I AM Willing, Mark 1:40-45

 

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. ⁴³ And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

⁴⁵ However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

Faith of the leper, 40

Compassion from the Healer, 41-42

Commission from the Master, 43-45

The temperature is dropping, the snow is falling, the wind is blowing, the little boy, wrapped in rags, stands in the cold, looking through the window.

The Christmas lights are blinking, the fireplace is crackling, the family is laughing, handing out presents...

The little boy shivers, as tears freeze on his cheek. 

On the outside looking in, is a mighty sad and lonely place to be.

That’s how lepers felt, every day of their life.

2 Kings 5:1-7.

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. ² And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” ⁴ And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”

⁵ Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

The king sent Naaman with gold and silver and ten changes of clothes and a letter that read:

Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.

⁷ And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy?”

Naaman found the prophet Elisha and was indeed healed of leprosy.

However, the point here is the king of Israel’s response about healing a leper: “Am I God...?”

In that day, everyone understood that the only cure for leprosy, was from God.

It was still the same about 800 years later when Jesus came on the scene.

To have leprosy meant your life as you knew it was over.

You had to leave your house, your family and move outside of town.

For the rest of your miserable life, whenever other people were around you had to cover your mouth and shout a warning, “Unclean! Unlean! (Leviticus 13).

You were considered dirty and cursed.

No cure. No life. You were the walking dead. No one looked you in the eye. No one spoke your name. Absolutely no one touched you. No hugs from your spouse, your kids, your friends. No sitting close at the table or in the temple.

You were forever more on the outside looking in.

Until today.

Until Jesus.

FAITH

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

 A leper...

We can put ourselves in the story as a leper, since we all have sinned, and leprosy symbolically can represent sin.

Leprosy compared to sin:

Invisible enemy
Leprosy begins with a microscopic, invisible bacteria.

Sin begins with an invisible thought or desire before manifesting externally.

James 1:14-15
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Desensitizes
Leprosy attacks the peripheral nerves, killing the body's ability to feel pain.

Sin deadens our spiritual sensitivity, searing our conscience.

1 Timothy 4:2
speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,

Self-destructive
Because a leper cannot feel pain, they accidentally, unknowingly, injure themselves.

Similarly, sin destroys our life and blinds us to our self-destructive behavior.

 

Separates
Leprosy caused total isolation and ceremonial uncleanness.

Sin separates and destroys relationships with each other and God.

Isaiah 59:2
But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear.

Did you know that in recent years, Florida has reported a rise in leprosy cases? Public health researchers track these infections to the nine-banded armadillo. Scientists discovered that many of the armadillos carry the exact same bacteria (Mycobacterium leprae) that caused the ancient scourge.

Doctors warn that you don't even have to touch an armadillo to be at risk. They dig into the dirt beneath porches, flowerbeds, and lawns. As they dig, they shed the bacteria into the soil. You may do some gardening, disturb the soil, breathe in the dust, and contract the disease without ever realizing it.

However, leprosy is completely curable today, now known as Hansen’s disease, and is treated effectively using a combination of medications. Leprosy is not highly contagious. In fact, it is difficult to catch. Natural Immunity is around 95%. Even if exposed, most people's immune systems fight it off easily without them ever getting sick.

Back to our text.

The leper came to Jesus.  Likewise, we must, come to Jesus.

Isaiah 1:18. “Come now, and let us reason together, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Matthew 11:28
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

John 6:37
Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me, I will in no way cast out.

John 7:37
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

John 6:35
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.

Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

All too often, folks say, “Where was God? Why’d He let that happen?”

But God never moved. He’s waiting with open arms for you to come to Him.

So, the leper comes, imploring, begging, kneeling, (Luke 5:12 says falling on his face).

The leper broke every social distancing and theological boundary.

He’s desperate.

Likely, through no fault of his own, he contracted this deadly disease, but now, he heard of the Healer, and he comes, desperately comes.

When things get desperate, then we come. Many times, the desperate times are due to a fault of our own.

Yet, nevertheless, the Lord knows, and says come as you are,

The leper comes and says: If You are willing, You can make me clean.

Remember Naaman the leper with the letter to king Jehoram of Israel?

