Mark 1:35-39- The Word And Prayer- The Starting Point For The Mission

This morning we get to witness Jesus having a private moment when Jesus rises up early in the morning, while it was still dark, and He went to a desolate place to pray. (35)

Mark 1:35-39, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’ 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.”

We saw in Mark 1:21-27 that Jesus was an amazing teacher who taught as one who had authority. In verse 35 we see that Jesus was not a hypocrite like so many of Israel’s teachers, but that He practiced what He taught others. (Mt.23:13,23,25,27,29) As Jesus goes off by Himself to pray He is doing what He teaches others to do in Matthew 6:5-6, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

In our text this morning, Mark does not tell us what Jesus was praying, only that He went off by Himself and prayed. I think that Mark wants us to know that Jesus was a man of prayer. Three times in this gospel, Mark tells us that Jesus goes off on His own to pray.

• Here in Mark 6:35 at the beginning of His ministry Jesus establishes His ministry through prayer.

• In Mark 6:46 Jesus goes off to pray after feeding the 5000 and He protects His ministry through prayer.

• In Mark 14:32-39 Jesus goes off to pray in Gethsemane to seal His obedience through prayer.

Even though Jesus had just chosen His disciples, it probably did not surprise them that Jesus ventured off early in the morning to pray. In verses 36-37 we are told that His disciples, and large group of other individuals, were looking for Jesus. We are told in verse 36 that Simon and those who were with him ‘searched for Jesus’. The KJV translates this by saying, “They followed after Jesus.”

This makes me ask, “Did they search for Jesus, or did they follow after Him?” The answer to this is seen in the fact that the word Mark uses can refer to a hunter who is tracking down his prey. Perhaps we could answer this question by saying, “Jesus’ disciples tracked Jesus down because they knew Him well enough to follow the clues to where He was.”

When Peter and the other disciples found Jesus they said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’ (37) The word translated ‘looking’ is different than the word that we saw in verse 36. This word speaks of people who are seeking Jesus because they desire something of Him. (Matthew 12:46-47) Jesus’ disciples were drawn to Jesus for different reasons than the larger group of people.

In the Gospels everyone has a motive for why they are looking for Jesus. For example, in John 6 a multitude of people ‘looked’ for Jesus because they wanted the food He had given to them. (6:14,24-26) Sadly, most often in the gospels this word is used of those who sought to kill Jesus. (Mark 12:12)

You may find yourself asking, ‘If so many people were looking for Jesus, why were the disciples able to find Jesus first?’ Could it be that Jesus’ disciples had already come to know that Jesus would be off somewhere praying by Himself. This is why they knew where they could find Him?

On this particular morning Jesus leaves Peter’s home and He goes to a ‘desolate place’ to pray. The word ‘desolate place’ in the Greek is the same word that was translated in verses 12&13 as ‘wilderness’. In those verses we read, “The Spirit immediately drove Jesus out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And He was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to Him.”

When we considered Jesus’ wilderness experience the scriptures told us that the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. This indicated that this was not going to be some comfortable spiritual retreat, but that Jesus was being driven out by the Spirit to fight an intense battle with Satan. (Ephesians 6:10-20) Wouldn’t it be nice if our faith could grow and mature best at some comfortable retreat? The truth is, our faith is most strengthened and matured during trials in a wilderness experience. (James 1:2-4) Note: At the end of this chapter Jesus will be living and thriving in ‘desolate places’! (45)

In Mark 1:12-13 when Jesus was driven out into a ‘desolate place’ He enjoyed so few comforts, He was living among the wild beasts, and He was being tempted by Satan night and day. Through it all Jesus was receiving heavenly comfort and support as He was being ministered to by the angels. In the end Jesus emerged from the ‘wilderness’ victorious. (He is the only one who has ever done this.)

As a result of these things, it may be that Jesus enjoyed these moments when He prayed in ‘wilderness places’. Perhaps Mark is reminding us that when Jesus went off to pray in these places He was engaging in an intense spiritual battle, not so much for Himself this time, but for us. Surly it is no accident that in Mark 1 after all three of these wilderness experiences Jesus immediately engages in ministry. (14-15;38-39,45) Note: Community Church, if we are going to be a people on mission (Mt.28:19-20) we need to become comfortable in ‘wilderness’ and ‘desolate places’.

When we reflect upon the events in Mark 1:21-34 we might conclude that there may have been a temptation for Jesus to NOT depart from Capernaum to minister in the neighboring towns. (38-39) Jesus had just engaged in a very successful day of ministry. His fame was spreading out and now there are many who are ‘looking’ for Him.

We mentioned previously that the word ‘looking’ spoke of the fact that these people desired something from Him. There is no doubt that if this crowd were to find Him, they would plead with Him to stay there so that they could continue to enjoy His blessings. To overcome this temptation Jesus goes out into the wilderness to pray. As a result of this time in prayer, Jesus would not give in to this temptation and in the end He would enthusiastically go on to minister in other towns, saying, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

Look at the words, “...for this is why I came out”. There are two meanings behind these words. First, Jesus is admitting that one of the benefits that had resulted from Him coming out to this ‘desolate place’ was that when His disciples found Him they could immediately leave to go minister to in other places. (2:1)

Secondly, and probably most importantly, Jesus is telling His disciples that He has come down from heaven and now entered into public ministry, so that He could preach throughout Israel the Good News of the Kingdom of God. (v.15) Because Jesus spoke the Word of God, and because He was a praying man, there would not be any mission drift in His ministry. In fact, in the coming days His heart would be more and more focused upon His ministry which would eventually lead to the cross where He would die for sinners. (Isaiah 50:7, 53:1-12; Luke 9:51)

Throughout His ministry Jesus would have to endure many things, but the outcome was certain for two reasons. First, Jesus knew the Scriptures and His roll in fulfilling them. (Mark 14:27) Second, Jesus submitted His will to the Father’s through prayer. (Mark 14:32-42) Having a heart that was guided by these two things we read in verse 39 that Jesus was ready to continue the ministry His Father had assigned to Him, “And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.” Jesus was a man on mission.

