January 22, 2023

“He Went Out to a Desolate Place to Pray, Part 1”; Mark 1:35-39
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Our champion has endured this fatiguing day of yesterday, he has endured the healings and the authoritative teachings, and the casting out of the demons. And all of this took a great deal from him. After this, Jesus will get just a few hours of sleep, and then he will rise early in the morning, to find some time alone, a time and a space of solitude in which he can then go to the Father. And then we will read that he will be interrupted while engaging in prayer with the Father.

And this will be our passage for today. So, let's read our passage from verse 35, through verse 39.

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place. And there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him, searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And He said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went through all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues, and casting out demons.

So, as we pick up in our text from verse 35, we read these words; and rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark. So, rising early in the morning tells us that after this day that Jesus had yesterday of this, this fatiguing, very tiring day, he at least got a little bit of rest, because as he rises, he would have at least laid down for a period of time, maybe a power nap, or maybe a sleep of an hour or two or three or four hours. It's easy to see that the events of the previous day would have spilled into the early hours of the morning, or at least past the midnight hour, which would then leave Jesus, if he's going to rise before the rising of the sun, maybe just a handful of hours of sleep.

So, rising early in the morning, he departs out to pray. And remember, this is the account, these are the memoirs of Peter. Mark is writing this for us, but he's writing down the stories and the memories of Peter. And so, Peter himself being a fisherman would have been someone who was accustomed to rising early and before the Before the rising of the sun. So, perhaps Peter was somewhat awake, perhaps he was awake enough to hear Jesus get up and leave out, or perhaps not. Perhaps he as well as the others just sort of woke up and saw that Jesus was gone, and then knew that he had left prior to the rising of the sun.

But in either case, Jesus rises, mark says, very early in the morning, while it was still dark. And he departed, and went out to a desolate place. So, here Mark has now used the same word five times. The word here translated ‘desolate place’ is the same word that we saw earlier translated as ‘wilderness,’ same word. Eremos in the Greek, and so, it means just this desolate wilderness sort of place. Earlier, as Jesus was forced, or cast, sent out into the wilderness for his period of temptation, Mark used the same word there to describe a desolate place that was physically desolate; desolate of water, desolate of food, desolate of shelter, a very hostile place to be, a hostile place to live.

And that was where Jesus was at for his time of temptation and trial. Here, Mark uses the same word to describe a desolate place that he seeks in order to find a solitude for prayer. So, we talked a couple of times previously about Capernaum. And in Capernaum, there would not have been a place near Capernaum that Jesus could have walked to that could be described as physically desolate. So, what Mark means here is not desolate in the sense of treeless and waterless and foodless, and shelterless. But I think what he means here is desolate in the sense of desolate of people, void of people, absent of people, a desolate place.

So, Mark, as we talked about this on this past Wednesday, Mark is someone who loves to make contrasts. He loves this kind of bookending stories with this, this point, in which he puts the point at the beginning and the point at the end, and he's accenting what he's, what he's teaching in the middle, of what he's recounting in the middle. And here's another one of those occasions where I think that perhaps Mark wants us to see a connection here between Jesus’ going into the wilderness for temptation, and Jesus’ going to the desolate place for prayer.

So, the place of the wilderness desolation that was a place of great trial and temptation. But now this place of this wilderness, this desolate place, is not a place of temptation, but it's a place of strengthening, a place of communing with the Father. So, perhaps, perhaps Mark wants us to see here, that the place that was the wilderness that was the place of trials and temptation, there's a connection between there and the place of strengthening the place of communing with the Father.

So, he goes into this desolate place, and we read this; that there, he prayed. And so, this is an invitation for us to just pause here and just reflect upon the prayers of Christ, the prayers of Jesus. And so, as we begin
to think about the prayer of Jesus, as Jesus prayed here to his Father, we are reminded that the Scriptures, of course, tell us that Jesus was a person of prayer, a man of prayer. We're told that he prayed quite frequently.

Mark will tell us of three occasions of Jesus's prayer. And all three occasions, as I said―Mark likes to track themes through, and he likes to use this to bookend certain points that he's making. And so, Mark is going to take the prayers of Jesus, three prayers of Jesus, chapter one right here, the next one will be in chapter six, right before he walks on the water. And the final one will be of course, in chapter 14 in the Garden of Gethsemane. All three of those instances of prayer that Jesus that were told in Mark's gospel of Jesus prayer, all three of those instances take place at night, all three of them take place in a solitude, place of desolation, and all three of them take place within the context of Jesus's temptation to avoid the hard way of obedience to his Father, and instead, take the easy way.

So, here Jesus will experience this temptation. Just a few verses of the disciples, we know the story, they come, and they say; the crowd is clamoring for you Jesus. You were a big hit last night. Why would you want to leave all this? Stay here and enjoy this popularity.

