As I have begun to study the life of Jesus in the rapid fire portraits given in the Gospel of Mark it is very obvious that Jesus did a lot of stuff. Jesus was busy. No matter how you look at it, Jesus did not live the life of a contemplative, though there was doubtless an inner contemplation of and conversation with the Father going on at all times. As I read the first chapter of Mark I see Jesus involved in a crazy busy day including a morning sermon (v.21), casting out a demon IN CHURCH (v.25), healing Peter's mom with the result that she could prepare lunch (v.31), and then spending the evening until late healing and casting out demons in folks who came from all over the city (33,34). But it is v.35 that seems to give me the secret of how Jesus could be so busy and still always do what pleased the Father, "And rising very early in the morning while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." Busy days apparently did not keep Jesus from His greatest priority: prayer with the Father. Why? He ROSE early in the morning when the others were still asleep. These were apparently the refueling times and the focusing times Jesus needed as "also man" so that He could live busy day after busy day completely in the Father's will. This is seen when Peter and the others go search and rescue on Jesus and His answer as they found Him was, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out" (v.38). "I've spent time with the Father...let's get on with the mission" (blogger's guess at what Jesus' words in v.38 meant!).
Well, I need to get alone with the Father so that I, too, can "get on with it."
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