As Jesus begins His public ministry in Galilee, He first calls Andrew and Simon Peter, and then, James and his brother John.  They quickly make a decision to abandon everything else and to follow Jesus full time.  They all go to Capernaum, a town on the Sea of Galilee, where some important events will soon take place; and, there, Jesus begins His public ministry, casting out demons, healing, and preaching.  By example, Jesus also demonstrates how, in His morning quiet time, He finds direction for the opportunities, which lie ahead of Him.

On this first day of the public ministry of Jesus, His first act is to cure the demoniac, a man with an unclean spirit.  Demons and unclean spirits are terms used for evil supernatural beings, who can take possession of a person (Matthew 12:43-45; Mark 5:2-5).  Demons are real spiritual beings, which seek to destroy the image of God in man’s soul.  Satan (or Lucifer), the chief of all demons, is a fallen angel, who was created by God but became evil by his own wrong doing (CCC391). Jesus then goes to Peter’s house, where Peter’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever.  In this small house Jesus grasps her hand and raises her up.  Immediately, when Simon (Peter’s) mother-in-law is cured of the fever, she begins to attend to the needs of others.