After reading this passage, I closed my eyes so that I could imagine the scene I’d just read.
35Very 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. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. –Mark 1:35-39
Have you ever gotten up before the alarm went off in the morning, or before smelling the coffee brewing, just because you went to sleep knowing that you had to get up early?
I imagine Jesus just woke up in the quiet of early morning darkness. The morning was still in the moments before the dawn.
And that’s why He woke up then; he knew it would be quiet and serene. The perfect time to talk with His Father where he would be free from the distractions of the dawning day.
He wanted to find the perfect place away from everything–to sit down and have time with his Father. So he went out for a short walk in search of that place, all the while thinking about God the Father.
I imagine that Jesus might have found a rock to sit on or kneel at, maybe in an open area or next to a tree.I pictured Jesus talking to His Father. Telling Him how much he loved Him.
And then I imagine Jesus listening. I visualize Jesus just sitting there listening quietly to God.
I picture Jesus hearing God in the stillness of the still, dark morning…I can only imagine that God was all he heard.
Time passed, but time was irrelevant. Being in the presence of God was all that mattered, all that existed in that time.
The sun had risen, and the sky was brightening.
Suddenly, Jesus became aware of the fast-approaching footsteps. It was okay, though. He had time with his Dad and was at peace.
Simon saw Jesus by the rock, and hurried over to tell him that everyone had been looking for him.
And what I find pretty remarkable was that Jesus did not say anything to Simon’s exclamation. Jesus simply told Simon what they were going to do with the day they’d been given. Jesus was clear with the direction of the day, and why he was there.
To me, it seemed like that the time spent with God in the darkness before the dawn, was time that provided clarity, direction, confidence and calm determination. Jesus knew exactly who and where he was…and what he was supposed to do.
