NBBC SS Kids’ Club: Mark 1:29-31

Introduction: Friends, last week we saw the disciples obediently follow Jesus regardless of what they had to leave behind, even good things. Friends, I am praying that you will see the worth in following Jesus, no matter what it costs you.

Have you ever planned to go visit someone only to be told that it was cancelled because they were sick? How did you feel? Were you disappointed? Were you sad that the person was sick?

Today, we’re going to see these four men act in a way that we all need to show towards others.

Content and Explanation: Mark 1:29-31

Mark 1:29 “29 And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.”

Friends, Jesus and these four men just came from a place known as a synagogue.

These places still exist today, you can find one on Tate Springs Rd.

What Jewish people will do is read from the Old Testament, the first half of the Bible, only and make some observations, similar to what we do on Sundays.

Only, they will meet on Saturdays because of the instruction in the 10 Commandments to keep Saturdays, or the Sabbath, as a day of rest unto the Lord.

What’s different for us today, friends, is that since Jesus has risen from the dead and is exalted to God’s right hand where He waits to return to earth, we don’t read from just the Old Testament.

We read from all of the Bible which includes the New Testament.

Additionally, we meet on Sundays because that’s the day of the week Jesus came to life again

Every Sunday is a new opportunity to celebrate that Jesus lives!

We want every day to be a day in which we live to please the Lord.

Additionally, friends, these men and others just witnessed Jesus do something incredible!

They heard Him teach like no one else had in the synagogue.

He taught like He masterfully knew all of the Old Testament.

Illustration: Matthew, what’s the best lure to use in the Brady’s lake?

(Wait for response.)

Why does Matthew know this?

Because Matthew knows how to fish!

Friends, Jesus knew the Old Testament not just because He studied really hard.

Jesus knew the Old Testament because it’s His Word!

They saw Jesus transform a man’s life who was possessed by a demon.

Friends, the enemy, the devil and his demons, are no friends of ours.

They want to destroy us.

They undertake this destruction by lying to us about sin that it’s what we want.

Sin has a very heavy price, friends, that’s why Jesus died.

Only Jesus has the authority over everything, to include the devil and his demons.

So, friends, can you imagine how excited these four men would have been to have seen what they did in Jesus?

“Woohoo, you go Jesus! - You told that demon what was what!”

After a busy day out, friends, where do you want to go?

Home.

Why?

Because you’re tired.

You want to lay in your bed.

You want to eat the delicious food that is made only in your home.

That’s exactly what Jesus and these four men did.

Whose home did they go to?

Simon’s and Andrew’s.

Just to be clear, who else was with Simon and Andrew, besides Jesus?

James and John.

Their house probably wasn’t too far away from the synagogue.

I can just imagine the conversation.

Simon suggests, “Hey, why don’t y’all come to our house? My mother-in-law makes a real tasty dish. And, Jesus, you can be able to relax.”

You see, friends, these men probably came home with the expectation of being able to relax and further enjoy some good fellowship.

Notice how what happens next goes against their expectations.

Mark 1:30 “30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her.”

What did Peter, Andrew, James, and John find when they got to Peter’s and Andrew’s home?

Peter’s mother-in-law was sick.

How sick was this woman?

She was confined to bed.

Have you ever been this sick before? (take answers)

How did you feel when you were this sick? (take answers)

When I’ve been this sick, my body also hurt all over!

When you get sick, what do your parents normally do?

They’ll give you medicine.

They’ll take you to see a doctor to prescribe medicine or treatment to help you get better.

Why would your parents do any of these things for you when you get sick?

It’s because they want for you to feel better.

They don’t want for you to get worse.

They want all of these things because they love and care for you!

We see Peter, Andrew, James, and John do something similar here.

Who do they speak to?

Jesus.

They speak to Jesus because they care about Peter’s mother-in-law.

Wait a moment!

Is Jesus a doctor?

No.

At least, it’s not His job.

So, why would Jesus be the most qualified person to speak with rather than head up the road to get the neighborhood doctor?

Because Jesus is God!

When Jesus heals, He does so by His own power.

You see, when we see the doctor, these are people that the Lord is working through the produce healing.

In reality, any time that there’s healing, it always comes from the Lord.

So, when you get sick and then you’re well again, Who should you be grateful to?

The Lord, that’s right!

Friends, what happens next is absolutely incredible and something that no doctor could ever do!

Mark 1:31 “31 And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them.”

Friends, what was Jesus’ response to the discussion with the four men?

He went to Peter’s sick mother-in-law.

Friends, what did Jesus say to her that made her well?

Nothing.

What did Jesus do then that made her well?

He took her by the hand.

After which she was able to stand and the fever left her.

Friends, no doctor does this!

I went to the doctor the other day and he prescribed me medication.

I was not completely healed by the time I left!

Only Jesus can completely heal like this because He’s God!

Friends, how do we know that Jesus completely healed this woman?

She started the serve them.

She was totally incapable of doing this before.

Application:

Identification of the godly characteristic - Compassion

Friends, when Peter, Andrew, James, and John found out about Peter’s mother-in-law’s illness, what did they do?

They went to speak to Jesus about it.

You know what, friends, they could have responded totally different.

Peter could have gotten mad because he had welcomed a guest to his home only to find out that he needed to take care of someone else.

Friends, have you ever gotten mad when something didn’t go the way that you thought it was going to?

I’m sure that we all have.

Friends, when we get mad about something like this or anything we can respond in a way that doesn’t please the Lord.

We can have a bad attitude and use hurtful words towards others.

We can treat things roughly like if your mom has asked for your help with taking something inside and, because you’re mad, you throw it down on the ground.

You can slam your door when you go to your room because you’re mad!

Getting mad, friends, is sin.

We know that getting mad is a sin according to Ephesians 4:26a “Be angry, and yet do not sin;”

Friends, God hates sin.

He must punish sinners.

But, friends, Jesus live perfectly, died sacrificially for our sins, lives forever and will come back to the earth to reign forever.

Friends, if you have not believed on the Lord Jesus to save you from your sins, including when you get mad, believe on Him today!

But also, friends, Peter and the others could have acted like they didn’t care about how sick Peter’s mother-in-law was.

They could have thought, “Well, I guess we should go somewhere else tonight and let her rest.”

They could have thought that her illness is her problem.

Friends, we can act like this too!

Even though you know that your parents are feeling well, you still pick a fight with your sibling.

Or, maybe you’ve asked your parent about doing something, they’ve already told you no and you ask again - this can definitely make them feel worse!

Friends, what we’re talking about here where you are concerned about yourself, even when others are not feeling well, is called selfishness.

Friends, God hates selfishness too!

Philippians 2:3a “3 Do nothing from selfishness”

Notice, friends, Peter, Andrew, James and John acted differently than we have considered.

Friends, they spoke to Jesus about her out of concern for her.

Friends, when you know someone who is sick or in need, like Peter’s mother-in-law, you too can go to Jesus.

Friends, you can go to Jesus in prayer.

We can ask Jesus to heal others because He’s God.

We can confidently ask Jesus to heal others because in whatever He chooses to do, He’s always good, just like He demonstrated with Peter’s mother-in-law.

Friends, even though Peter, Andrew, James, and John went to Jesus, this didn’t mean that Jesus had to heal her!

Jesus chose to heal her.

Doing this good thing demonstrates that He is good.

Therefore, whatever Jesus does is good.

Friends, We can trust Jesus that, even when He does something we do not expect, it is always good

Friends, we need Jesus to change us that we would peacefully care about others.

Friends, if something unexpected happens that we would be tempted to get mad, we trust the Lord and acknowledge that He’s doing something good.

Friends, because we naturally care about ourselves, we need to ask the Lord to help us care about others, just like He cares for them.

Scripture Memory - Mark 1:30 “30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her.” (repeat)

Conclusion: How do we respond when we don’t get what we want or expected? How do we respond when we hear that someone close to us is not well?

Discussion Questions:

Where were Jesus, James, John, Andrew, and Simon (Peter) coming from? - the synagogue

Where did they go? - to a house

Whose house was this? - Simon’s and Andrew’s

Who was at Andrew’s and Simon’s home that was sick? - Peter’s mother-in-law

What was she sick with? - a fever

How sick was she? - she couldn’t get out of bed

What did Peter, Andrew, James, and John do? - they spoke to Jesus about her condition

What did Jesus do? - He touched her and took her hand to help her to stand

What happened to Peter’s mother-in-law after Jesus touched her and lifted her up? - she was healed

What did Peter’s mother-in-law do after she was healed? - she served Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James, and John

Why would Peter, Andrew, James, and John speak to Jesus about Peter’s mother-in-law? because they were concerned about her

What should you do if you are concerned about someone? - seek the Lord in prayer