15 Jan. Jesus's guidelines for life: Pray, Preach, Heal
"Early the next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus woke and left the house [of the BarJonas family]. He went to a lonely place where he prayed."
"Simon ['Rocky' BarJonas] and his friends went to look for Jesus. When they found him they said, 'Everyone is looking for you!'"
"Jesus answered, 'We should go to other towns around here so I can preach there too. That is the reason I came.'"
"So he went everywhere in Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and forcing out demons."
"A man with a skin disease [Greek: leprosy] came to Jesus. He fell to his knees and begged Jesus, 'You can heal me if you will.' Jesus felt sorry for the man, so he reached out his hand and touched him and said, 'I will. Be healed!' Immediately the disease left the man and he was healed.
(Mark 1:35-42)
Houses in 1st century Capernaum weren't very private. The prosperous BarJonas fishing company's family home would have had several rooms, but these had to house an extended family of three or four generations. In addition, Jesus and his followers would have been accommodated all together in the family's guest room! Not very private!
So when Jesus woke up early, he left the house and went off somewhere quiet to pray. He didn't have to get dressed (he would have slept fully clothed like everyone else), or brush his teeth (a modern idea!), wash, shave, or put out the cat (another modern idea). He just woke up, walked out and went to pray.
Some of us may be fortunate enough to have our own bedroom, so we may not need to go outside to pray. Indeed, it may be much quieter indoors for those of us who live in towns and cities. But there are also lots of modern distractions that can prevent us from talking to our heavenly father - the radio, mobile phone, Internet, cat, dog, coffee machine, TV on demand …. and so on. So, instead of it being No.1 priority - pray, it becomes No. 27 priority - pray if you happen to get a bit of spare time...
When Jesus returned to the house, he said, "We should go to other towns around here so I can preach there too. That is the reason I came." (Mark 1:38). We don't need to stand in a church pulpit (or on a soapbox) to 'preach'! The word Jesus uses here simply means 'to proclaim' or 'to tell others'. We can tell others about Jesus and how the Holy Spirit energizes our lives anywhere and at any time! Look out for opportunities today. Listen to others and let them know how Jesus is the answer to their problems and needs.
When Jesus visited neighbouring towns, he "forced out demons" (Mark 1:39) and "healed" others (Mark 1:42). Today, we might not distinguish between the two in the majority of cases (mental illness / physical illness) but the point is the same. What can you do today to heal someone's 'ills', whether those problems or ills are physical, mental, financial, marital, demonic or whatever??
So, Jesus's blueprint for today (and tomorrow) is threefold:
1. Pray 2. Tell others the Good News & 3. Heal.
The map shows where Jesus prayed, preached and healed in Galilee during the cooler winter months of 27/28AD.
You can read more about Jesus's ministry in Galilee @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/jesus-teaches-in-caperna…/