What are the priorities of a healthy church? Jesus said that he will build his church (Matt 16:18). It follows that if we believe Jesus is going to build his church and we want to be used by him, then we need to do what Jesus did. We need to prioritize what he prioritized.
In the last two posts, we’ve seen Jesus call his first disciples (Mark 1:14-20) and the authority of Jesus in his teachings, his healings, and his exorcisms (Mark 1:21-34).
The first thing we see in our text is that Jesus prioritized prayer.
Jesus Prioritized Prayer (35-37)
35 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. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”
Jesus prioritized prayer by eliminating distractions.
The text says, “rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he went out to a desolate place and there he prayed” (v. 35). Jesus got up before anyone else and he went to where no one else was (“to a desolate place”). Jesus knew that after the previous day that many people would be seeking him (v. 37). Remember, the “whole city” had come to Peter’s house the night before (vv. 32-33).
So, Jesus knew that to make prayer a priority, he needed to eliminate distractions. Personally, I have to get away from my computer and cell phone in order to pray well. Jesus prioritized prayer by eliminating distractions.
Jesus prioritized prayer by disconnecting from others.
Verse 36 says that Simon and the other disciples searched for him. The reason that they were looking for him was that Jesus had disconnected so to speak. If Jesus would have had a cellphone, he would’ve powered his off. Jesus knew that time with the Father was more important than checking Facebook, Instagram, or email.
Sometimes we need to disconnect with other people so that we can connect with God through prayer. It is okay to unplug from others. We sometimes think that we must be available to everyone 24/7. If we’re honest, some of us have a savior complex. A mentor of mine once said that a man that’s always available isn’t worth much when he is. The reality is that if the true Savior of the world had to disconnect from others to spend time alone with the Father, how much more do we need to?
Well, look what happens. When they find him, Peter and the disciples rebuke Jesus for ignoring the crowds (v. 37). Essentially, they say, “Jesus, what are you doing out here? Everyone is looking for you.”
In Peter’s mind, he wanted Jesus to return to Capernaum and capitalize on the excitement generated by the previous night’s healings.[1]John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Mk 1:37. We are often like Peter. We want crowds and numbers whereas Jesus was content to minister to one person at a time (as we will see in vv. 40-45). At this point in time, Peter didn’t understand the priority of prayer. And the reality is that many of us don’t value prayer as highly as we ought.
I thought about prayer this week and I think that one of the reasons that we don’t prioritize prayer is that we are not attempting anything supernatural. We are not attempting to further God’s kingdom. You don’t have to pray to eat a meal. You don’t have to pray to get dressed. You don’t have to pray to accomplish many of the things we do from day-to-day. But there are things in this life that you will never accomplish apart from prayer. Without prayer, you won’t understand parts of the Bible. Without prayer, you won’t be effective in evangelism. Without prayer, you will not be successful in overcoming temptation.
If the Son of God prioritized prayer, how much more should we prioritize prayer? We need to know the will of the Father. We need to be empowered by the Spirit.
For us as Christians, prayer should be like breathing. Just as breathing enables every activity that we do, so should prayer.
For Christians, prayer should be like breathing.
Prayer humbles us and reminds us that we need God’s help. Prayer reminds us that we don’t live for ourselves, but for God’s glory.
What if we started every day like Jesus? What if our prayers expressed the heart of Jesus?
Matthew 6:9-10
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”
Here are some things we should pray for:
- Your local church. Pray that your church will be faithful to the Great Commission. Pray for unity, your pastoral leadership, preaching of the Word, and physical and spiritual needs of other church members.
- That specific lost people to come to faith in Christ.
- Personal holiness, confession of sin, and repentance
- Personal material and spiritual provision (our daily bread)
As a church, we must realize that we will not be effective without the fuel of prayer.
“Prayer is the pump at the gas station that connects us to the fuel for faithful evangelism.” (John Onwuchekwa)
When you go to the gas station, you fill up your vehicle with gas because without gas, it’s not going anywhere. The motor can’t run without fuel.
Similarly, when we pray, we get fuel for evangelism.
- We connect our hearts with the heart of God and his love for the lost.
- We feel empowered for the task because we understand it’s God’s job to save people, not ours.
In vv. 35-37, we see that Jesus prioritized prayer. In vv. 38-39, we see that Jesus prioritized preaching.
Jesus Prioritized Preaching (38-39)
38 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.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Jesus prioritized preaching:
- “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” (38)
- “And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues.” (39)
What does Jesus mean by came out? Did he come out of the house, out of Capernaum, or did he come from God? Luke’s parallel (4:43) helps us see that this text means that Jesus came from God to preach.
Luke 4:43
but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent [from God] for this purpose.”
People were coming to Jesus for physical healing, but he came to bring spiritual healing. There is often a difference between what people want from Jesus and what they need from him. People want material blessings and physical healings but what they need the most is to have peace with God through the forgiveness that Jesus offers.
Today, churches do many things.
- They share fellowship meals together.
- They have men’s and women’s fellowships.
- They give to the poor and needy.
- They have special song services.
But friends, the church’s primary task is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus didn’t go town to town making friends. Jesus didn’t go around and hang out at community events and hope that people got saved. Jesus loved people, but he loved them so much that he told them they were dead in their sin and that they needed to follow Him.
In short, Jesus explained the Scriptures and preached the gospel!
