Often, we just read past miracle passages in the Gospel like we do newspaper articles and miss a lot of vital details. Like how Jesus talked to illnesses and commanded them to scram. And they obeyed. Once, Jesus came to Peter’s house and found his mother-in-law “suffering” (hinting at how serious it was) from “high fever.” Gospel accounts say he rebuked the fever, touched the in-law and helped her stand up. Immediately, says Mark, the in-law was healed and stood up to serve them.
If you’re a big fan of Jesus, besides loving him as your God, Savior and Lord, you’d drop everything you’re doing and stop to watch scenes like this in the bible closely. You won't stop till you see them for yourself. You have to see everything “with your own two eyes,” because nothing else is more important. A lot of theology smart Alecks would mock at this, but it’s a powerful way of understanding and imbibing GOD’s Word—actually seeing bible scenes with our spirit, as if watching a movie. Sometimes, we even find ourselves in the midst of it all, taking part (becoming a Jesus stalker).
We fix our eyes on what is unseen [2 Corinthians 4.18]
Jesus “rebuked” the fever. He actually talked to it. The last time I looked, “rebuke” means “expressing with words one’s sharp disapproval of something,” or “speaking angrily to someone.” Imagine getting sick and then someone comes talking angrily to your fever. Or, have it the other way around--someone's sick and you come and talk angrily to his fever.
Jesus spoke to the high fever angrily and disapprovingly and commanded it to leave. And it did. The fever actually obeyed Him. It was crazy witnessing the whole thing. I wonder what Peter or his in-law thought about it. Or Peter's wife. Nothing's mentioned about any of them questioning Jesus' actions (especially not the patient, the in-law), seeing him talk to her fever like that. I mean, angrily. Today's smart-Aleck religious people will think it stupid.
There’s no mention of Jesus “commanding” the fever, but by simply using your Holy Spirit imagination, you clearly see this taking place. It can be safely assumed, and I guarantee it as a Jesus Stalker. Anything assumed or "added" that magnifies Jesus' glory is safe, compared to how smart Alecks question and subtract from Jesus' glory or decide whether Jesus or Paul or parts of the New Testament are authentic.
I'd rather blow out of proportions God's glory and HIS Word and claim extravagantly His promises in the bible--give them excessive or highly preposterous applications today--rather than diminish or weaken God's Word by deciding which ones are still applicable today and which ones have become "obsolete," as smart Alecks say.
Jesus talked to the fever (scolded or rebuked it) and it left. Probably, something to this effect: “Get out of her, you fever!” Or perhaps, a word of rebuke: "GO!" Just a short sentence or a word like that from Jesus and everything stands at attention, submits and goes to its proper place. He showed how easy miracles are. All you need is a word from Jesus, and Jesus is easy to persuade about releasing a rhema word for a miracle if you really believe it.
And here’s the thing--the fever “decided” to obey and leave. Jesus didn’t merely take away the illness, like how painkiller meds would take away pain. He rebuked it (talked to it) and the fever responded by leaving. The pain didn't just subside. IT LEFT. This reveals so much about the spirit realms and how we should operate in it.
The fever “left.” Smart Alecks will say it's just a figure of speech.
When someone or something leaves, it’s a decision of the will. This means the high fever heard Jesus speak and understood him. And then it decided to leave because it knew it had no choice. The KING had released the edict. In the spirit realms, illnesses have the ability to decide to leave or stay. So with other things, like stones crying out Hosanna (remember the time when Jesus entered Jerusalem and said the stones would cry out if the people didn't shout Hosanna? The stones were waiting on hold, observing if no one would praise the KING. If no one did, they would've shouted literally), or prophets calling heaven and earth to witness a prophetic declaration. Jesus also talked to a fig tree as Moses was commanded to “talk” to the rock to make it gush out water.
Real faith and ministry have something to do with the power to talk to creation (and even to emptiness or to non-existence) and command it. Jesus said anything he did we also could do, and Paul assured how we sit on the very throne where Jesus sits.
"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.." [Ephesians 2.6]
God talked to emptiness and spoke creation into existence. "Let there be light." Then something in nothingness moved and responded in obedience. "And then there was light." The Lord also talked to the ground. "Let the land produce vegetation," and land all over the earth obliged and did everything to make happen exactly as its Creator had spoken. It had to obey.
All creation responds to a Word released from God's mouth.
With mere simple words, the universe with all its trillion celestial elements and complexities, came into being and started to assume their proper places. The spoken Word is powerful. Elijah boldly declared that severe drought would happen, with zero rainfall except “at my word.” The spoken Word from God’s mouth released from our mouths effects radical creative miracles to whatever or whoever we speak it to. This supernatural power is promised to us by Jesus Christ.
“Anyone who has faith in me will do the things I am doing. And greater things shall he do because I go to the Father.”
Talking to creation or objects with the authority of Jesus Christ by speaking in His Name—we have been granted this power. Once creation discerns that we have God’s authority as His children because of Jesus in us, creation will obey without hesitation.
“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.” [Romans 8.19]
Creation and everything else will obey us if we exercise in full, unwavering faith the authority we have in Jesus, which the church has yet to discover and actually do. We can rebuke and command sickness to go, and God in his faithfulness will back up our words. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. "If HE did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us, how will he not also freely give us all things, along with Jesus?"
"(GOD) who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, [Isaiah 44.26]
The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground. [1 Samuel 3.19]
The Word from God is powerful when spoken by his servants. And Jesus did a demo on this by talking to the high fever and telling it to leave the in-law's body. See the dynamics of healing? Part of it is commanding creation to obedience and internalizing the truth that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. We are co-heirs with Christ. What's Christ is also ours by God's grace. Paul said all things are ours. We have to live these truths daily.
All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. [1 Corinthians 3]
Unfortunately, to date, the church has not fully realized these supernatural Kingdom principles which God expects the church to fulfill in these last days, before Jesus comes back. They're still stuck in their human theology and philosophy, denominationalism and in their nice church programs and cute ministries. But the genuine things of God they mock.
But one day, soon, we will learn and begin talking to illnesses, too. But everything has to start with total surrender to Jesus.
Surrendering to Jesus
Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Then receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord, then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do, but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ.
Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.
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