And the king said “Am I God... to heal leprosy?”

In that day, the only cure for leprosy was God.

So, the leper, whether he knew it or not, was revealing his faith in Jesus as God.

You can. I know it’s True. But will You make me clean?

Notice he doesn’t say “heal”. He says, “make me clean.”

The word for "clean" here is katharizō. In context it refers to being restored. Restoration of family, community, life, not just physical relief.

He’s saying, I could deal with the physical ailments, but what’s unbearable is being forever on the outside looking in. I miss my wife, I miss my kids, I miss my life.

That’s what leprosy does.

That’s what sin does.

I know, You, Jesus, can give me my life, if You’re willing.

 

COMPASSION

⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 

According to Leviticus 5:2-3, touching anything unclean makes you unclean.

According to Mosaic Law, touching the untouchable was unthinkable. But that is exactly what Jesus did.

Jesus, like the leper, broke every social distancing and theological boundary.

According to the Law He’d be unclean until the evening. Basically, out of commission for the rest of the day. 

But Jesus was “moved with compassion.” In the original text the word is: splangchnizomai. It’s one of the strongest words for emotion in the Greek language. Jesus didn’t just feel a little sorry for the guy. His very core was touched with the feeling of his infirmity. Hebrews 4:15-16.

Psalm 103:13
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

Driven by deep gut-wrenching love, Jesus touched him (haptomai). This doesn't mean He tapped him with a finger from a safe distance. It means to cling to, to lay hold of, or to firmly embrace.

Can you hear the gasps from the crowd?

Can you see the tears streaming down the leper's face?

It’d probably been years since he felt a human touch. Because Luke 5:12 said he was full of leprosy. He’d had it for a long time and now he was covered in the dreaded disease.

Jesus didn’t need to touch him.

Jesus, spoke the world into existence, He could’ve easily healed the man with a word.

In Matthew 8:5–13 (also Luke 7:1–10) by His word He healed the Centurion’s servant, and the servant wasn’t even there.

In John 4:46–54 He was in Cana and by His word healed a royal official’s son, who was in Capernaum, 20 miles away.

He could’ve done like Elisha and simply said go jump in the Jordan River.

He could’ve—but He didn’t because this man needed more than just physical healing.

The disease was awful indeed, but the real pain was the overwhelming sorrow of standing, wrapped in rags, in the cold, on the outside looking in.

He needed Someone to open the door, come outside and stand beside him, take him by the shoulders, look him in the eyes, and say, “I AM willing.” 

“Come inside, it’s cold out here.”

“Welcome Home.”

COMMISSION

⁴³ And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Jesus strictly warned the man to go straight to the priest, don’t stop to talk to anyone, go and offer the sacrifices commanded by Moses (Leviticus 14).

This was a complex, eight-day ritual involving, inspecting, shaving, bathing and sacrificing. It was the only way to be legally declared “clean” and restored back to family, village, temple...life.

Jesus gave the man the honor of giving the religious leaders undeniable proof—a testimony—pointing to Jesus as the Messiah.

Doing exactly what Jesus said, was the very best thing the man could do to get his life back.

But here’s where the rubber meets the road. Here’s where we can tell. Here’s where the true colors show.

Here, after the healing, after being cleansed, after the prayer is answered, after being delivered, after the desperate situation is solved, then we can make a determination of where the desperation came from.

Now that he’s clean, will he honor the One who set him free?

Will he obey the commission? The command?

⁴⁵ However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter..

Many say he was so overwhelmed with joy, and he wanted everyone to know about Jesus, so he spread the good news everywhere.

Not True. He disobeyed a strict command. He went out and did the opposite of what Jesus told him to do.

Jesus said: Don’t tell anyone. He told everybody.

Jesus said: Go straight to the priest. As far as Scripture goes, we don’t know if he ever went.

But, but, but, he was spreading the good news. That’s good right?

No. Disobedience is wrong. Doing what’s wrong is never right, no matter what.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23, Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Mark chapter one closes showing the fruit of the leper’s labor:

Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

Jesus had just said: “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” Mark 1:38.

But now, thanks to the leper’s loose lips, and disobedience, Jesus could no longer openly enter the city.

