Mark 1: 32-39 - A Life of Solitude

At one time I decided to ask some people I knew what the thought of when they heard the name “Jesus.” Some church folks and some non-church folks were asked and the overwhelming answer was nice. They thought Jesus was nice. Nice is often a generic word that we use when we don’t really know someone. We say that someone is nice when we can’t think of other words. 

Spiritual author Henri Nouwen speaks of Jesus not as being nice, but as being humble, which is a trait that his bride, the church, is supposed to try to carry out. But humble, like the word nice, is often mis-understood. Humility has somehow become affiliated with weakness or being a pushover, which Jesus was not. Christ’s humility came from setting aside who he was, the son of God with all of the power that comes with that, in order to advance the Kingdom. Christ’s humility was truly selfless, and we too are called to embody such traits. And it emerged because he was centered on what, and who, were important. 

For the next three weeks we are going to talk about what equips us to follow this way of Christ marked by humility and selflessness, which is counter cultural to the world that we live in. Often the pull of the world to propel ourselves upwards in society, no matter what the costs, is so strong. But Christ offers us a different way of being. If only we too, will seek to be centered. 

A few weeks ago at the Wednesday evening Bible study we were studying Psalm 73 In which the psalmist speaks about being disillusioned by the fact that those who choose the way of the world seem to get ahead, while those whom follow the path of God seem to suffer. Christ understood the Psalmists words, as do we, I would venture to guess. But a turning point comes for the writer when he goes to the temple. When he sits with the Lord and remembers whose he is and who he is. When he regains his center.

In this morning Scripture passage we find Jesus doing amazing things. He was healing the sick, and even those possessed by demons. It seemed like everyone was crowding in to touch Jesus, see his powers at work, and have their lives healed. And he did heal many of them. But three things about this passage can seem odd in our world that demands that we claim fame wherever we can find it.

First, Jesus does not let the demons speak, because they knew him. He would not let them tell who he was or exactly how much power he truly had. He wasn’t looking for fame. He was looking to be God’s vessel. Secondly, Jesus left the mission field to pray. Even though there was work to be done, even with as busy as he was with the disciples in this particular community, he stopped to seek out a quiet place to center himself. And out of that centering a third disturbing thing happened, he discerned to move on. Even though there were more people in need, even though “everyone was searching” for him according to Peter, he told the disciples that it was time to head out to the neighboring towns, there work here was done. 

We have a lot to learn from Jesus in this passage. Especially in a world that at best calls Christians “nice” and expects us to act immediately whenever a need arises. And in some instances this is the correct path for us to take, not because we are nice, but because we are humbly following the will of God. Because we have discerned it to be so. But other times, we are called like Jesus to not act as quickly, but rather to sit in the quiet center and seek the will of God. 

Jesus knows the need of the people around him. Perhaps he, like us, was even overwhelmed at the sheer number of people seeking to be healed. But even in the midst of people’s needs and demands he left and found a quiet place to pray. A place of solitude. A place to center himself and spend time aline with God. 

It seems counterintuitive doesn’t it? If we have a to-do list that seems to stretch on and people lining up at our door with needs and problems that we spend time in prayer. Yet it is so critical to who we are as the beloved of God and what we are called to do as the church. Pastor Bill Hybels put forth this sentiment in a catchy title to one of his books, “Too Busy Not to Pray”. Theologian Martin Luther said the more hours he had to work, the more time he spent praying. 

But that can be hard for us when we feel that things just have to be done. I feel that its the main reason so many people do not take a Sabbath, a full day to simply rest and worship God, because there are so many demands on our time. Its also the reason that some people can’t make it to an hour worship service or Bible study - there is too much to do. Yet, Jesus, when faced with too much to do, did something disturbing, something radical, he went away to pray. 

In order to engage he had to withdraw. In order to be active for the Kingdom he had to be still. I once had a colleague tell me that this is perhaps the most important thing we can do as Christians, be still and withdraw in order to be filled with grace to go and serve as a calm presence in the world. 

Jesus was able to withdraw, able to listen to the will of God, even when it may not be popular with those who were seeking him for healing, or the disciples who became impatient with him, because at the end of the day he was humble because  he knew that it wasn’t about the number of people that he healed. Or the praise that he received. Instead it was about responding to God and honoring God.

In a world that tells us to collect awards, more is better, and that we need busy lives to be successful, solitude is hard. A few weeks ago I went to visit a friend to celebrate my birthday and during the trip I went to see a Broadway play. While at the play the women next to me were complaining about the ranking system and college application process for their college aged daughters. They were listing off how hard their daughters worked, their achievements, and how many activities they were involved in, but it still may not be enough. And I found myself wandering - enough for what? Enough by whose standards?

Brothers and sisters, our lives are filled with enough. Enough accomplishments. Enough awards. Enough ways to spend our time and appear successful. But what we are lacking are those quiet place of prayer. Those times where we give God our very best attention. Because it is in this quiet time when we find the meaning to life. It is in this time of solitude that we are refreshed for the craziness the day may hold. It is also here that we learn how to be humble, as we follow God’s will not our own. Learn to live in God’s standards, not ours. And learn that as we are still, the world still goes on. 

We are called to be in the world but not of it. We are called to be a humble people, working for the Kingdom, which means praying to the one whose Kingdom it is. And that requires us being counter cultural. Seeking out the stillness, not for a few minutes here and there, but intentionally, every day, so we can grow in love with the God who will tell us where to go next, and grow more like Christ in our attitude and actions. Where can you find stillness? Where can you seek out a time to pray? And what will God say to you during that time? Amen.