Mark 1:35 Study Bible: And early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there.

◄ Mark 1:35 ►

Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to pray.

Early in the morning
This phrase indicates the time of day when Jesus chose to engage in prayer. The Greek word used here is "πρωῒ" (proi), which refers to the early hours before dawn. This highlights the discipline and priority Jesus placed on communion with the Father. In a historical context, the early morning was a time of quiet and stillness, providing an undistracted environment for prayer. This sets an example for believers to seek God first, before the busyness of the day begins.

while it was still dark
The mention of darkness underscores the solitude and quietness of the time. Darkness in the Bible often symbolizes mystery or the unknown, but here it emphasizes the intentionality of Jesus' actions. He sought a time when He could be alone with God, away from the demands of His ministry. This teaches us the importance of finding moments of quietness and separation from the world to focus on our relationship with God.

Jesus got up
The act of getting up signifies a deliberate choice and action. The Greek verb "ἀναστὰς" (anastas) implies rising with purpose. Jesus, despite His exhausting ministry, chose to rise early to prioritize prayer. This demonstrates His commitment to spiritual discipline and dependence on the Father, serving as a model for believers to actively pursue time with God, even when it requires sacrifice.

and slipped out
The phrase "slipped out" suggests a quiet and unobtrusive departure. The Greek word "ἐξῆλθεν" (exēlthen) conveys the idea of going out or leaving. Jesus' discreet departure indicates His desire to avoid distractions and interruptions. This teaches us the value of seeking solitude in our spiritual practices, ensuring that our focus remains solely on God.

to a solitary place
The term "solitary place" is translated from the Greek "ἔρημον τόπον" (erēmon topon), meaning a deserted or uninhabited area. This reflects Jesus' intentional choice to find a location where He could be alone with God. In the broader scriptural context, the wilderness or solitary places are often where significant spiritual encounters occur. This encourages believers to seek out their own "solitary places" for prayer and reflection, away from the noise of daily life.

to pray
Prayer is the central focus of this verse. The Greek word "προσεύξασθαι" (proseuxasthai) indicates a form of communication with God that involves both speaking and listening. Jesus' commitment to prayer demonstrates His reliance on the Father and His desire for intimate fellowship. For believers, this underscores the importance of prayer as a foundational practice in the Christian life, a means of drawing strength, guidance, and communion with God.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Jesus
The central figure in this passage, Jesus is the Son of God, who demonstrates the importance of prayer and communion with the Father.

2. Solitary Place
This refers to a remote or secluded location where Jesus could be alone with God, away from distractions.

3. Prayer
The act of communicating with God, which Jesus prioritized even amidst His busy ministry.

Teaching Points

The Priority of Prayer
Jesus prioritized prayer above all else, even when He was busy. We should also make prayer a priority in our lives, setting aside time to commune with God daily.

The Importance of Solitude
Jesus sought a solitary place to pray, free from distractions. We should find our own "solitary places" where we can focus on God without interruptions.

Early Morning Devotion
Jesus prayed early in the morning, setting the tone for His day. Starting our day with prayer can align our hearts and minds with God's will.

Modeling After Jesus
As followers of Christ, we should emulate His example of regular, intentional prayer, seeking guidance and strength from the Father.

Spiritual Refreshment
Just as Jesus was refreshed and empowered through prayer, we too can find spiritual renewal and strength in our times of prayer.

Bible Study Questions

1. What can we learn from Jesus' example of prioritizing prayer, and how can we apply this in our daily routines?

2. How does finding a "solitary place" to pray enhance our communication with God, and what might this look like in our modern context?

3. In what ways does starting the day with prayer impact our attitudes and actions throughout the day?

4. How can we overcome distractions and busyness to ensure that prayer remains a central part of our lives?

5. Reflect on a time when prayer brought you peace or clarity. How does this experience encourage you to follow Jesus' example of regular prayer?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Luke 5:16
This verse also highlights Jesus' habit of withdrawing to lonely places to pray, emphasizing the importance of solitude in His spiritual life.

Matthew 14:23
After feeding the five thousand, Jesus goes up on a mountainside by Himself to pray, showing His consistent practice of seeking the Father in solitude.

Psalm 5:3
The psalmist speaks of directing prayers to God in the morning, aligning with Jesus' practice of early morning prayer.

Philippians 4:6-7
Encourages believers to present their requests to God through prayer, promising peace, which reflects the peace and strength Jesus likely sought in His prayer times.

