Bible Reference / Bible Book Studies / Gospel of Luke / Luke 4 / Luke 4:38-44
Quick Summary
After casting a demon out of a man in the Capernaum synagogue, Jesus walks to Simon Peter's house, where Peter's mother-in-law is sick with a high fever. Jesus stands over her and rebukes the fever, and it leaves her. She gets up at once and begins to serve them. When the Sabbath ends at sundown, the whole town brings its sick to the door, and Jesus lays his hands on each one and heals them. Demons come out shouting that he is the Son of God, but he silences them.
Early the next morning Jesus slips away to a deserted place. The crowds find him and beg him to stay, but he tells them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent." Luke's first full day of Jesus' ministry ends with Jesus moving on, because the good news he announced in Nazareth was meant for everyone.
Scripture Reference
Passage: Luke 4:38-44
Parallel accounts: Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-39
Setting: Simon Peter's house in Capernaum on the Sabbath, then a deserted place outside town the next morning
Placement in Luke: directly after Jesus casts out a demon in the Capernaum synagogue (Luke 4:31-37) and before Jesus calls the first disciples (Luke 5:1-11)
One Day in Capernaum
Luke 4:31-44 reads like a single, crowded day. It begins in the synagogue with teaching and an exorcism, moves into a private home for a healing, spills into the street at sunset as the whole town gathers at the door, and ends the next morning with Jesus slipping away to pray. Luke shows Jesus moving between public ministry and personal encounters without missing a step. His care for the individual and his mission to the many belong to the same work.
Simon's Mother-in-Law Is Sick (Luke 4:38)
In the King James Version, Luke 4:38 reads: "And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her."
Jesus goes from the public space of the synagogue to the private space of a family home. Archaeologists in Capernaum have uncovered a first-century house, a short walk from the synagogue, that early Christians later turned into a church. Many identify it as this very house.
The house belongs to Simon, whom we know better as Peter. Mark adds that it was the home of Simon and his brother Andrew, and that James and John came along (Mark 1:29). The detail that Peter had a mother-in-law tells us Peter was married. Paul later mentions that Peter, whom he calls Cephas, traveled with his wife on his missionary journeys (1 Corinthians 9:5).
A "Great Fever"
Luke says she was "taken with a great fever," while Mark says simply that she lay sick with a fever. Ancient Greek medical writers sometimes classified fevers as "great" or "small," and some readers see this as the precise language of Luke, whom Paul calls "the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14). Scholars debate how much weight that detail can carry, but Luke's phrasing does stress how serious her condition was. In a world without antibiotics, a high fever could easily kill. Perhaps the family had already exhausted what the local healers could do.
The phrase "they besought him for her" shows the family interceding. Having just watched Jesus free a man from a demon, they trust him with something closer to home.
Jesus Rebukes the Fever (Luke 4:39)
In the KJV, Luke 4:39 reads: "And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them."
"He stood over her." Mark says Jesus took her by the hand and lifted her up (Mark 1:31). Luke pictures Jesus standing over her bed, a posture of both care and command.
"Rebuked the fever." This is the most striking detail in the passage. The Greek verb epitimaō is the same word Luke used a few verses earlier when Jesus "rebuked" the demon in the synagogue (4:35), and it will appear again when Jesus rebukes the wind and waves (Luke 8:22-25). Jesus speaks to the fever as though it were a hostile power. For Luke, sickness, demons, and chaos are all enemies of God's good creation, and Jesus has authority over every one of them.
"Immediately she arose." The healing is instant and complete. There is no long recovery or lingering weakness. She gets up on her own.
"She Arose and Ministered unto Them"
The Greek verb for "ministered" is diakoneō, the root of the word "deacon." It means to serve, often at a table. It is easy to read this as a woman simply returning to kitchen duty, but Luke uses this word with care throughout his Gospel.
The same word describes the women who traveled with Jesus and supported his ministry from their own resources, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna (Luke 8:1-3). Martha's "serving" in Luke 10:38-42 uses the same word family. And at the Last Supper, Jesus describes his own life with it: "I am among you as he that serveth" (Luke 22:27, KJV), in his teaching on who is the greatest.
Peter's mother-in-law is the first person in Luke to respond to Jesus' healing by serving. Her service shows that she has been fully restored, and it points to the right response to Jesus' work in our own lives: serving others.
Healing at Sunset (Luke 4:40)
In the KJV, Luke 4:40 reads: "Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them."
"When the sun was setting." This was still the Sabbath, and the Jewish day ended at sundown. Carrying a sick person on a mat could count as work forbidden on the Sabbath, so the people of Capernaum waited until the moment the Sabbath ended. Then the whole town came. Mark adds that "all the city was gathered together at the door" (Mark 1:33).
