And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with Him followed after Him. And when they had found Him, they said unto Him, “All men seek for Thee.” And He said unto them,
“Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.”
And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.
Mark 1:35-29
Mark 1
Voice of Approval
And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: and there came a voice from heaven, saying, “Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-11
To fulfill the will of God the Father Jesus presented Himself to John the Baptizer for baptism, to fulfill righteousness (Matthew 3:15), and upon doing so fitted Himself to the service and will of the Father.
The Father speaks from heaven His approval of His Son, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” It is a command from God that when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we testify of our faith by way of baptism showing His death, burial and resurrection by immersion. The submerging of the whole body under water; a testimony to others of our faith in Him. If you fail in obedience to baptism, you will fail in your faithfulness to Him.
Believe the voice of the Father concerning the Son. Believe the voice of Jesus that He and the Father are One (John 10:30).
Going Preaching
And when they had found Him, they said unto Him, “All men seek for Thee.” And He said unto them,
“Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.”
And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. Mark 1:37-39
Everyone around had heard of Jesus performing miracles. They wanted to see miracles. Many of them wanted to receive a miracle. When He preached He spoke as One who had authority; and that impressed many, but not all of them.
Jesus had gone away from the people, even His disciples, to spend time with the Father in prayer. He felt the need for dedicated prayer and so should you and me.
His ministry was to preach the good news – the gospel – and the kingdom. It is more important to preach the word, the gospel, than to do miracles. We need to understand that the greatest miracle is when a lost, sick and dying soul hears the voice of Jesus, they believe and are delivered from the bonds of sin and death. That was me. I heard and I believe.
That is why my ministry is the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He Taught Them As One Who Had Authority
And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day He entered into the synagogue, and taught. And they were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God.” And Jesus rebuked him, saying,
“Hold thy peace, and come out of him.”
And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What thing is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority commandeth He even the unclean spirits, and they do obey Him.” And immediately His fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. Mark 1:21-28
One Mightier
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets,
‘Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’
John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; and preached, saying,
‘There cometh One mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.’ ” Mark 1:1-8
He Went Out
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with Him followed after Him.” Mark 1:35-36
Let me tell you how I determine what verses I share and comment on each time. I am spending the year of 2021 reading the Gospels through each month. I am also reading Psalms and Proverbs 1 chapter per day. On thirty day months I read one Psalm, and on thirty one day months I read one chapter of Proverbs – these for extra reading and encouragement and instruction in wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
What I have been sharing here has been mostly from the Gospels; at least beginning in March it was. When I share from the gospels I try not to repeat something I have shared before, but I know I am not successful at that every time. Yet, there must be a reason for repeating it – at least I trust that there is.
Today, as I was reading I took note of the verses above how Jesus went out before the dawning of the day to pray. The Gospels mentions this quite often. I know that I do not pray as I should; yet I also know that where ever I am; whether I am walking, driving, shopping with my wife, in study, or what ever I am doing I can pray. Jesus has made that possible through the death of His cross.
I also know that I need dedicated time to pray. I would desire to be like the disciples in the verse above that followed Jesus to His solitary place, to be with Him. I need that time, I need that solitary place each and every day to be in prayer; dedicated place, dedicated prayer; and that will lead to a dedicated life in Him.
I pray that you have a dedicated and solitary place where you hear from God through His word, and where He hears from you in prayer.
Friday Prayer January 15, 2021
“He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.” Proverbs 15:27
“And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, ‘I will; be thou clean.’ ” Mark 1:41
Father, You are my Provider, my Strength, and Healer. You are the Creator of all that is; both seen and unseen. You are the Light of the world. With You there is no darkness. I trust in You. Thank You for calling me to Yourself through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ Your holy only begotten Son.
Bow down Your ear, O LORD, and hear me, for I am poor and needy. I am needy of Your mercy, Your grace, and Your touch. There are many around me who have been, and are afflicted by disease and sickness and I ask for their healing; that You will touch them and renew their strength. There are families who are struggling financially, physically and spiritually and who desperately need a touch from You. Touch, heal, and meet every need they have according to Your glorious will; and especially save those who are perishing in sin.
Our world is plagued by hatred and violence, and some things being called hatred are words of truth that convict and cut to the soul and heart of people who hear it; yet call it “Hate speech”. O God, my God and Savior renew a right spirit in those who are Yours and heal our land as we repent of our sin and turn back to You. Rid our hearts and thoughts of greed. May our leaders and all turn back from bribes and bribery. Bribery in our government leaders is corrupting our land and deceiving the people and turning hearts to the deceits of men.
