Crossroads (Mark 1:35-39)

Going through this little exercise of writing about the reading for the day shows me that the Sunday readings follow a different pace from the weekend readings. The weekday readings are already on Mark 6 while the Sunday reading is still at Mark 1. So a Gospel passage read for a weekday mass is read again for a Sunday mass.


And today's Gospel from Mark 1: 29-39 is something that was read weeks ago. It begins with the cure of Simon-in-law's mother (Which led me to wonder about Simon's wife), and proceeds to the cure of many from the town in Galilee where Simon lived. Before dawn breaks, Jesus goes off to a deserted place to pray and Simon seeks him out and tells him everybody is looking for him. Jesus decides to move on to the next town.


I'm thinking now that maybe Jesus went off to a deserted place to make a decision. Should he stay on in this town or move on to the next town? The previous night, "the whole town was gathered at the door." When the apostles find him, he tells them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come." 


The last line suggests to me that Jesus prayed to consult with his Father on what he should do. And prayer suggests that his purpose is not to stay in one place but to move to other places where he can also preach.


This isn't the first time I've noticed that Jesus prays before making a decision. In Luke's Gospel, before he chose the twelve disciples, he prayed all night. 


In a sense, the Agony at the Garden gives us an inside look as to how Jesus prayed. It was a consultation session with his Father. He probably had some idea of what he had to do but prayed for confirmation.