"Divers diseases." "Divers" is older English for "various." People brought every kind of ailment imaginable.
"He laid his hands on every one of them." Only Luke tells us this. Jesus could have healed the crowd with a single word from the doorway. Instead he touched each person, one at a time, into the night. Many in that culture avoided contact with the sick for fear of impurity or contagion, and Jesus touches them anyway, as he will soon touch a man with leprosy (Luke 5:12-16). His care was personal, never mass-produced. The laying on of hands continues in the early church as a sign of blessing, healing, and the gift of the Spirit (baptism and the laying on of hands in Acts).
For more Scripture on this theme, see Bible verses about healing.
Jesus Silences the Demons (Luke 4:41)
In the KJV, Luke 4:41 reads: "And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ."
Once again, the demons recognize Jesus before the people do. They call him "the Son of God," the same title the devil used in the wilderness ("If thou be the Son of God," Luke 4:3) and the title the voice from heaven spoke at his baptism. Luke adds that they knew he was "Christ," the Messiah.
So why silence them? Jesus refuses to let demons be his heralds. Their announcement, however accurate, would come from the wrong source and at the wrong time. Many people expected a political Messiah who would drive out Rome, and a crowd shouting "Messiah!" could easily push Jesus toward that role. Jesus reveals his identity on his own terms, and Luke shows that the full meaning of "Christ" will only become clear through the cross and resurrection (Luke 24:26).
This is also the third "rebuke" in a single day: the demon in the synagogue, the fever in the house, and the demons at the door. One authority covers them all. For a full list of exorcisms in Luke, see every time Jesus casts out demons in Luke.
Jesus Withdraws to a Deserted Place (Luke 4:42)
In the KJV, Luke 4:42 reads: "And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them."
After a night of healing, Jesus leaves before the town wakes. The Greek word for "desert place" is erēmos, the same word Luke used for the wilderness where Jesus was tempted (4:1). Mark tells us why Jesus went there: to pray (Mark 1:35).
Withdrawing to pray is one of Luke's favorite portraits of Jesus. He withdraws to pray after healing a leper (5:16), spends a night in prayer before choosing the Twelve (Luke 6:12-16), prays before Peter's confession (Luke 9:18-20), teaches his disciples to pray (Luke 11:1-13), and prays in agony on the Mount of Olives. The busiest stretch of his ministry is surrounded by solitude with the Father.
The crowds track him down and "stayed him," meaning they tried to hold on to him and keep him from leaving. The contrast with Nazareth is striking. Nazareth drove Jesus out; Capernaum tries to keep him in. Both towns want Jesus on their own terms.
"I Must Preach the Kingdom of God to Other Cities" (Luke 4:43)
In the KJV, Luke 4:43 reads: "And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent."
This short verse carries some of the most important words in Luke's Gospel.
"I must." The Greek word dei expresses divine necessity, something that has to happen because it is God's will. Luke uses it at key moments in Jesus' life. As a boy in the Temple, Jesus says, "I must be about my Father's business" (Luke 2:49). He tells his disciples that the Son of Man "must suffer many things" (Luke 9:22). He tells Zacchaeus, "to day I must abide at thy house" (Luke 19:5). Jesus' travel plans follow the Father's purpose.
"Preach." The Greek verb is euangelizomai, "to announce good news," the same word Jesus read from Isaiah in Nazareth: "he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor" (4:18).
"The kingdom of God." This is the first time the phrase "kingdom of God" appears in Luke. It will become the central theme of Jesus' preaching, from the mustard seed and yeast to the coming of the kingdom, and it also closes Luke's two-volume work, as Paul preaches the kingdom in Rome (Acts 28:17-31). For more on this theme, see Bible verses about the kingdom of God and the kingdom of God in the book of Acts.
"For therefore am I sent." In Nazareth, Jesus read, "he hath sent me" (4:18). Here he repeats it. The chapter closes where his first sermon began: Jesus knows exactly why he was sent, and no single town gets to keep him.
Jesus Preaches in the Synagogues (Luke 4:44)
In the KJV, Luke 4:44 reads: "And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee." Most modern translations read "Judea" instead of "Galilee," following the oldest Greek manuscripts.
That reading can be confusing, since Jesus is clearly in Galilee at this point in the story. Luke sometimes uses "Judea" in a broad sense to mean the whole land of the Jews, including Galilee (see Luke 1:5; 23:5). Copyists who expected "Galilee" likely changed the word to match Mark 1:39. Either way, the point is the same: Jesus' mission keeps moving outward.
How Did Jesus Know Peter Before Calling Him?
Readers sometimes notice that Luke tells this story before Jesus calls Peter to follow him in Luke 5:1-11. How did Jesus end up in Peter's home before Peter became a disciple?
