Reflection 7th February 2021
The
passage in Mark we’re thinking about today (Mark 1: 29 – 39) seems to be
presented as “A typical day in the life of Jesus”. And in fact, if we
were to see the complete day we should also read Mark 1: 21 – 28 which sets the
scene for this passage. Jesus and his disciples are in Capernaum and they’ve
been in the synagogue there. Now they leave the synagogue and go to “the
house of Simon and Andrew” (Mark 1:30).
There
they find that Simon’s mother-in-law is gravely ill. Jesus heals her and in
response she immediately “began to serve them”. Mark 1:31 (By the way
please don’t think “shouldn’t the poor soul be resting after being so ill?” She
clearly is miraculously restored to health. And the Greek word translated into
English as ‘serving’ is diakoneo. This is a word frequently used in the
New Testament for those who have specific ministry of serving others. Peter’s mother-in-law
is given the privilege of serving Jesus and the others as an honour, not a duty.)
Having
eaten, that evening “they” (the disciples? Other people in Capernaum?) 32 …. brought to him all who were sick or
possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was
gathered around the door” And he cured many. Mark 1: 32 - 33
Then Mark tells us
35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he
got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.
Unlike in Luke,
in his Gospel Mark does not make a big theme of Jesus praying. Nevertheless, it
is clearly an important feature and maybe, (as we are in “A typical day in the life of Jesus”) perhaps Mark is
suggesting that Jesus started every day with prayer? Mark clearly wants to
demonstrate to his readers the importance of starting the day with prayer.
But “Simon and
his companions” had other ideas. In verse 36 we are told, depending on what
translation you read they “went to look for him” NIV or “hunted for
him” NRSV. (“hunted” seems more appropriate as a more literal
translation of the Greek katadioko is apparently “pursued”)
Whatever word is used, clearly Simon and the others think they know what Jesus
should be doing. It shouldn’t be sitting in solitude and prayer. There are
crowds that require Jesus’ immediate attention.
It is almost as
if Simon and the others think that Jesus has got lost and set out to find him
and point him back to what his “job” should be. Being a rabbi in
Capernaum and curing the sick there. (How often do we tell Jesus what to do
when we are praying?) But Jesus reminds them that he is not lost, and he knows
what his task is. It is to preach the Good News. And consequently, Jesus will
not be restricted to one town and to share the Good News with the disciples
solely.
38 Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else – to
the nearby villages – so that I can preach there also. That is why I have
come.’ 39 So
he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out
demons. Mark 1: 38 – 39
Let’s return to verse 35
for a moment:
35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he
got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.
The Revised Standard
Version of the Bible calls it “a lonely place” as opposed to a deserted
place. And when we think of it this way it takes on a quite different meaning.
The Dutch Christian
writer Henri Nouwen stated:
"... the secret of Jesus’
ministry is hidden in that lonely place where he went to pray ...In the lonely
place Jesus finds the courage to follow God’s will and not his own; to speak
God’s words and not his own; to do God’s work and not his own." Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life
It is a
lonely place as when Jesus goes off to pray, he might be physically alone, on
his own. But all too often he feels alone, abandoned by his friends. And on one
occasion, in the Garden of Gethsemane, even though the disciples are nearby as
he prays, Jesus feels alone, abandoned by his friends.
The
reason he is alone is that the disciples, those closest to him, have no
understanding of what he is going through or what his mission is. And this for
me shows us the humanity of Jesus that he is pained by the loneliness.
It
seems to me that loneliness has two aspects. There is the lack of other people around
us – and we know as human beings most of us need that interaction with others.
But there is also the sense of feeling abandoned or others not understanding
what we are going through. To this extent it is possible to feel lonely even
when surrounded by other people.
As far
as we know from the Gospels, Jesus coped with his loneliness through prayer,
through being able to talk things over with God his heavenly father. And I feel
sure that prayer can play its part during our times in a lonely place. But
equally, being able to talk to someone on the phone, or via Zoom, or even
socially distanced, is good too.
That is
where as a church family we must all play our part. To think about those who
are alone and reach out to them. To phone, to write. We mustn’t assume we know
what they are experiencing. But being prepared to listen and interact can mean
so much. It can bring love to someone who is feeling unloved. It can bring hope to someone who feels
hopeless. It can bring much needed company to someone alone.
Henri
Nouwen, who I mentioned earlier, also wrote these words:
“When we think about the people who have given
us hope and have increased the strength of our souls, we might discover that
they were not the wardens or moralists. They are the few who were able to
articulate in words and actions the human condition in which we participate and
who encouraged us to face the realities of life. Those who do not run from our
pains but touch them with compassion bring healing and new strength. The paradox
is that the beginning of healing is in the solidarity with the pain. In our solution-oriented
society, it is more important than ever to realize that wanting to alleviate
pain without sharing it is like wanting to save a child from a burning house without
the risk of being hurt.”
As a wise lecturer at college once explained it
to me. “Sometimes David, as Christians we need to climb down into the pit
with our sisters and brothers in Christ and stand alongside them.”
Sometimes we all need our deserted place to
take time to be with God and take time for ourselves. But sometimes when the
deserted place becomes the lonely place that’s when we need Jesus and those he
sends to be with us.
Picture: https://www.deviantart.com/tristancampbell/art/Time-is-a-lonely-place-142967500
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