Touch the hearts and minds of Your people Lord in a powerful way. Show Yourself strong, O LORD, in those who have put on the Righteousness of Jesus Christ, and revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You; now and forever. Amen.
The Kingdom
“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying,
‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.’ ” Mark 1:14-15 (KJB)
John the Baptist preached the message too; preparing the way for the Messiah. I have thought for years on the topic of “the kingdom”, “the kingdom of God” and “the kingdom of heaven” and wondered, “What is the difference?” or even, “Is there any difference.
I have finally come to a conclusion of the matter of the kingdom. The terms are synonymous referring to the same thought. If you disagree that is fine. We can still be brothers in Christ and disagree.
We must realize that the people of God – Israel – had for years turned their back upon God. They were “Looking for the kingdom of God” but completely missing it; especially the religious leaders; and then, along comes the prophet John, and he is preaching, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” Matthew 3:2. It is not that the kingdom had suddenly appeared, but that it had always been present and at hand.
With the coming of Jesus and His message He says the same thing as John. Now that Jesus is here the kingdom has took on Personhood, and He is the Son of God, God the Son; the God-Man and praise God He Himself is here.
Just some things for musing; The gospels of Mark, Luke and John call it the “Kingdom of God”. Matthew is the only gospel which calls it “The kingdom of heaven”.
What is the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God?
The kingdom or kingdom of heaven or kingdom of God is referring to all that is under the sovereign, superintending hand of Almighty God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. So, we must conclude that even evil, evil deeds, and evil people are also superintended by His mighty hands and Omniscient mind. He does not do evil; neither does He approve it; He does set its limits and says to it when it reaches its limit “This far and no farther”. Think of where God cut off the evil acts of the Pharaoh during the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. According to John Baptist and Jesus the kingdom is at hand.
There is however, the Kingdom coming with Jesus Christ ruling and reigning over the world sitting on His throne in the City of Jerusalem; and His kingdom and rule will be forever.
You can be with Him in that kingdom by submitting to Him, His cross confessing your sins, that He died for you, was buried, and He rose again. Repent – turn your back to sin. Call on His name. He will hear and He will save you to be with Him through all eternity.
Words of Jesus; Son of God, God the Son – 080920
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying,
‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.’ ” Mark 1:14-15 (KJB)
The Baptist and Jesus
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets,
‘Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’
John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; and preached, saying, ‘There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: and there came a voice from heaven, saying,
‘Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ ” Mark 1:1-11 (KJB)
In a Solitary Place; There He Prayed
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after Him. And when they had found Him, they said unto Him, ‘All men seek for Thee.’ And He said unto them, ‘Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.’ And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.” Mark 1:35-39 (KJB)
O, how Jesus longed to fulfill His Father’s will. Jesus knew it involved much committed time with Him in prayer. My how I fall so short on committed time to prayer. I do try to stay in touch with God through my day, but I lack power with Him; at least it seems so with me. Lord help me with my praying. I need You in my life in power and glory. I am weak, but you are Mighty.
The following is from the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary on verse 35 of Mark 1…
“And in the morning — that is, of the day after this remarkable sabbath; or, on the first day of the week. His choosing this day to inaugurate a new and glorious stage of His public work, should be noted by the reader.
rising up a great while before day — “while it was yet night,” or long before daybreak.
he went out — all unperceived from Peter’s house, where He slept.
and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed — or, “continued in prayer.” He was about to begin His first preaching and healing circuit; and as on similar solemn occasions (Luk_5:16; Luk_6:12; Luk_9:18, Luk_9:28, Luk_9:29; Mar_6:46), He spent some time in special prayer, doubtless with a view to it. What would one not give to have been, during the stillness of those grey morning hours, within hearing – not of His “strong crying and tears,” for He had scarce arrived at the stage for that – but of His calm, exalted anticipations of the work which lay immediately before Him, and the outpourings of His soul about it into the bosom of Him that sent Him! He had doubtless enjoyed some uninterrupted hours of such communings with His heavenly Father ere His friends from Capernaum arrived in search of Him. As for them, they doubtless expected, after such a day of miracles, that the next day would witness similar manifestations. When morning came, Peter, loath to break in upon the repose of his glorious Guest, would await His appearance beyond the usual hour; but at length, wondering at the stillness, and gently coming to see where the Lord lay, he finds it – like the sepulchre afterwards – empty! Speedily a party is made up to go in search of Him, Peter naturally leading the way.” JAMIESON, FAUSSET, AND BROWN COMMENTARY
The Fire and Hammer 