“A Priority for Success”
Mark 1:21-45
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. – Mark 1:35
One of the key themes in the Gospel of Mark is serving. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” [Mark 10:45] These are the very words of Jesus. Jesus, fully God, left His place at the Right Hand of the Father in Heaven, not to be served but to serve, and ultimately to serve Himself unto death for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus came as King, but it was not the kind of King we are used to. How many kings and heads of states do you know that serve? How many willingly assume a lowest posture [like washing feet]? How many serve the outcasts of society like harlots and lepers?
But that is exactly what the King of kings and Lord of lords did when He walked this earth. He did not come to sit on a throne and be served, rather, He took to the streets and served all walks of life. He healed every disease and sickness, and remember the word “immediately”? Mark uses it forty-two times in his Gospel. It gives the sense that there was no hesitation to serve people, all kinds of people, poor and rich. Mark’s account is a fast-moving description of all that Jesus did as Servant-King.
“In Mark’s gospel, Jesus lays aside the regal robes of kingship and girds Himself with the towel of service. He is King in Matthew’s gospel; He is the Servant in the Gospel of Mark. But He is not man’s servant; He is God’s Servant.” [J.V McGee] And that is a point to ponder. He is our Servant-King; however, He does the bidding of God the Father. He is His Father’s Servant, and in serving Him He serves others. This, too, is the order for us, Christ’s disciples.
And so, recognizing from where the priority of serving comes, we find Jesus seeking the Father in prayer. Amid action-packed days of ministry, “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” [Mark 1:35]
This is the fuel for ministry – finding a solitary place and time for fellowship with the Lord, One-on-one. It is non-negotiable.
In the hustle and bustle of our days in this life of faith, we must make it a point [a priority] to meet with God alone and pray.
