Mark 1:35-38, Luke 4:42-43 (Jesus departs from Capernaurn)

Rachel Workman:

Mark

Luke

35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. This is another area I fail in. I am not good at eliminating distractions so I can spend time alone with God. My prayers have become rushed and I need to work on becoming more still. 36 Later Simon and the others went out to find him. 37 When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.”

42 Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.”

____________________________________________________________________________

  

Mike Grimm:   

Mark 1:35-38

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

³⁵ Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. ³⁶ Later Simon and the others went out to find him. ³⁷ When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

³⁸ But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.”

Jesus struggled with time to pray alone. He prayed with his disciples, and he showed his devotion to Yahweh by reciting the “Shema” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) daily. But to be able to listen to the Father and gain strength by praying alone was hard to get. To do this, sometimes he would get up before anyone else, sometimes he would tell everyone to go away; sometimes he would stay up after everyone was asleep. But as often as he could, he sought time with the Father.

After his disciples found him, he told them that staying in Capernaum to have a healing ministry was not his purpose. Rather, he needed to travel around to many towns and to teach them about the kingdom of God. There was a sense of urgency about his message that meant that everyone needed to hear this message as quickly as possible.

It is important to have two kinds of prayer-- regular, rote prayer that we might have with others, such as in a worship service, or reciting the Lord's Prayer daily. Also we need personal, interactive prayer with the Father, mixed with silence, listening, crying out and adoration.

If we are to be like Jesus, we want to keep ourselves busy enough with serving others that we struggle with finding time for prayer. But we need to keep up the struggle, despite our busyness.

Luke 4:42-43

Jesus Continues to Preach

⁴² Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. ⁴³ But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.” We were not sent into this world to live to ourselves only, but to glorify God, and to do good in our generation. The people sought him, and came unto him. A desert is no desert, if we are with Christ there. He will continue with us, by his word and Spirit, and extend the same blessings to other nations, till, throughout the earth, the servants and worshippers of Satan are brought to acknowledge him as the Christ, the Son of God, and to find redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.