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Kingdom Power
(Mark 1:29–39)

And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. 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. In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. (1:29–39)

We live in a world devoured by sickness, pain, and death. It was not always this way. As Moses explained in Genesis 1:31, after God made the universe, He “saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” The creation was without blemish or defect, a reflection of the flawless One who had spoken it into existence.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, everything changed. Sin entered the world and brought with it disease, decay, and death. The whole creation was cursed (Gen. 3:17–19; Rom. 8:20), and Adam and Eve were alienated from God and banished from Eden. Sickness, suffering, and the reality of death serve as painful reminders of the inescapable fact that we reside on a fallen planet.

Even all the advancements of modern science cannot remove the plagues our world suffers. Two thousand years ago, however, conditions were far worse. Medical technology was essentially nonexistent, meaning that people simply languished under the full effects of illness and injury.

Though Jesus Christ came that He might spiritually rescue sinners who were dead in their transgressions and facing the wrath of God (1 Tim. 1:15), He chose to demonstrate that power to save as well as His profound love and compassion by delivering people from their diseases and demons. Jesus’ delivering ability also served as a preview of the conditions of His coming earthly kingdom, in which Satan and his demons will be bound (Rev. 20:1–3), the curse will be mitigated, and its effects greatly reduced until it is completely removed in the righteous perfection of the eternal state in heaven (Rev. 21:1–22:5).

The incident recorded in Mark 1:29–34 took place on the same day as the events recorded in verses 21–28, when a demon-possessed man was dramatically delivered in the synagogue. Shortly afterward, Jesus and His disciples traveled to Peter’s house, where Jesus demonstrated His authority over the physical effects of sin. Together, the two passages highlight the supernatural nature of Jesus’ sovereign power. Whenever He confronted either demons or disease, both fled at His command. That kind of dominion provides undeniable proof of Jesus’ deity, corroborating Mark’s thesis that Jesus is the messianic King, the Son of God (1:1).

As the Savior of the world, the Messiah had to be able to rescue souls from both sin and Satan. As the resurrection and the life (John 11:25), He had to have power over both the physical and spiritual effects of the curse. As the Redeemer, He had to be able to redeem both the soul that was lost and the body that was decaying (Rom. 8:23). Jesus consistently demonstrated necessary heavenly might by repeatedly casting out demons and healing diseases to exhibit His total dominion over both the spiritual and physical realms devastated by sin. By those miracles He demonstrated that He possessed the power to impart eternal life to souls and bodies, fitting them for resurrected glory in heaven.

In this section (vv. 29–39), Jesus continued to evidence that He was the divine, compassionate Son of God. The passage can be divided into three sections: the proof of His person (vv. 29–34), the power of His action (v. 35), and the priority of His mission (vv. 36–39).

THE PROOF OF HIS PERSON

And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. 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. (1:29–34)

A typical synagogue service ended around noon. Jesus’ first four disciples, whom He called just a short time earlier (cf. Mark 1:16–20), would have attended the synagogue service with Him and, along with the crowds, been amazed by His preaching (v. 22) and astonished by His authority over the demon who confronted Him (v. 27). As the hubbub subsided, and the people were dismissed, the four former fishermen came with Jesus out of the synagogue, undoubtedly talking excitedly with one another about the spectacular deliverance they had just witnessed.

Immediately after exiting the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. All four of these men had been in the fishing business along the Sea of Galilee. These were not unsophisticated simpletons, as sometimes has been imagined, but successful tradesmen who apparently had a fairly large operation headquartered in Capernaum. Fish was a staple meat in ancient times and the Sea of Galilee yielded enough to export its produce throughout that part of the Mediterranean world. These two sets of brothers had abandoned earthly pursuits to follow Jesus and pursue the kingdom of heaven (1:16–20). In the synagogue that morning, they were given a front row seat to observe His kingly authority. That would have been the subject of their conversation as they walked.

Simon, also called Peter (cf. Matt. 16:18; John 1:42), and Andrew were originally from Bethsaida, a town on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee (cf. John 1:44). They had relocated to Capernaum, no doubt for the sake of business. First Corinthians 9:5 indicates that Simon Peter was married and that his wife traveled with him on his later ministry journeys. Church tradition further suggests that Peter and his wife had at least one child, though the New Testament is silent on that point.

