Mark 6:46
After bidding them farewell, He went up on the mountain to pray.
After bidding them farewell
This phrase indicates a moment of transition and separation. The Greek word for "bidding farewell" is "ἀποταξάμενος" (apotaxamenos), which implies a deliberate and formal leave-taking. In the context of Jesus' ministry, this farewell is significant as it shows His intentionality in creating space for solitude and prayer. Historically, farewells in Jewish culture were often meaningful, reflecting a temporary but purposeful departure. Jesus, in His humanity, models the importance of stepping away from the crowd and even His disciples to seek communion with the Father.

He went up on the mountain
The act of going up on a mountain is rich with biblical symbolism. Mountains in Scripture are often places of divine revelation and encounter with God, such as Moses receiving the Law on Mount Sinai or Elijah hearing God's voice on Mount Horeb. The Greek word "ἀνέβη" (anebē) means "went up" or "ascended," suggesting an intentional movement towards a higher place, both physically and spiritually. This ascent signifies Jesus' desire to be in a place set apart, away from distractions, to focus on His relationship with the Father. Archaeologically, the geography of the region around the Sea of Galilee includes many hills and mountains, providing natural settings for such retreats.

to pray
Prayer is central to Jesus' life and ministry, and the Greek word "προσεύξασθαι" (proseuxasthai) used here denotes a deep, earnest communication with God. This moment of prayer highlights Jesus' dependence on the Father, setting an example for believers to prioritize prayer in their own lives. In the historical context of first-century Judaism, prayer was a vital part of daily life, often involving set times and specific locations. Jesus' choice to pray on a mountain underscores the importance of finding a quiet place to connect with God, away from the busyness of life. Scripturally, this act of prayer before significant events in His ministry, such as walking on water, demonstrates the power and necessity of seeking God's guidance and strength.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is depicted as taking time away from the crowds and His disciples to engage in prayer.

2. The Disciples
Although not directly mentioned in this verse, they are the ones Jesus bids farewell to before He goes to pray.

3. The Mountain
A place of solitude and elevation, often used in Scripture as a setting for significant spiritual encounters and revelations.

4. Prayer
The act of communication with God, which Jesus prioritizes even amidst His busy ministry.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Solitude in Prayer
Jesus models the necessity of withdrawing from daily activities to focus on prayer. In our busy lives, setting aside time for solitude with God is crucial for spiritual growth and renewal.

Prioritizing Prayer in Ministry
Despite His demanding schedule, Jesus prioritizes prayer. This teaches us that no matter how busy we are, prayer should remain a central part of our lives and ministries.

Mountains as Places of Encounter
The mountain symbolizes a place of meeting with God. We should seek our own "mountains" or quiet places where we can encounter God more deeply.

Bidding Farewell to Distractions
Jesus bids farewell to His disciples, indicating the need to sometimes step away from even good things to focus on God. We must learn to say no to distractions to say yes to God.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does Jesus' decision to go up the mountain to pray teach us about the role of solitude in our spiritual lives?

2. How can we incorporate regular times of prayer into our busy schedules, following Jesus' example?

3. In what ways can we create our own "mountains" or places of solitude to encounter God more deeply?

4. How does Jesus' practice of prayer before significant events in His ministry challenge us to prioritize prayer in our decision-making processes?

5. What are some distractions in our lives that we need to "bid farewell" to in order to focus more on our relationship with God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 14:23
This parallel account also describes Jesus going up a mountain to pray, emphasizing His need for solitude and communion with the Father.

Luke 5:16
Highlights Jesus' regular practice of withdrawing to lonely places to pray, underscoring the importance of prayer in His life.

Exodus 19:20
Moses ascends Mount Sinai to meet with God, illustrating the mountain as a place of divine encounter.