Application: The reason that we would not be on mission as individuals and as a congregation (Mt.28:19-20) would be because of these same two same reasons. If we drift, we have neglected the Word and have neglected to pray as Jesus does in our text today. As our Mission starts let it begin with the habit of doing these two things consistently.

General Observation #1: In verse 28 we saw that Jesus’, “...fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.” (28) As a result of the ministry of Jesus’ in the Synagogue the entire town shows up to see Jesus at the end of that Sabbath Day to receive a blessing from Him. In verses 21-28, verses 32-34, and verse 39 we are told about some pretty public stories about what Jesus is doing among lots of people. However, in between all of these stories we see in verses 29-31 and in verses 35-38 some events in the life of Christ which are far less public. Jesus ministers in a house with a handful of people and in the other story Jesus is alone praying.

Why does this matter? My friends, doesn’t this show us that Jesus was motivated by godly principles and virtues, and not by fleshly desires. Jesus ministered for all the right reasons. Jesus was not motivated to minister to receive the approval of men and to receive from them. No, on the contrary, in the gospels Jesus comes to serve and does intentional things to keep display His godly virtues, priorities, and principles. (Mk.1:37-38,44) Jesus ministers from a gracious and merciful heart for the good of the person He was ministering too. (John 1:14-18) Jesus never sought glory from men, but the glory that comes from the Father. (John 5:30) The character and virtues that Jesus possessed was seen in large crowds, among a handful of people, and also when He was all by Himself.

Application: Is it our ambition to be like Jesus? Jesus lives in every believer and He wants to will and to do according to His purposes. (Philippians 2:12-13) We have been given the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and He seeks to conform us into the image of Christ. In Mark 1 we are seeing that Jesus is a man of impeccable character and virtue in any environment and He is now in us and will produce this in His people.

General Observation#2: In Mark 1:21-34 we saw that Jesus had a very busy day of ministry, but in Mark 1:35 we see that Jesus doesn’t sleep in the next morning and catch up on some much needed rest. He is NOT like the tired parent who covers their face and doesn’t move so the kids won’t know that they are awake. No, Jesus rises while it was still dark and He goes to a desolate place to pray and fellowship with His Father.

Mark does not tell us what is motivating Jesus to do this, neither does Mark tell us what Jesus is praying for (do doubt, it is many things), but I think we can make still make some assumptions. We can assume that Jesus is going off in the early morning hours to escape from the people in Capernaum, but to pray for them. In this sense, Jesus is not trying to sneak away that morning even though it may sound like this when you hear Him say, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” (38) When I grew up I did not know to value a pastor who will be in the word and prayer for the people. I wanted, even demanded in my mind, that they be about other things.

What a loving thing, and a very needed thing, Jesus does when He leaves to pray for the people He has just ministered to in Capernaum and for those in the surrounding towns to which He is going. It would be important for Jesus to pray for these things because His ministry was primarily focused on preaching the Word to them. These people have received great blessing from the LORD and I am sure that the devil is not happy about it. The people are not waking up early to pray, but Jesus does this for them.

Because Jesus is preaching the Word of God to the people there would be a spiritual battle being fought over the hearts and the minds of these people. During Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness Satan attacked Him personally, but now Satan seeks to attack anyone around Christ so that they will not believe and be saved. Therefore, Jesus once again goes out to a ‘desert place’, to the ‘wilderness’, to intercede for the people.

What a beautiful picture of what Jesus is doing for His people all by Himself. In the Synagogue the demon confessed that one day Jesus would destroy Satan and His Kingdom, here we have a picture of how the battle is fought in the meantime. The battle rages and the lion seeks someone to devour, but the LORD prays for His people. (John 17)

In Luke 8 Jesus teaches the Parable of the Sower (Lk.8:4-15). In that parable Jesus says that the Word is scattered liberally among those who hear it. (5) This is what Jesus is doing in His ministry and throughout the church age. When this happens several things begin to happen.

• First, Satan attacks the Word so that they will not believe and be saved. (12)

• Second, Jesus also says that some will hear the Word and receive it with joy but the word will have no root. They will believe for a little while, but in the time of testing they fall away. (13)

• Third, Jesus says that the word will be received by some but then they will go on their way and the word of God will be choked out by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. (14)

• There is a lot of obstacles to the Word of God taking root in someone’s heart and then becoming fruit! We should be glad that Jesus does not end this parable here. He continues and gives us a fourth result of the Word of God, saying, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (NIV v.15) In the Book of Acts the Berean’s were commended because they received the word of God in a noble (princely) way by searching the scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11)

My friends, what a blessing it is to see that Jesus prays for His people that the Word of God would be fruitful. What hope would we have to be fruitful if the LORD was not interceding for us in this way?

Community Church the elders are resolving anew to be preaching the Word of God and praying for you. (Acts 2:42) We want to follow Christ’s example in this text. Similarly, follow our example as we follow after Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1) Let us all be praying for those in our congregation who are serving the LORD through various gifts. Pray for those who are being ministered to, that they might be saved, matured, and made fruitful. It is needful that the God’s people be about the priority of the Word of God and Prayer. (Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:14-19) Pray that God would raise up mature disciples who are making more disciples. Will we commit to doing this? (Matthew 9:38)o