The Work of the Healer; Luke 4:38-41

Delivered during the Sunday morning worship service, 11/7/2021. Luke's introduction to the ministry of the Christ continues with a second miraculous healing on the Sabbath in Capernaum. Peter's mother-in-law is "thrown down" with a debilitating fever. In the pose of a true Physician, Jesus hovers over the sick woman and heals her-- immediately, completely and purposefully. We will look at this tender image both literally and symbolically-- pairing it with the exorcism of the demon in the preceding passage. In discussing the true mission and purpose of the Messiah, we will determine that although physical healings were important and a sign of Jesus' compassion-- the real healing of the Messiah is the healing of the underlying problem of sin. We will consider these events in the light of Jesus' earlier quote from Isaiah 61, and rejoice as we realize that the true work of the Healer is the salvation of souls!