The other Gospels help fill in the picture. John tells us Peter first met Jesus through his brother Andrew, near the Jordan River where John the Baptist was baptizing (John 1:35-42). By the time Jesus visited Peter's house in Capernaum, they already knew each other. The scene in Luke 5 is Peter's moment of full commitment, when he leaves his nets and everything else to follow Jesus. Having watched Jesus heal his own mother-in-law, Peter had every reason to trust him.
Translation Comparison: Luke 4:38-44
Luke 4:38. The KJV says "Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever"; the NRSV says "suffering from a high fever" and the ESV "ill with a high fever"; the NLT says "very sick with a high fever." All describe a serious, dangerous fever.
Luke 4:39. The KJV says she "ministered unto them"; the NRSV and ESV say she "began to serve them"; the NLT says she "prepared a meal for them." The Greek diakoneō means to serve, often at table, and is the root of "deacon."
Luke 4:41. The KJV says "devils" and "Christ"; the NRSV and ESV say "demons" and "the Christ" or "the Messiah"; the NLT says "demons" and "the Messiah." The Greek has daimonia (demons) and Christos (Anointed One, Messiah).
Luke 4:44. The KJV says "the synagogues of Galilee"; the NRSV, ESV, and NLT say "Judea." The oldest manuscripts read "Judea," which Luke can use broadly for the land of the Jews.
Luke 4:38-44 Meaning for Today
Jesus' compassion is personal. He laid his hands on every one of them. His care is never distant or detached. He knows our struggles intimately and meets us where we are.
Faith works in community. The family asked Jesus to help Peter's mother-in-law, and the town carried its sick to his door. We are reminded of the importance of interceding for others and bringing them to Jesus together. For more, see Bible verses about intercessory prayer.
Healing leads to service. Peter's mother-in-law got up and served. Gratitude for what Jesus has done should move us to serve others and advance his mission. See also Bible verses about serving others.
Jesus has authority over all. His power over illness and demons reassures us that no situation is beyond his reach. Whether we face physical sickness, spiritual struggles, or emotional burdens, Jesus is able to bring restoration.
Jesus keeps moving. The people of Capernaum wanted to keep Jesus for themselves. Churches and Christians face the same temptation, holding on to what God has done for us instead of carrying it to "other cities also." The kingdom of God is always on the move.
FAQ: Jesus Heals Peter's Mother-in-Law (Luke 4:38-44)
Who was Peter's mother-in-law? The Bible does not give her name. She lived in Simon Peter's house in Capernaum and was sick with a high fever when Jesus healed her. She immediately got up and served Jesus and his companions (Luke 4:38-39; Mark 1:29-31; Matthew 8:14-15).
Was Peter married? Yes. The fact that Peter had a mother-in-law means he was married, and Paul mentions that Peter (Cephas) traveled with his wife during his ministry (1 Corinthians 9:5).
Why did Jesus rebuke the fever? Luke uses the same word, "rebuke," for Jesus' command to the demon in the synagogue and to the storm on the lake. Jesus treats sickness as a hostile power that has no right over God's people, and he speaks to it with the same authority he uses over evil spirits.
What does Luke 4:40 mean? Luke 4:40 describes the people of Capernaum bringing their sick to Jesus at sunset, when the Sabbath ended, and Jesus laying his hands on each one and healing them. It shows both the scale of Jesus' healing ministry and its personal care for every individual.
Why did Jesus not let the demons speak in Luke 4:41? Jesus refused to let demons announce his identity. Their testimony came from the wrong source, and a crowd excited about a political Messiah could misunderstand his mission. Jesus revealed who he was on his own terms, through his teaching, his miracles, and finally the cross and resurrection.
What does Luke 4:43 mean? In Luke 4:43, Jesus says he must preach the kingdom of God to other towns because that is why he was sent. The verse expresses Jesus' sense of divine purpose ("I must") and marks the first mention of "the kingdom of God" in Luke's Gospel.
Why does Luke 4:44 say Judea instead of Galilee? The oldest manuscripts of Luke read "Judea," while later manuscripts, followed by the KJV, read "Galilee." Luke sometimes uses "Judea" broadly for the whole land of the Jews, including Galilee.
How did Jesus know Peter before he called him as a disciple? According to John 1:35-42, Peter first met Jesus through his brother Andrew. By the time of this healing, they already knew each other, and Peter's formal call to leave everything and follow Jesus comes in Luke 5:1-11.
Works Consulted
Darrell L. Bock, Luke (NIV Application Commentary)
Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke (New International Commentary on the New Testament)
John Nolland, Luke 1-9:20 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke I-IX (Anchor Bible)
