THE RIGHT PRIORITIES
Opening Prayer
Spirit of God, as I read Scripture today, open the eyes of my heart to see ways that I can better serve my Savior. I look to you to give me what I need to follow him more closely.
Read MARK 1:35–45
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place
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. 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.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy
40 A man with leprosy[a] came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41 Jesus was indignant.[b] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
Footnotes
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Spend time giving over to God everything that is fighting for your attention: all the things you have to do and the worries you have.
Think Further
After healing so many throughout the night, Jesus was exhausted and withdrew to pray. Simon Peter’s reaction to this is interesting. We are told that he and the other disciples went to ‘look for’ Jesus (v. 36), but the Greek conveys something a bit pushier: he tracked him down, almost hunted him.1 Simon Peter was clearly frustrated with Jesus. After all, things were going great in Capernaum and there were still so many desperate people to heal. He may also have been stressed by the number of people crowding around his house seeking healing and may have wanted Jesus to return to take some of the pressure off.
All this led Peter to disturb Jesus’ prayers and pressure him to hurry back to Capernaum. Many of us would have caved in to such pressure, but Jesus had a clear idea of God’s plans. His prayers would have guided him, and his priority was doing God’s will, even if others – including his friends – thought he was letting people down.
Jesus did not seek to tackle every problem and meet every need. He knew the importance of following God’s direction and so left the crowds in Capernaum to go teach elsewhere. Do we recognize the importance of discovering God’s priorities for us, or does prayer get pushed out by the pressures and busyness of life? Do we take on roles and tasks to please others, or because we think God wants us to? How easy do we find it to say ‘no’ to misguided pressure? Let’s recognize that if Christ had to say ‘no’ to many things that seemed like good ideas, so will we. Let’s support our leaders in this, too, by not pressuring them to be overly busy and by praying that our churches are following God’s priorities rather than doing too much.
Apply
Are you facing pressures to take on more than you should? Do you know what God wants you to prioritize and focus upon? Pray about these things.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, lead me where you want me to be today. Keep me focused on you and help me to do what you have purposed for me.
1 DE Nineham, Saint Mark, Penguin, 1963, p84
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