Mark 1:35-45

[snapstur]

@Shield> Our Father, I thank you for this day.

@Shield> It is a good day.

@Shield> A day which you have made.

@Shield> Thank you Lord for bringing us to this place so that together we may learn from your Word.

@Shield> I ask that our hearts would be open and sensitive to hear what you are teaching us.

@Shield> Thank you Lord.

@Shield> amen

Angel4God> thank you Lord and amen

@Shield> Feel free to private chat her if you have a request:)

@Shield> Before I open the room up for all to speak I want to set the stage

Angel4God> (:

@Shield> We have been studying Mark chapter one

@Shield> we are nearing the end of the chapter

Angel4God> :)

@Shield> In the past couple of weeks, Bethel has done a great job walking us through the events of Jesus life as recorded by the evangelist

@Shield> Now, in verse 35, we come to what appears to be a pause in activity

@Shield> sort of a collective gasp of air in the midst of frenetic activity

@Shield> Let's read it together...

@Shield> Mark 1:35 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.

@Shield> We are going to work together to make some observations on this verse.

@Shield> When I open the room, I would like you to offer your observations. Indicate you are ready to do so by raising your hand like this, o/

@Shield> When I say observation, I mean--what does the text say.

@Shield> We are not trying yet to interpret

@Shield> We simply want to observe

@Shield> let me post it again...

@Shield> Mark 1:35 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.

@Shield> what are the words and phrases which stand out to you?

@Shield> anyone?

PAULY> o/

@Shield> yes PAULY?

RenewedSpirit> o/

PAULY> it was still dark

@Shield> yes, good PAULY

@Shield> yes RenewedSpirit?

RenewedSpirit> what stood out for me was the words early in the morning it was still dark and solitary place

@Shield> yes, the two phrases go hand in hand, don't they?

@Shield> just as PAULY was pointing out.

@Shield> We get a sense of atmosphere in terms of time.

GentleDove> o/

@Shield> This was before the time of normal awakening.

@Shield> yes GentleDove?

GentleDove> Jesus wanted to be alone with His Father

@Shield> that certainly is implied isn't it.

@Shield> and we will get back to that thought in just a moment, but let me ask you...What is it that suggests to you that he wanted to be alone with the Father?

@Shield> e.g., what observation led to that interpretation...

PAULY> o/

RenewedSpirit> o/

@Shield> I am going to give GentleDove a shot at it if she would like...

RenewedSpirit> :-)

GentleDove> Maybe it's my own experience. I often go to a special place by the river while it's still foggy.

@Shield> ok good, so from your own experience:)

@Shield> now PAULY, what is your thought?

PAULY> he left the house

GentleDove> I feel God's presence there more than anywhere. I just felt Jesus wanted that too

@Shield> yes

@Shield> good observation of the text PAULY

@Shield> yes RenewedSpirit?

RenewedSpirit> He prayed

@Shield> yes RenewedSpirit

@Shield> So let's read it again...

@Shield> and I will share my thoughts on it

@Shield> Mark 1:35 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.

@Shield> Each phrase builds on each other

@Shield> to create a sense of seeking seclusion

@Shield> Very early

@Shield> while still dark

@Shield> Jesus got up, we can only imagine he did so alone

Angel4God> o/

@Shield> he then left the house alone

@Shield> and found a solitary place

@Shield> alone:)

@Shield> yes Angel4God?

Angel4God> He also needed renewed strength from His Father

@Shield> well that is an interpretation that we can infer from the text, but based on a systematic reading from all of the gospels I think it is safe to say that, sure.

alu> o/

@Shield> My point in this exercise is to ask us to read the text on its own merits

@Shield> and to let it speak for itself...

@Shield> yes alu?

alu> Not only did He seek solitude, but Jesus did so early in the morning. Does this have any significance?

@Shield> absolutely

@Shield> as we have been discussing, it is clear that he wanted to rise early and find a solitary place

alu> o/

@Shield> I think we can infer that doing so in the morning is helpful before the distractions of the day transpire

@Shield> one more comment and then we need to move on, alu?

@Shield> well, let's go ahead then:)

@Shield> Mark 1:36 Simon and his companions went to look for him,

alu> I just wonder if Jesus might not have wanted avoid external influences. I'm sorry, but I'm sociology major, and tend to think in these terms. And I wonder what reasons he might have had in his surroundings.

alu> Given his newfound fame .
..
@Shield> actually that is a relevant observation...

@Shield> but I say that based on the broader context of the text

@Shield> and not simply based on sociological methodology of reading the text

@Shield> several times we see Jesus telling people not to tell them how they got healed or delivered

@Shield> because it was not yet his time to go public

@Shield> of course, they didn't listen to him

@Shield> and his fame spread widely

@Shield> but also, remember he was living in close community with the disciples

@Shield> twelve men

@Shield> so privacy we something to be valued when wanting to focus on prayer to the Father

@Shield> there are times for community

@Shield> which he did well

@Shield> there are times for solitude, which was needed here

@Shield> now, off we go to the next verse

@Shield> Mark 1:36 Simon and his companions went to look for him,

@Shield> :)

@Shield> and that's not all...

PAULY> o/

@Shield> Mark 1:37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"

@Shield> yes PAULY?

PAULY> He maybe was gone a long time?

