The Ups and Downs of Never Alone
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed, “Everybody is looking for you!”
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else – to nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
If you ever take a class on the Book of Mark, hopefully, your teacher will mention the fast-paced, almost staccato, writing style of Mark’s account. Mark’s Jesus is always on the move! Immediately! Something’s happening! The story is driven at a pace which accumulates a momentum, relentlessly driving Jesus on toward the triumphant tragedy of chapter 16. I treasure this passage as a reminder that Jesus was human. Big shocker? Ok, maybe not. But let’s look again. Just before these verses, Jesus had a rather successful day of ministry! Simon’s mother-in-law was quite ill, and Jesus healed her. The town gathered after sunset, and Jesus kept right on healing and tossing demons out. That’s a red-letter day in my book! Jesus must have been exhausted: physically, mentally, and maybe even spiritually. The next morning he slips out of Simon’s crowded house. We can only guess what time last night the crowds finally dispersed. I deeply appreciate Mark’s reminder: Jesus sought time alone (even if it was short lived) and Jesus prayed (let that one sink in). Even in Mark’s breakneck-speed account of the life of the Christ, Jesus carves out a moment to reflect. Sure, soon enough, Simon will form a posse and scold(?) Jesus for slipping off: “JESUS! You scared the crap out of us!!! Everybody’s lookin’ for you!! What are you doing out here?” I sympathize with Simon: not being able to find Jesus would surely suck. But I empathize with the solitude-seeking Jesus: not being able to escape, even for a few moments to meditate, recuperate, to pray in silence instead of on center-stage, would surely suck. I would wager a guess that you feel that way once in a while. You know the feeling I’m talking about? You have some tasks that are overwhelming your time and abilities; everyone you come in contact with wants another piece of you; meaningful solitude is at best a “neat” idea. So neat you have to cheat yourself out of sleep to get it. Yep. That’s real. And I am comforted that Jesus embraced that part of the human experience as he walked the dust of our planet.
And what about his response? “Um, guys, let’s get out of here.” The danger of Jesus’ success would be that it would impede the rest of the mission. There’s always more illness, more febrile mothers-in-law to comfort, more demons to deal with, more villages who haven’t heard. Yep. That’s real. That’s pretty divine, too. What must it have been like to be the creator of the earth, unbound by time, space, and capacity, to become limited by time, space, and the sleep/wake cycle, to undertake the mission of saving a humanity so willing to cast their burdens on Jesus that he in fact became burdened. Occasionally, the hardest part of our mission as the “body” of Christ will be in moving on. It’s hard to leave the past behind, regardless of the success or failure that happened the day before. It may take a few minutes, stolen from the world, stolen from ourselves, alone in solitude, laid bare in honesty before our Creator, before we resume our tour of creation. Thank you, Lord, for those moments, so conspicuous by their scarcity. They are much appreciated.
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else – to nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
If you ever take a class on the Book of Mark, hopefully, your teacher will mention the fast-paced, almost staccato, writing style of Mark’s account. Mark’s Jesus is always on the move! Immediately! Something’s happening! The story is driven at a pace which accumulates a momentum, relentlessly driving Jesus on toward the triumphant tragedy of chapter 16. I treasure this passage as a reminder that Jesus was human. Big shocker? Ok, maybe not. But let’s look again. Just before these verses, Jesus had a rather successful day of ministry! Simon’s mother-in-law was quite ill, and Jesus healed her. The town gathered after sunset, and Jesus kept right on healing and tossing demons out. That’s a red-letter day in my book! Jesus must have been exhausted: physically, mentally, and maybe even spiritually. The next morning he slips out of Simon’s crowded house. We can only guess what time last night the crowds finally dispersed. I deeply appreciate Mark’s reminder: Jesus sought time alone (even if it was short lived) and Jesus prayed (let that one sink in). Even in Mark’s breakneck-speed account of the life of the Christ, Jesus carves out a moment to reflect. Sure, soon enough, Simon will form a posse and scold(?) Jesus for slipping off: “JESUS! You scared the crap out of us!!! Everybody’s lookin’ for you!! What are you doing out here?” I sympathize with Simon: not being able to find Jesus would surely suck. But I empathize with the solitude-seeking Jesus: not being able to escape, even for a few moments to meditate, recuperate, to pray in silence instead of on center-stage, would surely suck. I would wager a guess that you feel that way once in a while. You know the feeling I’m talking about? You have some tasks that are overwhelming your time and abilities; everyone you come in contact with wants another piece of you; meaningful solitude is at best a “neat” idea. So neat you have to cheat yourself out of sleep to get it. Yep. That’s real. And I am comforted that Jesus embraced that part of the human experience as he walked the dust of our planet.
And what about his response? “Um, guys, let’s get out of here.” The danger of Jesus’ success would be that it would impede the rest of the mission. There’s always more illness, more febrile mothers-in-law to comfort, more demons to deal with, more villages who haven’t heard. Yep. That’s real. That’s pretty divine, too. What must it have been like to be the creator of the earth, unbound by time, space, and capacity, to become limited by time, space, and the sleep/wake cycle, to undertake the mission of saving a humanity so willing to cast their burdens on Jesus that he in fact became burdened. Occasionally, the hardest part of our mission as the “body” of Christ will be in moving on. It’s hard to leave the past behind, regardless of the success or failure that happened the day before. It may take a few minutes, stolen from the world, stolen from ourselves, alone in solitude, laid bare in honesty before our Creator, before we resume our tour of creation. Thank you, Lord, for those moments, so conspicuous by their scarcity. They are much appreciated.
posted by graysandpeas | 9:48 PM
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