Quest 52Sample

Does Jesus Care About My Pain?

Peter’s mother-in-law was bedridden with a fever, possibly malaria. When Jesus was informed of her condition, he “rebuked the fever” (4:39) and she was healed.

The news of Jesus’s healing power spread. When the Sabbath ended at sunset that day, the village began to bustle. “That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons” (Mark 1:32). The bruised, fatigued, bandaged, and beleaguered showed up at the door of Peter’s humble home. Their frustration and pain must have collided in the narrow street. It was a cesspool of human pain, and Jesus waded into the middle of it. 

What apparently took the better part of the night is tersely stated in a single sentence: “He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons” (Mark 1:34). If we are permitted some literary license, we can imagine the scene. Jesus took his time with each individual as if she were the only one there. “How long have you had this? Would you like to be well? You know, God loves you, and you are immensely important to him.” 

Here, in the beginning days of his ministry, there was no Pharisaic opposition. There were no theological debates, no skeptics. Just pure love, raw power, and unmitigated praise. Jesus made his way through the street, meticulously tending to each person, caring for the emotional anguish beyond the physical agony. He restored dignity as well as health, hope as well as strength. This is the image of what Eden could look like again. 

The healing of our bodies is a temporary gift of God. Not everyone receives healing, and everyone who receives healing eventually dies. So physical healing is a sign of something more significant, more permanent.

Our ultimate healing is the restoration of our souls. That is the power of the gospel. While the curse of sin will eventually get the best of our bodies, the salvation of our souls will ultimately lead to new bodies, a new Jerusalem, a restoration of Eden. Then we will stand together as they did in the streets of Capernaum that pristine night when the kingdom came to town and the devil was put to flight. 

Whose physical needs could you care for this week as a way of sharing Christ’s love with them?