Mark 1:29 begins, "Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue" (v. 29a). What just happened? It was the Sabbath, so Jesus was in the synagogue teaching (v. 21). There was a man in attendance who was possessed by an "unclean spirit" (v. 23). Jesus proceeded to cast the unclean spirit out of this man to the astonishment of all who were present (vv. 25-27).
Jesus and His disciples "entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John" (v. 29b). Simon, or Peter as Jesus called him, and Andrew were brothers. James and John, brothers also, were the sons of Zebedee and fishermen who were colleagues of Peter and Andrew. Peter's home was likely the Galilean headquarters for Jesus's ministry.
What they immediately encountered was the fact that Peter's mother-in-law "lay sick with a fever" (v. 30a). Luke clarifies that she has a "high fever" (Luke 4:38b). The Greek word here refers to a fever or scorching heat, hence, a "high fever" (v. 38b). They wasted no time in letting Jesus know about the situation (Mark 1:30b).
Jesus "came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them" (v. 31). Again Luke clarifies, Jesus "stood over her and rebuked the fever" (Luke 4:39a).
"Rebuked" (v. 39a) refers to making sharp criticism of behavior. In Luke 8:24b, Jesus "rebuked the wind and the raging of the water," and all was calm. Here in Luke 4, Jesus "rebuked" (v. 35) the unclean spirit and cast it out of a man. Now, Jesus "rebuked the fever" (v. 39a) and she was well. The fact that she was well is proven by her fixing dinner for them and serving them (v. 39b).
In each case, whether the wind and the waves, a demon, or a fever, Jesus rebuked it. He told it that what it was doing was wrong and He commanded it to cease. And in each case, His command was immediately obeyed. Jesus is clearly in charge over all things. Whenever a need arises, pray about it, turn it over to Jesus, and let Him work His will in your life. Amen.
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