It’s not often that a single word in a biblical passage catches my eye in such a profound manner as this example: “And she [Simon’s mother-in-law] began to serve them” (Mark 1:31).
So, here’s the scene. The location is still Capernaum, and Simon’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever (Jesus has not yet renamed Simon ‘Peter’). As I mentioned last week, in Capernaum today there stands a modern, almost spacecraft-like church, straddling an archeological site. (In fact, all of Capernaum is an archeological site.) This particular site is, according to tradition, the remains of Simon’s mother-in-law’s house. The site dates from the First Century and was discovered beneath the remains of a Fourth Century church, a stone’s-throw from the ancient synagogue. The house contains Christian markings – symbols carved into the stone. And the house is large, with multiple rooms, and a courtyard – the kind of place in which a large family would have lived. (“… they entered the house of Simon and Andrew…” vs. 29.)
(Interestingly, modern-day Palestinian homes can also be very large structures, because multiple generations live under the same roof. As each son marries, another story is constructed; and he, his wife, and subsequent children live alongside the extended family – with the mother in charge! In fact, a house with a completed roof is a sign of a completed family. Otherwise, the unfinished top story awaits the next marriage.) In this account, Jesus’ battle is not with the forces of absolute evil, but with the relative evil of sickness which robs one of connection, community, and potentially life itself. And so, Jesus takes the woman by the hand (touch connects two people; it is a loving sign; and is part of so many biblical healing accounts). And Jesus “raises” her up from sickness, just as he will touch, and raise Jairus’ daughter up from death (5:41).
As I mentioned last week, biblical healings accomplish a restoration to life, relationships, and community. But to what is Simon’s mother-in-law restored? “Then the fever left her, and she began to serve” (vs. 31). Diakonos is the word used here to describe the woman’s service. And although it is a common word, often used to described domestic service or the act of waiting tables, it also carries a heavier, more theological meaning. This is the word used by Jesus in response to the request of James and John that they be allowed to sit on either side of Jesus when he is in his glory: “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant” (Mark 10:43). It is also the word used in Mark 15:41 to describe the love shown to him in Galilee by the women who now stand at the foot of the cross: “… who followed him when he was in Galilee and ministered to him, and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.”
Paul tells us that Simon’s wife accompanied Simon in his ministry (1 Corinthians 9:5) – apparently his mother-in-law served also.
