CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DAILY DEVOTIONAL ON YOUTUBE
Matthew 8:14-15
After Jesus gave the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7 which was concerning the governing authority of the Israelites being the Law that God gave to Moses, He did not disregard the Law but gave a more clear understanding of it, He then began showing His authority over the Law and acting on His teaching of it. He has, in Matthew 8:5-13 showed how God’s love is open to all who will believe in Him, not just for the Israelites, which in itself would have been quite shocking to His hearers at that time. He now touches a sick person which by the Law would have defiled Himself because He touched something considered unclean. But Jesus shows His power over the Law and His divine authority being sent from God and being God’s One and only Son by not only touching someone considered unclean by the Law, but in reverse; He, by touching someone unclean, healed her. Instead of Himself becoming unclean, His divine power drove out the uncleanness and healed her. He is showing His divine authority over the written Law and its misunderstandings made by man.
One other important part of this healing made by Jesus is that when Peter’s mother-in-law was healed, she began serving Him/them (Matthew 8:15).
This is an example of the divine power and authority of Jesus being above man’s interpretation of the Law.
When Peter’s mother-in-law was healed by Jesus, she immediately began serving Him/them. What is going through your mind right now is the ways of man: we all must admit that we are having thoughts of the woman being suppressed in the role of serving. That is the human/sinful nature at work in us as Satan tries to destroy the true meaning of this passage. The truth is that we all, at the moment Jesus saves us/heals us, we become indebted to Him as our Savior and we should all begin serving Him/others as is the direction that we are given from Jesus in being His disciples. Our earthly/sinful nature wants to discriminate, but the Holy Spirit who now dwells within us leads us to servanthood for the rest of our lives – in Christ. This is not a discriminative role, but a privilege in our new lives in the salvation that we are to reflect to others in receiving the blessings of God in our lives – in Christ.
Dear LORD,
Your healing power through our Savior Jesus is more than the words of the Law in which we misunderstand and twist to meet our own needs and desires of our earthly/sinful nature. Please open our eyes to see the healing power that is intended to be found in the proper context of Your Word – the textbook to life. Please help us to look past earthly desires to the power that is found through Your Holy Spirit who indwells all who will believe in Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, amen.