Sunday, February 8
Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her and she began to serve them.
—Mark 1:30-33
Think of the power of his touch, the relief
and release she must have felt. She must have been overcome with awe and wonder.
Just who is this young man her son-in-law Simon Peter has befriended and brought
home?
Whatever she felt, Mark does not tell us, but he does tell
us what she did. “She began to serve
them.” For years, I have heard women say, “Of course, she got up and fixed
dinner!” and wag their heads in sympathy. Only recently did I learn that the
word here for serve is the same word used
when Jesus is in the wilderness tempted by the devil, and angels come and serve
(minister to) him.
This woman is doing for Jesus what the angels
did. Jesus uses the word serve again when he admonishes his ambitious disciples,
telling them that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.
So this feverish woman, healed and restored, becomes a model for all of us, male and female alike. When Jesus touches us and lifts us up, the first thing we are called to do is to serve others.
Lord Jesus Christ, you came not to be served, but to serve. Help us to remember this and to live accordingly. Amen.