Why didn’t Jesus eliminate disease and death when He came to live on earth? This devotion looks at why we still suffer and die.
Nuggets
- Jesus had no problem going where He needed to be.
- We need to be concerned for others.
- We need to learn the spiritual concepts by doing.
We live in a sick and dying world. People grew sick and died before Jesus came to this earth. There was illness and death while He was here. There will be illness and death until the earth passes away.
Yet, Jesus healed people while He was here. Why didn’t He eliminate illness and death? Let’s look at a specific time He performed the miracle of healing.
Let's Put It into Context #1
We are going to use the following definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary for social. It is defined as “of or relating to human society, the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society.”
Resource
Let's Put It into Context #2
“They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach” (Mk. 1: 21 CSB)
In Mark’s account, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law happened early in Jesus’ ministry. He had only called four disciples — Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
As was His custom, Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. He wowed the people with His authoritative preaching. He also healed a demon-possessed man.
Transition from Public to Private Ministry
“As soon as they left the synagogue, they went into Simon and Andrew’s house with James and John” (Mk. 1: 29 CSB)
Jesus had no problem going where He needed to be.
Need to preach? Go to the synagogue.
Need to heal? Go to Peter’s house.
Yes, Peter had a wife. We don’t know much about Mrs. Peter, but we do know she went with Peter on some preaching trips. “Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?” (I Cor. 9: 5 ESV). Cephas was the Greek version of Simeon, or Simon as we would say.
Robinson added this was written twenty years after Christ’s resurrection. He quoted an unidentified source, saying, “Peter and Philip had children, and both took about their Wives, in order that they might act as their assistants in ministering to women at their own homes; by their means the doctrine of the Lord penetrated without scandal into the privacy of the women’s apartments.” Mrs. Peter assisted in Peter’s ministry.
Jesus thought it was perfectly fine to be married and be in ministry. In fact, He told the Pharisees that marriage should be a life-time commitment between a man and a woman (Mk. 10: 5-9).
Glover thought having a family could aid ministry. He wrote, “It is not desirable to be without parents in our youth, or without wife or husband in our mature life. The love of another heart is not only a quiet resting place, but a great aid to goodness; and he who loves well wife or child wilt love God better for doing so.”
Jesus was all about family and unity.
An Individual Healing
“Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them” (Mk. 1: 30-31 CSB)
We really aren’t sure how sick Peter’s mother-in-law was. What we do know is Peter, Andrew, James, and John were concerned enough about her that they told Jesus immediately of her condition.
They knew Jesus could heal her. But they had to ask.
Yeah, they. We know Peter’s house was also Andrew’s house (Mk. 1: 29). So, it was what we would call an extended family.
We know James and John were Peter and Andrew’s fishing partners (Lk. 5: 10). How many times have moms adopted their sins’ friends and made them their own?
We need to be concerned for others. We need to build the strong relationships of adopting others into our families.
Jesus did what Jesus does. He went to her and healed her. Scriptures didn’t record the words He said — if any. All it said was He touched her.
I wonder how many other times Jesus had taken Peter’s mother-in-law by the hand. I bet He was a toucher. I would think He would be big on personal contact.
Swan pointed out that Jesus healed her immediately. Isn’t that comforting? He didn’t need to give a long, drawn out prayer to talk His Father into healing her.
Jesus didn’t have to ask if this was a God’s Will. He already knew.
What Jesus did was to pull her up into service. There was no recuperating needed.
First off, Peter’s mother-in-law would have been grateful. She would have wanted to show her appreciation to Him.
Besides, company had come — even if they were like family — and she had a job to do. I would guess she fed them a meal. (Isn’t that what mothers do?).
Farningham noted women can all do something to serve God. She wrote, “Some can speak for Him, more can sing for Him, and more still can smile for Him.” I keep telling my Ladies that we can all be encouragers — that may be needed the most.
A Public Healing
“When evening came, after the sun had set, they brought to him all those who were sick and demon-possessed. The whole town was assembled at the door, and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him” (Mk. 1: 32-34 CSB)
Word must have gotten out that Jesus was performing miracles because a bunch of people came. In fact, Mark said that “the whole town was assembled at the door” (Mk. 1: 33 CSB).
We’ve talked before about how Jesus had once called the crowd on being more interested in the miracles than the salvation. This time, He did the healing without comment.
I would think the focus here was on the miracles. He had just performed two miracles with the demon-possessed man and Peter’s mother-in-law. Now, He is performing countless more.