Chapter six, we're going to see the same sort of thing; Jesus will pray right after the feeding of the 5000. The feeding of the 5000 was when they clamored for him to be king, they wanted to take him and make him king. Why do this cross thing Jesus? Just be king, we will anoint you.

And then of course, the final one will take place in chapter 14 in the Garden. As the temptation comes to Jesus there to avoid the cross, to avoid the hard way of obedience to the Father.

So, all three times take place at night. They take place alone in solitude, and they take place in the context of Jesus being tempted to avoid the harder path of obedience, and instead, take the easier path of earthly recognition and earthly ease.

So, these instances of Jesus prayer, three of them come to us in Mark's gospel, but many more instances of Jesus' prayer comes to us in the other gospels. We’re told of Jesus praying on so many different occasions; Jesus will pray before he chooses his apostles. He'll pray before he feeds the 5000. He prays before the Mount of Transfiguration, he'll pray before he raises Lazarus from the grave, He will pray from the cross, He will teach His disciples to pray.

In fact, the only thing Jesus's disciples ever asked them him to teach them was how to pray. Nothing else is recorded in the gospels that the disciples came to Jesus, and said: teach us how to forgive, or teach us how to preach. Instead, the only thing they asked Jesus to teach them was how to pray. And then of course, he teaches them how to pray.

So, Jesus is portrayed for us in the gospels as a man of prayer. And so, this is, this is a moment for us to pause and just reflect upon the prayer of Jesus. And in two ways, let's think about the prayer of Jesus as regards his prayer. But then we'll also think about the prayer of Jesus as it relates to us, as it relates to our prayers.

So, as we approach this, one of the things that I want to do is just set the context to set the mindset, to avoid us approaching the passage wrongly, because this is a passage that's quite easy for us to come to with the type of a flippant sort of attitude, and just take it as something that's showing us how Jesus prayed and how he rose early in the morning and sought his Father in prayer. And so, therefore, we should be people who seek solitude and seek to pray and commune with the Father before our day as well. There you go, right?

And that's in the text, that's in the text. But that is not the main point of the text. The main point of the text is not to show you how you are to pray. The main point of the text is to present us with a stunning picture, an astounding picture of something that we only see in the gospels just a handful of times. Because what was shown in this passage is nothing less than the Son of God talking to God the Father.

We see God talking to God.

And so, we should be careful to approach the passage with appropriate reverence of what we're being shown here. Because what we're being shown is not just a 45 second grocery list that Jesus is lifting up at the beginning of his day.

What we're being shown is the perfect sinless human Jesus and the sinless Son of God, denying themselves the necessities of life―in this case, sleep―after a very long and exhausting day.

Denying the necessities of life, to instead go to a secret place, and wrestle with the Father in the labor of prayer.

I feel like that if we had been here and we had stumbled upon Jesus praying in this solitary place at this time, we would have been shocked to have seen and observed what was taking place, as the Son of God is communing with his Father in private, with no one watching, and with no one listening.

You know, if we had been there at the synagogue, when Jesus preaches with this authoritative, life changing preaching, then we would have also had a great deal of trepidation―at least those of us who stand and, and preach and teach―we, I think we would have had a great deal of trepidation, to stand up and preach after witnessing him do that.

And I think, to the same degree, had we been here and seen the Son of God, in private with his Father, and we heard from his lips that word, “Father,” the a word that we use, quite frankly―we're right to use that in prayer―but quite frankly, we use it in prayer so often, without really thinking that the Maker of heaven and earth is pleased to be called our Father. If we had heard that word from his lips―Father―we would have been something like the seraphim, in Isaiah’s vision, who cover their face with their wings, because they cannot bear to look upon this.

The shame, the embarrassment of our prayerlessness, of our littleness of prayer, in the face of the Son of God in private with his Father, would have been startling for us, I think.

And so, this is a scene that's this portrayed for us, as something that, above all else, we should come away from the scene being just stunned at this man, Jesus, this perfect sinless man, Jesus and the Son of God, who would deny themselves the physical necessities of life in order to go into commune with their Father.

So, we're told that he departed, and went out to a desolate place, and there, he prayed. So, that invites us to once again just ask the question, Well, what was his prayer like? What was the substance of his prayer? What did he say to his Father? What were his words? What was the content of his prayer?

We're not told, there are other places in the Gospels in which we are told the content, something of the content of Jesus's prayers. We're not told that here, but we're told elsewhere, that Jesus, for example, in the prayer in the Garden, he's going to ask the Father to allow him to not have to drink this cup of His wrath. In John chapter 17, we have a whole chapter of Jesus's words to the Father in which he prays that long extended prayer for his children, for his people, that they were―three things; First of all, be unified be one as he as they are one. Secondly, that they would be sanctified―sanctify them Father, in your word for Your word is truth. And thirdly, that they will be protected against the evil one, I do not pray that you take them out of the world, but did you leave them in the world, but you protect them from the evil one.

