Bible Fact · Mark 1:29–31 — 'Immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew... Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever. He came and took her by the hand.'
The House of Peter
The Fact
Beneath the modern Church of St. Peter in Capernaum lies one of the most evocative archaeological sites in the Holy Land. Excavations beginning in the 1960s uncovered a first-century house whose walls were plastered repeatedly from the first through fifth centuries — unusual for Capernaum's mostly unplastered homes. Inscriptions on the plaster walls reference Jesus as 'Lord' and 'Christ' in Greek, Syriac, and Latin. A fourth-century church was built over this house, and then a fifth-century octagonal church was built atop that — a pattern consistently used in the early church to mark a significant holy site. The Byzantine pilgrim Egeria visited in the 380s and noted that Peter's house had been converted into a church. The location matches the Gospel accounts: Capernaum, near the synagogue, and close to the Sea of Galilee. Most scholars consider this the strongest candidate for Peter's actual home.
Context
Mark 1:29–31 records Jesus healing Simon Peter's mother-in-law in her home in Capernaum immediately after leaving the synagogue — a location now potentially confirmed by archaeology.
Significance
If confirmed, the House of Peter would be the earliest known Christian holy site, connecting archaeology to the very beginning of Jesus's ministry in Galilee.
Reflection
Jesus entered Peter's home and healed his family before Peter's calling was complete. How has Jesus's grace to your family deepened your commitment to follow him?