Mark 1:32-39, Mark 9:2-5, “Jesus prayed” Last week, we covered who can become intercessors, bringing people to Christ through prayers. Today, we will focus on how much Jesus prayed and what was Jesus’ dream, picking up where we left off last week.
Jesus lived a very busy life with healing, driving out demons, and teaching. Today’s text starts with how busy Jesus was. Mark 1:32-34, “That evening after sunset, the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons…”
If we read Mark Chapter 1, the whole chapter, we can see Jesus’ daily routine on the Sabbath, on the day of rest, which was his day off. Jesus went to a synagogue in the morning, taught there, and drove out the impure spirit which possessed a man in the synagogue. After that, Jesus and his disciples came to Peter’s house and healed Peter’s mother-in-law. That evening after sunset (after the Sabbath was over), the whole towns’ people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed for Jesus to heal them. Imagine all those who were sick and demon-possessed of a town, Capernaum, gathered for him to heal. We can easily assume that Jesus could not rest until later in the night. Then, on a regular day, from sunup to sundown and later in the night, people flocked around to hear him and to be healed. Jesus led a very busy and tired life. I can personally imagine how tired Jesus must have been. When I go to the hospital to visit patients, I have to take a break after seeing five or six patients and resume visiting. Because it is so intense and emotionally draining. Although we do not know how long Jesus slept, we know how early Jesus got up. Vs. 35, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Our second text, which describes Jesus’ transfiguration scene, also talks about Jesus’ withdrawal to pray. Mark 9:2, “After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone.” If we read Luke 9:28, we know why they went up to a high mountain. They went there to pray: “…Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.”
As we can see, it was Jesus’ practice to go to solitary places to pray. You will be amazed at how much Jesus prayed if you study the New Testament thoroughly. Before and after his ministry with people, he prayed. Sometimes all night, sometimes early in the morning, he constantly prayed. Busy and tired life did not stop him from praying!
At this point, some might question, ‘Why does Jesus, who himself is God, need to pray?’ I cannot stress enough that Jesus did not live on this earth as God but as fully human. Jesus needed to pray to renew his strength and spiritual authority over demonic power. Jesus needed to tap into the power of God to be victorious in denying himself to carry out his mission. He was tempted to deny his cross constantly during his ministry. If we recall, in the wilderness, he was tempted to fall from the pinnacle of the temple to prove that he was the son of God, showing to the world that he was the glorious Messiah instead of dying on the cross. Satan again tempted Jesus to deny his cross by showing all the glory and splendors of the world, tempting Jesus to become like Satan, enjoying playing God.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus was challenged many times to prove his Sonship by becoming the Messiah the world, the Sadducees, and Pharisees wanted, –denying his cross. Even on the cross, he was taunted to come down from his cross to prove that he was the Messiah. Human Jesus was constantly tempted to deny his cross, but he was victorious, fulfilling his mission because he was connected to God by prayers, to the source of his spiritual energy to prevail. Hebrews 4:15, “…He was tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Do we remember Jesus prayed overnight at the garden of Gethsemane to deny himself and to take up his cross?
Then, how much more do we need to pray? Without praying, we cannot know what our cross is. We pray to remove obstacles in life, but God helps us understand that those obstacles are our crosses, not all of them, but some of them. We live in a society where taking up a cross is considered an old-fashioned way of living. If we face any problem in life or marriage, we seek an easy way out instead of praying for God’s will for us. Marriage vows are no longer honored. I shared with you about my mentor who couldn’t leave her husband who sexually abused her niece because God told her that helping him to correct his wrong by staying in the marriage is her cross. Making sacrifices in carrying one’s cross is less and less heard of around us. Why? Because we do not pray that God’s will be done in our lives. Because we are not connected to God. Jesus asks Mark 8:36, “What good is it if you gained the whole world but forfeit your soul?” This world does not last long; it is nothing but a breath in the spectrum of eternity. What good is it, indeed, if we forfeit our souls even if we had everything in this life?
Secondly, we can see that Jesus did not stay in one place enjoying his popularity and success. Vss. 36 and 37, when the disciples got up, they realized that Jesus was not in the house, and the villagers had already come looking for him. So, they searched for Jesus everywhere, and when they finally found him, they exclaimed, “Everyone is looking for you!” To that, Jesus replied in Vs. 38, “Let us go somewhere else, to nearby villages, so that I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Do we see here Jesus’ purpose in coming to this world is to teach and heal everyone? Not just staying in one place but going somewhere else where he was not heard to teach and heal. That was His dream; that was his mission, which we can also see in Matthew 28: 19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you….” Jesus wanted to teach and heal everyone in all nations, bringing all of them to God. He did not come only for certain people, nations, or ethnicity but all nations. Saving everyone was and is his dream. That was why the Great Commission was his last word on earth before ascending.
In contrast, we humans tend to stay in one place, keeping to ourselves what we know and experience about God. After Peter, James, and John beheld God’s glory in Jesus, witnessing Jesus’ divinity being transfigured before their eyes, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Building three shelters means they want to stay there, being away from the world, missing the whole point of experiencing the “glory of God.” When Peter saw the glory of Jesus, tasting what heaven is like, he wanted to stay on the mountain, enthralled and being in God’s glory.
Seeing, knowing, and hearing who Jesus really is. We need to come down from the mountain to do God’s ministry. In other words, the true purpose of knowing God is to save souls.
It is not God’s intention for us to stay up on the mountain where we can just enjoy what God reveals to us and be captivated by God’s beauty and glory on the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, there are crowds who are lost without knowing what they ought to do or what they are doing. There are people down there who struggle fighting with demon spirits all their lives. Do we know our neighbors need Christ? It is Jesus’ dream to reach out to everyone in all nations. Jesus did not want to stay in one place but to go places where he was not heard. Jesus sends us to all people, not just to our friends and neighborhood but to everyone with whom we might not feel comfortable.
Without prayers, we cannot know our crosses; without prayer, we cannot have God’s power to teach and heal; without prayers, we cannot hear people crying for help. Let us pray to see what God sees, to hear what God hears, to speak what God speaks. Amen!