Mark 1:35-37
Have
you ever wondered what famous people do in their private time, when there are
no cameras and reporters around? This private conduct does say a lot about a
person’s character. It is not our character when we know people are looking
that matters. We can all put on a good face and do the right thing for a period
of time. But what counts is the character that comes out when no one is
looking. Is there a difference between your conduct when you are out in public
and alone with your family? Do you do things at work that you would never do at
home?
We
enter another round of teaching and miracle that Mark uses to drive home his point.
Mark says that Jesus gets up with a purpose on his mind. He needs time to pray,
without the distractions and activities of the day. He gets up before dawn,
before the sunlight begins to warm the early morning sky with its light. Remember,
they did not keep track of time the same way that we do. They didn’t have a
watch or a cell phone to tell them what hour and minute the present moment is relative
to all the other moments of our day. They kept track of time in broader terms,
connected with the movement of the Sun and Moon.
Notice
that Jesus didn’t just get up early, very early and kneel at the side of His
bed to pray. He went to a place by Himself, away from all the things that might
distract Him. This is some good advice for those of us wanting to have a rich
life, filled with eternal experiences. We need to get away and pray. Sometimes
we need to eliminate the distractions in order to stay focused. Do you have a
solitary place, a place where you meet with the LORD and pray?
I
wonder what was going through the disciples’ minds when they woke up and couldn’t
find Jesus? It almost sounds as if they went into panic mode. They couldn’t
find Him and they go out to search for Him. I can see searching for Him if he had
been gone a full day, but to rush out and try to find Him after only a short
interval of absence seems very anxiety driven.
Notice
what Peter tells Jesus. Peter says everyone is looking for Jesus, but it is
really the disciples who are worried, more directly, Peter is anxious. We use
this same kind of exaggeration when we talk about “everyone” being at the
party. What we really mean is that all the important people were there with us. We were part of the important
people crowd.
Do
we ever let our anxiety determine our behavior? I think this is a part of all
of our lives. We often don’t recognize the connection between our anxieties and
our behavior, but most of us have some anxiety-driven reactions to life’s
events. We run around looking for someone or something that will ground us,
settle us, comfort us. Jesus sought out prayer. Simon sought Jesus. What do you
seek?