What would’ve happened had he obeyed right away? Perhaps he would’ve convinced some scribes and pharisees that Jesus is indeed the Son of God able even to cleanse a leper.

We don’t know because after the leper’s disobedience we never see or hear from him again.

However, the Lord hid a diamond in the rough as we close out this scene.

Remember, we opened with Jesus going about openly preaching from city to city, synagogue to synagogue. However, the leper was stuck outside the city in deserted places.

But now, it’s as if Jesus took the lepers spots.

Now, the leper is free to roam about, but Jesus can no longer openly enter the city but was outside in deserted places.

This is the Gospel in a picture. The Great Exchange.

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Romans 5:8, God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners (lepers), Christ died for us.

Isaiah 53:4-5, Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, our sin separated us from You, causing us to grow numb, and self- destruct. We were the walking dead, with no cure...until You said, “I AM willing.” Then, You took our sin, our leprosy, our place on death row, so we could be cleansed and free indeed to live again.

Lord, thank You, for showing us in Your Word, how can we live and love and honor You. It’s the least we must do to show You our gratitude.

Please help us to be a living testimony that leads others straight to You.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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The Clash of Two Kingdoms

 

The Clash of Two Kingdoms. 

Standing for Truth against the attitude of the age.

Dear family, we live in a world that is increasingly at war with the foundational Truth of God’s Word.

We live in a culture that looks at the eternal realities of Heaven, Hell, and Salvation, and labels them as “harmful.”

We live in a society where the Truth of Christ is ignored—or worse called a psychological threat.

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

There is a war, it’s a spiritual one, invisible to the naked eye, however, the symptoms are physical manifestations that can be seen.

Kind of like disease is invisible to the naked eye however, the symptoms can be seen and felt.

Jesus said these symptoms, would become increasingly more evident, like labor pains; more frequent, more intense, when delivery is drawing near. Matthew 24:8

Just recently, the state of Maine's Supreme Court, ruled unanimously in, Emily A. Bickford v. Matthew A. Bradeen, that the mother be restricted from taking her eleven-year-old daughter to their local Church and gave the father full authority to dictate whether their daughter could associate with any of the Church members other than her mother.

SIDE NOTE: This same Maine Supreme Court previously issued high-profile rulings in favor of transgender rights and blocked efforts to restrict them.

Dear Jesus, I pray every member of this Maine Supreme Court be disbarred and run out of office in shame for promoting their evil agenda rather than the best interests of the child. Lord, do not ignore that they have used their robe to abuse and mutilate children. Thank You, for holding them accountable and seeing to it that justice is served.

Bradeen argued the Church was a “dangerous and harmful environment” that had caused his daughter to suffer from anxiety.

Secular judges ruled that teaching the child the Bible (the way we do), verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and introducing her to the concepts of Salvation and the end times, caused “severe psychological distress” and “anxiety.”

According to court documents, the child suffered panic attacks and became hyper-fixated on end-times teachings. She left notes around her father’s house out of fear that her non-believing family members would be left behind during the Rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

NOTE TO DAUGHTER: Well done young lady. Concern for the eternal soul of loved ones should be praised not litigated. Your concern is not a problem but a blessing! Not “severe psychological distress” but conviction. Stay the course.   

Conviction is not a psychological disorder; it is the Holy Spirit drawing a soul to repentance. How a person responds leads to Salvation, or damnation. The choice is theirs. God won’t force. Just invite.

The overstepping court stepped in, under the false flag of “the best interests of the child.” (As if they know what's best).

They ordered that a non-believing father dictate the mother’s rights to take their daughter to hear the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

To the secular mind, this might be a rational, legal solution to a family dispute.

However, to those who know the Lord, this is an egregious travesty of justice, an assault on religious liberty.

It forces the question God's children have faced for thousands of years:

What do we do when the laws of man collide with the laws of God?

Our Sacred Duty

The secular court system wrongly believes that it possesses the ultimate authority to define what is “good” for a child.

They look at clinical metrics, psychological evaluations, and earthly comfort.

But the Bible gives us a completely different point of view.

True wholeness and wellbeing come from a Biblical Foundation.

Not being separated from it.

