START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 1:29-39
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OBSERVE:
The ministry of Jesus is now in full swing. Mark is describing the busy pace of an itinerant preacher/healer who will travel from town to town with the Gospel. The pace is quick, and the most common adverb Mark uses is immediately.
Jesus does not neglect the needs and concerns of those closest to him. Peter’s mother-in-law is sick from a fever — no sooner does Jesus heal her than she is up cooking for him!
We catch an early glimpse of what is called the Messianic Secret in Mark’s Gospel. As Jesus begins to cast out demons, they identify him as the Messiah and Jesus instantly silences them. This presages the coming battle between Jesus and the demons, as they recognize his authority. But it is premature for him to mount the frontal assault that is to come later. Therefore, his identity will be revealed more gradually to the disciples, as they must discover him more clearly for themselves.
And then, suddenly in the midst of all of this busy action, Jesus slips away for solitude and prayer! The disciples go looking for him because he seems to have disappeared. When they do find him, they are a little reproachful:
“Everyone is looking for you!”
It seems that even when he seeks solitude, the demands of ministry catch up with him.
And then, perhaps because he has prayed about his next step in ministry, and in response to their demand, he announces that they are to leave Capernaum and widen the work:
“Let’s go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because I came out for this reason.” He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.
Jesus can never be localized or fixed in one spot for very long. His has an itinerant ministry that will eventually take him throughout Galilee and Judea, and even to the Gentile enclaves in the region of the Decapolis north of Galilee.
And notice that he continues to offer his ministry in the synagogues. Jesus is a Jewish Messiah offering the Good News first to his own people.
APPLY:
The rhythms of Christian work can be demanding. Engaging in preaching, teaching, healing, and casting out evil spirits can keep a committed Christian very busy. There must be a time of retreat and solitude to regroup and to pray. Only then does one have the spiritual resources to offer good news in the busy seasons of Christian work.
As we follow Christ, we must see his example as our guide — begin our work of healing with relationships that are close to us (perhaps even mothers-in-law!), and then respond to the needs of those who are within our sphere of influence. Don’t try to argue with the “evil spirits” of discouragement and distraction. Silence them through prayer and action. Go where God sends us.
RESPOND:
Although my ministry is minuscule in comparison to the ministry of Jesus as described in the Gospel of Mark, I can identify with the sometimes frantic pace. It is easy to see how the demons might take advantage of stress and fatigue, or even attempt to flatter me with titles and false self-importance.
I must set aside seasons for solitude, and return to God in prayer. Even then, the demands of ministry may come by means of a cell phone call. That balance of action and quiet must be maintained.
Our Lord, as I look to the example of Christ, help me to find that balance between busy ministry and quiet solitude. If I am only engaged in frantic ministry, how can I have any spiritual depth to offer? But if I am only withdrawn into quiet solitude, how can I fulfill your command to preach the Gospel to all creatures? Help me to find space for both. Amen.
PHOTOS:
“Balance” uses the following photo:
“Pixabay item number 4171996” by manfredrichter.
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