At this point, early in the ministry of Jesus, Peter lived in Capernaum with his extended family—including his wife and children, his mother-in-law, his brother Andrew, and Andrew’s family. Archaeologists have unearthed the traditional site of Peter’s house, only a short walk from the ancient synagogue ruins. One commentator describes it this way:

Upon entering Peter’s residence, Jesus and His disciples would have found themselves in a large plaza courtyard surrounded by multiple dwellings. Clearly, Peter was more than just an unskilled laborer with a fishing rod. Significantly, archaeological investigations have discovered sacred devotional markings written on the stone and scratched into the plaster. The engravings indicate that Peter’s house was an early gathering place for Christians, and most likely a church, dating back to the late-first or early-second century.

As disciples of Jesus, and as residents of Capernaum who lived near the synagogue, it would have been natural for Peter and Andrew to invite Jesus, along with James and John, to their home for the noontime meal. Peter also had a secondary motivation. As Mark explains, “Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her.” Luke the physician provides the added detail that it was a high fever (Luke 4:38), suggesting that her condition was related to a severe infection. Her daughter and son-in-law were clearly concerned, so much so that, as soon as Jesus entered the house, the family “asked Him to help her” (Luke 4:38). Having just seen His power on display in the synagogue, and familiar with other miracles He had performed (cf. Luke 4:23), they appealed to Him to heal her.

The fever was high enough that she was in bed, too weak to get up and greet the guests who had come to her house. The demands of everyday life in the first century did not afford most people the luxury of staying in bed just because they did not feel well. That would have been especially true when guests had been invited. It is likely that she was extremely ill. Responding with compassion, Jesus came to her while she was lying down and raised her up. The severity of her sickness was irrelevant to Jesus, who rebuked the fever (Luke 4:39), and taking her by the hand, the fever left her. Earlier that morning, in the synagogue, He had rebuked the unclean spirit, and the demon departed. Whether in the spiritual realm or the physical, whenever Jesus issued a rebuke, the effects were immediate.

At the end of verse 31, Mark notes that after Peter’s mother-in-law got up, she waited on them. She was completely healed. Her symptoms were gone. There was no recovery period. One moment, she had been too weak to do anything but lie down. The next, she was on her feet, full of energy, and ready to help prepare the Sabbath dinner. It was if she had never even been ill.

The healing miracles of Jesus, like this one, stand in stark contrast to the alleged healings of contemporary “faith healers” and charismatic televangelists. The world has always been plagued by false healers who prey on the physical suffering of desperate people in order to extort money from them. In spite of their brash claims, modern healers are nothing more than spiritual con artists. They may have the ability to manipulate crowds of susceptible people, but they do not possess the power to genuinely heal anyone.

The healings of Jesus could not be more different than the contemporary counterfeits. Unlike faith healers, who supposedly cure invisible ailments, Jesus healed people with undeniable organic diseases and physical disabilities, such as deafness, blindness, leprosy, and paralysis. On one occasion, Jesus reattached a missing ear, such that it was perfectly restored (Luke 22:50–51). He did the most extreme form of healing whenever He raised someone from the dead (Mark 5:42; Luke 7:14–15; John 11:43–44).

Jesus also healed instantly and completely. Those who experienced His healing power needed no time for recovery or recuperation. Peter’s mother-in-law is a prime example of the immediacy of Jesus’ healings. She did not need to wait to feel better. The Lord did not instruct her to take it easy for a few weeks in order for her body to recover. She went from languishing in bed to functioning in full strength.

Modern faith healers, to control the illusion, carefully prescreen the people they allow onstage. But Jesus healed indiscriminately. He healed everyone who came to Him, no matter the nature of their illness or infirmity. In the parallel passage of Luke 4:40, Luke explains that, “While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them.” As Luke points out, Jesus laid His hands on “each one of them,” healing all who came. The healings of Jesus did not require the faith of the participant, since most of the people He healed were unbelievers. Though some of them came to faith as a result of the healing, like one of the ten lepers (Luke 17:17–19), most did not, like the other nine.

Significantly, Jesus performed His healing miracles in full public view, during the normal course of His daily ministry as He moved through crowds of people from place to place. He did not require a highly controlled environment in order to manipulate the crowds and the circumstances. Rather, He was able to heal anyone at any time in any place of any ailment. There were no categories of illness beyond His power. Not surprisingly, whenever He performed a miracle, word about Him quickly spread throughout the city or region where He was ministering. The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law was no exception. It triggered a citywide response.

Mark describes what happened next: When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. Having heard what happened, the people immediately determined to come and see Jesus. They had to wait until after the sun had set because Jewish law prohibited them from carrying anything or anyone on the Sabbath. According to the Jewish reckoning of time, the day ended at sunset (around 6:00 p.m.), as the sky began to darken and the first stars became visible. Once the sun went down, the residents of Capernaum rushed to transport their sick friends and relatives to Jesus. In fact, the crowd outside of Peter’s house was so large that as Mark explains, the whole city had gathered at the door.

