So he touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve him.
Matthew 8:15 (CSB)
Peter was one of Jesus’ first followers, and his wife’s mother was in bed with a fever when Jesus came to their house in Capernaum. Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her at once.
Peter’s mother-in-law did not need days to get her strength back. She got up and began to serve Jesus right away, which shows us that the healing was complete. Mark and Luke tell us she served the others in the house too, but Matthew wants us to notice what she did for Jesus.
To serve someone means to do what they need, like cooking a meal, giving a ride, or sitting with a person who is sick. We ought to use the strength and gifts God gives us to serve Him and other people. Everything we have came from Him.
And Jesus served us first. He said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). A ransom is a price paid to set someone free, and Jesus paid it with His own life so that everyone who trusts Him is forgiven.