Durruck
Pirate!
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:15-16
While I was making my notes on this verse for my Sunday school lesson, a few interesting little things popped out at me.
1) Luke specifically records first that the crowds came to hear Jesus, and to be healed. It is generally understood in Biblical literature that order is very important... so Luke was likely stressing that people weren't just following Jesus around to see miracles, they wanted to hear what He was teaching, too.
2) Jesus prayed. Quite a few times we see in the Gospels that Jesus made time to pray. It's hard enough to wrap my mind around the Trinity... but the idea of conversations between the Father and Son, and what they must have been like is truly mind-boggling.
3) 1 Thess 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing (or continually). That means when we're in the car, at work, in class, at dinner with our family, walking the dog... always be in a position to open yourself up to God.
And yet in this verse, Jesus withdrew from the noise and the distractions to spend time with the Father. This shows that while we're supposed to constantly be in a state of openness towards God, we also need to find time when the dogs aren't barking, the baby isn't crying, the washer isn't running, the TV is off, our brains aren't full of schedules and appointments... and spend some serious time in worship and prayer.
While I was making my notes on this verse for my Sunday school lesson, a few interesting little things popped out at me.
1) Luke specifically records first that the crowds came to hear Jesus, and to be healed. It is generally understood in Biblical literature that order is very important... so Luke was likely stressing that people weren't just following Jesus around to see miracles, they wanted to hear what He was teaching, too.
2) Jesus prayed. Quite a few times we see in the Gospels that Jesus made time to pray. It's hard enough to wrap my mind around the Trinity... but the idea of conversations between the Father and Son, and what they must have been like is truly mind-boggling.
3) 1 Thess 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing (or continually). That means when we're in the car, at work, in class, at dinner with our family, walking the dog... always be in a position to open yourself up to God.
And yet in this verse, Jesus withdrew from the noise and the distractions to spend time with the Father. This shows that while we're supposed to constantly be in a state of openness towards God, we also need to find time when the dogs aren't barking, the baby isn't crying, the washer isn't running, the TV is off, our brains aren't full of schedules and appointments... and spend some serious time in worship and prayer.
