliverance than he could reach, he told his disciples that they needed to go.

Matthew:10:1-8 1: And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2: Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3: Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4: Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5: These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: :6: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7: And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8: Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Then when Jesus realized the twelve was not enough to preach, he then sent out 70 disciples.

Luke:10:1: After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
Luke:10:8-11 8: And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: :9: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10: But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11: Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Luke:10:17-20 17: And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18: And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20: Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Then Jesus when he was resurrected sent a great multitude to preach the gospel.

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