Psalm 121:1-2
Speaks of looking to the mountains for help, symbolizing seeking God’s presence and assistance.
Backward to Yield ObedienceG. Petter.Mark 6:45-51
Be of Good Cheer, it is ID. Wilcox.Mark 6:45-51
Christ Knows Who have Need of HimC. S. Robinson, D. D.Mark 6:45-51
Christ Walking on the SeaB. Maitland, M. A.Mark 6:45-51
Christ Walking on the SeaA. Rowland Mark 6:45-51
Christ was Seen in the StormT. M. Lindsay, D. D.Mark 6:45-51
Christ's AbsenceJ. H. Godwin.Mark 6:45-51
Failing to Recognize ChristMark 6:45-51
God Present Though not SeenMark 6:45-51
Need of Constraint from ChristG. Petter.Mark 6:45-51
Religious DespondencyC. S. Robinson, D. D.Mark 6:45-51
Self-Confidence to be LearntMark 6:45-51
The Christian LifeDean Goulburn.Mark 6:45-51
The Contrary Currents of LifeJ. B. Brown, B. A.Mark 6:45-51
The Disciples in the StormE. Bersier, D. D.Mark 6:45-51
The Voice of Jesus in the StormNewman Hall, LL. B.Mark 6:45-51
The Worth of Absent SympathyW. Hardman, M. A., J. W. Pearson., J. W. Pearson., J. W. Pearson.Mark 6:45-51
Toiling in RowingM. Hutchison.Mark 6:45-51
Toiling in RowingW. M. Statham.Mark 6:45-51
Toiling in RowingC. S. Robinson, D. D.Mark 6:45-51
Christ's RetirementA.F. Muir Mark 6:45-52
Jesus Walking on the SeaA.F. Muir Mark 6:45-52
Jesus Walking on the Sea: Interpreted of the ChurchA.F. Muir Mark 6:45-52
The Vision on the LakeE. Johnson Mark 6:45-52
Miraculous ProtectionJ.J. Given Mark 6:45-56
People
Elias, Elijah, Herod, Herodias, James, Jesus, John, Joseph, Joses, Judas, Jude, Mary, Philip, Simon
Places
Bethsaida, Galilee, Genneseret, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee
Topics
Bade, Bidding, Departed, Dismissed, Farewell, Hill, Leave, Mountain, Mountainside, Prayer
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 6:46

     2081   Christ, wisdom
     2360   Christ, prayers of
     4933   evening
     5873   habits
     8328   quietness
     8620   prayer, practicalities

Mark 6:1-56

     5357   journey

Mark 6:45-46

     5901   loneliness
     5921   privacy

Mark 6:45-47

     5921   privacy

Mark 6:45-51

     2012   Christ, authority

Mark 6:45-53

     5517   seafaring

Library
January 6 Evening
The apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things they had done.--MARK 6:30. There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.--The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.--Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. When ye shall have done
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

September 4. "Come Ye Yourselves Apart" (Mark vi. 31).
"Come ye yourselves apart" (Mark vi. 31). One of the greatest hindrances to spirituality is the lack of waiting upon God. You cannot go through twenty-four hours with two or three breaths of air, in the morning, as you sip your coffee. But you must live in the atmosphere, and you must breathe it all day long. Christians do not wait upon God enough. It needs hours and hours daily of spiritual communion with the Holy Spirit to keep your vitality healthful and full. Every moment should find you breathing
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

January 8. "It is I, be not Afraid" (Mark vi. 50).
"It is I, be not afraid" (Mark vi. 50). Someone tells of a little child with some big story of sorrow upon its little heart, flying to its mother's arms for comfort, and intending to tell her the story of its trouble; but as that mother presses it to her bosom and pours out her love, it soon becomes so occupied with her and the sweetness of her affection that it forgets to tell its story, and in a little while even the memory of the trouble is forgotten. It has just been loved away, and she has taken
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Herod --A Startled Conscience
'But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.'--Mark vi. 16. The character of this Herod, surnamed Antipas, is a sufficiently common and a sufficiently despicable one. He was the very type of an Eastern despot, exactly like some of those half-independent Rajahs, whose dominions march with ours in India; capricious, crafty, as the epithet which Christ applied to him, 'That fox!' shows; cruel, as the story of the murder of John the Baptist proves; sensuous
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Master Rejected: the Servants Sent Forth
'And He went out from thence, and came into His own country; and His disciples follow Him. 2. And when the Sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto Him, that even such mighty works are wrought by His hands? 3. Is not this the carpenter, the Son of Mary, the Brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon! and are not His sisters here with us? And they
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Martyrdom of John
'For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20. For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21. And when
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The World's Bread
'And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told Him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31. And He said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33. And the people saw them departing, and many knew Him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ Thwarted
'And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And He marvelled because of their unbelief.'--Mark vi. 5,6. It is possible to live too near a man to see him. Familiarity with the small details blinds most people to the essential greatness of any life. So these fellow-villagers of Jesus in Nazareth knew Him too well to know Him rightly as they talked Him over; they recognised His wisdom and His mighty works; but all the impression that these
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

On Attending the Church Service
"The sin of the young men was very great." 1 Sam. 2:17. 1. The corruption, not only of the heathen world, but likewise of them that were called Christians, has been matter of sorrow and lamentation to pious men, almost from the time of the apostles. And hence, as early as the second century, within a hundred years of St. John's removal from the earth, men who were afraid of being partakers of other men's sins, thought it their duty to separate from them. Hence, in every age many have retired from
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Epistle of Saint Jude.
V. 1, 2. Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, but a brother of James, to those that are called to be holy in God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. This Epistle is ascribed to the holy Apostle, St. Jude, brother of the two Apostles, James the Less and Simon, by the sister of the mother of Christ, who is called Mary (wife) of James or Cleopas, as we read in Mark vi. But this Epistle cannot be looked upon as being that of one who was truly an Apostle,
Martin Luther—The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude Preached and Explained

