Mark 1:29-45
“In short, our Lord prayed always, and did not faint. Sinless as he was, he set an example of diligent communion with his Father. His Godhead did not render him independent of the use of all means as a man. His very perfection was a perfection kept up through the exercise of prayer. A praying Master, like Jesus, can have no prayerless servants. The Spirit of adoption will always make a man call upon God. To be prayerless is to be Christless, Godless, and in the high road of destruction.” - J. C. Ryle
Discussion questions:
In this story, Jesus prioritizes prayer over urgent and numerous ministry demands. How does Jesus’s attitude/habit challenge you? What obstacles exist in your life to the kind of prayerful communion with the Father that Jesus demonstrates here?
Though Jesus did spend considerable time and energy healing people and casting out demons, he makes it clear in verse 38 that the priority of his ministry is preaching. How should Jesus’s priorities impact the way we approach God’s Word?
The leper in this story was unclean, and he knew it. Some people today feel clean when they are unclean, while others feel unclean even though they are clean. This is because sin controls people through two opposite lies: 1) that we are not sinners, and 2) that our sin is so bad that we are beyond help. Which of these two lies presents a greater struggle for you? In what ways?
What most moves you about the compassion and kindness of our Lord toward this sick and afflicted man?