@Shield> well we don't know for sure how long he was gone in this instance

@Shield> my sense is, it was not terribly long

PAULY> no but long enough to be missed

@Shield> long enough for the crowds to press in on the disciples

@Shield> :)

@Shield> look at verse 37

@Shield> Mark 1:37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"

@Shield> and they did mean, Everyone

@Shield> by that time, his fame had spread to such an extent that the people were sure to come looking

@Shield> that could go back to his reason for rising at such an early hour too, before people awoke

@Shield> and he replied...

@Shield> Mark 1:38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else-- to the nearby villages-- so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."

@Shield> observations?

@Shield> then let's continue

@Shield> Mark 1:39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

@Shield> a word about synagogues...

@Shield> In the Greek, the word means "places of meeting"

@Shield> these were not "churches"

@Shield> or temples where sacrifices occurred

Angel4God> o/

@Shield> these were places of schooling

@Shield> and community meeting

@Shield> and also religious preaching/teaching would occur there

@Shield> yes Angel4God?

Angel4God> I'm sorry I’m a little slow. I was cross referencing and found He fulfilled Isa 61:1

@Shield> well yes, but that is in a different text

@Shield> my point regarding synagogues is that they were more of a civic meeting place

@Shield> so there was a cross section of people from the culture

@Shield> yes, religious instruction took place

@Shield> yes, schooling happened

@Shield> but it was a key place for Jesus to find a large number of people from the community

@Shield> typically a synagogue was placed at a higher point, such as on a hill, near the homes of the area

@Shield> some synagogues were quite large, others less so

@Shield> Jesus targeted them strategically

@Shield> and as he preached there, he drove out demons

@Shield> Mark 1:40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

@Shield> Remember, lepers were social outcasts

@Shield> they were "unclean"

alu> o/

@Shield> it was the law of the land that they should cover themselves and cry out "unclean" when passing by others

@Shield> yes alu?

@Shield> so it is of great significance that Jesus then said...

alu> Jesus’ healing is exclusively of diseases, then, right? I mean, it seems so to me. The demons are illnesses, as is the leprosy.

@Shield> alu, that would be reading into the text friend. All the text says is that he drove out demons.

@Shield> Basically there were people who had become influenced by demons. One term which is used is "demonized"

@Shield> in essence, individuals had given access through idolatry and cultic practices, for demons to gain a foothold in their lives

alu> o/

@Shield> so while there certainly could be medical elements to it, it also is very much a spiritual issue

@Shield> now then, let's continue

Guest79259> what happens to the all these people after they get healed

@Shield> they rejoice:)

@Shield> Mark 1:41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"

@Shield> Mark 1:42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

@Shield> Mark 1:43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning:

@Shield> Mark 1:44 "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

@Shield>Mark 1: 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

@Shield> Well think about it

@Shield> The guy was so happy, he could not help but to tell others he had been healed

@Shield> Only Jesus could heal the lepers

@Shield> and word got out...

@Shield> they came to him from everywhere

@Shield> The gospel of Mark has a sense of narrative urgency

@Shield> he helps us get a glimpse of the immediacy of Jesus ministry

@Shield> We often see pictures of Jesus with a lamb and children playing around him

@Shield> Most of his ministry involved a crush of people who wanted access to him

@Shield> and, as we shall see in the weeks ahead

@Shield> the beginnings of a plot to kill him

@Shield> by the religious leaders and the Herodians

@Shield> but that is for next time

@Shield> My question for you is this

@Shield> so my question for us all is this...

@Shield> in fairness to the others, I need to devoice you

@Shield> so that we can conclude the study

@Shield> so my question for us all is this...

@Shield> how might we learn from Jesus' example of finding moments of seclusion and prayer to the Father, before the crush of the day?

@Shield> ask yourself how you might put that into practice, if you are not already doing so

@Shield> write it down

@Shield> ask your spouse, if you are married

@Shield> ask your pastor, if you need advice

@Shield> lets close in prayer

@Shield> Our Father, we thank you for this day

@Shield> thank you Lord for calling us to worship you

@Shield> thank you for listening to us when we cry out to you

Angel4God> yes Lord

@Shield> May the word of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight oh Lord

@Shield> amen

Angel4God> amen

dodi> o/? if u have time

Snapstur> Amen

GentleDove> amen

PAULY> amen

@Shield> sure dodi

dodi> in that passage

dodi> and I think in a few others

dodi> Jesus says not to go telling

@Shield> yes

dodi> and they usually do tell

@Shield> yes

dodi> but I don’t understand why he tells them not to

@Shield> it has to do with timing

@Shield> Jesus knew that the religious leaders would be on the lookout

@Shield> and also

@Shield> that the crowds would be drawn heavily

dodi> and when they do why it seems a non issue

@Shield> but it was an issue

@Shield> he had to change his patterns of movement

dodi> I mean nothing seems to happen to them for disobeying

@Shield> ah

@Shield> well, that I don’t know

dodi> it has always puzzled me

dodi> ok

@Shield> it’s a puzzler isn’t it:)

dodi> I have never been able to figure it out

dodi> yes because even though he had to change patterns many were drawn

dodi> it ok

@Shield> yes they were

dodi> I was wondering

@Shield> well it is a good observation

dodi> and Jesus knew that they were going to tell I think

@Shield> and a valid question

dodi> ok

dodi> thanks

@Shield> are these studies helpful?

dodi> I’m not trying to disturb

PAULY> yes, thanks

dodi> :)

Victoria> amen

dodi> yes they are helpful

Angel4God> dodi Jesus knew it long before

dodi> :)

@Shield> dodi, you didn’t disturb at all. these are the kinds of observations I am looking for

dodi> ohhh ok

dodi> thanks