1:35
The social conditions of the time meant that one had to put some effort into finding solitude. So Jesus got up early and went out of the village in order to find a solitary place, where He prayed. Mark makes a point of highlighting the fact that Jesus did not want demons nor people to say who He was, and that He periodically sought solitude in order to pray. Jesus was not publicity seeking.
1:36,37
While Jesus sought solitude, Simon and the others noticed that He was missing and went to look for Him. They were surprised at Jesus’ behaviour. Why not make the most of your “popularity”. John 2:24 tells us that Jesus “would not entrust Himself to [people]”. Jesus did not come to follow man’s agenda.
1:38,39
As noted earlier, Mark stresses the importance of preaching to Jesus. Today there are some who want to denigrate preaching. Now preaching should not be all that we do, and it certainly was not all that Jesus did! We should also seek to preach well. But anyone who thinks that preaching is not all that important should be aware that they are not thinking like Jesus! So Jesus tells His disciples that He wants to go to the nearby villages to preach there as well. So Jesus travelled around preaching and driving out demons. Again, note how the two go together.
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