When
Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her. She got up and served him. When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases.” Now when Jesus saw great multitudes around him, he gave the order to depart to the other side.
Matthew 8:14-18
Matthew 8 [10.] When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel. I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” His servant was healed in that hour.
Matthew 8 [14.] When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her. She got up and served him. When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases.” Now when Jesus saw great multitudes around him, he gave the order to depart to the other side.
Matthew 8 [19.] A scribe came, and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Meaning:
Matthew has shown Jesus healing a leper and the servant of a Gentile centurion. Now the scene moves into a private home in Capernaum, then out to the doorway where crowds gather at evening. Matthew sees in these healings the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about the Servant of the Lord, who would carry the sicknesses of his people.
- “When Jesus came into Peter’s house”
Peter, also called Simon, lived in Capernaum with his brother Andrew. He was married, and Paul later mentions that Cephas (Peter) took his wife with him on his travels (1 Corinthians 9:5). Mark says this visit took place after Jesus had taught in the synagogue, and that James and John were with them (Mark 1:29-31).
- “He touched her hand, and the fever left her”
Fever could be life-threatening in the ancient world, with no medicines to bring it down. Jesus healed with a simple touch, and the healing was complete. Instead of needing days to recover, she got up at once. Luke, the physician, notes that it was “a great fever,” and that Jesus “rebuked the fever; and it left her” (Luke 4:38-39).
- “She got up and served him”
Her first response to being healed was to serve. She is a picture of every disciple: restored by Jesus, and then using renewed strength for him and for others.
- “When evening came”
Mark explains that it was the Sabbath (Mark 1:21), so people waited until sunset, when the Sabbath ended, before carrying the sick through the streets (Mark 1:32-34). Jesus cast out spirits “with a word” and healed “all who were sick.” No case was too hard for him.
- “He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases”
Matthew quotes Isaiah’s song of the suffering Servant: “Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering” (Isaiah 53:4). In Isaiah, the Servant bears these burdens by suffering in the place of others, for “he was pierced for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus’ healing ministry showed that he had come to deal with every effect of sin and death in human life. The cross would be the deepest fulfillment, where he would bear our sins; the resurrection promises the final healing of our bodies.
- “He gave the order to depart to the other side”
The crowds kept growing. Jesus did not let popularity set his agenda. He moved on, sometimes to pray, as Mark records the next morning (Mark 1:35), and here to cross the Sea of Galilee. This leads into the next scenes: two would-be followers, and the storm on the lake (Matthew 8:23-27).
The Significance of Matthew 8:14-18
- Bringing every need to Jesus
The people of Capernaum brought their sick and troubled to Jesus, and he received them all. Believers today can bring every burden to him in prayer, trusting his compassion and power, while leaving the timing and manner of healing to his wisdom.
- Healed to serve
Peter’s mother-in-law rose and served. Every blessing we receive from Christ is an opportunity to serve him and others with gratitude.
Cross-References:
Mark 1:31: "He came and took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she served them." Mark’s parallel account.
Isaiah 53:4: "Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering;" The prophecy Matthew quotes.
Isaiah 53:5: "and by his wounds we are healed." The Servant’s suffering brings healing.
Conclusion: In Matthew 8:14-18 Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law with a touch, and at evening he casts out spirits and heals all the sick brought to him. Matthew sees these acts as the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4, where the Servant bears the sicknesses of his people. The passage shows Jesus’ compassion and power, points ahead to the cross, and invites us to bring every need to him and to serve him with renewed strength.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible