Peter's wife's mother was sick with fever. In the
Talmud, fever is described as a fire. The original Greek implies that she was seriously ill. Those present mention her illness to Jesus. He walked over to her, took her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. Silas Henderson notes that in Mark's gospel, the Greek word translated as "helped her up" is the same used later in Mark 16:6 by the angel at the tomb when he tells the women that Jesus "has been raised". Henderson views this as Mark making a connection to the Resurrection, suggesting that a woman grievously ill has been restored to new life demonstrated by service to others. Following this event, the Gospels report that at sunset, "the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness or were demon-possessed, and laying his hands on each one, Jesus healed them and cast demons out of them" ().
Biblical commentator Matthew Henry used the incident to argue that "Christ ... showed that he approved of the
married state, by being thus kind to Peter's wife's relations".
Ambrose of Milan writes that, "the fever of the
soul is the fire of
concupiscence, the burning heat of
lust, of
gluttony, of
pride, of
envy, etc." ==Commentary from the Church Fathers==