MARKAN MEDITATIONS

Meditations in the Gospel of St. Mark

St. Mark 1:35-39

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EVERYONE was looking for Jesus, so great was the need of the people. Simon seems to speak to Jesus with a certain amount of criticism in his voice. This fact of the need of the people cannot be disputed, nevertheless Jesus put his personal and inner communion with God first.

We have a glimpse here in verse 35 into the inner life of Jesus. It is but a glimpse. We don't go through the door, but just have a peep through the open door that is presented to us. It was more important for Jesus to commune with his Father than anything else. Even though the people needed him, and there was so much to do, yet Jesus left all that need for his Father in heaven.

There is communion here on two levels. As the divine eternal Son of God, the delight of Jesus was in the Father, with whom he was one from all eternity. This communion we can know nothing about in our experience as it is unique to our Lord, but we are able, as we note it, to observe and worship our Lord. As the God man, the second Adam and our Saviour, Jesus needed the Father, to be renewed by him and receive the strength and wisdom that he needed for his work on earth. As a man Jesus found, as we do, that in the midst of the spiritual work and conflict, his spiritual resources were used up. They needed to be renewed. Without this private communion with the Father, he would lose the strength to do his work and minister to the people.

We learn something very valuable here for our own spiritual lives and for the measure of our usefulness in ministry for Jesus. We learn that if Jesus as the perfect and sinless man needed to have constant communion with the Father, and be renewed constantly, we need God and his life even more, both if we are to withstand the personal problems and struggles we have, and if we are to have the resources and vitality in our spirits to serve Christ and be useful to him in ministry to others.

However busy we are; however much people need us; however important other things may be, having close communion with God is more essential and more necessary. Without it the rest of our life will not be at its best. God always comes first. All other needs and duties depend for their success on this. After all to give God first call on our lives is what we were created for. We were created to glorify God. As this is so, we need to understand it is not sinful or wrong, whatever anyone may say, to put our communion with God first, even though other things may appear to suffer, or be left undone or for a later time.

We can learn from Jesus even further. Jesus appreciated the need all around him, and the limited time available to meet that need. He wanted to give all the time he could to people in their need, because his compassion was so great. Because of this he gets up in the morning before it is even daylight, so that he may give time to his Father, but still have the maximum time for others. Further Jesus so honours his Father that, realising that privacy was well nigh impossible once the day had properly begun, he gives a time to his Father which would be most free from interruption. These are valuable lessons to aim at.

The next thing that we can't help but notice is the way Jesus says, that although the need of the people in one place still demanded his attention, yet he had to give time and ministry to others. Even though there was much work to do in one place, he must not neglect others for them.

In this fact and dilemma for Jesus we learn the reality of the incarnation of Jesus. He did truly become man and truly humbled himself for our sake. He suffered the same limitations as everyone else who lives in this world. Jesus, like us, could only do so much in one day. Even though there was such great need, his self limitation, in becoming human to save us, meant that he could not do all that needed to be done in the time available.

Then we must not fail to notice how Jesus in this place emphasises the priority of preaching. We have noticed this emphasis already as we have meditated in Mark's Gospel. Jesus says "Let us go somewhere else ..... so that I can preach the Gospel there also." For Jesus preaching came before the healing of the body. The need of the soul was more important than the need of the body. How important it is to learn this lesson. We surely must not fail to help people in their bodily and physical needs, but we must not fail to put first the needs of peoples souls. The needs of our bodies is so pressing. The pains and sufferings of life in this world are so demanding, and because of this they take over as a priority. This is not right. It is so easy to be engrossed in social needs that we neglect the needs of peoples souls.

The importance of the soul is because it is eternal. The body is for time. The soul is for eternity. If the soul is left dead, then eternity will be a total loss. The time of opportunity for the saving of our souls is in this life. What benefit will the present health of the body be, if we neglect the soul and so have to spend eternity separated from God. When we understand this, how cogent are the words of Jesus here when he says "that is why I have come". Jesus cares for our souls passionately and lovingly, so he puts his preaching first.

Lastly let us observe how puzzled the disciples must have been when Jesus said he was going to leave all the needy people who were clamouring for his attention, in the place where he was, and go on to another place. Simon must have assumed as he told Jesus how much the people needed him, that Jesus would hurry back to help them. Jesus did not do this, but went to another place. The reason he gives for going on to another place before all the work needing to be done in one place was finished, must have hardly answered their questions.

In life there are things that happen in our lives which seem a great puzzle. Why has God allowed this to happen? Or why does God act like this or require that? How often have we mentally asked these questions. As the disciples here accepted the word of Jesus and the action he took, so we must in faith accept the circumstances of providence that we encounter, and trust the Lord even though we can't understand. The obedience of faith is the only way in these circumstances, with the hope that we may understand better later.