Simon Peter’s Wife’s Mother? Mark 1:29-31

Text: “So God created man in His own image (tripartite beings, three-parts), in the image of God created He him: male and female created He them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Genesis 1:27-28.

 

Good morning, fruitful Christian!  By the grace of the Lord God, and according to His instruction in the first Book of the Bible, you and I have been blessed with an inherent physical desire for the opposite sex; a God-given libido that is, with due moderation, properly focused on continued pro-creation of God’s created species on the earth He has formed for His own Eternal pleasure and purpose.  Praise God it is so, dear friend.  All things should be done in the order that God has purposed in His inspired (God-breathed) Word.  Amen.

 

“In Whom (Christ Jesus) also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.”  (Ephesians 1:11)

 

Even the great apostle Peter was faithful to the Genesis command of God to. “…be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth…” – thus, in the well-recorded Jewish traditions, Peter obediently took himself a wife.  He was never ordained to be a sexually celibate man!

 

J.C. Ryle Comments:

 

“These verses begin the long list of miracles which St. Mark’s Gospel contains. They tell us how our Lord cast out devils in Capernaum, and healed Peter’s wife’s mother of a fever.” (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels 1816-1900)

 

“And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.”  (Mark 1:31)

 

As the Lord Jesus and his disciples travelled, “…throughout all the region of Galilee…” (V.28), we are taught a most important doctrine concerning prayer and supplication for those that are sick and diseased: pray to Jesus first, then use all other means later!

 

Ryle Comments: 

 

“We learn, in the second place, to what remedy a Chris­tian ought to resort first, in time of trouble. He ought to follow the example of the friends of Simon’s wife’s mother. We read that when she “lay sick of a fever,” they “told Jesus of her.”

 

“There is no remedy like this. Means are to be used diligently, without question, in any time of need. Doctors are to be sent for, in sickness. Lawyers are to be consulted, when property or character needs defence. The help of friends is to be sought. But still after all, the first thing to be done, is to cry to the Lord Jesus Christ for help. None can relieve us so effectually as He can. None is so com­passionate, and so willing to relieve.”  (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels 1816-1900)

 

Peter’s Mother-in-law: – Ryle Further Comments:

 

“Let us not fail to observe here, that Peter, one of our Lord’s principal apostles had a wife. Yet he was called to be a disciple, and afterwards chosen to be an apostle. More than this, we find St. Paul speaking of him as a married man, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, many years after this. (1 Corinthians 9:5)”

 

“How this fact can be reconciled with the compulsory celibacy of the clergy, which the Church of Rome enforces and requires, it is for the friends and advocates of the Roman Catholic Church to explain. To a plain reader, it seems a plain proof that it is not wrong for ministers to be married men. And when we add to this striking fact, that St. Paul, when writing to Timothy, says, that “a bishop should be the husband of one wife,” (1 Timothy 3:2) it is clear that the whole Romish doctrine of clerical celibacy is utterly opposed to holy Scripture.”  (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels 1816-1900)

 

Further Teaching: 

 

In verse thirty-one of our selected passage from Mark’s Gospel today, we find even further enlightenment teaching; teaching, of which, every sincere Christ-loving Christian should take good heed: we are not saved merely to escape from Hell’s torments, or to be freed from our vile sins.  We are saved to serve the risen Christ Jesus, with all our hearts, and all our souls, and all our strength.  As soon as Peter’s Mother-in-law was Divinely healed, “…the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.” (V.31)

 

The moment that 21^st Century sinners are Divinely healed from our vile sins – we too are called by God to get involved in serving Christ, and in reaching out with the Gospel message to other precious souls trapped and dying in sin! 

 

“So then faith cometh (continuous verb: comes, and continues to come) by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

 

“Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”  (2 Timothy 4:2)

 

“The great missionary statesman, D.T. Niles, coined a phrase that sums up what it means to witness for Christ. He said evangelism is “one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.” What an accurate definition of witnessing. First of all, it admits the fact that we are all beggars, at least in the Spiritual sense.” (Al Hughes Ministries, online)

 

Thought: Like Peter’s Mum-in-law, let us be fruitful and multiply in Christ’s service.

