In-Laws Fight For Your Family

In-Laws – Fight for Your Family

Challenges:
1. Your spouse seems overly attached to their parents.
2. Your in-laws constantly interfere in your marriage, giving unsolicited advice.

Matthew 10:34-36 ESV
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but
a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his
own household.

The men came into the home and found Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with a fever. There were
three types of fever that were common that day.

1. Malta Fever was characterized by weakness, anemia, and wasting away. It lasted several
months and usually ended in death.

2.Intermittent Fever was similar to what is known today as typhoid fever.

3. Mosquito-born malaria, bred in the plain where the Jordan River
meanders into the Sea of Galilee was a problem for the lakeside towns of
Galilee.

Peter’s mother-in-law was in a life-threatening condition.

Dr. Luke, using medical terms, tells us that she had a “high” fever. (Luke 4:38)

Jesus merely touched her hand, and the fever was dispelled. He raised her from her bed and,
without any convalescence, she began to wait on her guests.

What an amazing woman!

Her story does not end with her hospitality to Jesus. It was just the beginning of life made
immediately available to Jesus and His ministry.

Her home became His home. Whenever Jesus was in Capernaum, He always had a place to
stay.

But there was more: she had been healed on the Sabbath. As soon as the sun had set and
three stars were clearly visible in the night sky; people began to bring the sick to her courtyard
to be touched by Jesus.

Mark tells us the “whole city” gathered at her door (Mark 1:33).

Late into the night, miracle after miracle took place. Diseases were defeated, demons were
denounced, and all of these miracles were, in Matthew’s words, “to fulfill what was spoken
through Isaiah the prophet: HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY
OUR DISEASES.” Matthew 8:17

The Middle East is at war, an old family field that goes back to Esau and Jacob. How do you think
the wives felt? Do you, Mrs. Esau, ever remind Esau of what he lost.

Do you think Mrs. Jacob ever reminded Jacob that Esau hated him and that they may have o
work it out someday.

Fight for Your In-Laws….make the In-loves

1. Lack of agreement leads to feuds.
We tend to focus on the favoritism that the parents are guilty of in this story. What we fail to see
is the root of the problem. The favoritism is the fruit. The root was a lack of agreement. The
parents weren’t in agreement about their sons. Scripture teaches us clearly by saying, “if two of
you agree on earth . . . It will be done.”

2. More than distance will defuse a feud.
We have talked about the fact that distance may be necessary. You may need to walk away. You
may need to spend less time with the person. However, distance only delays the fact that you
are still, one day, going to have to deal with the fight. We want to use distance as a solution, and
all it really is is a stall tactic.

3. The fight can be fixed.
Time may be necessary. Distance may be necessary. But ultimately, an approach will be
necessary! Our issue is that too many of us never see a fixed fight because we fight the fix.
We are so committed to our own rights until we refuse to approach. We fight the fix, and our feud
festers. We don’t like the idea of humbling ourselves. And so the fight goes on.
Now, if we take the approach necessary and there is no response, we can move on.
However, what I want you to hear today is hope!

Feuds can be fixed! If we can get the right approach at the right time, there is still hope that a
the relationship can be repaired even if we don’t walk side by side like we used to.

When they bury the hatchet, Jacob and Esau return home in peace, but they don’t walk in
together. They had repaired the relationship, and it was healthy. However, it was different.