T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S v. 30. Simon’s w ife’s m other. Jesus chose a m arried man for an.apostle, the very man from whom Rome professes to have received the keys. Clement of A lexandria tells us P e te r’s wife acted as his coadjutor, m inistering to women in th e ir own homes.— Expos. Bible. P eter and his fam ily had none of th a t insipid nonsense about his mother-in- law which defiles so many would-be w itty people w ith stale jokes. P e te r’s wife was p a rt of him self and he would no t have been w orthy to be an apostle nor even th e least disciple of Jesus, had he not been w illing to care for his w ife’s m other as his own.— Peloubet. Sick of a fever. Luke, as was n a tu ra l in the “ beloved physician,” (Col. .4 :1 4 ) de scribes it professionally, calling it a “ g reat fever” and th u s distinguishing it from th a t lig h ter kind which th e Greek physicians were wont to call “small fevers.”— Galen. v. 31. Took h e r by th e hand. This taking-by-the-hand religion is much needed in many of our churches today. — Torrey. We can do little by proxy. W ork w ith your own hand as though everything depended on it and never leave a home w ithou t blessing it.— People’s Bible. I t is a lesson for all who would help th e ir fellows th a t they m ust no t be too dain ty to lay hold of th e d irtiest hand if they w ant th e ir sym pathy to be believed.r—Maclaren. She m in istered un to them . This gives us a h in t of w hat we should do afte r being blessed.— Sel. The service would con sist in supplying food and o ther needed atten tion , the n a tu ra l way for a woman in h er home to express h er g ratitud e. — Broadus. v. 32. "When th e sun did set. The Sabbath ended a t sunset and th en the work of moving th e sick would begin. — Camb. Bible. At eve as well as morn Jesus was a t work. Men may come to Jesus a t any tim e according to th e u r gency of th e ir need.— Gibson. Prom Luke 13:14 we see how unlaw ful they
949 would have deemed it to bring th e ir sick to Jesu s for a cure during the Sabbath hours. Our Lord afterw ard took re peated occasion to teach th e people by example how superstitious a strain ing of the Sabbath re st th is was.—-J. P. & B. v. 34. H e healed many. All th e ex perience of m issionaries in th e E ast goes to show th e wisdom of th e method employed by Jesus Christ and H is apos tles in giving atten tion to diseased bod ies as a means of access to diseased souls.— Bishop. Cast o u t demons. No tice th a t a distinction is made between all m anner of diseases (Matt. 4 :24 ) and those possessed w ith demons. «The Son of God did no t class demon cases as diseased. In healing th e sick He never commanded evil spirits to come out. Modern psychology and psycho-therapy have revealed facts showing demon pos session very probable in some cases con fined in asylums. Multiple personalities have been observed.— Brooks. Steven son’s sto ry of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde is a scientific possibility and explains w h at many m issionaries have seen in heathen lands.— Prince. Suffered no t demons to speak. Any help which m ight have come to Him from th e lips of hell was revolting to our Lord. Some reje ct no advantage which th e evil deeds of others may bestow. Jesus regarded as contam ination whatever help fraud could yield.— Chadwick. Evidently they would have spoken if perm itted bu t once in one day and th a t testimony imm ediately silenced, was enough, (v. 24).-—P au sett. v. 35. P ray ed in so litary place. Many a follower of His has learned the same secret of refreshm en t afte r past effort and preparation for coming ef fort. Jesu s’ practice condemns th e folly of those who th in k they can do all the necessary praying while a t th e ir work. — Torrey. These retirem en ts of Jesus for m editation and prayer are rem a rk able in num ber and frequency. There are no less th a n th ree in th is chapter.
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