Shared meals, fellowships, giving to the needy, and special singings can all be good things. But none of those things save people from God’s wrath. The only way for someone to be saved from God’s wrath is for us to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This morning if you’re here and you’re not a Christian, you need to know that you are a sinner that is destined for God’s wrath because of your sin. Because God is perfectly holy, there is nothing you can do to earn God’s favor and forgiveness. You need a substitute to pay the penalty for your sin. That’s why Jesus came – to preach about the forgiveness of sins and then to become sin for us on the cross and die for our sins in our place so that we can be reconciled with God (2 Cor 5:21). The response that saves you from God’s wrath is to turn from your sin and put your faith in Jesus and his finished work.
Also, notice Jesus’ evangelism strategy. He went from town to town throughout the region of Galilee. Jesus didn’t invite the lost people to the synagogue. Instead, Jesus went to the lost. What if instead of inviting people to church we went from one area of Harrisburg (my local town) to another sharing the gospel? From area to area, person to person? We must, like Jesus, go to the lost (Luke 19:10).
It’s so tempting to think that if we have a nice building and the right programs that people will come. That used to be the case but it’s not any longer. Many people have a less than favorable view of Christianity and the church in general. Now, more than ever we must go to the lost.
When is the last time that you shared the gospel with someone?
When is the last time you shared a meal with a nonbeliever?
When was the last time you asked someone their name?
When did you last take cookies to your neighbor?
Are you, like Jesus, seeking to preach the gospel to the lost?
Jesus prioritized prayer. Jesus prioritized preaching. And finally, Jesus prioritized people.
Jesus Prioritized People (40-45)
40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
40
Leprosy was a skin disease that in its worst form led to the loss of fingers and toes. Lepers were considered ceremonially unclean and unfit to worship God (Lev 13:3). Anyone who came into contact with a leper was also considered unclean. Because of this, lepers were to stay at least 50 feet away from others (think extreme Covid social distancing) and would cry out, “Unclean” if someone got too close.
Warren Wiersbe notes, When you read the “tests” for leprosy described in Leviticus 13, you can see how the disease is a picture of sin. Like sin, leprosy is deeper than the skin (Lev. 13:3); it spreads (Lev. 13:5–8); it defiles and isolates (Lev. 13:44–46); and it renders things fit only for the fire (Lev. 13:47–59). Anyone who has never trusted the Saviour is spiritually in worse shape than this man was physically.[2]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 114.
This man had at least heard of Jesus’ healing power but had probably witnessed it as well.
Instead of the leper keeping his distance from Jesus (as the law directed), he came directly to Jesus, fell on his knees, and cried out for Jesus to make him clean. This man was full of faith. He was desperate and believed that Jesus could heal him. In the same way, we must come to Jesus as sinners who believe that he can cleanse us from our dirty sin.
41
If anyone else had the power to heal, he would have healed the man first and then touched him. But not Jesus. He knew this man had not felt human touch in a long time, so he reached out to touch him first.
In Luke 5 there is a parallel account of Jesus cleaning this leprous man. Luke wrote that this man was “full of leprosy” (Luke 5:12). It is reasonable to assume that he had not been touched by another person in years.
Can you imagine not embracing your spouse or children for years? This man longed for human touch.
Jesus was moved with pity. Jesus cared for people.
When was the last time you were “moved with pity”?
When was the last time you prayed for someone?
When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone and told them that “Jesus can make you clean”?
42
Notice what happens. When Jesus touched the leper, Jesus did not become unclean. Rather, Jesus made this man clean.
This is exactly what happens in salvation. We bring our dirty sin to Jesus, but he doesn’t become dirty. Rather, he gives us his righteousness and makes us clean (2 Cor 5:21).
2 Cor 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
In this context, Jesus physically healed this man. Even if we cannot physically heal someone, we can share the good news of Jesus who makes people clean! When someone is born again, this is the greatest miracle!
43-45
“See that you say nothing to anyone”
Jesus did not want people to love him for his miracles. He wanted them to embrace his teachings and his call for them to deny themselves and follow him. Many people want God’s blessings, but they don’t want to embrace the cross that Jesus calls them to carry (Luke 9:23-24).
Jesus told the cleansed leper to do “what Moses commanded.” This refers to two sacrificial offerings. After the offerings, the diseased individual would be considered clean and could be reintegrated into the community (Lev 14). Though Jesus had already cleansed the man, the priest would directly examine him to certify that the source of uncleanness was gone.
As I’ve said, to touch someone with leprosy violated OT law and rendered a person unclean. Nevertheless, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, and healed the man immediately.
When Jesus makes you clean, it should be easily recognized by others! No one that truly encounters Jesus can leave unchanged. Notice what happens. Even though Jesus commanded this man to keep quiet he could not keep the good news to himself (v. 45).
This morning, if you’re here and you are not a Christian, you need to cry out to Jesus, “If you are willing, You can make me clean.”
Leprosy was a condition that defined someone. Some of you in this room feel like sin and shame defines your life (user, addict, alcoholic, divorce, pornography, abortion, etc.). Here’s the good news of this passage. After this man encountered Jesus, that’s what defined him.
Conclusion
Through prayer, Jesus communed with the Father and stayed focused on His mission.
Through his preaching, Jesus proclaimed the message that saves for all of eternity.
Through his miracles, Jesus displayed his power and showed his care for people.