Luke 4:38-41 Many Come Seeking Help
Luke shares with us the story of Jesus healing Simon Peter’s mother-in-law today. Jesus doesn’t stop there though. He goes on to minister to people throughout the night. We have looked at this story in Matthew and Mark’s gospels already. We again find ourselves digging deeper to see what God has for us in this familiar story. If you want to look back at the other telling’s please feel free to follow the links: Matthew 8:14-17, Mark 1:29-34
We learn from Luke that Jesus went directly from the synagogue to Simon Peter’s home. This was a Sabbath day. Jesus had just set the demon possessed man free, now He would minister healing to Peter’s mother-in-law. Jesus healed EVERY time the need presented itself. He didn’t wait for a special day or observe any restrictions on His outpouring of compassion.
As soon as Jesus was asked, He ministered to Peter’s mother-in-law and she was completely healed. This small group went about their normal Sabbath day activities from that point on. They ate a meal served to them by the now recovered woman and most likely spent the rest of the day in conversation. I wonder if His disciples asked Him about the healing in the temple. Did they ask Him to expound more fully on the scriptures and His message earlier in the day?
As soon as the legal Sabbath was passed the people came seeking Jesus help. They already knew where He was. The people who attended services that morning were abuzz with news of what had happened. They had to observe the Sabbath laws for the day but they were able to still spread the word about the morning’s activities and Jesus’ whereabouts. They also prepared their sick to bring to Jesus.
At evening Peter’s house was surrounded by those seeking Jesus’ help. There were sick as well as demon possessed people who showed up that night. I’m imagining all were brought by loved ones looking to Jesus because of what they had seen and heard. The morning’s deliverance wasn’t Jesus’ first miracle in Capernaum but it may have been the first time He delivered someone form demonic possession. This probably raised Jesus’ fame a few notches. Now they had proof that He even had authority over the demons from Hell.
Jesus spent a LONG time ministering to those who came to Him that night. I wouldn’t doubt that this healing service went until nearly morning. The demons He dealt with were silenced every time because He wasn’t ready to reveal His full identity yet. He had a lot of work to do before getting to that nugget. If He had revealed His true identity earlier He would have most likely had an earlier death sentence. Jesus did everything in God’s time.
I noticed in the story that the people were restricted from seeking help as soon as they knew the help was available because of the law. They could have asked for His help before the Sabbath activities but they hadn’t seen the extent of His authority yet. After they saw it, they were prevented from acting on their knowledge by the law. They HAD to wait until sundown or face serious consequences. I wonder if the religious leaders were watching the roads to see if anyone would break the law that day.
PRAISE GOD that we don’t have restrictions on when or how to approach God anymore. Jesus paid the full penalty of the law and removed those restrictions from our shoulders. He opened the way to God’s presence and ministry in our lives through His blood. The only requirement we have is that we come through that blood. When we approach God and seek His help we first recognize that it is only through Jesus’ blood that we can come before Him with our requests. God sees His Son’s blood instead of our sins when we come this way. He always answers His Son’s requests and it is Jesus who is actually presenting our requests to His Father. As to how we are to make our requests, a simple HELP gets God’s attention as easily as any long thought out plea. He just asks that we come to Him with our needs. He is ready, willing, and able to address all of our issues.
Thank You God that You do hear me EVERY time I pray. That You don’t make me stand on some ceremony or specific practice to make my requests made known to You. I know You don’t always so yes to my requests, but You do always listen and answer. I also know that I sometimes don’t understand or appreciate the answers I get, but I KNOW they are ALWAYS part of Your PERFECT plan for my life. Thank You for even taking the time to make a plan for my life. I LOVE You and can’t wait to see what You have planned next.
