BURKITT : | Lu 4:1 | Lu 4:2 | Lu 4:3 | Lu 4:4 | Lu 4:5-8 | Lu 4:9-13 | Lu 4:14-21 | Lu 4:22-24 | Lu 4:25-27 | Lu 4:28-30 | Lu 4:31-37 | Lu 4:38-39 | Lu 4:40-41 | Lu 4:42-44 |
Reference
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. (Luke 4:38-39 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
Here observe, 1. That St. Peter, a disciple, yea, an apostle, was a married person. Neither the prophets of the Old Testament, nor the apostles of the New, did abhor the marriage bed, nor judge themselves too pure for an institution of their maker. The church of Rome, by denying the lawfulness of priests’ marriage, makes herself wiser than God, who says, Marriage is honorable amongst all men. Heb 13:4
Observe, 2. Peter, though a good man, and his wife’s mother probably a gracious woman, yet is his family visited with sickness: strength of grace, and dearness of respect even from Christ himself, cannot prevail against diseases. God’s own children are visited with bodily sickness as well as others.
Observe, 3. The divine power of Christ manifested in this miraculous course: He stood over her, says St. Luke; He took her by the hand, and lifted her up, says St. Mark.
Here was an ordinary distemper cured after an extraordinary manner, by a touch of Christ’s hand in an instant: Immediately the fever left her, and she arose and ministered unto them. That she could arise argued her cure miraculous; that she could and did arise, and administer to Christ and his disciples, argued her thankfulness.
After Christ hath healed any of us, it ought to be our first care to administer unto him: that is, to employ our recovered strength in the service of Christ, and to improve our restored health to the honor and glory of Christ.