Midweek Devotion Healing

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Jesus & the disciples had just left worship where demons were cast out. And instead of sending Jesus away, Peter invited him home with them. How many times have we been blessed in worship, but left God at church?

When we talk about Jesus touching people, it’s hard to relate that to today because Jesus isn’t physically present with us today. Although Jesus rose from the grave on Easter Sunday, according to the Bible his physical presence is in heaven at the Father’s right hand as our advocate. So how can people experience the touch of Jesus today if he’s not physically present? Well one way, perhaps the primary way, is through Jesus Christ’s Church. You see, the Bible calls the Christian Church "the body of Christ." That means that although Jesus’ physical body is in heaven, the Christian Church fills the void created by his physical absence. So one way Jesus touches people is through his community, his gathered people who seek to love and follow Jesus. So although his touch certainly isn’t limited to the Church, I believe the gathered Christian community is one of the primary ways people experience the touch of Jesus in their lives today.

Simon’s mother-in-law is home, sick in bed with a fever. Now technically, a fever isn’t an illness, but it’s a symptom. But for whatever reason-maybe she had the flu-she was so feverish that she couldn’t even get up out of bed. So Jesus heals her, but he heals her without saying a word. Most self-proclaimed faith healers in the ancient world would use incantations, elaborate rituals, or special potions to try to heal people. But what Jesus does is very different. He simply takes her hand, helps her up, and as he does, the fever breaks. Jesus doesn’t say a word. His touch is all she needs, and when his hands are on her, his healing she receives.

This woman’s immediate response to the touch of Jesus is to begin waiting on them. Now some have thought that this section to be teaching that a woman’s place is serving men, cooking food, cleaning house, and so forth. But the word for "wait on" here in v. 31 means "serve," and it’s the same word Jesus will use in chapter 10, when he says that he didn’t come to the earth to be served, but to serve. The point of this event isn’t that a woman’s place is serving men; the point is that a Christian’s place is serving others. When Jesus touches a person to heal them, the natural response is to serve God’s people, to use the opportunity of being restored to health as an opportunity to serve.

Now this miracle isn’t very spectacular. It’s in the privacy of a home, witnessed only by Simon, Andrew, James and John, and of course, Simon’s mother-in-law. Yet by that evening, the entire community gathers at the doorway to Simon’s home for healing and prayer. Imagine the scene, with people having every possible kind of sickness, limping, walking, being carried or dragged to this miracle worker named Jesus. Amputees who lost limbs in battles, epileptics, people with birth defects and abnormalities, people feverish with deadly viruses. There’s nothing that’s quite so humiliating as being seriously sick. When you’re really sick, you can’t control your bodily functions, you smell bad, people poke and prod you trying to figure out what’s wrong with you. Picture the scene as a multitude of sick and diseased people gather in front of the house for help. What a sight it must’ve been.

By touching others to heal them, Jesus shows us his AUTHORITY. Jesus’ healing miracles are another sign that God’s Kingdom has invaded human history. So the miracles point to something else, to God’s intervention in human history in a special way. The rule and reign of God has broken through our rule and reign on earth.

Now Jesus didn’t heal every sick person he came in contact with. And even those he did heal eventually got sick again and eventually died. So Jesus’ healings here are partial, a mere foretaste of future life in God’s Kingdom. Physical healing merely points us forward to our eventually resurrection and enjoyment of immortality in God’s presence.

And Jesus’ healing touch still comes to people, and it often comes through his Church. As we gather and worship together, as we pray for each other and follow Jesus together, the healing touch of Jesus comes to people.

Why does the healing touch of Jesus come to some people and not others? I don’t know. I think it’s just a mystery, a mystery we can’t explain and shouldn’t try to explain. I certainly don’t think it’s because we don’t have enough faith or that there’s hidden sin in the sick person’s life. I think it’s cruel to blame a sick person for their own lack of healing.

We need to constantly remember that physical healing in this life is only a foretaste of the real thing. When healing does come we should rejoice and thank God. But when it doesn’t come we shouldn’t beat ourselves up or try to figure out just the right formula. We simply keep walking, keep following Jesus. Full and final healing will come at the resurrection, and until them, the healing touch of Jesus is mysterious.