Christ’s Power Over Evil Spirits! Mark 1:23-28

Text: “And Jesus rebuked him (the unclean spirit) saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.  And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.”

Mark 1:25-26.

 

Good morning, cleansed Christian!  Like the author, once you wallowed in the pits of sin and depravity of sin; lost, and with nowhere to go for Spiritual healing; dwelling on the ever-growing human-rubbish dump of sin-discarded souls, all on our way to a Christ-rejector’s Eternal Hell.

 

If this stark description depicts the state your soul was in prior to being redeemed by Christ’s sinless Blood – it most certainly describes mine!  (See ‘About Kenny’ on www.ulsterchristians.org)

 

However, our gracious and Sovereign Lord God Almighty was not content to leave us abandoned and discarded on that heap of ruined and Hell-bound souls.  Praise God no!  He shone the light of His glorious Gospel of Salvation into our very hearts and minds, and called us to receive His everlasting love and forgiveness.  Christ exercised His Divine power over all evil in our hearts and souls.  Glory to the Lamb Who is worthy!  Hallelujah! Amen.

 

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”  (1 Corinthians 6:11)

 

J.C. Ryle Comments:

 “We learn, in the first place, from these verses, the use­lessness of a mere intellectual knowledge of religion. Twice we are specially told that the unclean spirits knew our Lord. In one place it says, “they knew Him.” In another, the devil cries out, “I know thee who thou art, the Holy one of God.” They knew Christ, when Scribes were ignorant of Him, and Pharisees would not acknow­ledge Him. And yet their knowledge was not unto salvation!

 

“The mere belief of the facts and doctrines of Christi­anity will never save our souls. Such belief is no better than the belief of devils. They all believe and know that Jesus is the Christ. They believe that He will one day judge the world, and cast them down to endless torment in hell. It is a solemn and sorrowful thought, that on these points some professing Christians have even less faith than the devil. There are some who doubt the reality of hell and the eternity of punishment. Such doubts as these find no place except in the hearts of self-willed men and women. There is no infidelity among devils. “They believe and tremble.”   (James 2:19)

 

“Let us take heed that our faith be a faith of the heart as well as of the head. Let us see that our knowledge has a sanctifying influence on our affections and our lives. Let us not only know Christ but love Him, from a sense of actual benefit received from Him. Let us not only believe that He is the Son of God and the Saviour of the world, but rejoice in Him, and cleave to Him with purpose of heart.” (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels 1816-1900)

 

There is an old saying here in Ulster (Northern Ireland, UK) which goes: ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating.’  Meaning, if it is a good, tasty, well-baked, pudding – it will be eaten up, enjoyed, and recognised as evidence of a ‘good, well-baked, pudding’.

 

Genuine Christian belief should be placed in one Person only – the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We must first acknowledge Him as God the Son, and believe in His Holy attributes.  We must repent of our sin, be Spiritually regenerated; then seek diligently and earnestly to emulate His life – in all we say, do, think, and believe. 

 

There can be no power in a Christian profession, without the evidence of Christ in the person making the Christian profession.

 

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16) ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating.’

 

In our selected Bible reading for today, we find a man suffering from demon-possession; “…a man with an unclean spirit…”  Such a negative position to be found in.  (V.23)

 

However, the Lord God Almighty is a gracious and merciful Lord God, and, in the Person of Christ Jesus, saw fit to exercise His Absolute and Sovereign power over the powers of Satan and evil.  Christ commanded the evil demon to, “Hold thy peace, and come out of him.” (V.25) 

 

It is indeed truly amazing that, today, in this increasingly apostate and ungodly 21^st Century, demons from Hell immediately recognise and obey the Lord Jesus Christ, while unregenerate, disobedient humankind use His Holy Name as a swear word.

