Teaching Notes

If someone gives you a gift, you would be thankful because you know it means they care for you. Shouldn't we be thankful of the good gifts God gives to us? (sketch done by Joselyn L. Williams)

Matthew 8:14-17 (The Message)

He Carried Our Diseases

By this time they were in front of Peter's house. On entering, Jesus found Peter's mother-in-law sick in bed, burning up with fever. He touched her hand and the fever was gone. No sooner was she up on her feet than she was fixing dinner for him.
That evening a lot of demon-afflicted people were brought to him. He relieved the inwardly tormented. He cured the bodily ill. He fulfilled Isaiah's well-known sermon: He took our illnesses, He carried our diseases.

Notes: Jesus after healing the Romans servant, now finds himself in front of Peter's house and his mother-in-law is sick with fever. As soon as Jesus touches her, the fever is removed and immediately the woman began to serve Jesus by fixing dinner for him. It says that later that evening Jesus also healed the sick and cured them of their illness, fulfilling what the Prophet had written about him.

Question: Why do you think it is important in the telling of this story that Peter's mother-in-law began to work immediately after she was healed?

Answer: The telling of this event is important because not only does it tell us events, it also gives us spiritual principles we can live by. Jesus healed the woman of her sickness. As soon as she was healed, she went to serve Jesus. Now in this scripture her serving was in her cooking her dinner. If God has healed you from any sickness (even the sickness of sin) what should your immediate service be? The principle then we see is that as soon as Jesus chances peoples lives, they should then use that life to serve him. They should be ready to immediately give their life to him. In the latter part we see people that were healed from internal things (hurts, emotions, etc.) some of physical things (disease, blindness, etc.), yet everyone that was healed did not turn around and immediately serve Jesus. Which however do you think is most pleasing to God? Those that serve him when he changes them.

Prayer: Lord today first we say thank you for caring for our sickness, our hurts, and our problems. You care enough to change them. Now help us to show our love by immediately becoming obedient to your ways.