In spite of the steady stream of needy people (the imperfect tense of the verb translated began bringing indicates that they kept coming and coming), Jesus with infinite compassion laid His hands on each one of them and healed them (Luke 4:40). Mark’s statement, that He healed many, does not imply that there were some who were not healed. Rather, it speaks to the fact that He healed a great number of people on that occasion. Many sick and suffering people came to see Him, and of the many who came all were healed (cf. Matt. 8:16).

Some were ill with various diseases and Jesus immediately made them completely whole. Others were demon-possessed, so Jesus cast out many demons, and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was. Jesus prohibited the demons from speaking because, apparently, He did not want affirmation of His identity from the agents of Satan. Their testimony to Him would only have confused the issue. This is similar to the experience of Paul in Philippi, when a demon-possessed slave girl gave affirming testimony to the apostle.

Paul cast the demon out to stop the deception. Demons prefer to be disguised as angels of light (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14). On this occasion in Capernaum, Jesus knew their intent to affirm His identity and silenced them. Neither the devil himself nor his demons can as much as speak a word without the permission of the sovereign Lord.

Presumably hundreds of people were healed on this occasion. Yet, this was only one night in the life of our Lord. Jesus would continue to display this type of divine power throughout His three-year ministry. In fact, there are some ninety gospel texts that feature the healings of Christ. During Jesus’ ministry, there was an unparalleled healing explosion that virtually banished disease from Israel. Nothing like it has ever occurred, in all the centuries before Jesus’ earthly ministry or since.

Modern faith healers may claim that the kind of healings Jesus performed have always occurred throughout history and are still happening today. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus’ miracles were unique and undeniable, and the people who witnessed them responded in utter shock. As the crowds stated in Mark 2:12 after Jesus healed a paralyzed man, “We have never seen anything like this.” A similar response is recorded in Matthew 9:33, after Jesus delivered a mute man who was demon-possessed: “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” Though Jesus delegated His miraculous power to the apostles in order to authenticate their ministries (Mark 6:7–13; Acts 3:1–10; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3–4), supernatural gifts of healing and miracle working passed away when the apostolic age ended.

Jesus performed miracles, not to provide free health care but to affirm the true gospel and to validate His claim to be the messianic King, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world (cf. John 10:38). His miracles leave no reasonable doubt about His authority over demons and disease, over both the spiritual and physical creation. They showcased His power to conquer sin and Satan, and confirmed His ability both to rescue souls from sin, death, and hell and to raise bodies from the grave for eternal life.

In Matthew’s parallel account, he concluded these events by making a reference to Isaiah 53:4. Matthew writes, “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases’” (8:17). Jesus fulfilled this passage in at least three ways. First, He sympathized with the pain and sickness of those whom He healed, since He knew perfectly the agony of their hearts (John 2:25; Heb. 4:15). The gospel writers repeatedly tell of Jesus’ compassion for those who experienced His healing touch (Matt. 9:36; 15:32; Mark 1:41; Luke 10:33). He bore the weight of human suffering by commiserating with those who experienced it. Second, He grieved over the destructive power that causes physical suffering—sin itself. When Jesus wept at Lazarus’s tomb, it was not because His friend had died, since He knew Lazarus would soon be raised to life. Rather, it was due to the reality of sin, that brings suffering and death to every person (Rom. 5:12). He could not witness the pain of sickness and death without simultaneously being saddened by the effects of the curse. Third, and most importantly, Jesus took our infirmities and carried away our diseases by conquering sin so completely that, ultimately, all sickness and suffering will be eliminated. The King provided a foreshadowing of the glorious nature of His eternal kingdom, from which all sorrow and disease will be banished forever.

In order to redeem men and women from the devastating effects of sin, Jesus Himself would have to suffer and die. Sickness, sorrow, and death could not be permanently removed until sin itself was defeated. Through His death, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, and through His resurrection, He conquered death. Thus, by dying and rising again, the Lord Jesus defeated both sin and death for all who would put their faith in Him.

Christ’s work of redemption will ultimately be fulfilled for believers in the future, when they receive their resurrection bodies (cf. Rom. 8:22–25; 13:11). On that glorious day, all who have trusted in Christ will be given physical bodies that are forever free from sin, disease, and the threat of death. Though that hope is yet future for those on this side of the grave, Jesus proved that He is able to fulfill that promise by what He did throughout His ministry.

