Jesus at Simon Peter's House

 This Sunday's reading from Mark 1:29-39 brought back memories of our trip to "Capharnaum the town of Jesus" as they like to call it these days. 

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

 That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

We visited the presumed site of the synagogue as well as Simon Peter's house. A church had been built over the house, but it was destroyed in the seventh century by the Persians. Now the old house walls have been exposed for us.   

As for deserted places to which Jesus might have gone, there are plenty of those in the vicinity.