Sabbath Ministry

The demon-possessed and those who were sick with various diseases were brought by friends. Some probably came on their own. We do not know the population of the city, but there could have been hundreds of sick and demon-possessed people at Peter’s door, including the sightseers. The passage says that the entire city had gathered at Peter’s home.

And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was. (NASB) Mark 1:34

Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. (NASB) Luke 4:41

The gospel of Luke uses an imperfect tense combined with an active tense in Luke 4:40 to tell us that sick people were coming to be healed. Recently, I asked some nurses what that means. What does it mean if a person has been sick and is continuing to be sick? The answer was, “They have a chronic illness.” Did you know that Jesus was not performing fake healings? Jesus was not healing runny noses, or imaginary pains. No, He was healing people with real illnesses - real diseases. He was healing people with chronic conditions. The people who came and the people who brought them knew that their conditions were real because the conditions had been present for a long time. Peter also knew that his mother-in-law’s healing was real because she had a chronic condition, too! We should not be surprised that the disciples believed in Him, and we should not be surprised that the people were stunned with Jesus. We should not be surprised that Pontius Pilate wrote a report, which was archived in Rome, which stated that Jesus had performed miracles. The truth is, Jesus performed real healings - not fake ones. Jesus was not limited by any type of illness. He healed them all. He healed them instantly and healed them completely.

This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.” (NASB) Matt. 8:17