In Mark 1:10 the heavens opened to Jesus, and, as I claimed in the study of Jesus’ baptism,[1] they remained open. Moreover, the opening of the heavens at Jesus’ baptism symbolized fellowship with God in the Most Holy Place, which is represented in Genesis by the Garden of Eden, where God and man freely fellowshipped together. Once Adam (mankind) was cast out, he could no longer return to the presence of God in the Garden / Most Holy Place / heaven. This expulsion was represented in the veil in the Temple of God, which separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place. But, at least for Jesus the veil / heavens were ripped open (Mark 1:10). That said, Mark’s account of Jesus life since his baptism left him no time for private intercourse with his Father in heaven (i.e. the Most Holy Place or God’s Presence) in which Jesus dwelt (John 1:18). Therefore, he tells us that Jesus rose up early in the morning, before sunrise, in order to meet privately with his Father in a deserted place (Mark 1:35).
When Jesus left Simon’s home to pray, Simon or someone else who was there may have awakened long enough to see Jesus leave, and perhaps even asked where he was going. Otherwise, how would they know where to look for him. His absence could have meant many things, but they seemed to understand that he was close by but not in town. So, they went out to seek him, and finding him they told Jesus that everyone was looking for him (Mark 1:36-37). In other words the folks in and around Bethsaida kept coming to Simon’s and Andrew’s home looking for Jesus.
I can’t help but think that, if friends of an evangelist, today, came to tell him something similar, he might set up his headquarters in that city and derive support for his ministry from the folks there. He may even have thought of expanding it outwardly to include other towns, the whole nation, and perhaps the world. Such a context of people coming to him would be considered a sign that he was successful, and he needed to take advantage of that success. Nevertheless, Jesus didn’t perceive the news of the crowds seeking him, as something he needed to use to support his ministry. Elijah wasn’t supported by, nor did he live by, society at large; the ravens fed him. Neither did John live by what society offered; he lived off what he found in the wilderness.
The surprising point found here seems to be that the Lord doesn’t need the world or its goods to advance the Gospel. When Jesus heard about the crowd of people at Simon’s house, he simply said: Let’s go elsewhere, to other towns and cities. They need to hear the Gospel, too. After all, that’s why I’m here! (Mark 1:38). Can you imagine the astonished look on the disciples faces? After all, Jesus four disciples were in the fishing business, and they knew a market when they saw one. Yet, Jesus seemed to be uninterested in what would be an obvious boost to getting his ministry off the ground. How could Jesus become King without popular support to overthrow Rome? Jesus wasn’t making sense, at least they didn’t understand what Jesus was doing. Nevertheless, the four disciples had to have remembered the day they were called, which was only a short while ago. It didn’t make sense to throw out the nets for a catch, because they fished all night but caught nothing. But, when they cast the net out into the water, it began to break because of the huge catch. Nothing about Jesus made sense to them, but they were willing to try to understand these things from his point of view, and that would take time. Therefore, they continued to follow him, as he preached in the synagogues throughout Galilee, telling folks about the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven (Mark 1:39).
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[1] See my earlier study Jesus’ Baptism.
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