Today’s gospel miracle is a short one: Peter’s mother-in-law has a fever, Jesus takes her by the hand & lifts her up & she’s healed & waits on them. End of story. But it doesn’t tell us what disease she had, just a symptom: a fever.
The Greek word for fever means “burning up.” Could she have been burning up in the sense that she was emotionally upset? My mom used to say that when she was upset: “That really burns me up!” Peter’s mother-in-law had a son-in-law who left his work to follow a preacher. How would he take care of her daughter? That might have burned her up!
Job was so emotionally upset he felt he’d never be happy again. We’ve all felt that way. So how does Jesus heal us? He takes us by the hand & lifts us up by reminding us that while we love others, we can’t run their lives; they have to make their own decisions, even if we think (or know) they’re the wrong ones. Jesus assures us: God has a plan though we may not see it now. Trust him. Let him lift you up.