Healing Peter's Mother-in-Law and Many Others.

  ^b 32 And at even, ^a when even was come, ^c when the sun was setting, {^b did set,} ^c all they that had any sick with divers diseases, brought them unto him; ^b they brought unto him all that were sick, and them {^a many} ^b that were possessed with demons. [Their delay till sundown was unquestionably caused by the traditional law of the Sabbath which forbade men to carry any burden on that day ( John 5:10 ). The Sabbath closed at sundown ( Leviticus 23:32 ). The distinction is drawn between the sick and the demon-possessed. Lightfoot gives two reasons why demoniacal possession was so common at that time, viz.: 1, the intense wickedness of the nation; 2, the addiction of the nation to magic, whereby the people invited evil spirits to be familiar with them.] ^c and he laid his hands on every one of them, ^a and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all ^c them ^a that were sick:

  17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet

[ Isaiah 53:4 ], saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases. [Isaiah's vision is progressive; he sees, first, a man of sorrows; second, a man sorrowful because he bore the sickness and sorrows of others; third, a man who also bore sin, and healed the souls of others by so doing. Such was the order of Christ's life. His early years were spent in poverty and obscurity; his days of ministry in bearing, by sympathy and compassion, the sicknesses and sorrows of others ( John 11:35 ; Mark 14:34 ); and in the hour of his crucifixion, he became the world's sin-bearer-- John 1:29 ; 1 Peter 2:24 .]

  17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet

  ^b 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.

  34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many demons;

  ^c 41 And demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying, Thou art the Son of God. And rebuking them, he suffered them {^b the demons} ^c not to speak, ^b because they knew him. ^c that he was Christ.

[Those who are disposed to frequent spiritual seances and to seek information from mediums should remember that the Son of God permitted his disciples to receive no information from such sources. He forbade demons to speak in the presence of his own, even on the most important of all topics.]

  34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many demons;

  ^c 41 And demons also came out from many, crying out, and saying, Thou art the Son of God. And rebuking them, he suffered them {^b the demons} ^c not to speak, ^b because they knew him. ^c that he was Christ.