Mar 1:35 | KingComments | STEP | After a day of hard labor for the benefit of others until late in the evening, He sought the fellowship with His Father in the early morning of the next day ( ). Only here is found the secret of strength and perseverance in the service. This contrasts with refusing and rejecting the testimony of the unclean spirit and the demons in and . His power does not make Him independent. Much of our powerlessness finds its cause in the lack of prayer in silence. Although He is the Son of God, as a dependent Servant He seeks His strength with God in seclusion. It seems that Peter and the others think that this time is actually lost, loss of valuable time that is not being used. They know that there are many who seek Him and now He is not present. They are full of zeal for the Lord, but see only the outer need of people and not the inner need of fellowship with the Father which is enjoyed in seclusion. His disciples also see in Him a King and want Him to make Himself known to others as such. When they have found Him, they tell Him that all seek Him. As if that were a reason to return. For us as servants, it is a great danger if all seek us. But the Lord does not seek the open recognition. He does not seek people’s acclaim and applause. He must be where there is need, not honor. He only wants to do what He has been sent to do, and that is preaching. That is what He does. He speaks and acts with authority. Thus He proves that God is truly among them in goodness and grace. And wherever He speaks in the synagogues, He exposes the devil and casts out the demons. The casting out of unclean spirits and demons is part of His teaching with authority ( ). It is simply the effect of what He says.

‏ Mark 1:35

Preaching Throughout All Galilee

After a day of hard labor for the benefit of others until late in the evening, He sought the fellowship with His Father in the early morning of the next day (Isa 50:4-5). Only here is found the secret of strength and perseverance in the service. This contrasts with refusing and rejecting the testimony of the unclean spirit and the demons in Mk 1:25 and Mk 1:34. His power does not make Him independent. Much of our powerlessness finds its cause in the lack of prayer in silence. Although He is the Son of God, as a dependent Servant He seeks His strength with God in seclusion.

It seems that Peter and the others think that this time is actually lost, loss of valuable time that is not being used. They know that there are many who seek Him and now He is not present. They are full of zeal for the Lord, but see only the outer need of people and not the inner need of fellowship with the Father which is enjoyed in seclusion. His disciples also see in Him a King and want Him to make Himself known to others as such.

When they have found Him, they tell Him that all seek Him. As if that were a reason to return. For us as servants, it is a great danger if all seek us. But the Lord does not seek the open recognition. He does not seek people’s acclaim and applause. He must be where there is need, not honor. He only wants to do what He has been sent to do, and that is preaching. That is what He does. He speaks and acts with authority. Thus He proves that God is truly among them in goodness and grace. And wherever He speaks in the synagogues, He exposes the devil and casts out the demons. The casting out of unclean spirits and demons is part of His teaching with authority (Mk 1:22). It is simply the effect of what He says.