Dear Explorer,
Read Matthew 8:14-17
In this one event in Jesus' life, we uncover an interesting fact. Some of the disciples were married men. Do you think their wives traveled with them?
Probably. There was a large group of disciples that followed Jesus. Some scholars say that it may have been around 100 people that spent most of the 3 years with Him. I don't know whether that number included the wives and children – but probably not. But I believe that at least some of the wives and children traveled with Him.
Matthew reminds us that it was prophesied that the Messiah would do a lot of healing and caring for people. Remember that that was one of Matthew's major reasons for writing this book – to show that Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecies.
Read Mark 1:29-34
Remember that Simon is also called Simon Peter, or just Peter. But it's all the same man!
On what day of the week did Jesus heal Simon's mother-in-law?
When you read Scripture it's important to know what happened before and after what you are reading. That is called reading in context. In other words, figure out what the big picture is before you try to figure out the tiny details. By studying the Bible in chronological order like this study does, you can easily see the context. But be aware that if you just read a single verse – you could misunderstand the meaning. Taking Scripture out of context means that you interpret it all by itself without considering the surroundings – and it leads to trouble!
Okay, so the context here is that Jesus and His disciples went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Then they left the synagogue and went to Peter and Andrew's home.
Now, that explains why the people did not show up to see Jesus until after sundown. Because it was the Sabbath, the people were not allowed to travel or to carry anything heavy (because of Sabbath Laws). Now Sabbath Day was from Friday at sundown until Saturday at sundown. So, that explains why just as soon as it was sundown (or not Sabbath Day) the people all swarmed Peter and Andrew's house to find Jesus.
I wonder how late into the night that Jesus healed? Do you think He healed all night?
Remember that with God's power, He could heal a whole city with a single word, but every example we've been given shows Jesus caring for each one individually. So, I don't know for sure how long it took.
Read Luke 4:38-41
Why do you think Jesus didn't want the evil spirits to talk?
Jesus was holy. So, I think He didn't want to be associated with anything evil. We would be wise to avoid evil also. Many followers of Jesus today are criticized for avoiding evil, but Jesus did it, and it is wise. There are a lot of books, movies, magazines, video games, etc. that I don't want in my house – not because I am afraid of them – but because they are evil, and I don't want to be around evil.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:22, we are commanded to reject every kind or form of evil. In the King James Bible, this verse is translated: “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” That means that we should be careful that what we do doesn't imply or make others think we might be doing evil. Wow!
We are to live our lives as free and far from evil as possible. But, you see, Jesus wasn't afraid of evil. He was dealing with it all the time. He just didn't want it “associated” with Him. He didn't want other people to hear the evil spirits and think that they were on the same side!
God will guide you in how to avoid evil, while at the same time being able to love people who are evil. When you are obedient and following Jesus, you will find the right balance.
In His service, dale
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