In Luke’s narrative we find some things we already know from Matthew and Mark. But “Dr. Luke” is more precise as far as the “diagnosis and treatment” of the sickness is concerned. It is Luke who tells us that the mother-in-law had a “high fever.” In those days without antibiotics and other medical help, this was a life-threatening situation. In such a situation the disciples “asked Him to help her.” They prayed with a precise point to ask for. We have the liberty of asking the Lord for specific help.

In healing Peter’s mother-in-law, we do not read about simply taking her by the hand or saying a word, but Luke describes the Lord’s actions very vividly: “And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her” (Lk. 4:39). This looks very much like other instances where the Lord rebuked demons, asking them to leave. So we may conclude that this sickness of Peter’s mother-in-law was an effort of Satan to hinder the Lord’s work. To prevent a servant from serving the Lord, Satan has two options: he can attack the servant personally, or he can attack his family. In Peter’s case, Satan tried both. He later would attack him personally, in the high priest’s court, and here he attacked his family. The Lord had called Peter to follow, and now his mother-in-law was seriously ill. What should he do? But Satan is again the one who lost.

The same is true when Satan attacked Peter personally. Yes, Peter denied his Lord. But, as has been said, the breaking of Peter was the making of Peter. C. H. Mackintosh has written, “There he stands in the presence of assembled thousands of Jews, and boldly charges them with having ‘denied the Holy One and the Just’—the very thing which he himself had done under circumstances far more aggravating. How could Peter do this? … The answer is blessedly simple … it was the fruit of divine restoration.”