As soon as the not so supreme court removed prayer from schools in 1962, then Bibles in 1963 the grades went down and crimes went up.

The supreme court had no standing to rule on such things. They, with their God complexes, were overstepping their jurisdiction.

God did not give the state authority to govern the souls of our children.

He gave that sacred duty to parents.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7
And these Words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

In other words, by your words and deeds be constantly teaching the Word of God to your children.

Scripture does not say, “Teach your children the Word of God, if it’s okay with Uncle Sam.”

It does not say, “Expose them to the Truth, as long as it doesn’t hurt their feelings.”

When we train up a child in the way they should go, we are setting and securing their eternal trajectory.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

To withhold the Word of God from a young, impressionable mind out of fear of “anxiety” is to deny them the very Medicine that cures and gives peace to the soul.

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Our Godly Foundation

The tragedy of the Maine ruling is that it contradicts the very principles upon which this nation was built.

Our nation's Founders never intended for secular courts to audit or restrict the teaching of the Bible. In fact, they promoted it, funded it, published Bibles for it, and believed that the survival of American liberty depended on Biblical literacy.

Noah Webster, often called the Father of American Scholarship and Education, wrote:

“The ecclesiastical and political culture of the United States is dependent on the Christian religion... All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”

Patrick Henry, the man who said, “Give me liberty or give me death,” also said:

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."

John Adams, the first Vice President, the second President, a signer of the Declaration of Independence stated: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

John Quincy Adams, sixth President, eldest son of John Adams, said: “Duty is ours, the results are Gods.”

Benjamin Rush, Founding Father, signer of Declaration of Independence, Father of Medicine, Founder of five universities, Founder of Sunday School, Father of public school, said: “The Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world.”

2 Peter 1:3
His Divine Power has given to us all things that pertain to life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

President Ronald Reagan said: “Of the many influences that have shaped the United States of America into a distinctive Nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.”

Our Founders promoted Bible teaching because they knew human laws are weak, but God’s Word has the Power to change hearts and minds, building the character and integrity necessary to lead quiet peaceable lives in all Godliness.

The Word of God is the foundation of our founding documents.

When a court claims it is in a child’s best interest to be shielded from Biblical teaching, it betrays the very heritage of freedom our Founders shed blood to establish.

 

Our Holy Response

So, how do we respond?

The slow wheels of human justice mean that an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court could take more than a year. While lawyers milk the clock, drafting briefs, a young soul is kept from the very environment God prescribes. Hebrews 10:25.

No child has a year to waste.

The world is drifting downstream toward the lake of fire. If we’re not standing against the current, pushing back, walking upstream, we’re drifting with the world, away from God.

When Peter and John were commanded to never speak or teach in the name of Jesus.

They were faced with the exact same choice this mother faces today.

They didn’t blink.

Look at their response:

Acts 4:19–20
Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. ²⁰ For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

When they were arrested again for refusing to comply, Peter set the precedent for Christian civil disobedience.

Acts 5:29
We must obey God rather than man!

There is a line where submission to earthly authority becomes rebellion against God.

Like Daniel in the Lions’ Den, when he was told not to pray. Daniel 6:10-24.

Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo, when told to bow. Daniel 3:19-27.

When the government restricts a mother’s responsibility to raise her child in the ways of the Lord, the state has crossed the line. It has stepped out of its domain and into God's domain.

Romans 3:4
 Let God be true, and every human being a liar.

Our Solemn Commitment

Dear Church, the legal protections we have taken for granted are being bent to the point of breaking.

This case could set a precedent from which there is no turning back.

A precedent that could label the Bible as dangerous hate speech, harmful to the psychological and emotional wellbeing of children.

But do not despair, do not panic. Fight. Fight. Fight.

Pray for this family, mom and dad and child.

Pray for the pastor and people of Calvary Chapel to speak and act in the Love of Christ, with wisdom and grace.

Pray for Liberty Counsel as they prepare to take this case to the US Supreme Court.

Pray for Godly wisdom for all the judges and lawyers and legal teams on both sides.

Pray the Lord’s will be done. For wrong to fail and right prevail. That Justice is served. That Freedom and Truth rings loud and clear. That what the devil meant for harm, God will turn around and use for Good.