We talked before that, with Jesus, the spiritual needs came first. He knew people needed Him as a Savior, not just as a meal ticket.
Meeting the needs of this world was not Jesus’ mission. He was not a social Savior.
Currier brought out an interesting point, though. He wrote, “Spiritual truth, to be clearly discerned, often needs to be embodied in the more significant language of action.”
In Elaine-speak, that means we need to learn the spiritual concepts by doing. Some are very difficult to understand. That, coupled with God’s thoughts and ways being so much higher than ours (Isa. 55: 8-9), means we need all the help we can get.
But did you catch when the crowd started to gather? “When evening came, after the sun had set …” (Mk. 1: 32 CSB).
Remember, it had been the Sabbath day. So, the Jews were real limited in what they could do.
I read this as, just as soon as they could, they brought their sick to Jesus to be healed. They didn’t want to wait any longer.
But did Jesus expect them to wait? Oh, yeah. The fourth commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Ex. 20: 8 ESV).
But remember, Jesus has already healed twice today — before sundown. The first time was at the synagogue.
Plus, Jesus didn’t say, “The Miracle Clinic is closed as it is after 5:00. Come back tomorrow at 8:00.”
Jesus is ready to save us when we come to Him — whenever we come to Him.
Look at the next verse. “The whole town was assembled at the door” (Mk. 1: 33 CSB). We all know someone who needs physical healing.
Just think of what would have happened if the whole town had been at the door to obtain spiritual healing.
Making the Connections
Some may question why Peter’s mother-in-law got sick. With Peter being that close to Jesus, wouldn’t she have been covered?
Disciples are not exempt from sickness. Sickness isn’t always a punishment for sin.
Look what Jesus once said. “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” (Jn. 9: 1-3 ESV).
Illness came into this world as a result of sin. It will be in this world until Jesus returns and this earth goes away (Rev. 20: 11). The only way God will eliminate the results of sin will be to eliminate the consequences of sin. That means judgment day. Are you ready for that?
Let’s go this route. Say that, once we admitted our sins, believed on Jesus as Savior and Redeemer, and confessed God as Sovereign Lord, disciples no longer got sick and died.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Let’s just take Paul. The Encyclopedia Britannica estimates that Paul was born in 4 BC. If disciples didn’t die, he would be about 2,024 years old today.
Really? You really want to live that long?
Go for it, if you want. I’ll pass.
These bodies have to go away so we can get our spiritual bodies.
Jesus lifted Peter’s mother-in-law up. Isn’t that what the gospel does for us? It lifts us up.
But let’s think of it this way. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick — a.k.a. sinful. Jesus healed her — a.k.a. redeemed her. She served Him — no matter how big our sins were, once God has forgiven us, He will use us to expand His kingdom.
Making the Connections to Self-Discipline
Non-believers may have difficulty in seeing how a loving God would allow disease and death to continue in this world. How would you counsel someone who is hurting from illness and possible death but needs more than just physical life?
We’ve been looking at defending our beliefs when we are witnessing. That means we have to be secure enough to convince someone to accept our beliefs.
Our questions should still serve us to determine on what we need to focus.
- What does the Scriptures say?
- What do I believe?
- Why do I believe the same/differently than the Scriptures?
- What are the talking points when witnessing to a non-believer?
Related Links
I have created a worksheet of the questions above. Click on the button below to access it.
How Do We Apply This?
There are many ways in which we can serve God, regardless of our gender. They are
• Work to reduce poverty
• Open our homes for Bible studies
• Raise our children to love God
• Support those God has put in ministry positions
• Visit the sick, elderly, and lonely
I love what Parker said. He wrote, “Our visits, like the Master’s, should not be mere visits of courtesy.”
I know. We don’t visit like we used to do. When we do, we should make our visits count for God’s glory.
Davies brought up a good point. First, Jesus blessed Peter. Then, He blessed Peter’s family. After that, He blessed the whole town.
See how it spreads out? It reminds me of “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Ac. 1: 8 ESV).
Our world is sick and dying. We need to spread out and tell them of Jesus’ love for them. We need to show them He offers eternal life.
Father. People are hurting. Illness and death have overrun this world. That has happened because Satan is ruling it at the present time. That will continue until this world ends, and You judge us. Lord, more important than our physical condition is our spiritual condition. May we spread Your gospel to all who needs to hear it, so that can accept Your plan of salvation. Amen.
What do you think?
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