Service and Discipleship
Read Matthew 8:14, 15; Mark 1:29-31; and Luke 4:38, 39. What can we learn from this account about discipleship? In other words, regardless of the particular circumstances, what principles are seen here that should apply to all of us?
Though all three of these accounts record that Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever, Luke alone says she was suffering from a high fever. This detail, some believe, is indicative of Luke's status as a physician, especially because the phrase itself in the Greek language sounds like one of the technical classes the Greeks used to classify a specific fever.
Notice, too, that in all the accounts it is stressed that the disciples told Jesus about her being sick, and that they asked for His help. We should assume, of course, that Jesus already knew all about her problem, yet He still let them tell Him, as well as ask for His divine healing. What lesson could we draw from this about our role as disciples? Is this really discipleship, or just plain hospitality?
After Peter's mother-in-law was healed, she did not shrink from service. On recovery, she found a houseful of tired and hungry guests who had been concerned for her. Although she could have, she did not claim exhaustion or fatigue from the malady. Rather, she immediately began to wait on them—she began to serve them. The Greek word used is akin to that meaning a "servant," "minister," or "deacon." Inspired by Jesus, she began her service immediately upon recovery.
What has Christ done for you? What has He saved you from? What has been your response? In what ways should the whole Christian life be a response to what Jesus has done for us?
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