Reading
MARK 1:16–39
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and
his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called
out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left
their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s
sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once, and they
also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.
Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day
came, he went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at
his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law.
Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, “Why
are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who
you are—the Holy One of God!” But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the
man,” he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and
then came out of him.
Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “What
sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits
obey his orders!” The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of
Galilee. After Jesus left the synagogue with James and John, they went to Simon and
Andrew’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. They told
Jesus about her right away. So he went to her bedside, took her by the hand, and helped
her sit up. Then the fever left her, and she prepared a meal for them.
That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to
Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch. So Jesus healed many people who
were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons
knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak.
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to
pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said,
“Everyone is looking for you.”
But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too.
That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the
synagogues and casting out demons.
Reflection
Jesus intentionally gets away from the crowds and the chaos to spend time with God in
prayer. Do you view this as an important practice?
- If you aren’t doing this regularly, how can you take steps to start doing that?
- If you are, in what ways has prayer strengthened your relationship with the Lord?