With our words and our deeds, we commit to teaching our children, and all those God has given us, the Words and Ways of the Lord.

We commit ourselves to Truth.

We commit as Joshua did:

Joshua 24:15
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, we commit our all, to You. We pray You cause us to stand when the world tells us to sit. Please speak through us when the court tells us to be silent. No matter the war, we commit to You, our Prince of Peace. No matter the deception, we commit to Truth. As for we, and our house, we serve You, our Lord.

Thank You for loving us.

We love You, forever.

Amen.  

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Prayer Propels Purpose, Mark 1:35-39

 

Prayer Propels Purpose,
Finding Clarity in a Crowded, Confused World, 
Mark 1:35–39

St. Francis de Sales: “Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer a day, except when we are busy—then we need an hour.”

Marin Luther: “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

A couple days ago as I was walking into the Clubhouse a man said, “Hey, I like your shirt.”

I was wearing a T shirt that said: PRAY.

Then, he said, “I pray every day. But I used to not believe in God.”

His wife said, “He was an atheist.”

He went on to explain, “I was watching TV, but was really thinking, questioning God, Are you real? Give me a sign. Say something. And just like that, I heard a Voice, not sure if it was out loud or in my head, but the Voice said: Shut that d--- thing off. That’s all it took. Now, I pray every day. And I quit drinking.”

Yesterday, I was ordering some new Bibles and saw a video for a Study Bible. There was a lady in a coffee shop, lots of noise, coffee machines blending, grinding, her phone was dinging one message after another. (Can you work Late? Don’t forget, report is due today. Have you checked the news? When can we talk?)

As lady walks to table, narrator’s voice says, “Sometimes the world has a way of drowning out life's deeper questions. Cut through the noise.”

Lady sits down with her coffee, and types in her phone, "I'll talk to you later." She puts the phone away, pulls out her Bible and just like that ALL the noise stops as she reads her Bible.

The same day I saw an AI generated ad of a phone charger on a nightstand that had a robotic hand. A girl on the bed next to it had a sleeping mask pushed up on her forehead and she was staring at her phone. The hand took the phone from her, put it in the charger and pushed the sleep mask over her eyes.  The caption read: I know it's AI, but you needed to see this.

The world is a noisy place, noisier than ever. Maybe not outwardly, like when kids made lots of noise playing outside. Now the noise is piercing deeper, screaming inwardly through earbuds and cell phones, blaring vile indoctrination into souls.

I had no idea at the time, but all that stuff I saw and heard, basically by accident, was the Lord preparing for you, the introduction to this message.  

We live in a noisy, crowded, confused world, if we aren't careful, the noise will drown out the Lord, and the world will dictate the direction of our lives.

2,000 years ago, Jesus faced similar pressure.

The whole town was at His door. Everyone wanted Him.

And what did Jesus do?

He did NOT cave to the crowd or the noise of the world. He withdrew to a sacred solitary place to pray.

Why?

Because Jesus knew a Truth that we desperately need today: Prayer propels purpose.

Before we can find clarity in a crowded world, we must disconnect from the crowd and connect with the Creator.

Today, as we continue our march through the book of Mark, it’s like we’re watching another scene from the motion picture life of Christ.

In Mark 1:35–39 we discover how a life of prayer anchors a life of purpose.

Here’s a little context as we drop into the scene:

Jesus just launched His public ministry in Capernaum. Yesterday, the Sabbath, Jesus astonished the people in the synagogue with His teaching. Then, He amazed them with His authority as He cast out a demon. His fame spread like wildfire throughout the entire region of Galilee (Mark 1:21-28).

He left the synagogue, walked less than 100’ to the home of Andrew and Simon Peter (they were brothers) and He immediately healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a severe fever (Mark 1:29-31).

Then, “At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. ³³ And the whole city was gathered together at the door” (Mark 1:32-34).

Picture the scene. Capernaum was a bustling, densely populated fishing hub. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of desperate, hurting, broken people were inches from Jesus' face.

