Church Fathers Commentary Mark 1:29-31

"And straightway, when they were come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon`s wife`s mother lay sick of a fever; and straightway they tell him of her: and he came and took her by the hand, and raised her up; and the fever left her, and she ministered unto them." — Mark 1:29-31 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: First, it was right that the serpent's tongue should be silenced so that it would not spread any more venom; then that the woman, who was first seduced, should be healed from the fever of carnal desire.¹

Therefore, it is said, And immediately, when they had come out of the synagogue...

Theophylact of Ohrid: He then retired, as was the custom on the Sabbath day, to eat in His disciples' house in the evening. But she who ought to have ministered was prevented by a fever.

Therefore, it goes on, But Simon’s wife’s mother was lying sick with a fever.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But the disciples, knowing they would receive a benefit by this, prayed for Peter's mother to be healed without waiting for the evening.²

Therefore, it follows, who immediately told Him about her.

The Venerable Bede: But in the Gospel of Luke it is written that they besought Him for her (Luke 4:38). For the Savior, sometimes after being asked and sometimes of His own accord, heals the sick. This shows that He always assents to the prayers of the faithful when they pray against evil passions. Sometimes He gives them understanding of things they do not grasp at all; at other times, when they pray to Him dutifully, He forgives their lack of understanding, as the Psalmist begs of God, Cleanse me, O Lord, from my secret faults (Psalm 19:12).

Therefore, He heals her at their request, for it follows, And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This signifies that God will heal a sick person if he ministers to the saints out of love for Christ.

The Venerable Bede: By giving His gifts of healing and doctrine so profusely on the Sabbath day, He teaches that He is not under the Law, but above the Law. He does not choose the Jewish sabbath, but the true sabbath, and our rest is pleasing to the Lord if, to attend to the health of our souls, we abstain from slavish work—that is, from all unlawful things.³

It goes on, And immediately the fever left her...

The health that is conferred at the Lord's command returns at once, complete and accompanied with such strength that she is able to minister to those whose help she previously needed.⁴

Again, in a moral interpretation, if we suppose the man delivered from the devil represents the soul purged from unclean thoughts, then it is fitting that the woman cured of a fever by God's command represents the flesh, restrained from the heat of its lust by the precepts of continence.

Pseudo-Jerome: For the fever represents intemperance. We, the sons of the synagogueⁱ, are healed from this by the hand of discipline and by the lifting up of our desires, and we then minister to the will of Him who heals us.

Theophylact of Ohrid: A person has a fever who is angry and, in the unruliness of his anger, stretches out his hands to do harm. But if reason restrains his hands, he will arise and thus serve reason.

1. in Marc., 1, 7
2. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc., 1, 32
3. in Marc., 1, 6
4. in Marc., 1, 8