Luke 4:38-44
Lesson Focus We are called to a ministry that is outward-focused so that we might participate in God’s mission of freedom for the world.
Lesson Outcomes Through this lesson, students should:
Understand that Jesus’ ministry focuses on bringing release from all the things that might entangle and oppress humanity.
Understand that the appropriate response to our liberation is always gracious thanksgiving.
Understand that Jesus’ ministry is always focused outward; it’s always focused on going to the places where freedom from sin and oppression is needed.
Understand that our mission and ministry must also be outward-focused with movement toward the people and places that need freedom.
Catching Up on the Story We have been following Jesus as he begins his earthly ministry. So far, we have witnessed his baptism, his wilderness testing at the hands of the devil, his hometown sermon and subsequent rejection, as well as his first exorcism.
The miraculous things we have witnessed Jesus doing to this point in Luke’s narrative are concrete examples of Jesus doing the things he said he came to do in his hometown sermon. One of the major themes of Jesus’ ministry in Luke is a ministry of release for those caught in all manner of oppression. This week’s passage is a continuation of that theme.
Simon’s Mother-in-Law The narrative has not moved much in the space between verses 37 and 38. Jesus and those who have begun to follow him have left the synagogue where Jesus just performed his first exorcism. Just imagine what the walk to Simon’s house must have been like. Did they talk about what just happened in the synagogue? Or, did they concentrate on pleasantries and small talk?
We have not yet been formally introduced to Simon, better known as Peter. Either Luke believes his readers will be well acquainted with Simon, or Luke leaves off an introduction because he knows Simon will be featured more prominently in the coming pages. Regardless of Luke’s intention, Simon has made his house available to Jesus for a sabbath meal.
Almost parenthetically, Luke informs us that Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever. That Simon’s mother-in-law was living in Simon’s house is not that out of the ordinary. It is highly likely that Simon’s mother-in-law is a widow and has no viable means of caring for herself. By housing his wife’s mother, Simon extends proper hospitality and care for the vulnerable in his community. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Jesus calls Simon to be his disciple; the seeds of the Kingdom of God are already growing inside him?
The fact that the widow has a fever is a little troublesome. Fevers were often deadly, and pains were made to avoid coming into contact with the sick so that one would not catch what they had or so that an individual might not be made ritually unclean. One commentator believes that Luke’s grammatical construction indicates that the fever was a pre-existent condition that came and went (Utley, Lk. 4:38). In that case, the fever is not a one-time illness but a reoccurring sickness that continually degrades the widow’s quality of life. While many would not have extended an invitation to a guest of honor while a person in their house was sick, Simon does just that. Perhaps Jesus is invited because Simon’s mother-in-law was ill. If Jesus can cast out a demon, maybe he can heal a persistent fever?
When Jesus arrives at the house, an undisclosed “they” inquire of Jesus what might be done about the woman’s condition. Luke gives us no other response by Jesus than that he wanders over to where the woman was laying, stands over her, and rebukes the fever.
One commentator sees in Luke’s description of the healing the marks of an exorcism, even though no mention of demons are made. “Jesus ‘bends over’ the woman, signifying his authority over the fever, a practice paralleled in stories of exorcism.” (Green, 225). Additionally, in contrast to what Jesus will do later, Jesus does not lay hands on the woman but “rebuked” the fever. Lukes uses the same word he used to describe Jesus’ action toward the demon-possessed man in the synagogue earlier in the day.
Immediately, the fever leaves the woman, and she is restored to strength and health again. The word Luke uses for “left” is related to the word used in the Isaiah passage Jesus quoted in 4:18, “release.” There can be no doubt that Luke understands that what Jesus is doing in Simon’s house is a fulfillment of Jesus’ hometown sermon. The things from which people can be released are not just demonic but extend to include common and reoccurring illnesses. Jesus has come to free humanity from anything that might keep people from flourishing in the way God intends.
Simon’s mother-in-law immediately gets up and begins to serve Jesus and the other guests. Her response is one of hospitality and gratitude. As will become evident as Luke’s story continues, gratitude is the legitimate response to Jesus’ ministry of salvation (Green, 225). For readers today, the question becomes, what does a response of gratitude look like when we have been recipients of Jesus’ ministry of salvation by way of release from that which oppresses us? How is it that we might serve God’s Kingdom?
The Town’s People The word about Jesus’ exorcism at the synagogue, and maybe even his healing of Simon’s mother-in-law, spread around the countryside. As the sun sets on the sabbath marking its ending, the masses begin to bring their sick, lame, and demon-possessed friends and family to Jesus. As the sick are brought to him, Jesus lays his hand on them. Joel Green wonders if this practice of laying hands on the sick might be seen as an “extension of God’s own hand to act in creation and redemption (i.e., his effective power which is amply attested in the OT)?” (Green, 225). If Green is correct, then Luke demonstrates that it is the power of God active in and through Jesus. God in Christ is acting to bring about a new creation, one free of the defects and problems the current one suffers as a result of sin.
