Mark 1:35-39, Prayer Life of Jesus
Greetings:
The Lord is Good, his love endures forever.
Introduction:
It is said that Satan is afraid of the knees that bend before God. He is not bothered by people who do not pray. He does not bother about the singers, and preachers but only the prayer warriors. The prayer life of Jesus is amazing to understand.
Jesus spends hours together in Prayer stations. He spent time in the mornings, evenings, midday, and all night. The words "prayer" and "pray" are used at least twenty-five times in connection with Jesus by the Gospel writers. The following three things come to my thought about the prayer life of Jesus.
Jesus prayed to have communion with God, Jesus prayed to have compassion for the creation and Jesus prayed to Contemplate the will of God. Let us meditate one by one.
1. To have Communion with God
Jesus was passionate! Jesus modeled a lifestyle of prayer. Gospels do not share with us the entire prayer life of Jesus but glimpses are found in it.
Jesus spent time with God on daily basis. According to Mark 1:35, Jesus got up early morning while it was yet dark, he went out to a desolate place and prayed. Though it was a busy day Jesus withdrew to a desolate place and prayed (Luke 5:15-16). Jesus did not say, ‘today, I am so busy and I missed my prayers’. Jesus prayed late afternoon after feeding the 5000 thousand (Matthew 14:23).
Throughout history, God has looked for those willing to yield everything to Him and His desire to redeem a world. At times God has marveled that no one was willing to go with Him (Isaiah 63:5, 59:16).
Why did Jesus pray? Any devout Jewish man would have an active prayer life, and regular daily prayers at the prescribed times (the third, sixth, and ninth hours) (AnnMarie Anderson, 2020). Jesus prayed as an example to his followers. The Incarnation consists of both divine and human natures. As One of the Trinity had communication with others. So, it was a communion with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the Gospels whenever we read of Jesus and his prayer, it comes up regularly and naturally. Jesus did not pray in a cold, distant manner, but in heartfelt supplication, demonstrating empathy and a genuine love for God (Robert Velarde, 2008).
Jesus used to pray alone, and sometimes along with the disciples. Once he “took Peter, John, and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.” (Luke 9:28).
Jesus' prayers came with vehement cries and tears and, ‘because of his godly fear, He was heard by the Father."(Hebrews 5:7). Jesus was wrestling in the Spirit with passion and fervency. Jesus never gave up, and He doesn't want us to give up in prayer (Luke 18:1). Even, in Heaven, He is praying always and intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25).
2. To have Compassion for the creation
Jesus is identical to one great attribute known as Compassion. He is a compassionate person. He always moved with compassion because of his prayer life.
Jesus moved with compassion seeing the MULTITUDES without a shepherd, without food, without healing (Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 15:32, Mark 6:34). “But when he saw the MULTITUDES, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34). ‘And Jesus went forth, and saw a great MULTITUDE, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.’ (Matthew 14:14, Mark 6:34, 8:2). ‘And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the PEOPLE because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.”’ (Matthew 15:32).
Jesus moved with compassion for suffering INDIVIDUALS, a leper, widow, and fatherless (Mark 1:41, Luke 7:13, John 11:35). ‘And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.’ (Mark 1:40-42). When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” (Luke 7:13). Jesus wept (John 11:35).’ “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him” (Matthew 20.32-34). Jesus prayed for his disciples (John 17:7), and Jesus prayed for Simon, so that his faith may not fail (Luke 22:32)
By birth, we are wicked, we are senseless, and we are self-centered. We have jealous, we hate one another. We are upset with each other’s progress and prosperity. We are basically evil beings because of the fall.
Jesus came into that world of hatred and animosity; though he shared the nature of the flesh and its attributes, he was different (Romans 8:3). He was tempted like all of us not to love, to be self-centered, to rebel, to hate, and to destroy (Hebrews 2:17-18).
But the prayer life of Jesus had changed everything. He developed compassion, mercy, love, and forgiveness towards his enemies, opponents, traitors, and deceivers. Gently, without judgment, Jesus tried to strengthen the weak and ignite their faith.
Jesus prayed for all believers (John 17:20-21a). Jesus even prayed for his executioners “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34).
How much true it is Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. ‘In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy, He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.’ (Isaiah 63:9).
Jesus saw the pitiful end of the souls. He moved with compassion whenever he saw the plights of the widows, parents, women, and downtrodden. He declared the Nazareth Manifesto because of his prayer life. His forty days and nights of fasting passionate him towards his ministry (Luke 4: 1-13 &18-19). Luke puts the prayer and the declaration together. So, that we can understand the power of prayer.
3. To Contemplate the will of God
There are two wills of God one is Sovereign and the other is the Permissive Will of God. One we can’t other we have to. One is unchangeable, the other is adjustable.
There is a sovereign will of God. God has the sovereign control of all things. It is the “sovereign will” or his “will of decree.” It cannot be broken. It always comes to pass.
The scriptural references are: “He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35). “Not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from our Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:29). “The lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33). “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:1). “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1).
In Gethsemane, Before His arrest, the Lord Jesus went to pray (Luke 22:39, John 18:2). To overcome his inner conflict with the powers of darkness, He prepared Himself by prayer (Matthew 26:36-44). This was an attempt to clearly know the Will of God and surrender to it. According to 1 Peter 3:17, suffering even after doing the good, working for the Good is the WILL of GOD.
There is a permissive Will of God in every act we do: As the Lord taught His disciples, ‘Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation, so He practiced what He taught, and prepared Himself.
Jesus prayed to guard against temptations to pride, satisfaction, or contentment, with the work already achieved. Jesus Christ was truly human, subject to the same temptations we are, and He met them with the same weapons we must use, the Word of God and prayer.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “This is the will of God, holiness, sanctification, sexual purity.” Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).
Understanding the biblical truth to new situations that may or may not be explicitly addressed in the Bible. The Bible does not tell us which person to marry, which car to drive, which plots to buy, which house to home, where to take our vacation, what cell phone to buy, which brand of dress to buy, which food to eat and which juice to drink. There are thousands of other choices we make. (John Piper, 2004). But we pray because we want to have the new mind of God according to the direction of the scriptures (John 8:32; 17:17).
So, the scriptures help us to have the discerning application of the Scriptures to new situations in life by means of a renewed mind. Jesus applied the scriptures rightly because of his prayer life. The best example is his temptation episode recorded in the Gospels of Matthew 4 and Luke 4.
The very simple parameter to know the will of God for your daily life actions and decisions is, even after your fervent prayer, if you still struggle to go ahead with your decision which is the clear parameter that it’s not the will of God.
Conclusion:
The prayer life of our Lord Jesus Christ enlightens us to have communion with God, to have compassion towards the people whom we hate and dislike, to contemplate the will of God for everything we do on daily basis, and to interpret the will of God according to the scriptures.