The First Sayings of Jesus --His Ideas of a Divine Father and of a Pure Religion --First Disciples.
Joseph died before his son had taken any public part. Mary remained, in a manner, the head of the family, and this explains why her son, when it was wished to distinguish him from others of the same name, was most frequently called the "son of Mary."[1] It seems that having, by the death of her husband, been left friendless at Nazareth, she withdrew to Cana,[2] from which she may have come originally. Cana[3] was a little town at from two to two and a half hours' journey from Nazareth, at the foot
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Chronology
45. The length of the public ministry of Jesus was one of the earliest questions which arose in the study of the four gospels. In the second and third centuries it was not uncommon to find the answer in the passage from Isaiah (lxi. 1, 2), which Jesus declared was fulfilled in himself. "The acceptable year of the Lord" was taken to indicate that the ministry covered little more than a year. The fact that the first three gospels mention but one Passover (that at the end), and but one journey to Jerusalem,
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

The Friend of Men 223 in Nothing Does the Contrast Between Jesus and John the Baptist Appear More Clearly than in their Attitude Towards Common Social
I The Friend of Men 223. In nothing does the contrast between Jesus and John the Baptist appear more clearly than in their attitude towards common social life. John had his training and did his work apart from the homes of men. The wilderness was his chosen and fit scene of labor. From this solitude he sent forth his summons and warning to his people. They who sought him for fuller teaching went after him and found him where he was. They then returned to their homes and their work, leaving the prophet
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

Twelve Baskets Full of Fragments Gathered from the Miracle of Christ Feeding the Multitude.
1.--MAN NEEDS HELP. "They have nothing to eat." (Mark vi. 36.) 2.--GOD IS BETTER THAN GOOD MEN. "Send them away," said the disciples. (Mark vi. 36.) "They need not depart," the Lord replied. (Matt. xiv. 16.) 3.--MINISTERS SHOULD ALWAYS BE ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR THE CHILDREN, THEY GIVE HELP AS WELL AS TROUBLE. Andrew said, "There is a lad here." (John vi. 9.) 4.--YOUTH CAN GIVE TO JESUS WHAT NO ONE ELSE POSSESSES. "There is a lad here which hath five barley loaves." (John vi. 9.) 5.--UNBELIEF
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread

The Historical Books. 1 the New Testament...
CHAPTER XXIX. THE HISTORICAL BOOKS. 1. The New Testament, like the Old, is not an abstract system of doctrines and duties, but a record of facts involving doctrines and duties of the highest import. This record does not constitute an independent history, complete in itself, and to be explained in its own light. It is rather the necessary sequel to the record of the Old Testament. It interprets the Old Testament, and is itself interpreted by it. The two constitute together an organic whole, and can
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

The Right to Privacy
"There were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat."--Mark 6:31 "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them."--Matthew 9:36 I had just come back from a strenuous month in the country. Mr. and Mrs. Sprightly, the young married couple who were in charge of the mission station, and I were relaxing around the tea table. I told about the work I had been doing, and answered interested questions. Finally the talk drifted into lighter channels, and
Mabel Williamson—Have We No Rights?

Set at Liberty.
(MARK VI. 27.) "Hush my soul, and vain regrets be stilled; Now rest in Him who is the complement Of whatsoe'er transcends our mortal doom, Of baffled hope and unfulfilled intent; In the clear vision and aspect of whom All longings and all hopes shall be fulfilled." ARCHBISHOP TRENCH. The Genesis of a Great Crime--The Strength of Evil Influences--An Accomplice of Satan--The Triumph of Hate--The Baptist Beheaded--A Place of Repentance The evangelist Mark tells us, in the twenty-first verse of this
F. B. Meyer—John the Baptist

The King's Courts
(MARK VI.) "The number of thine own complete, Sum up and make an end; Sift clean the chaff, and house the wheat; And then, O Lord, descend. "Descend, and solve by that descent This mystery of life; Where good and ill, together blent, Wage an undying strife." J. H. N. Under Royal Surveillance--"It is not Lawful."--The Revenge of Herodias--The Upbraidings of Conscience--Devotion to Truth--"A Sin unto Death." Our story brings us next to speak of the Baptist's relations with Herod Antipas, son of the
F. B. Meyer—John the Baptist

Rejected in his Own Country
"And He went out from thence; and He cometh into His own country; and His disciples follow Him." MARK 6:1-6 (R.V.) WE have seen how St. Mark, to bring out more vividly the connection between four mighty signs, their ideal completeness as a whole, and that mastery over nature and the spiritual world which they reveal, grouped them resolutely together, excluding even significant incidents which would break in upon their sequence. Bearing this in mind, how profoundly instructive it is that our Evangelist
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

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