Mark 1:35-37 - And there He prayed

1:35

Jesus was becoming the centre of attention, this is always a dangerous place to be, but there are also times when we are meant to be the centre of attention. God will put us on display! At those times, as at all times for that matter, it is vital that we keep a level head. Jesus was fully human and fully God, He lived on earth as a man, and while the cross was the primary reason above all other reasons why He came, He also showed us how we should live as children of God in this world. One of the most important aspects of that is that we pray to our Father in Heaven. We need to live in communion with God. There are also times when we need to be away from the activity and pressures of everyday life, so Jesus rose very early in the morning. Now we should beware of making a law out of praying early, ie thinking it is inherently better to pray at 5 in the morning, rather than 5 in the afternoon. It isn’t, but there are practical reasons why praying in the early morning can be a very good thing to do. The pressures of the day haven’t had time to overwhelm our minds, and we are less likely to be disturbed!

1:36,37

Jesus’ going away to pray in a desolate place at a desolate time surprised Simon and the others. They also told Jesus that “everyone is looking for you”, and this is one if the key reasons why Jesus had gone away to pray! If we are walking with God there will be times when we do things that others are surprised at, when we live with different priorities than others think we should have. It is also interesting that Mark says “Simon and the others”, this is consistent with Peter being Mark’s primary source for the information in his gospel. It is also worth noting that at this stage Peter is still referred to as Simon. Paul’s “name change” from Saul to Paul was purely practical, changing from a Jewish name to a version more appropriate to the Gentile world in which he was going to operate. Peter’s change from Simon to Peter had spiritual significance.