Perhaps it is this power that the demons recognize which causes them to exclaim that Jesus is “the Son of God!” What many in Luke’s gospel will be slow to grasp, the demons know all too well. Just like the demon in the synagogue earlier that day, Jesus commands these demons to be silent about his identity.
A Deserted Place We get the impression that Jesus works long into the night. At daybreak, we are told that Jesus goes off by himself to a deserted place. Literally, Jesus goes off to a “desert place.” So far, the desert has proven to be a place of preparation and testing. John the Baptist comes from the desert, prepared to proclaim the good news about Jesus’ coming. Jesus spends 40 days in the desert fasting in preparation for what he will encounter as he undertakes the mission of God. In the desert, the devil tempts Jesus to use his godly powers for his own benefit rather than for the sake of a broken world.
While not explicitly stated, Jesus goes alone to a deserted place for continued vocational clarity (Green, 226). He goes to prepare himself for the temptation that will come as the crowd searches for him. When the crowds do find Jesus, they beg him to stay. The temptation Jesus faces here is the temptation to static celebrity. The masses will come to him, and Jesus will become more powerful.
But this is not the way of the coming Kingdom of God. God’s mission in this broken world is never one of attraction, of humanity being so enamored by God’s power that we flock to him. God’s mission in the world is always about going out and into the world. No more clearly is this seen than in the fact that Jesus has become incarnate as a man. The gospel is a movement outward. It goes and pursues. It proclaims as it draws near to those entrapped, oppressed, and imprisoned.
Jesus responds, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” The “must” in Jesus’ response is the divine imperative. Jesus’ movement to the other areas of Israel is not simply something Jesus has to do or wants to do; it is the heart of God’s mission in the world. So, Jesus resists the temptation to stay put and bring glory to himself and obediently continues the outwards seeking mission of God.
So What? Over the past half-century or so, the attitude of many in the church has been one of attraction. The church’s mission has been seen as drawing people into the church. It’s an “If you build it, they will come” mentality. So, the church begins to offer whatever it thinks those who do not belong to it might find attractive or useful. And it worked. At least numerically, that is. Churches were built, and large ones at that.
I am not saying that a church that tries to attract nonbelievers to it is wrong. The things the church does the church should do with quality and excellence. Too often, however, in our attempts to attract people to our churches, we have given in to the same temptation that Jesus resisted in today’s passage. We stay put in our churches, and God’s mission in the world is not advanced.
If it is true that God’s mission in the world is always about moving out into the world to enact a ministry of release and restoration, a ministry of salvation in both its physical and spiritual forms, the church’s posture must always be outward focused.
We gather as the church to be sent out into the community around us. When we gather, it is so that we might be encouraged, strengthened, and empowered to participate in God’s outward-focused mission.
Specific Discussion Questions Read the text aloud. Then, read the text to yourself quietly. Read it slowly, as if you were very unfamiliar with the story.
This week’s passage takes place on the same day as the proceeding passage where Jesus cast a demon out of man during a service at the local synagogue. What do you think the conversation was like between Jesus, Simon, and the others going to Simon’s house?
Why would Jesus consent to go to Simon’s house if someone was sick there?
There’s some indication that the fever from which Simon’s mother-in-law suffered was a reoccurring illness. What kind of impact would such an illness have on the woman’s quality of life?
The way Luke tells the story of Simon’s mother-in-law’s healing is similar to the way he describes how Jesus casts out demons. Why would Luke portray the episode this way? Are there similarities between demon possession and long-term illness? If so, what are they?
How does Simon’s mother-in-law react to her healing? What does she do? What does that say about how we should respond when God works in our lives?
As the sun sets, the masses bring their sick and demon-possessed to Jesus. Jesus heals them and casts out many demons who confess their knowledge of Jesus. Why would the demons make such a proclamation ion? Why would Jesus want them to be quiet about who he is?
At daybreak, Jesus sneaks off to a desert place. Why does Jesus go off on his own? What type of things have happened in the desert in Luke’s gospel so far?
The crowds eventually find Jesus and beg him to remain with them. Why would they do that? What could have happened to Jesus’ ministry him he stayed put? Was it a temptation for Jesus to remain? If so, why? If not, why?
In the end, Jesus proclaims that he must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God in other cities. Why must Jesus do this? What does a focus on going to the places and people who need the Kingdom of God say about God and God’s mission in the world?
If God’s mission is always about going out and seeking to bring spiritual and physical freedom for creation, then what does that say about the church’s mission?
Has the church ever given into the temptation to stay put and not go out into its surrounding community to bring about God’s freedom?
What are the ways our church can move out into the world and participate in God’s mission in the world?
Works Cited: Green, Joel B. The Gospel of Luke, New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub.
Utley, Robert James. The Gospel according to Luke, vol. Volume 3A, Study Guide Commentary Series. Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International, 2004.
Comments