He spent the late hours of the night working in the dark, amidst the buzzing of mosquitoes, the snarling of demons, the stench of sweat and disease and He was showing compassion, reaching out, laying hands on the sick, casting out demons, bearing their grief, carrying their sorrow, replacing their misery with hope and joy.

By any modern marketing metric, Jesus had achieved a total breakthrough. He was an overnight viral success.

The crowd wanted Him. His disciples were thrilled with Him. The momentum was magnificent. At last, the Messiah has come! MIGA! (Make Israel Great Again!) 

How should Jesus respond to this moment?

How do you react when the whole world wants what you’re selling? 

If Jesus followed a business advisor, a political strategist, or a megachurch consultant, He’d stay in Capernaum, consolidate His base of operation and power, capitalize on the crowd, lease a coliseum, build a stage, set up healing lines, send invitations throughout the region.

But Jesus does something completely counter to culture. That’s where we drop into the scene today, and witness the secret engine of Christ's ministry... and yours. (Yes, you have a ministry.)

³⁵ Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 

The Lord through Mark writes that Jesus got up in the morning, a long while before daylight.  

The original text looks like this: πρωῒ ἔννυχον λίαν (prōi ennychon lian).

Prōi refers to the fourth watch of the night, between 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM.

Ennychon means "in the night,"

and lian means "exceedingly" or "much."

Jesus (even though He worked the night shift) did not wait for the dawn. He did not wait for sunlight to peak over the Sea of Galilee. He woke when the night was dark and quiet. 

Why?

One reason was because of the lifestyle of Capernaum.

First-century homes in Galilee were not insulated, detached suburban houses with private bedrooms and backyard fences. They were built as insulae—clusters of small, single-room stone dwellings around a central courtyard.

Multiple generations lived crammed together. Privacy was a luxury that most folks in a fishing village simply did not have.

Remember the population of Capernaum was around 1,500 people packed together on 15 acres.

So, the moment the sun rose, courtyards all around the village would fill with crying children, clanging pots and pans, grinding millstones, and neighbors conversing.

If Jesus had slept in, stayed until daylight, the noise and the people would've swallowed His time, His day, and His ability to proactively, intimately, hear from His Father.

So, He quietly stepped around the sleeping, perhaps snoring, bodies of His disciples, unlatched the wooden door, and slipped out into the cool night air, while the rest of the world lay sleeping.

If He needed to get alone to pray. So do we.

But do we?

He went out and departed to a solitary place

Solitary place, is the Greek word is: ἔρημος (eremos). It means: desert, wilderness, a desolate, wasteland. 

The wilderness, throughout the Bible is monumental.

In the ancient Jewish mind, the eremos (wilderness) was not just a physical place, but a profound spiritual arena. 

On one hand, it was a place of danger, wild beasts, spiritual warfare and wandering.

On the other hand, eremos was a sacred place. 

The wilderness was where God spoke with Moses from the burning bush.

Where God led and fed Israel for 40 years.

Where Elijah heard God's still, small, voice.

Where John the Baptist was a voice crying in the wilderness.

Where he pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

Where Jesus fasted 40 days and nights and battled the flesh and the devil and won.

By going to the eremos, Jesus was intentionally seeking a sacred sanctuary, where the noise of the world could not interrupt intimate communication with the Father.

In the wilderness He received clarity and power to propel His purpose.

and there He prayed

In the Greek text, the verb for prayer here is προσηύχετο (prosēucheto).

It is written in the imperfect tense denoting a continuous, ongoing, or habitual action.

Jesus did not walk into the wilderness, say, “Hi Abba, bless the world, amen” and check prayer off His, To Do list.

He prayed and kept on praying. He immersed Himself in prayer. He lingered there. Hour after hour, as the stars shifted, the sun lifted from under the horizon, Jesus was engaged in an ongoing, continuous dialogue of intimate communion with His Heavenly Father.  This is a beautiful, powerful, Life giving place where time stands still.

But the noisy crowded world all too soon finds a way of butting in.

The peace of this sacred moment was shattered when...

³⁶ And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 

The English translation “searched for him” is way too nice. It softens and sanitizes the raw emotion of the verb the Lord chose to use: κατεδίωξεν (katediōxen).

This word appears nowhere else in the entire New Testament.

