Jesus and Prayer (Mark 1:35)
People are attracted by Jesus for different reasons. Today, some are attracted by his teachings, although often all they are looking for is some support of their already existing ideas. When he was on earth, many were intrigued by his ability to perform miracles. It is worth asking ourselves what we find curious about Jesus in addition to him being the Saviour. One aspect that we should ponder is his praying methods.
Maybe we can ask some questions to see why thinking about his prayer life is important. Would there have been four gospels if Jesus had not been a man of prayer? Would the Holy Spirit have descended on Jesus at his baptism if he had not been engaged in prayer? When did he commence his prayer practices? Did he have organised prayer in the sense that he followed a pattern, such as the one he taught his disciples in the Lord’s Prayer? Of course, some of those questions cannot be answered by us, but they do indicate how important prayer was to him.
Why should we think about how Jesus prayed? One answer would be that he is our example in how to live, so he must be our role model regarding prayer, at least in some aspects of it. In his prayers, he had no sin to confess, so he cannot be our example in that regard because our prayers must include confession of sin. Another reason for thinking about his prayers comes from the fact that we love him and desire to know as much about him as we can. Connected to that reason is the fact that references to him praying occur frequently in the Gospels, and they are included so that we can know how he lived.
In this section of Mark, we see that Jesus has commenced his public ministry and is gathering his group of disciples and teaching them how to become fishers of men. As a teacher, Jesus did not only tell his disciples how they should live, he also showed to them how they should do it. So they would have learned something about prayer from the response of Jesus to his current situation.
Sometimes, references to his prayers are specific. We know that he prayed at his baptism, when he selected his disciples, when he was on the Mount of Transfiguration, when he was walking towards the Garden from the Upper Room (John 17), when he was in the garden of Gethsemane, and when he was on the cross. At other times, the reference is more general, as in Luke 5:16 where the author says that Jesus ‘would withdraw to desolate places and pray’.
That last reference, along with the verse from Mark that we are focussing on, show the priority that Jesus gave to private prayer. And that is the type of praying that we will mainly consider in the sermon. Jesus found a place to pray where no-one else was, and he went there while it was dark which means that no-one could see what he intended to do.
Jesus as a Man of Prayer
Whenever we speak about a person, we have to use descriptions to explain his interests and priorities. We can call a man a doctor, but he may also be a golfer, or he may be a husband or a widower. In order to give an all-round description of the person, we may have to use many names.
This is certainly the case with Jesus. There are numerous names given to him in the Bible and each of them highlights an important area connected to who he is and what he did. There are also names or titles that can be used of him because the particular roles describe him. For example, we may wish to say that he is the Commander-in-chief of the armies of God. Another title that we could use for him is that he was ‘a man of prayer’. The important aspect of such titles is that Jesus fulfilled or fulfils the role perfectly. As a man of prayer, Jesus prayed regularly day after day.
Because he did this, we can deduce several obvious features of his prayer life. The first is that Jesus enjoyed being in the presence of his Father in this special manner. When he prayed, he engaged in real communion with his Father. There was contact taking place. The fact is, and it is an obvious fact and a profound one, that Jesus never was alone when he prayed. It was an act of communion, with a two-way interaction.
A second feature connected to him being a man of prayer is that he revealed he was dependent on his Father for ongoing supply of divine provision and help. Jesus was a sinless man, but that does not mean that he could have prayed less than he did. We must always remember the reality of his humanity. A real man prays, a good man prays, a sinless man prays, often.
A third feature of his diligent prayer life is that it revealed that he was dedicated to serving his Father and fulfilling his will. Jesus did not engage in prayer so that he could have an easy life. Rather, he prayed for guidance and strength to fulfil the will of the Father. Some things he would have realised were necessary to do because he read about them in the Scriptures. Other things would have had to be shown to him by his Father.
With regard to his submission to the Father’s will, there was at least one petition that he refused to use. He told Peter that he could have asked the Father for the help of twelve legions of angels, but if he had done so the scriptures would not be fulfilled.
Possible barriers
The description by Mark of this incident details some potential reasons why Jesus could have done something else rather than pray or even pray as he did something else. We see that on the previous evening, after darkness had come at 6pm, the whole city of Capernaum came to the door of his house for help. Inevitably, this would have been draining and Jesus would have been tired. Moreover, his tiredness was caused by serving his Father. Yet Jesus did not conclude that such tiredness was a reason not to spend time in prayer.
