Mark 1: 35 - And In The Morning...

Last night, our family continued our reading of the New Testament by starting to read the Testimony of St. Mark. In this account, Mark shares a Jesus story that I was unfamiliar with, and one verse stuck out to me that I've never noticed before. According to Mark, after Jesus called Simon/Peter and Andrew, and James and John to "Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men," He went with His new disciples to the house of Simon/Peter and Andrew. But a few healings and exorcisms had occurred at this point, so that evening, a multitude gathered at this house, bringing their sick and afflicted to Jesus until "all the city was gathered together at the door." I imagine that Christ was healing the sick and casting out devils late into the night. Then came the verse that stood out to me:

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
-Mark 1: 35

Afterward, He and His disciples went to the next town, where the healing and other miracles continued.

This one verse stood out to me mostly because I had never noticed it before. There are plenty of Bible passages, especially in the New Testament, that nearly everyone has memorized - not because we all took the time to memorize them, but because we've heard them repeated so many times. If I say "For God so loved the world," you'll know exactly what comes next. You may even know the reference. It's not because you've memorized it (unless you have), but because the world has memorized it for you, and told it to you so many times, you couldn't possibly forget. That's very much not the case with Mark 1: 35.

But you know, that could be said about most bible verses. Many of them are transitional or anecdotal, "And Jesus went from this place to that place, healing the sick and wounded, and teaching the people of such-and-such-a-place." Sure, they're essential to the narrative of the story, but they aren't very interesting.

After thinking about what Mark 1: 35 really means, it doesn't seem too interesting either - "And the next morning, well before dawn, Jesus went out, and walked to a quiet place, and prayed." - And it wouldn't be interesting to me at all, if it weren't such phenomenally good advice.

I once had a Seminary teach who swore that all the best things that ever happened in the history of the world happened in the morning. I may be exaggerating, and at the time, I thought "Oh, he's just an enthusiastic seminary teacher, trying to get his students to be enthusiastic about being up so early in the morning." But now I'm thinking that he might have had a point.

As a Boy Scout, I once went camping near Point Reyes. On that camp out, I woke up early (because I needed to water a tree) and as I walked in the pre-dawn light, with dozens of stars still clinging to the sky, the chill in the air stirred me from my mental sleep, and I couldn't help noticing how beautiful it all was. That moment was what I was thinking of as I read Mark 1: 35, and I could see why Jesus chose a moment like that to be alone and to pray. The early morning is a great time to connect with God.

I think we may all need to set aside a time - not necessarily in the morning, but that is a good time - to rest, to pray, to meditate, and to draw ourselves closer to God. I know we're all busy, and you may not have time for that most days, but if you wake up in the middle of the night, you might consider thanking God for giving you a few extra waking minutes, and use at least part of that time He has given you to strengthen your relationship with Him. Talk with Him, take a walk with Him, maybe read some scriptures with Him. I promise it'll be time well-spent. It may even be more restful than sleep itself.

I'm grateful that Jesus set such a perfect example for us. I'm grateful that the Gospel writers saw fit to include such tiny details that can help us in our daily lives. I'm grateful that the Bible, and specifically this one moment, was so miraculously well-preserved that we can still read about it an learn from it over 2000 years after it happened. It was just one seemingly inconsequential morning for Jesus, but it became a pretty valuable lesson for me.