Jesus has just cast a demon from a man in the synagogue and all the people who witnessed this are astonished. Word about Jesus spreads quickly throughout the community while He is visiting at Simon Peter's house.
"As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So He went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them." (Mark 1:29-31) Luke tells us she had a "high fever", indicating a very serious illness. (Luke 4:38) But Luke also says that Jesus "rebuked the fever" and she got up "at once". (Luke 4:39) This is amazing to Dr. Luke, who no doubt has seen people die of high fevers. In the ages before modern medicine, a fever that could easily be cured with Tylenol today could kill a person within a matter of hours. The Bible suggests to us that Simon's mother-in-law was in danger of losing her life. But Jesus enters the house and rebukes the fever. Her cure is immediate and complete. She feels as if she was never even sick and she gets up to prepare a wonderful meal for the One who made her well.
"That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but He would not let the demons speak because they knew who He was." (Mark 1:32-34) We discussed yesterday the possible reason why Jesus didn't want demons to acknowledge His deity. He knew this would cause some to accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan. Having these evil spirits speak up for Him would do His ministry no good; instead it would cast suspicion on the nature of His powers. The late Charles Spurgeon, a well-known Baptist evangelist of the 1800s, said of Jesus' refusal to allow the demons to call Him by name, "Nothing hurts the cause of Christ more than to have it praised by bad men or evil spirits." Have you ever known anyone who professed to be a follower of Christ and yet nothing about their life offered any proof of this relationship? It's harmful to the unbelievers of this world to witness those who say "I know Him" committing sins that the unbelievers don't even engage in themselves. A terrible impression of the character of Christ is given to the world when those who claim to belong to Him live as if they belong to the devil instead. Jesus would rather the wicked person not even allow His name to cross their lips, for it does more harm than good, just as allowing the demons to speak His name did more harm than good.
Jesus has had a long and tiring day, yet He doesn't allow this to keep Him from rising early the next morning to spend some alone time with the Father. "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." (Mark 1:35) What a beautiful example of putting priorities in the right order! Jesus begins the day with prayer. If Jesus the Son of God needed to begin His day with prayer, how much more do we need to begin our day with prayer? Everything else about our day will fall into its proper place if we make spending time with God a priority. We will be better equipped to face whatever comes at us if we first take some time alone with the Father.
One of my late mother's favorite old hymns was "All Alone". It speaks of the example Jesus set by making time alone with God a priority in His life. One of the lines in the song goes like this: "If we'll only steal away in some portion of the day, we will find it always pays to be alone." The world would have us believe we need to organize our day down to the very second and that if there is time left over, then maybe we can pray before we fall asleep at night. But that's not the way the Bible tells us to organize our day. The Bible teaches us to begin with prayer. Spending time alone with the Lord early in the morning sets the tone for the whole day. It puts all other things in perspective. It helps us to feel calm and centered. We will actually make better use of our time if we pray before doing anything else. We won't be nearly as flustered and anxious if we start the day by reminding ourselves that the God who created the universe is still in control of all things. We won't feel nearly as discouraged and depressed if we remind ourselves in the morning that God loves us and is for us.
The disciples awake and realize Jesus is not in the house, so they go out to find Him. "Simon and his companions went to look for Him, and when they found Him, they exclaimed: 'Everyone is looking for You!'" (Mark 1:36) I get the impression that Simon feels a bit exasperated. The crowds are beginning to gather again, a long day stretches ahead with much to be done, and here Jesus is off by Himself praying quietly. To an impatient man of action like Simon, the quiet time of solitude probably seems like something that could be saved for when they aren't so busy. He doesn't yet understand that prayer is the greatest priority of all. But he will. After the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, Peter will need to begin every day with prayer in order to preach to the multitudes. He will need prayer to face the religious persecution ahead of him. And He will certainly need prayer when he is martyred for his faith.
"Everyone is looking for You!" Simon Peter tells Jesus. Some are looking for Him because of what He can do for them; others are looking for Him because of who they believe He is. But because in their souls the whole world is looking for Him, whether they realize it or not, Jesus has to move on into the other towns to preach to as many people as possible. "Jesus replied, 'Let us go somewhere else---to the nearby villages---so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.' So He traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons." (Mark 1:38-39)
Jesus knows His time is short and that He must work as hard as He can work, yet He never neglects a daily time of prayer. We all lead busy lives and feel like our time is short. Our days are crammed full of things we need to get done. But let's follow the example of Jesus and begin the day in prayer, even if we have to set the clock to get up while it's still dark. Before we have to start cooking breakfast, or getting the kids off to school, or getting ourselves ready for work, or leaving for appointments and errands, let's follow the example of Jesus Christ and spend some alone time with the Father.
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