Another possible hindrance to a time in prayer was the needs of the people in Capernaum. Peter informs Jesus later that people were looking for him. It would have been possible for Jesus to have prayed for those people when they met him, so he could have stayed in the house and done so. But he did not, and his practice reveals that we should not let the legitimate needs of others prevent spending time with God. Jesus was determined to begin the day with God.
Connected to that possible distraction was the expectation of his disciples, expressed in the words of Peter. It is clear from his comment that they imagined that Jesus’ priority was the group of people looking for him, that somehow they were at that moment his priority. Yet if were to take Peter’s suggestion to its logical conclusion, which is that needs of people have priority over a time of prayer, we would never have a time of personal prayer because people have needs all the time. The disciples had to learn that prayer is the priority. As someone has said, we can do more than pray, but we cannot do more until we pray.
Why is personal prayer important?
A common statement about prayer is that we can pray silently in a situation full of distractions. Obviously, that is true, yet it is not obvious that such prayer is the best kind of praying. Distractions cause difficulties for concentrated prayer. This would have been a reason why Jesus looked for a suitable place to pray.
James Stalker, in his book about Jesus being our example, notes that the Gospels say that Jesus often prayed in the mountains around a location. This prompted Stalker to suggest that when Jesus ‘arrived in a town, His first thought was, which was the shortest road to the mountain – just as ordinary travellers inquire where are the most noted sights and which is the best hotel.’
The basic requirement for meaningful personal prayer is privacy, where distractions and interruptions are unlikely. What benefits come from privacy when praying? One is that we can pray out loud, which does help keep our minds from wandering. Another is that in a place of privacy we can allow our emotions to express themselves. Prayer, after all, is a very moving experience. Gratitude is a feeling, and so should confession of sin. Yearning for an answer from God is very appropriate. A third benefit is that we can mention matters that should not be mentioned in public.
When we think about Jesus and his prayers, we can wonder what benefits did he receive from private prayer. He would have received encouragement from his Father. I suspect it is also the secret of his power. Sometimes we tend to focus on his deity and forget that he was also a man who prayed for divine power to engage in ongoing service for his Father.
How would Jesus have prayed?
It is safe to assume that there would have been consistency in the prayer habits of the Saviour. So we can consider other references to his praying and observe what he did.
One feature of his prayer life was gratitude. On several occasions we are told that Jesus’ prayers included thanksgiving. In Matthew 11:25, he prays after his message was rejected by several towns. His response was to pray to the Father and thank him for his sovereignty. He has a similar prayer in Luke 10:21 when he thanks the Father for giving success to the disciples during a mission Jesus had sent them on. The third occasion was at the tomb of Lazarus, when he thanked the Father for always hearing him. A fourth occasion when Jesus expressed gratitude in prayer was when he was inaugurating the Lord’s Supper.
Another feature of the prayers of Jesus was his intercession for others. He prayed for the disciples as they failed to understand his mission, he prayed for Peter before his sad fall, and he prayed for the soldiers who crucified him. In John 17, he prayed for all his people, although he had a major focus at what time on the apostles.
In whatever way he prayed and in whatever situation he prayed, his prayers were communion with his Father. His prayers would have been guided by the Scriptures as far as petitions were concerned. The many promises connected to the work of the Messiah and his sufferings and success would have encouraged Jesus as he prayed.
The prayers of Jesus that are recorded in the Gospels are straightforward. We do not need a massive intellect in order to understand his petitions. Nor do we any pointless words in his petitions. Instead, his petitions went straight to his Father. He instructed his disciples to say what they meant when they prayed.
Several lessons
As far as the day of the week is concerned, in our passage the Sabbath was over. Jesus had used the Sabbath as it should have been used. On the following day, he continued to live in a devotional way and prayed. His example tells us that a time of daily personal prayer must be a priority.
A second lesson from the passage is that prayer after a period of spiritual blessing is as important as prayer before an occasion of spiritual blessing. What was the link here between previous blessing and future blessing? A period of prayer. The lesson for us is obvious. Don’t do anything for God unless we have thanked him for previous blessing and prayed for future blessing.
Third, if we are regularly interrupted when we pray, we are praying in the wrong place. Again, the lesson is obvious – find a place of solitude. If we head to a place of prayer and keep our mobile phone on, we are not intending solitude. Trust God, if the call is important, the person will ring again. The lesson for us is obvious – find a place where interruptions are unlikely.
Fourth, expect to be tested after praying. Jesus did not listen to Peter’s words about crowds looking for him. Instead he chose to do what had been conveyed to him by his Father during his time of prayer – go and preach to other cities. A lesson for Peter, and for us. Keep to God’s calling and don’t be distracted when tests come.