THE POWER OF HIS ACTION

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. (1:35)

Given the massive crowds that had gathered in front of Peter’s house just after sunset, Jesus’ ministry to the sick and infirm must have lasted well into the night. It was likely long past midnight before the last of the people had left. After such an exhausting day of ministry, Jesus needed more refreshment than mere sleep could provide.

So in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. The proof of His person had been demonstrated in His miracles, but the power behind His action was prayer. He was subject to the will of the Father and operating in the power of the Spirit. Consequently, a time of private communion with His Father was critical. Before the sun even came up, Jesus got up, which suggests that He had been sleeping—even if it had only been for a few short hours—and He went away to a secluded place in order to enjoy fellowship with His Father. The word translated secluded place (erēmos) is the same word translated “wilderness” earlier in Mark 1 (vv. 3, 4, 12, 13).

The Gospels record several occasions when Jesus went to an isolated place in order to pray (cf. Matt. 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42; John 6:15). Of course, those were not the only times that He prayed. His entire ministry was marked by continual communication with His Father. Jesus prayed before His baptism (Luke 3:21), before calling the Twelve (Luke 6:12–13), before feeding the multitude (John 6:11), at His transfiguration (Luke 9:28–29), before He raised Lazarus (John 11:41–42), in the upper room (Matt. 26:26–27), in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36–46), and even while hanging on the cross (Matt. 27:46). The perfect unity that existed between Jesus and the Father is highlighted in John 17:1–26, where an extended prayer of Christ is recorded. He always prayed that all those things that were in the will of God would be accomplished (cf. Matt. 26:39, 42), and He taught His disciples to do the same (Matt. 6:10).

Jesus’ prayer life was more than just a model for His disciples to follow. It was an essential part of His obedience and submission. In the incarnation, the Son of God set aside the independent use of His divine attributes (cf. Phil. 2:6–7). He humbled Himself in becoming human, relying fully on the plan of the Father and the power of the Spirit. That is why He repeatedly explained that He only did what the Father told Him to do, and that even His miracles were performed through the power of the Holy Spirit. At every point, He was fully dependent on the Father and the Spirit. He relied on them completely for the means to fulfill His mission. It was because He was always fully submissive and totally dependent that He prayed.

THE PRIORITY OF HIS MISSION

Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. (1:36–39)

Simon Peter woke up the next morning to realize that Jesus was gone. Apparently, large crowds had again assembled near Peter’s house, in the hope that Jesus would continue His healing ministry from the previous day. When they realized He wasn’t there, the people began looking for Him (cf. Luke 4:42). Peter and his companions (likely including Andrew, James, and John) joined the hunt and searched for Him. When the search party eventually found Him, Peter said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” The entire population of Capernaum joined the hunt to locate Jesus (Luke 4:42). But, like the crowds who hoped for a free breakfast the morning after Jesus fed the thousands (cf. John 6:24–26), and so many others (cf. John 2:24–25), these crowds had nothing more than a superficial self-interest in Jesus.

Jesus had come to preach the good news of His coming kingdom (cf. Mark 1:14–15). His ultimate purpose was not to deliver people from temporal ailments but to save them from sin and eternal judgment. Meeting people’s physical needs was a demonstration of divine compassion and power, but He came to redeem sinners. With that in view, it was time to go and preach the gospel in the neighboring towns and regions. Jesus answered Peter and the other disciples in a way that probably surprised them. Instead of capitalizing on His newfound popularity in Capernaum, Jesus decided to leave. He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” Though He compassionately healed the sick and fed the hungry, Jesus defined His mission in these words, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). On another occasion, He similarly told His listeners, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10 ESV). The Lord sought out lost sinners and called them to repentance through the preaching of the gospel. As Mark earlier explained, “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (1:14–15). Jesus’ miracles validated His gospel message, but miracles themselves could not save anyone. Salvation came only when people responded in repentant faith to gospel preaching.

In keeping with that priority, Jesus chose not to go back to Capernaum that day. Rather, He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons (v. 39). In that single verse, Mark summarizes weeks if not months of time as Jesus continued doing exactly what He had done in Capernaum—preaching the good news and overpowering the demons. In this way, Jesus both validated His identity as the messianic King, while also proclaiming that salvation can be found only through faith in His name (cf. Acts 4:12). When He taught throughout the synagogues of Galilee, His emphasis was on gospel proclamation. The apostle Paul would later articulate the importance of such preaching in Romans 10:13–15:

In this section (1:29–39), Mark succinctly pulls together three core elements of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The proof of His divine kingship was in His miracles. The power that sustained His ministry came from His prayer life, as He submitted to the Father and depended on the Spirit. The priority of His ministry was to preach the gospel to the lost, so that through Him they might have everlasting life.