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Mark 1:35-45
©January 8th, 2023 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Mark
Entertainment is a big part of modern life in America.
We are big on TV shows and movies; we share videos from YouTube or other places online that we think are funny, or otherwise entertaining; and we watch sporting events for entertainment.
A significant portion of our time and energy is dedicated to entertainment in some form.
As such, when we come across something we find particularly noteworthy, we tend to talk to other people about it.
We have all told someone about a show or movie we’ve seen and recommended that they go see it for themselves.
If you saw an amazing play in a game the night before, you tell people to go look up the highlights, because it’s worth your time.
When we find something particularly noteworthy or entertaining, we want to share it with others so they can have a similar experience.
This is what was happening in Jesus’ ministry at this point.
Word had begun to spread that Jesus was doing amazing miracles, and people didn’t want to miss out.
As you can imagine, people who had seen Jesus heal others told their friends about it, because they didn’t want them to miss out on the action.
Those who wanted healing made their way to Jesus, and so did those who were interested in seeing the miraculous.
Jesus had become a spectacle that everyone needed to witness with their own eyes.
This morning, we’re going to look at how Jesus handled this popularity.
We’ll see what He valued most, and we’ll take a look at our own motives to see why we are interested in Jesus—whether we’re simply interested in the spectacle, or something more.
Jesus’ Priority
Our passage this morning picks up immediately after our passage last week, where Jesus cast an evil spirit out of a demon-possessed man in the synagogue.
Later that same day, Jesus came to Peter’s house and healed his mother-in-law.
As word began to spread through the town, people made plans to come to Jesus.
And after sunset on the Sabbath (which meant the Sabbath was over, and people could do such things), they came to where Jesus was.
He spent the evening healing people and casting out demons.
Mark says the whole town came out to watch.
It is after that night that our story picks up.
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.”
39 So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.
(Mark 1:35-38, NLT)
After a long night of healing people, Jesus was surely exhausted.
Nonetheless, He got up before daybreak so He could find an isolated place to pray.
We see this pattern often in the life of Jesus.
He would often carve out some time He could spend in prayer, hopefully uninterrupted by others.
Most of us would do the opposite; when we’d had a long night, we’d forgo our prayer time so we could sleep in!
But why did Jesus feel these times of prayer were so important?
Wasn’t Jesus God?
Why was it necessary for Him to pray at all?
Jesus was in very nature God.
At no point during Jesus’ time on earth did He cease to be God.
Yet, Jesus also chose to place limits on himself—choosing to live only as a man.
Jesus still possessed His powers as God, but chose not to exercise them.
Instead, He lived in the same power you and I have.
This means that Jesus did not possess universal knowledge as God, but only His human knowledge and what God revealed to Him.
He was not able to heal people in His own power, but only by the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him.
Jesus faced the same struggles and temptations as you and me—He got tired, He got hungry, and at times He surely must have been tempted to turn from the task before Him.
But He persisted.
One of the ways He was able to do so was because He spent much time in prayer.
He understood the importance of spending time with His Heavenly Father, because that was His source of strength and where His anchor was found.
If it was so important for Jesus to spend time with the Lord that He carved out time to do so regularly, how much more important is it for you and me to do so!
Jesus found strength and direction from the time He spent with the Father, and we can too.
Prayer is something many people struggle with.
I suspect there are many reasons for this, but one of the big ones is that we cannot see God.
And rarely (if ever) do we hear God speak to us with an audible voice.
As such, it is easy for us to get sidetracked, or to imagine that what we are doing isn’t accomplishing anything.
Sometimes we act like prayer is only about coming to God with our list of requests and then moving on.
But I believe the kind of prayer we should be seeking is much deeper.
It is a time of reflecting on God’s character, of reminding ourselves of who He is and what He has done for us.
It is a time of pouring out our hearts before Him and asking for His help, and at times, His forgiveness.
And indeed, we will often come to Him with the concerns that weigh upon our hearts as well.
Someone has used the analogy that we are like film in a camera in that whatever we gain exposure to is what image we will ultimately reflect.
As we expose ourselves more to the character of God, we will reflect His character to a greater and greater degree.
So how do we go about making prayer a more consistent and essential part of our lives?
I’ve got some suggestions.
· Carve out time.
Jesus got up early to pray, you may need to do the same, or maybe you can stay up late, or find another time.
If you spend a lot of time alone in the car, choose to turn off the radio and talk to God (but leave your eyes open!) Find what works for you and carve out some time where you can be alone with God.
We must be intentional about this, or it simply won’t happen.
· Pray with a pencil and paper nearby.
If you struggle with distractions when praying, use the pencil and paper to deal with the distractions.
When something distracts you, write it down, so you can remember to come back to it later, and then you are free to return to your time with God.
· Keep a list of things you want to talk to God about.
Not just a list of things you want God to do, but reminders of God’s character, verses you’ve found helpful, struggles you need to confess, etc.
These things will help you make prayer a priority and direct your praying.
· Keep a list of the ways you have seen God work through your prayers.
As you see changes in yourself, in others, in situations, etc., keep track of them.
Write them down to remind you how prayer truly makes a difference.
· Learn how to listen.
You may never hear God speak back to you audibly, but over time, you’ll come to recognize God speaking to you in other ways as you pray.
Sometimes it will be a verse that comes to mind as you pray about something, other times it will be a simple thought or direction that you will find helpful.
Pray expecting God to speak to you—and be prepared to hear from Him.
Jesus saw prayer as a vital part of not only His ministry, but of His life.
Jesus developed an intimacy with the Lord that was a result of His exposure to Him.
We should learn from His example.
Jesus left before the sun came up, and likely before anyone else had awoken.
When the others did get up, they realized Jesus was gone.
Unsurprisingly, the next day people started talking about Jesus again, and many were looking for Him.
So the disciples set out to find Him.
You can imagine how they must have felt.
They were surely also tired from the events of the previous night, but also energized by the crowds coming to see Jesus.
I suspect the disciples felt like it was good that people were finally coming to understand how great Jesus was, and they wanted to capitalize on His popularity to gain an even greater following.
Many of us would think the same way.
So, when they found Jesus, they told Him everyone was looking for Him, seemingly telling Him that He should return to town so He could “strike while the iron was hot” and continue to build on his newfound popularity.
But Jesus didn’t share their enthusiasm for the crowd (don’t you wonder if this was something He had prayed about?)
Instead, He told them they were going to move on, and go to other towns to preach instead, as that was why He came—to preach and point people to their need for a Savior.
Why does Jesus do this?
I think Jesus understood that many people were simply coming to see Him for entertainment.
Many who were there did not come to worship Him or to learn from Him, but rather to see the spectacle.
Others were hoping they could benefit from the miracle-worker.
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