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Simon-Peter’s Mother-in-Law is today’s hero because she showed us the gift of Health
Essential Teachers notes:
This story uses Simon-Peter (delete which ever half of the name you wish). It is assumed that most teachers will choose Peter as it gives the character more continuity throughout the stories.
The story is told from a third perspective, that of Simon-Peter’s wife. This is a lovely story to act out as a mime. include the food groups if you wish. You may want to write the 3 questions out, in large letters, on separate sheets of paper. These can be discussed after the story, the ‘answers’ are only suggestions!
Main Passage : Luke 4
Other passages : Matthew 8
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Today’s story is about 2 women, we don’t know either of their names but some people think the
Simon-Peter’s wife was called Febronia, so we’ll use that name for our story.
Febronia was married to one of Jesus’ disciples, Simon-Peter. Simon-Peter and Febronia lived with Febronia’s mum. This story is about Simon-Peter’s mother-in-Law, or Febronia’s mum.
On the day this happened Febronia was getting worried. Her mother lay in the upper room on the softest bed they could make. She looked weak and pale, she had a fever and a high temperature. Simon-Peter had been gone all day with Jesus and she needed him to come home now. A fever was very dangerous for adults in bible times.
The problem was, she couldn’t go out again to fetch Simon-Peter because it was Sabbath. The rules for the Sabbath were very clear. The Sabbath was a day of rest, you couldn’t cook, or clean, or travel very far at all. You could only travel about 100 meters. They had already travelled to the synagogue to pray that morning, and then to the doctor. But the doctor couldn’t work either. By then the fever had got worse and they had put her to bed. They had probably already travelled too far and done too much. Now nothing seemed to help.
Febronia moved round the kitchen area looking for the plates of food they had prepared the day before. There was bread and soft cheese, some salted fish and soft round sweet cakes. She took the wine and mixed it with water. The men would be hungry when they got home. She went looking for some fruit but only found a small plate of dates. Her mother would have hidden the sweet figs. The sun was just starting to come down and soon the men would return for their meal.
Upstairs she found her mother’s fever seemed even worse. She wasn’t sure if her mother would be alive when the doctor arrived tomorrow. She was about to burst into tears when she heard a shout from downstairs. Her husband was home.
Simon-Peter was not alone. He came into the upper room with some men, other followers of the teacher Jesus, and Jesus himself. Simon looked at his mother in law on the bed and then at Jesus. As Febronia watched Jesus walked over to her mother and did something amazing. He took her hand. Good Jews didn’t touch people who were ill. Then he told the fever to leave her alone, he healed her… on the Sabbath! Febronia was amazed, she just stared at Jesus.
But her mother didn’t seem so surprised. She sat up, straightened her clothes, and asked Febronia if she had set the table and found the figs. Febronia shook her head. Her mother had been so ill just a moment ago, and now she was telling everyone to go wash their hands, and, that she was going to find the figs. Soon all the men were sitting enjoying the food and Febronia’s mother was handing round a plate of the sweetest looking figs you’d ever seen.
When everybody had eaten Febronia finally got to talk to her mother
What do you think she asked?
Why was the mother not surprised?
because she had listened to Simon-Peter talking about Jesus, she knew he could heal.
Why did she get up and serve straight away?
Jesus had served her by making her well, she was serving him with the job God had given her
Where were the figs hidden?
she’s not going to say otherwise she can’t use that hiding place again!
Simon-Peter’s Mother-in-Law is today’s hero because she showed us the gift of Health
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