Introduction
Jesus’ ministry has gotten off to a great start. Really, what more could you want if you are trying to make a name for yourself? In one day he has become a phenomenon through his preaching and especially through his miracle healings and exorcisms. He has a nice centralized set-up in Capernaum, which is a fair-size town on the Sea of Galilee. It is easy to get to by both foot and water. He is clearly popular there. With proper time and marketing management, he should be able to set up an impressive ministry operation. I am sure Jesus and his first disciples were exhausted at the end of the evening, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the disciples had trouble sleeping after such an exciting day. They knew they had picked the right guy to follow. Let’s see what the next day brought.
A Time to Pray
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Consider what has happened. The morning Jesus got up was the day after the Sabbath, what would be for us Monday morning. He had spent the day preaching, casting out demons and healing many people, and most of that work had been done in the evening. After that kind of day and night, he rises while it was still dark to pray. He doesn’t get up, fix himself a cup of coffee, and sit in a cushioned chair to have his quiet time. He leaves the house and walks out of town to a solitary place in order to pray.
Only three times does Mark record Jesus praying. The second time is after he feeds the five thousand. He dismisses the crowd, sends the disciples off in a boat, and heads to a mountainside to pray. The third time is in the Garden of Gethsemane. In each case, prayer follows or precedes a momentous event. In each case there seems to be before Jesus a momentous decision. We know from John’s gospel that the five thousand wanted to make Jesus king. He probably wasn’t tempted to accede to being crowned by them, but surely the pressures of the crowd for him to take on that role forced him to reckon with the next steps he needed to take. We know the issue at hand in Gethsemane – going to the cross. What did he have to wrestle with at Capernaum? What was weighing on his mind?
Apparently, the next step to take. The subsequent verses bring this out. The disciples come to fetch Jesus to return to town where everybody is eagerly looking for him. He then surprises them with plans to move on. Let’s examine what takes place.
36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
Clearly the disciples are excited about what is going on. The verb phrase, went to look, is a single word meaning “pursue.” Simon and his buddies do not casually look for Jesus. Simon is not merely curious. “I wonder where the Rabbi has wandered off to so early? I think I’ll take a look around. It looks like a nice morning. Anybody want to join me?” The conversation is more like, “Andrew, James, John, Jesus is missing! A crowd is already gathering again. Where could he have gone at a time like this? Come on! We’ve got to find him!”
So they find him and exclaim that just as the night before, a crowd has gathered again looking for him. Undoubtedly the people were eager for him to heal and cast out demons, though I would think they were also interested in what he had to say. Surely, they regarded him as some kind of man of God. Nevertheless, the miracle work, curing diseases and casting out demons, was clearly the big draw.
Now, observe Jesus’ response. Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages. Mark doesn’t record the disciples’ response, but you know what it must have been even if they didn’t say anything out loud. “Excuse me? Did we hear you right? You are the biggest hit ever in Capernaum, and you want to leave after one day? Didn’t you hear us? Everyone is looking for you. A crowd has already gathered at the house. You are the man!”
Where does Jesus want to go? Jerusalem? Other major towns? No, just the villages around Galilee, the lesser towns in the outpost region of Israel. And what does he plan to do? Establish a healing and exorcism show? That would be spectacular. No, preach. As he explains, so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.
Note what activity Jesus identifies as the essential work he has come to do. It is to preach. To preach what? What he did in verse 15: The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news! What matters is that people understand the kingdom of God – what it is like and how one enters it. That’s what Jesus has to proclaim. That’s his mission.
Again, his mission is not to heal sick bodies, as wonderful and compassionate such an activity may be. Nor is healing a side-show to attract and lure listeners. Jesus does not do it for entertainment or even to draw attention to himself. He heals because he is able, and he in his compassion is willing. But his mission is to preach the good news.
Note his resoluteness. He simply states what the next step is to be without any sign of indecision. As he says, That is why I have come. Jesus knows what he is about. He knows his purpose, and he is determined to carry it out. This is what guides all of his actions and words. Jesus is not feeling his way along the calling of Messiah. He is not trying to figure out his job description, nor is he experimenting with effective ways in getting the word out. “Hmm. Healings are popular. Maybe I should try more of those.” No, he knows that he is to be out preaching and that he cannot be distracted from that work.
In verse 39 we see that Jesus gets his way. 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. There are two interesting observations to make. First, for some reason Mark tosses in the fact that Jesus went about preaching in synagogues. Think for a moment. When you picture Jesus preaching, where do you visualize him? Most likely in the countryside. Most references to locations in the gospels are outdoors. It is clear that Jesus was not restricted to the official sites for religious instruction. On the other hand, Mark makes it clear that Jesus was not a religious rebel. The Sabbath day found him worshipping in the accepted institutions where all other observant Jews worshipped. Furthermore, that he was allowed to preach in the synagogues indicates that at least in his early ministry Jesus was accepted as an orthodox rabbi. He would not have been allowed to preach if he was considered a heretic or enemy of the Jewish faith. Though the people may have been amazed by the authority by which he taught, they recognized in him someone within the mainstream of Judaism.
The last phrase (and driving out demons) is what’s most surprising. The obvious focus of the passage is on preaching. Jesus does not say, “Let us go somewhere else so I can preach and cast out demons there also.” You could understand Mark adding the phrase if the next story is about casting out a demon, but it’s not. It’s actually a healing story. Why toss in the phrase other than to bother preachers like me? I’m not sure why, unless Mark wants us to realize that that the exorcisms are more than an extra that Jesus does like the healings.
Here is what I mean. Jesus could preach without someone feeling compelled to cry out for healing. It is not as though sickness is unable to stand the presence of Jesus. But demons do have a problem being in his presence. They cannot stand by idly when he is near, no more than German soldiers could casually sit around while the Allies entered France. Jesus and the demons are enemies, and Jesus is invading their territory. He is not a traveling dignitary paying a neighborly visit and saying a few words when he has the opportunity. The preaching itself is a powerful weapon against the demons who hate him. And as Mark makes clear, Jesus is the victor. As he enters the land, he drives out before him his enemies.
Application
What may we learn from Jesus?
1. Turn to God in prayer when momentous decisions before us.
Jesus was resolute because of the time he spent in prayer discerning the will of God. If we follow his example of making the time for serious prayer, we will be able to make the difficult decisions and to act with confidence and in peace.
2. Do not to rely on the methods of the world to advance the kingdom of God.
In the last quarter of a century churches have turned to the marketplace for guidance in doing the work of the church. We have been taught to develop our “niches”; we are to figure out felt-needs and develop a product. Ministers should model CEOs. Churches must have mission statements, 5-year strategy plans, etc., in order to legitimize their existence.
Jesus did not turn to healing as meeting a niche to reach the sick and handicapped. He did not look for ways to market himself. He preached and let that preaching work change in his people.
In the same manner, churches and those who preach are not to get distracted with our main purpose to worship, build the body of Christ, and evangelize. We must be careful not to allow the methods take priority over our biblical calling. Building the building, running the programs, and meeting the goals can make us lose vision for the real reasons we are a church. Jesus could have let healing take precedence over his preaching
3. The gospel is what matters. Don’t forget this. The gospel – not being well, not having smooth family relations, not being married or being free from marriage, not having a job or a good job – is what matters. However important those other things may be, what matters is hearing, understanding, and believing the good news of Jesus Christ.
4. Proclaiming the gospel is the mission of the church. It is not changing political policy. It is not building our little religious empire. It is not entertaining the masses. It is bringing the hope of the gospel to people who are lost.
That is why Jesus has come and why we must go forth.
