September 23 – I Came to Preach

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You." He said to them, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for." And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. Mark 1:35-39 NASB

That’s what I came to do…to preach. So let’s go. Let’s get on with it. That is what Jesus was saying. He wasn’t sticking around Capernaum, although it was a nice little town and He and the disciples were comfortable there in Peter’s home. It was time to move on. So He and the disciples went all over Galilee where Jesus preached and cast out demons. Powerful stuff. Jesus spent some time praying, alone, before He headed out to into the countryside to do His work.

That is a good example to us—before we face a difficult task, pray. Get up early. Jesus didn’t wait until the middle of the day to pray—He got up early while it was still dark. When was the last time you got up early to pray? It’s been a while for me. I get up at what I consider early—6:30 AM on most days—and now that the days are getting shorter this fall, it is not so light at 6:30 or 7 in the morning. He withdrew away from Peter’s house to a secluded place to pray. He could really focus on His time with His Heavenly Father without distractions of Peter’s household and the disciples. What do you suppose He prayed? Maybe He asked for strength, for power over the demons? He himself was all powerful and He is our source of strength, so did He need to ask for more? Whatever He needed, the Heavenly Father provided. Jesus likely glorified God the Father in His prayer, too. So Jesus went to the towns of Galilee—like Gennesaret, Magdala, Tiberias, Hammath, Cana, Jotapata, Hannathon, Nazareth—and many others, preaching and casting out demons. Jesus was a compassionate person. It tells us in Matthew 4:23 that on this preaching trip around Galilee that Jesus healed every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. News spread about Jesus miraculous powers to heal and a great multitude of people followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan River. 

We don’t have the red letters telling us just what Jesus said when prayed, preached, or when He healed people. We just know that He didn’t just talk at people—preaching at them. He did the right thing—the compassionate thing—He healed people of all kinds of sickness.

Are you looking for Jesus’ red letters—just to see what He spoke to others? People now as in His time hang onto His every word. He is worthy of our time, focus, and our compassion on others, just like Him.

Jesus, we worship You and seek You—that we would know what Your Father’s will is for our lives. Open our eyes and hearts to know You.

© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.