 

“…Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth?  Art Thou come to destroy us?  I know Thee Who Thou art, the Holy One of God.”  (V.24)

 

Praise God, even the evil powers of Hell must obey the Word of the Living Lord God, in Christ Jesus: “And when the unclean spirit had torn him (the demon-possessed man), and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.” (V.26)

 

Amazement was the result within those that clearly witnessed this Divine deliverance from evil, for they saw with their own eyes Divine authority being commanded: “…with authority commandeth He even the unclean spirits, and they do obey Him” (V.27) Hallelujah!

 

Thought: At the Name of Jesus every knee must bow! Let us bow now.  (Phil. 2:9-11)

 

 

All Things New! Mark 1:16-22

Text: “And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.  And He said unto me, ‘Write, for these things are true and faithful...”   

                                                                          Revelation 21:5.

Good morning, renewed Christian!  For you and for me, the Lord Jesus Christ has made all things new.  Praise God!  What a Saviour!  What a Lord!  Amen.

A New Invitation: (V.17) Verse seventeen of our selected Bible passage contains a new invitation to all elect mankind who will, by God’s grace, respond to it.  The verse contains a new invitation; a new obligation; a new contemplation; and praise God, a whole new occupation.  These wondrous ‘new things’ are all commenced by the Lord’s exhortation to “Come...”.

The One who makes all things new invites sinners to come to Him and receive His Eternal blessings. 

“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”  (Matthew 11:28-29)

A New Obligation: (V.17) The absolute grace shown by Christ in His invitation to partake of Salvation, the terrible cost of which was His infinite sufferings and death at Calvary, brings with its acceptance a new obligation from the person thus saved.  This new obligation is to come ‘...after...’ Christ, or to follow Him; walking in His ways; obeying His teachings; witnessing to His Holiness and truth.  This is merely the reasonable obligation of every born again Christian who accepts Christ’s new invitation to come and be saved.

The One who makes all things new commands a new obligation.  (Ephesians 5:8-20)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)

A New Contemplation: (V.17) To successfully fulfil our new obligation, we Christians must daily contemplate (i.e., look intently at; gaze in reverence at; think deeply about; and seek to emulate) the Christ who has called us to follow in His service.  We do this by a daily, continual, contemplation of Christ Jesus as He is portrayed within the pages of God’s inspired Scriptures.  We contemplate the Lord Jesus, and are continually renewed in His image as we conform in obedience to His Word.  (1 Peter 1:13-23)

“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he/she is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”               (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The One who makes all things new deserves renewed contemplation daily.  (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

A New Occupation: (V.17) Christ’s new invitation brings a new obligation to dwell in new contemplation of Him.  All this is necessary if we are to take up a new occupation in our lives.  In our new occupation we become ‘...fishers of men/women.’ (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:11-17)

Having responded to God’s blessed invitation to receive Eternal Life in Christ, we are given that same Divine invitation to minister unto others who are yet still “...dead in trespasses and in sins...”.  (Ephesians 2:1-5) (Titus 1:1-4)

We who have been given the treasures of God’s Kingdom are obliged to share that Eternal treasure with all who, by God’s grace, will receive it.  Our new occupation is to ‘fish’ for the souls of men and women.  The One who makes all things new adds the blessings in our new occupation - the Salvation of other immortal and precious souls.  (Proverbs 11:30)

J.C. Ryle Comments:

“Let us notice, in the third place, the occupation of those who were first called to be Christ’s disciples. We read that our Lord called Simon and Andrew, when they were “casting a net into the sea,” and James and John while they were “mending their nets.”

“It is clear from these words, that the first followers of our Lord were not the great of this world. They were men who had neither riches, nor rank, nor power. But the kingdom of Christ is not dependent on such things as these. His cause advances in the world, “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6) The words of St. Paul will always be found true: “Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27) The church which began with a few fishermen, and yet overspread half the world, must have been founded by God.” (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels 1816-1900)

Take heart then, Christian!  The extraordinary Lord God Almighty is continually making “...all things new...”, especially for ordinary believers like you and me.  Hallelujah!  Victory in the Lamb!

Thought: Trust the Lord Jesus Christ - He makes ALL things new!