Mark 1:29  And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
30  But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.
31  And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
32  And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.
33  And all the city was gathered together at the door.
34  And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

The majority of the Jews of Jesus’ day were of a similar ideology as most of Canada is today. The Roman government was a corrupt government that despised the Jews. They had changed the name of Israel to Palestine to try to get the Jews to forget that they were God’s chosen people. Most of the Jews did not believe in the true God at that time, but they also disliked the Roman government. They knew enough of their history to know they had great respect as a nation in the days of king David. They wanted to gain back that respect. They wanted to be an independent, powerful nation again.
They failed to understand that the reason king David was so successful in his time, was because David understood the importance of walking in the fear of the LORD. When David sinned, God chastened him. He learned the need to walk humbly with God. God blesses and God can also remove His blessing.
The Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for their Messiah. They expected him to overthrow the Roman government and they wanted a king that would rule according to their imaginary plans. They were not concerned about their rejection of the truth. They believed they had all the truth they needed.
In Canada we are in the beginning of an election campaign. We are not Israel, nor a substitute for Israel. It is as plain as the nose on our faces that the Liberal party is corrupt. They are even more corrupt now than they were in the days of Mr. Chretien. That is quite a feat, but they have managed to pull that off. The Conservatives are coming out with plans to make Canada stronger. Their promises sound very good to the ungodly. Sadly, many professing Christians are also impressed with the promises they are making.
Christians are supposed to have discernment. They are supposed to walk in the fear of the Lord. There are key factors missing in all the parties promises. No one is talking about the murder of unborn children. That needs to be stopped. No one is talking of the promotion of the sodomite agenda in the public schools and elsewhere. No one is talking about the open support for Hamas and the threats being made against the Jews in our own country and in their country.
We know that the Antichrist will come on the scene as a peacemaker. He will be given the ability to do lying signs and wonders. He will try to impress the world with economic promises. As he is busy trying to prove himself as the “saviour” of mankind, God will be sending plagues and famine and wars, etc. The world will be off balance during that entire time. However, the majority of the people will blindly follow the Antichrist. God will have His witnesses at that time. They will suffer at the hands of the “man of sin”. However, God will win.
It could be that there will be a change in government on April 28. That will not make life better for those unborn babies, or the girls and women who cannot be safe going into their washrooms. It will not be safe for the Jews either. The problem is that without knowing the true God, there can be no peace.
Jesus did not meet the imaginary standards that the Jews were looking for. He did not come to overthrow the Roman government. He came to provide the only means for the needed change of heart that man needs. He taught the people the truth. He demonstrated His deity by the many miracles He did and by the teaching He did. He came to lay down His life and to shed His blood because He is the only Saviour of mankind. He never sided with the Pharisees in their corruption. He rebuked them publicly and showed the people the importance of believing the truth. When He was arrested, even His disciples forsook Him. After His resurrection and ascension the eleven were empowered for the work they had been called to fulfil. The apostle Paul was added to that number later.
As we study the Gospels we see that Jesus was busy proving that He was the Messiah they needed. In our text, we read that when Jesus left the synagogue, He and the disciples entered the house of Simon and Andrew. James and John were there as well. We read that Simon’s wife’s mother was laying in bed, sick with a fever. She could not do her duties as a mother due to her sickness.
The Catholics forbid their popes from marrying. They claim the popes are of the lineage of Peter. Yet Peter was a married man. The Catholics are not going to allow the truth to get in the way of their false doctrine. There are many others who take the same approach to the Scriptures.
Jesus took this sick woman by the hand and lifted her up. We read that immediately the fever left her and she ministered unto them. Jesus did many miracles to prove that He was the Messiah. He did not do miracles for show. He did them to prove His deity.
The apostles were given the power to do miracles as well. They did them to prove they were the chosen messengers of Jesus to continue the important work of completing the Scriptures and of establishing sound, Bible-believing churches in the first century. The sign gifts ended with the completion of the Word of God. God can still heal today and He still does so at times. When He heals it is always for His glory. It is never to exalt some man.
We read further in our text that at even the people brought all those who were diseased and those who were possessed of devils.
The people had great needs. Rather than going home to bed, they came out in large numbers to find help for their loved ones. Jesus healed many and He cast out many devils. He did not allow the devils to speak, even though they knew Him. Jesus never accepted the praise of the devils. He never allowed them to be respected among the people.
The Bible is clear that false teachers are to be exposed for their lies. They are not to be welcomed into the fellowship of the saints. They are to be exposed and rebuked. The people need to know the truth and not be deceived into thinking they can follow liars and know the truth.
We know that when Satan tempted Jesus, he twisted the Scriptures for his own purposes. Jesus rejected that and exposed his deceptive ways. We need to know the truth today and follow the truth. It is far more important that people know the truth, than that we live comfortable lies in the midst of wickedness. We can see that often those who live comfortably are compromisers. They can get along with all kinds of different people.
The Bible tells us that those who will serve the Lord shall suffer persecution. There will be people slandering them and trying to run them out of town. God has His ways of protecting His people. He has His way of making a way for His people to be effective in their witness for Him. We need to be careful not to water down the truth and give the impression that the truth does not matter.
Our health is important to us. We want to live healthy lives if we can. Our health care system is in trouble due to a shortage of doctors and nurses. The foolishness of the Wuhan virus debacle has added to this shortage. There are people who run to the doctor unnecessarily.
Most people ignore the need for Spiritual health today, just as they did in Jesus’ time. Most people think they are doing find spiritually. Most people are not sure of where they will go when they die, but they trust that somehow things will be ok at that time.
The Bible teaches us that we must choose to change course in life, if we want to know God’s peace now and have a peaceful eternity. Jesus Christ proved that He is the Messiah/Saviour of mankind. There was no disease He could not heal while on earth. There was no devil He could not cast out. He is all powerful because He is God.
The Jews of His earthly generation needed to know that the Messiah had come. They needed to know they could have eternal life in heaven. They needed to know they could have true peace in their hearts in their present life.
The same facts are true for us today. We need to know who the Messiah/Saviour is. We need to know the forgiveness of sin. Jesus Christ is the Only Saviour. Trust in Him is essential to being at peace now and into eternity. Without knowing Him, there is no peace. The stress that many are facing is due to their lack of faith in the true God.
Mark presented Jesus as very active in proving that He was their long awaited Messiah. We find the word “immediately” often in this Gospel account. Jesus Christ was able to heal people immediately. In a greater sense, He is able to forgive sin and provide peace of mind and heart immediately. That is what we all need, but few find. You can know God’s peace in your heart today. It is found in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord.
Pastor Bartel