However, it's used in ancient Greek military literature to describe an army pursuing a fleeing enemy. It is a hunting term. It means to hunt down, to track relentlessly, to pursue with aggressive intent. 

This was not Peter and friends, leisurely looking for Jesus. This was Peter and posse, hunting Jesus. They woke up, saw the crowd already gathering at the door. They realized their Star had vanished and they panicked.

Peter rounded up a hunting party and set out to track Him down.

³⁷ When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

They don't say, “Good morning, Master, we missed you.”

They exclaim, "Πάντες ζητοῦσίν σε" (Pantes zētousin se), “Everyone is looking for you!” 

Jesus responds calmly with a smile: “You sound like my mom when I was 12😊” Luke 2:48-49.

Peter's not laughing. Can you hear the subtle rebuke? “Jesus, what in the world are You doing out here in the dirt? The cameras are rolling, the crowd is waiting, there’s a line of sick folks wrapped around the block... and You're out here in the wilderness, doing nothing!”

To Peter and the posse, ministry success must’ve been measured by popularity, satisfying the masses.

Whaddya doin’ Jesus? Everybody’s looking for You.  C’mon, we’ve got people to please!

People pleasing is a problem.

This is where many ministries fall.

Outside they look fine, platforms, power, people, lots of people...

Inside they're poor, blind, naked.

Jesus worked late ministering to the masses.

He had to be tired but refused to allow His flesh to control Him.

He gave no place to the pressure of popularity.

Jesus got away and prayed so He could hear and follow the Father's lead, not human need.

FOLLOW GOD'S LEAD, NOT HUMAN NEED

Jesus said I only say and only do, what I see and hear from My Father. John 5:19, 8:28, 12:49, 14:10.

Most treat prayer like a spiritual spare tire. It sits in the trunk, forgotten, gathering dust...until we get a flat tire. Then, we pull it out, pump it up, and hope it works.

But for Jesus, prayer was not the spare; but the steering wheel. It directed every turn, acceleration, and stop.

Luke 5:16
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places (wilderness) and prayed.

The Greek implies a continuous, habitual, ongoing, customary lifestyle.

Our public work for God will never be more than our private life with God.

Matthew 6:6
When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

 Before we can find clarity in a crowded world, we must disconnect from the crowd and connect with the Creator.

Jesus knew that if He did not regularly disconnect from the noise of the crowd, it would distort His hearing from the Father.

He understood the Truth of Isaiah 40:31:

 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Notice the sequence: first you must wait before you can run. If you run without waiting, you will faint before reaching the finish line.

Perhaps that’s why Peter and posse were so anxious. Did they expect Jesus to jump up and say, "My bad, sorry, let's hurry we don't want to keep the crowd waiting."

But Jesus got away from the noise of the world and heard the Voice of His Father. Therefore, He was able to follow God's lead over human need and knew exactly how to answer because, clarity of purpose is forged in the presence of the Father. In other words: Prayer Propels Purpose.

³⁸ But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”

³⁹ And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

Billy Graham faced similar temptation and won. He was a huge success, became a household name. Hollywood celebrities were converted, the media loved him. Powerful politicians urged him to run for office, believing his popularity could change the nation through legislation. It would have been easy to settle down, establish a local seat of power.

However, like Jesus, Billy heard the Voice of his Father, over the call of the crowd, and said that God called him to do one thing: preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. He stayed the course and reached over 200 million souls worldwide and the number is still growing.

In the end Billy said his greatest regret was not spending more time alone listening to the Lord.

The noise of the world, the pull of people, can easily drown out the Voice of the Lord if we don't intentionally invest time in that sacred secret place with the Lord in prayer.

Let's pray. 

Holy Lord Jesus, please help us to hear You by investing time with You. We are not too busy, we are too lazy. We don’t love You enough to make time for You. Please forgive our selfish, lukewarm, worldly ways. Thank You for Your example, so simple, yet so hard, at least for our flesh. Help us die to self and live to You. Please put us to work, keep us busy about Your business, as soul winners and disciple makers, making an Eternal difference in all those You’ve given us.

Thank You for speaking to us. Help us to listen.

We love and trust You forever.

Amen.

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.