The healing was indeed a miracle. But there was more to it than the miraculous power of Jesus Christ. After having left the synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus and the disciples went to Peter's house where Peter's mother-in-law lay sick. Jesus had been called to help and went immediately to her side.

Mark's description of what Jesus did shows His gentleness and kindness, His compassion and feeling for Peter's mother-in-law.

Mark 1:31 says, "So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them." Note what Mark's account tells us about the actions of Jesus: He took her by the hand and lifted her up. It was not some kind of "lightning and thunderclap" type of healing. It was a suffering human being in the gentle hands of her Creator. Mark shows the extra effort on Jesus' part to touch and aid her to her feet.

Jesus was the Perfect Servant. The New Testament attests to that fact.

More than a servant who gave orders and sent people to do things for Him, He was a "hands-on" type of servant. He still is.

Man Born Blind

John 9 gives an account of the healing of a man born blind. This account is covered in some detail and provides very helpful insight into the type of servant Jesus was.

After clearing up the misconception of the day—that a physical ailment was always due to some kind of spiritual sin—Jesus told the man what he should do in order to receive his sight.

The blind man followed through with Jesus' instructions and washed in the pool of Siloam. After he received his sight, the enemies of Jesus had great consternation. Their anger against Jesus expanded to include the man who had just received his sight and his parents as well.

In a rather threatening manner the Pharisees sought out the man's parents. They asked them how their son had received his sight. The parents, instead of being able to rejoice in the healing of their adult son, "feared the Jews" (John 9:22). The parents, knowing the power of the Pharisees in the religious community, feared being put out of the synagogue. So they told the resentful Pharisees to talk the matter over with their son if they wanted to know any specifics about the healing.

The son was confronted by the Pharisees and stood his ground with them. He, too, knew that to be associated with Jesus could lead to his being banned from the synagogue. When the man made the statement, "If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing" (John 9:33), he had crossed the barrier of tolerance. The Pharisees excommunicated the man from the synagogue.

Jesus' Personal Search

When Jesus heard about these incidents following the man's miraculous healing, He sought out the man. Once again we see that His genuine interest in serving did not stop at "doing" the good deed. The effects of the healing on the man had reached Jesus' ears.

As God oftentimes does, Jesus went looking and "found him" (John 9:35). God seeks us out. He "goes looking" for us when turmoil and difficulties hound us.

Jesus did more than teach the man about who He was. He did more than lead the man through the entire account to a deeper, more profound understanding of the true identity of Jesus. He was more than a servant teaching a disciple and leaving the disciple to fend for himself.

Jesus was well aware of the difficulty of being cast out of the synagogue. He knew that submission to Him and the Father carried with it rejection by this present world.

Where would the man go?

How would he handle his new life without blindness? Would it have been better if he had not been healed? After all, his parents had felt the accusatory threats of the Pharisees. He no longer had access to the religious community. What was he to do?

Jesus made certain that a spiritual connection was made between Himself and the man. The man's "spiritual life" in the synagogue had ended. Jesus found him. Jesus desired to lead him to the next step in his spiritual growth.

But it took the extra effort of Jesus to lead the man to see spiritual things. Jesus wanted the man to be more than physically healed. He desired the man to become spiritually whole. So Jesus went looking.

A Spiritual Walk Begins

When Jesus found the man He asked him a poignant question: "Do you believe in the Son of God?" (John 9:35). The man answered with another question, accompanied by a commitment: "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" (verse 36).

The man wanted to believe in the Son of God but was uncertain who, specifically, the Son of God was. Jesus clearly identified Himself as the Son of God.

Immediately the man believed that Jesus was the Son of God and fell down to worship Him.

As we read and study this 2,000-year-old example, one of the primary qualities of Jesus as our eternal Servant shines through: Since He puts high value on our commitment to Him, He is willing to give us His personal touch and, if necessary, to "search" for us. He will not leave us for the wolves.

Mark's Final Comments

It is very interesting to study the final statements made by each of the Gospel writers in their books.

Mark's Gospel, though the briefest, includes many personal touches and evidence of the ongoing concern Jesus has for His followers.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes the servant-role of Christ. It has been there for Christ's followers to read and apply for 2,000 years. It's there for us today.

How does Mark end his Gospel?

After Christ ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of God, Mark 16:20 tells us the disciples "went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs."

Mark left us with the very real picture of Jesus Christ continuing to work with them. Jesus continues to work with His followers today. And He showed us how that was to be done.

Those who follow Jesus, who keep His precious law, have the example of the True Servant.

Peter's mother-in-law and the man born blind experienced the kind of special care—physical and spiritual—we can still expect today.

Thank God our Father for the calling and leading He has done to bring us to His Son—God's True Servant. UN