In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

How well do you know Jesus? The early disciples knew Jesus, and yet, they didn't really know him that well yet. Peter, Andrew, James and John would learn much more about Jesus by listening to what he said and observing what he did. Today, the best way to learn about Jesus is to read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These Bible books reveal what our Savior said and did. Let's learn more about our Savior today. Let's...

1. HIS POWER (vv. 29-34)

Jesus revealed his divine power when he healed Peter's mother-in-law. Oh, by the way, this might come as a shock to some Catholics but Peter was married. His wife's mother was staying with them, and she had a fever. She was very sick. The original text literally says that she was burning up with this fever. St. Luke was a medical doctor. He wrote that she was suffering from "a high fever." We aren't told what caused this fever. Did she have a bad case of the flu? Or, was she suffering from some sort of infection? About a week ago, the wife of one of our pastors in Arizona died suddenly. She had some sort of infection inside and it killed her in a matter of hours. Even with modern medicine, there was nothing that could be done. Peter's mother-in-law had a high fever, but Jesus had the power to heal her. St. Luke tells us that Jesus "bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her." Jesus took her by the hand and helped her up. And immediately she was all better! This was a great miracle! She got right up and started waiting on them. Normally, when a fever subsides, a person is all worn out and tired. Peter's mother-in-law was instantly strong and healthy. Jesus healed her! This shows his divine power.

She wasn't the only one. Jesus healed many people suffering from all kinds of diseases. The people of Capernaum gathered at the door and Jesus healed the sick people. There were a lot of sick people, but Dr. Luke tells us that Jesus healed them all. Just imagine what this must have been like! Even if you weren't sick, wouldn't you like to see this?! Here comes a man with lung cancer. He's cured instantly. There he goes. Here comes a little girl on a stretcher. It's sad, because she's paralyzed. Within seconds, she jumps off her mat and is jumping up and down for joy. Jesus healed her too! Here comes a little boy who can't hear or speak, and he starts singing God's praises. He's cured! Jesus healed them all! Imagine! This teaches us about our Savior. He has some serious power! He can do miracles! He has the power of God. But that's not all!...

Jesus drove out many demons too! Apparently, there were many people there who were demon-possessed. Now, there is a difference between sickness and demon-possession. There is a difference between mental illness and demon-possession. Jesus knew the difference. Jesus "drove out the demons" and set the people free. Jesus has power over the devil. People today tend to think that the devil isn't real and that witchcraft is harmless fun. But I must warn you that you better not mess around in witchcraft or you will be sorry. The devil and the demons have a lot of power. We dare not play around with them! But, rest assured, our Savior has far greater power. Jesus has power over the devil! Let's learn some more about our Savior by observing...

2. HIS PRAYING (vv. 35-37)

Do you think you're too busy to pray? Jesus was plenty busy. He had crowds of people chasing him, wanting to be healed. So, he got up early in the morning, while it was still dark, just to have private time to pray to his heavenly Father. Our Savior regarded prayer as more important than sleep. Quite often, we read that Jesus gave up sleep to pray. He did it in the Garden of Gethsemane. He does it here. Sometimes, he would pray all night long. I can't stay awake if I try to pray all night, but Jesus was perfect. See how Jesus squeezed prayer into his daily schedule. He got up early and left the house.

Jesus went to "a solitary place." Our Savior wanted to be alone. He didn't want to be disturbed. I'm pretty sure that Jesus would not have taken his cell phone along, or he would have at least turned it off. How often are our prayers and devotions disturbed when the phone rings, the doorbell rings, or someone jumps into the room and just starts talking. Some things are more important than answering the phone. Prayer is one of them.

We aren't specifically told what Jesus said in his prayer here, but we have many of our Savior's other prayers recorded in the Bible. He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that his Father's will would be done. We have a long prayer in John chapter 17. But why look farther than the Lord's Prayer? Jesus said, "This is how you should pray..." and he taught the Lord's Prayer. I know that the prayer of Jabez has gathered a lot of publicity, but Jesus never told us to pray that prayer. He told us to pray the Lord's Prayer. That is the model prayer for Christians. Too many Christians and Christian churches today are getting away from the Lord's Prayer. This is a mistake. If Jesus says, "This is how you should pray," should we not take notice? Let's listen to our Savior and learn from Jesus how to pray. Do you know what you are praying when you pray the Lord's Prayer? Well, we teach that in confirmation class and in Bible Basics 101. Luther's Small Catechism offers an explanation. Why not take the time to learn more about the prayer our Savior taught us?

Since our Savior is perfect, Jesus is the perfect example to follow in prayer. Now, let me ask you a few soul-searching questions about your prayers. Do you set aside quiet, solitary time to pray? Do you have a set place where you can go to talk to God in private? Do you permit yourself to be interrupted when you are talking to God in prayer? We all fall short of perfection. We aren't perfect in prayer, but Jesus was. He's our Savior! Let's learn a little more about him, by observing...

3. HIS PREACHING (vv. 38-39)

Jesus regarded preaching as top priority. He even says, "This is why I came." Many people looked to Jesus to be a healer, a food producer, a bread king, but in this part of our Savior's ministry, his top priority was preaching. Peter and the others searched for Jesus and finally found him. They said, "Everybody's looking for you!" They seem to imply that Jesus should be doing what the people want. Jesus had healed many people. Now there was pressure to heal more. But that's not why he came! These disciples had much to learn. They were going to learn a lesson in our Savior's priorities. He did not come to do whatever the people wanted.

He said, "Let's go somewhere else." He wanted to preach the gospel in other villages too. When Jesus preached the good news, some people would believe. That's where faith comes from: hearing the message of the gospel! And when Jesus converted people from unbelief to faith that was a greater miracle than all the miracles of physical healing. Jesus would preach the law and the gospel, sin and grace. Jesus said, "Repent and believe the good news!" That was his message. Repent of your sin. Reject it, renounce it, confess it and leave it. Then, believe the good news that Jesus is our Savior. He lived a perfect life. He would carry our sins to the cross and pay for them all when he died on Calvary. He would rise from death with our forgiveness. Believe in Jesus and you will live forever. Repent and believe the good news!

The disciples would learn much more. What about you? Jesus wants us to learn about him. We learned a little today. We can learn more in Bible study. But that's not all. Jesus also said, "Go into all the world and preach the good news." Jesus wants everyone to hear the good news of salvation. I'm holding a card that says, "Come and See." Why not give it to someone? It might make an eternal difference! Jesus was so interested in mission work, he taught us to pray about it in the Lord's Prayer. Did you know that we pray about mission work every time we pray the Lord's prayer? In Bible Basics, I called it the Mission Petition, and may we pray it and apply it to our lives. Here it is: "Thy kingdom come." Amen.