Among the basalt stone ruins in Capernaum today, there stands a foundation believed to have been the remains of Peter’s house. Whether it really was Peter’s home divides archeologists, but whether the site is the actual house, the Bible speaks of a miracle that occurred in the house (Mark 1:29-31). Mark recounts the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law in his house in Capernaum and adds a curious remark at the end of verse 31, “and she began to serve them.” He is showing the fullness of her healing.

Jesus healed people completely (with one specific exception in Mark 8:22-26). Jesus didn’t mostly heal the woman who just needed a little time to recuperate. He healed her as if she had never been sick. If she had never been sick, she would have been serving the crowd at the house. This shows the power of Jesus over life itself.

Mark’s comment also looks forward to the salvation Jesus was bringing to the world. All people sin and need spiritual healing (Rom 5:12). Jesus offers that healing. Only through the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God, could humanity be saved. But Jesus doesn’t save people just to enter a life of ease without obligation. Rather, he sets them on a fresh path, the same path as Peter’s mother-in-law—service.

Mark might say of the saved, “Jesus came and took them by the hand and lifted them up, and the sin left them, and they began to serve.” The Bible reveals that the Christian’s life is one of service. Let every Christian join God’s work and serve others through evangelism, edification, and benevolence.