Sermons

A Composite Picture	S. D. (Samuel Dickey) Gordon	Mark 1:35
Christ Praying	B. Wilkinson.	Mark 1:35
Convenience Made for Private Prayer	R. Glover.	Mark 1:35
Early Morning Communion with God		Mark 1:35
Early Morning Prayer	Trapp.	Mark 1:35
Early Risers		Mark 1:35
Finding a Place to Pray	Anon.	Mark 1:35
If We Would Pray Well, We Must Pray Early	M. F. Sadler.	Mark 1:35
Jesus in Prayer	The Congregational Pulpit	Mark 1:35
Jesus in Secret Prayer	D. C. Hughes, M. A.	Mark 1:35
Jesus Rising Early for Secret Prayer	J. Lathrop, D. D.	Mark 1:35
Prayer	W. H. Jellie.	Mark 1:35
Private Devotion	J. S. Exell, M. A.	Mark 1:35
Rising Early		Mark 1:35
Secret Devotion	J. Morgan.	Mark 1:35
Secret Prayer	A. Barnes, D. D.	Mark 1:35
Secret Prayer Aids Social Usefulness	J. Morgan.	Mark 1:35
The Devotions of Christ	Various.	Mark 1:35
The Early Mornings a Friend to the Graces	M. Henry.	Mark 1:35
The History Era Prayer of Christ	A.F. Muir	Mark 1:35
The Prayers of Christ	Prof. A. S. Farrar.	Mark 1:35
The Prayers of Jesus	J. Stalker, M. A.	Mark 1:35
True Prayer Difficult	G. Petter.	Mark 1:35
The Illustrative Example of Christ's Work	R. Green	Mark 1:21-39
A Physician for Both Body and Soul	J.J. Given	Mark 1:32-39

People

Andrew, Ephah, Isaiah, James, Jesus, John, Simon, Zabdi, Zebedee

Places

Capernaum, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jordan River, Judea, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Wilderness of Judea

Topics

Dark, Daylight, Departed, Desert, Deserted, Early, Forth, Got, Leaving, Lonely, Morning, Prayed, Prayer, Praying, Quiet, Quite, Risen, Rising, Rose, Secluded, Solitary, Yet

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Mark 1:35

     2081   Christ, wisdom
     2360   Christ, prayers of
     4918   dawn
     4954   morning
     4971   seasons, of life
     5873   habits
     5901   loneliness
     8164   spirituality
     8438   giving, of time
     8620   prayer, practicalities

Library

What 'the Gospel' Is
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.--Mark i. 1 My purpose now is to point out some of the various connections in which the New Testament uses that familiar phrase, 'the gospel,' and briefly to gather some of the important thoughts which these suggest. Possibly the process may help to restore freshness to a word so well worn that it slips over our tongues almost unnoticed and excites little thought. The history of the word in the New Testament books is worth notice. It seldom occurs in those …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ's Touch
'Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him.'--Mark i. 41. Behold the servant of the Lord' might be the motto of this Gospel, and 'He went about doing good and healing' the summing up of its facts. We have in it comparatively few of our Lord's discourses, none of His longer, and not very many of His briefer ones. It contains but four parables. This Evangelist gives no miraculous birth as in Matthew, no angels adoring there as in Luke, no gazing into the secrets of Eternity, where the Word who afterwards …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Strong Forerunner and the Stronger Son
'The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2. As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. 3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. 4. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Mighty in Word and Deed
'And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day He entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22. And they were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24. Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God. 25. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Healing and Service
'Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and straightway they tell Him of her: 31. And He came and took her by the hand, and raised her up; and the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.'--Mark i. 30, 31, R. V. This miracle is told us by three of the four Evangelists, and the comparison of their brief narratives is very interesting and instructive. We all know, I suppose, that the common tradition is that Mark was, in some sense, Peter's mouthpiece in this Gospel. The truthfulness of that …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Parable in a Miracle
'And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. 41. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; he thou clean. 42. And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.'--Mark i. 40-42. Christ's miracles are called wonders--that is, deeds which, by their exceptional character, arrest attention and excite surprise. Further, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Composite Picture.
It may be helpful to make the following summary of these allusions. 1. His times of prayer: His regular habit seems plainly to have been to devote the early morning hour to communion with His Father, and to depend upon that for constant guidance and instruction. This is suggested especially by Mark 1:35; and also by Isaiah 50:4-6 coupled with John 7:16 l.c., 8:28, and 12:49. In addition to this regular appointment, He sought other opportunities for secret prayer as special need arose; late at night …
S. D. (Samuel Dickey) Gordon—Quiet Talks on Prayer

