on the walk

I have spend some time thinking about where to start. Jesus direct reaching on Prayer is most prominent in Matthew and Luke. My first impulse was to start with Matthew 6. But as I thought about it I realized I wanted to watch Jesus pray first. The disciples (including but not limited to the twelve) came to Jesus to be taught by him because they had watched Jesus pray and knew that something was different. I wonder if perhaps I will be more ready to hear what Jesus has to teach me if I watch him pray first.
So I will begin by examining Mark 1:35. You can check it out in context by opening a Bible and reading the first chapter or if you insist on reading it online you can go here. But the verse in question is short enough that I will include it.

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. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

In case you have forgotten the first chapter of Mark and did not go back and read it like you were told, let me remind you of the context of the this verse in the ministry of Jesus and in the gospel of Mark. Jesus ministry is still in the early stages. But so far in Mark it has felt like a whirlwind of activity. John has preached and Jesus has been baptized. He has been in the wilderness and tempted and he has returned to begin preaching the kingdom in Galilee. He has begun to call disciples and has preached in the synagogues. He has healed, first a couple and then crowds of people. So by verse 35 we are in that period of Jesus early ministry as he shifts from a radical but unknown preacher to a cultural phenomenon that is drawing huge crowds. The crowds are so huge that his ministry is about to change from a town to town strategy to a regional strategy.

That is the location of this event in Jesus ministry. But what about in Mark’s gospel.

We are just 35 verses in to this gospel and he has already covered what the other gospel need 4 or more chapters to cover. Mark’s gospel races along from scene to scene setting the stage. If you were to read it as a story (which is of course how he meant it to be read) and not just as a collection of sermon illustrations, you may find yourself breathless by the time to you get to this point. This breathtaking pace is possible in part because Mark is a merciless editor. There are no non-essential stories in his telling. He wastes no time on sweet niceties. If you are planning a Christmas play look somewhere else. This is story about the kingdom and the cross.

So if this fast paced writer and merciless editor pauses to tells us about Jesus prayer life, then we can be sure of two things. Prayer was important to Mark and to Jesus. Whenever I read a story in Mark, I always ask, is it pivotal or is it exemplary. By this I mean that in such a shortly edited book, the related details either are there because the are essential to the plot or because they are an example of a major part of Jesus ministry.

In this case it isn’t pivotal so it must be the other. It must be that this kind of solitary prayer was a major part of Jesus life. It is clear that in this first chapter Mark is trying to in a whirlwind fashion give us a glimpse at the major elements of Jesus ministry. We get a summary of the marks of his ministry: kingdom proclamation, teaching, exorcism, healing, calling, traveling, and apparently prayer.

So I think that we can safely conclude that prayer was not an afterthought for Jesus. It was a central and defining aspect of his ministry. From a foundation of prayer he is ready to facing the growing challenges of his ministry. In a comment on Luke 5:16 in another setting I wrote: “It is unfathomable that for some reason I persist in thinking that I can faithfully serve God without pursuing prayer and solitude. Every time I read the gospel I am struck again. Jesus prays well and deeply. No wonder he could risk it all and choose God’s will over his own.”

I think that as a disciple and a disciple-maker I have to grow in solitude and prayer and I need to help others around me grow in the same way.

I was listening to a sermon by Andy Stanley on practicing prayer. His first point which he repeated about seven times was that the foundation to a Christ-like prayer life is “time and place.” I think that is probably right.

So the first thing I observe from this story is that Christ had a disciplined prayer life that included solitude. (Not to give away to much but later Jesus will reccomend the same practices to us.)

The second thing I notice is that I am probably too small minded about prayer. I know better but I instinctually turn to prayer when I want power. My prayer life is like a pagan shaman. I am drawn to pray when I want strength or health or wisdom for myself or others. That could not have been Jesus motivation to pray. He had all the power he wanted. He could heal others and read minds, he could create food. So the second thing I notice is that there must be more to pray that asking for things. My tendency to approach prayer as a power negotiation must be missing something.

I plan to get up tomorrow and pray.

on the walk

-Ethan Magness

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