The Dead Sea is dying. That sounds ironic, doesn’t it?
For years, there have been natural and man-made disruptions. These have destroyed the sea’s banks and decreased its water level. Experts have doubts about keeping it all from decaying further. Several governments and agencies would have to work together. Restoring the Dead Sea would, potentially, be very expensive.
Let’s imagine, though, it happens. What would become of the Dead Sea? Well, water levels would rise. And the surrounding communities could avoid more dangerous sinkholes. That would be beneficial for a lot of reasons.
But it would still be dead.
Matthew tells us Peter’s mother-in-law had a fever. In some ancient cultures, fever was a sign of spirit possession. In the Old Testament of the Bible, it was a form of punishment from God (See Leviticus 26:16 and Deuteronomy 28:22). Now, there’s no need for any mother-in-law jokes. Instead, Jesus took the fears and concerns of Peter and his family and healed the woman.
What happened after that always strikes me. Jesus healed her and she sprung up and served him. I suppose in one sense she’s thankful to Jesus. Her first response is to serve the one who healed her. But I imagine she also served everyone else. That was what she did. She wasn’t just healed. Her service showed she was alive again, ready to continue her life in service to her family.
When I pray for someone’s healing, I often ask that they can get back to what they love doing. For Peter’s mother-in-law it was serving. For some of us, it’s walking with the grandkids or preparing family events. Others of us need to work or get back to the garden.
It may be we aren’t able to do all we could before or do things in the way we always could. But if you’re healed in Jesus’ name you are alive again!
Stay blessed…john