So, we know substance, something of the substance of Jesus prayers elsewhere. We're not told the substance here. But we can speculate as to what some of the things might have been that Jesus would have spoken to his Father.

And I think the place to begin would be to recognize what Jesus would not have said. Something that would have been conspicuously absent from the prayers of Jesus, something that is very much present, or at least should be very much present, in our prayers to a great degree, and that would be the confession of sin.

The confession of sins should take up a great deal of your time and your personal prayer. Yet the confession of sin would be completely absent in Jesus’ prayer. There would be no―Father, forgive me for the impatience that I showed yesterday with Peter. Father, forgive me for the poor attitude that I had after the third hour of healing. Father, forgive me for my selfishness. Father, forgive me for that. There have been none of that. Because the sinless Son of God―First John chapter three, verse five, he is without sin, there is no sin in him―he would have no need for confession of sin.

Also, he would have no need to plead the Father's help, to plead the Spirit’s help to empower him to overcome his sin nature, as you and I do. Our prayers should also contain a great deal of pleading with the Father, that in great earnestness, that he would give us the power, that he would anoint us, that he would equip us with the power of the Spirit, that we might overcome our sinful nature.

But there'll be none of this from Jesus lives. Jesus would not ask the Father―Father, help me tomorrow to be patient, once again with these disciples. Help me tomorrow to have a better attitude. Help me tomorrow to not be so short-sighted, none of that.

But what would have been contained in Jesus's prayers? What things would he have lifted up? And again, speculation here, but certainly it's right to consider that perhaps Jesus would have asked the Father something of some marching orders for the next day. Something of; Father, I kind of have in mind here that that my time, my time here is done. I sort of feel like that the healing that I did last night, has gotten them all starry eyed, and, and just fixated upon the power of the miracles. And I kind of feel like that they they're no longer hearing what I say. So, I sort of feel like my time here is done, and I might need to move on. What do you think, Father? I want to know your mind on this Father.

Should I move on? And if I should, where should I go? Should I go north? Should I go west? Should I go to Bethsaida? Should I go to Chorazin? Where should I go Father?

Certainly, the Father had a plan for Jesus each day. We know of instances in which Jesus had these encounters with people―in fact, every encounter Jesus had with people was planned; the woman at the well, Zacchaeus, we could go on.

And so, certainly the Father had these appointments, these plans for Jesus. And so, perhaps Jesus pleaded with the Father; Father, what's your plan for tomorrow? Who would you have me see tomorrow? What must I be prepared for tomorrow? Who am I looking for? What am I looking for? Am I looking for a leper? Is there a demon possessed person you want me to encounter? What do you want me to say to them?

And so, perhaps Jesus, the perfect human Jesus in the power of the Spirit is pouring out to the Father, Father helped me, aid me, show me tomorrow.

Ephesians chapter two, verse 10, tells us that God has prepared beforehand good works that we should walk in them. So, if God has prepared good works for us to walk in, how much more would God have prepared good works for Jesus to walk in day by day. So, perhaps something of that; Father, I want to know your mind about tomorrow.

But I think also it would be entirely reasonable to consider that Jesus would have lifted up to the Father, probably names of those whom he encountered that day, or the day before.

You think maybe Jesus had a perfect memory of every name, of every person that he touched last night? Do you think perhaps Jesus lifted up to the Father―Father, Benjamin. Remember Benjamin last week? Benjamin, has been set free of that demon Father, but he has a long ways to go. He's still in love with himself, Father, so, I lift up Benjamin to you. I set him free from the demon yesterday, I pray that my words would find home with him.

Deborah, Father, you know, Deborah. I healed her of that disease that was attacking her, giving her the headaches, I healed her last night, Father. And I pray Father that that healing would not only have physical life in her, but I pray that would have spiritual life, that the words I spoke to her, cause her to remember those words.

Or Joshua, Father, Joshua, I straightened his leg last night, Father. You remember Joshua, he was born with the leg that was crooked. I straightened it last night Father. And so, I pray for Joshua. I pray that those words I spoke over him, I pray that they will find soil in his heart and I pray that they would grow to life, Father.

And so, he's lifting these up. Also the disciples Father, Peter, Peter. He's about to come in about 30 minutes, he's going to come. So, I pray for him. I pray that he will receive these words rightly.

And so, he would have likely lifted up these prayers to the Father, and likely asked the Father, Father, I seek to know your mind on these things.