The Way to the Kingdom
"The kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:15 These words naturally lead us to consider, First, the nature of true religion, here termed by our Lord, "the kingdom of God," which, saith he, "is at hand;" and, Secondly, the way thereto, which he points out in those words, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." I. 1. We are, First, to consider the nature of true religion, here termed by our Lord, "the kingdom of God." The same expression the great Apostle uses in his Epistle …
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Repentance of Believers
"Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:15. 1. It is generally supposed, that repentance and faith are only the gate of religion; that they are necessary only at the beginning of our Christian course, when we are setting out in the way to the kingdom. And this may seem to be confirmed by the great Apostle, where, exhorting the Hebrew Christians to "go on to perfection," he teaches them to leave these first "principles of the doctrine of Christ;" "not laying again the foundation of repentance …
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Lord and the Leper
The Lord Jesus Christ at this day has all power in heaven and in earth. He is charged with a divine energy to bless all who come to him for healing. Oh, that we may see today some great wonder of his power and grace! Oh, for one of the days of the Son of Man here and now! To that end it is absolutely needful that we should find a case for his spiritual power to work upon. Is there not one here in whom his grace may prove its omnipotence? Not you, ye good, ye self-righteous! You yield him no space …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 34: 1888

Faith and Repentance Inseparable
I. I shall commence my remarking that the gospel which Christ preached was, very plainly, a command. "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Our Lord does condescend to reason. Often his ministry graciously acted out the old text, "Come, now, and let us reason together; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as wool." He does persuade men by telling and forcible arguments, which should lead them to seek the salvation of their souls. He does invite men, and oh, how lovingly he woos them to be …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 1863

Answer to Mr. W's First Objection.
I WILL first consider all Mr. W's objections to these literal stories. Mr. W. says in his preamble, before he comes to propose his objections in form: That these three miracles are not equally great, but differ in degree, is visible enough to every one that but cursorily reads, and compares their stories one with another.--The greatest of the three, and indeed the greatest miracle, that Jesus is supposed to have wrought, is that of Lazarus's resurrection; which, in truth, was a most prodigious miracle, …
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

The Fellowship of Prayer
THE FELLOWSHIP OF PRAYER "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." -- Phil. 4:6 This timely exhortation stresses the fact that God's people should consult with Him in every matter pertaining to life. Unless they see the imperative necessity of prayer, and give it an important place in daily life, they cannot expect to be maintained by the ample resources of a generous Saviour. It is apparent that we cannot obtain …
T. M. Anderson—Prayer Availeth Much

Healing a Demoniac in a Synagogue.
(at Capernaum.) ^B Mark I. 21-28; ^C Luke . IV. 31-37. ^b 21 And they [Jesus and the four fishermen whom he called] go into { ^c he came down to} Capernaum, a city of Galilee. [Luke has just spoken of Nazareth, and he uses the expression "down to Capernaum" because the latter was on the lake shore while Nazareth was up in the mountains.] And ^b straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. { ^c was teaching them} ^b 22 And they were astonished at his teaching: for he taught …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Heals a Leper and Creates Much Excitement.
^A Matt.VIII. 2-4; ^B Mark I. 40-45; ^C Luke V. 12-16. ^c 12 And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities [it was a city of Galilee, but as it was not named, it is idle to conjecture which city it was], behold, ^b there cometh { ^a came} ^b to him a leper [There is much discussion as to what is here meant by leprosy. Two diseases now go by that name; viz., psoriasis and elephantiasis. There are also three varieties of psoriasis, namely, white, black and red. There are also three varieties …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Way from Sin to Perfect Salvation.
We have learned that sin entered this world and that all mankind have sinned. We have also learned that Jesus came to save man from his sins. Now the question may arise in the mind of some, what must I do to be saved? We hope in this chapter to quote such scriptures as will plainly teach you the way of salvation, or how to be fully saved, and also the scriptures describing each experience. Repentance. The first step for the sinner is to repent. When on Pentecost men were pricked in their hearts …
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day

Jesus' Conception of Himself
252. When Jesus called forth the confession of Peter at Caesarea Philippi he brought into prominence the question which during the earlier stages of the Galilean ministry he had studiously kept in the background. This is no indication, however, that he was late in reaching a conclusion for himself concerning his relation to the kingdom which he was preaching. From the time of his baptism and temptation every manifestation of the inner facts of his life shows unhesitating confidence in the reality …
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

John the Baptist
Matt. iii. 1-17; iv. 12; xiv. 1-12; Mark i. 1-14; vi. 14-29; Luke i. 5-25, 57-80; iii. 1-22; ix. 7-9; John i. 19-37; iii. 22-30. 72. The first reappearance of Jesus in the gospel story, after the temple scene in his twelfth year, is on the banks of the Jordan seeking baptism from the new prophet. One of the silent evidences of the greatness of Jesus is the fact that so great a character as John the Baptist stands in our thought simply as accessory to his life. For that the prophet of the wilderness …
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

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