Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 8:14

"And when Jesus was come into Peter`s house, he saw his wife`s mother lying sick of a fever." — Matthew 8:14 (ASV)

And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house — Mark (Mark 1:29) and Luke (Luke 4:38) relate more specifically that it was on the Sabbath, after our Lord had taught in the synagogue and healed a man possessed by a demon. The sons of Zebedee and of Jona were all present. When the service was over, they came to the house where Peter had apparently settled after his marriage, though he was born in Bethsaida (John 1:44).

His wife’s mother — The fact of Peter's marriage has, understandably, been given almost undue prominence in the Protestant argument against the enforced celibacy of the clergy. It has been said, “Here is the apostle from whom the Bishop of Rome claims succession, married when called to his office and never separated from his wife. And yet, Rome declares the marriage of priests to be unlawful and stigmatizes it as worse than concubinage.”

Compelling as this may sound, it is ultimately only an argumentum ad hominem. If the situation were different, we would not have admitted that the celibacy of the chief of the apostles was a reason to compel all bishops, elders, and deacons of the Church to follow his example. As it is, all that can be argued is that there is an inconsistency in accepting these facts while also treating marriage as incompatible with the sacred office of ministry. The Church of Rome might answer that experience, the teaching of the Spirit, or the moral authority of the saints and Fathers of the Church outweighed the conclusion drawn from Peter’s example.

Ultimately, the question must be discussed on broader ethical and social, as well as scriptural, grounds. In that argument, it is believed that those who advocate for Christian liberty (1 Corinthians 9:5), as being most in harmony with the mind of Christ, are not likely to lose the debate.

Sick of a fever — Luke, with a physician's precision, adds that she had “a great fever.” He also notes that they (Peter, John, and the others) asked Jesus about her, as if consulting him about a case they had almost given up on.