Came In & Came Out
Mark 1: 35 - 39
We see a very important message in this small pericope. We believe that Christianity is Jesus Christ himself, so his life constitutes the very life of Christians. When we carefully read the Gospel and contemplate the life of Jesus, I believe our lives will be blessed.
We read here that Jesus started very early in the morning with contemplation, meditation, and prayer. We read the Greek word erēmos, which is translated as “desolate place” in ESV. This word can also be translated as “wilderness” or “solitary place”. It was also in the wilderness that Jesus was tempted, as we read in another part of the Gospel. This also reminds us of the sojourning of Israel in the wilderness, as recorded in the book of Exodus. The desolate place or the wilderness is a place of repentance, a place of restoration, and a place of intimate fellowship with God himself. Of course, when we speak of repentance, Jesus did not need any repentance. But it is clear that Jesus took the place of Israel. He was also tempted, yet he showed his obedience to his Father. This is an important motif, not only in the Gospel but throughout the Bible, even in the Old Testament.
The Gospel that most frequently records Jesus praying is Luke, but in Mark we can also find at least three instances. They are always connected with solitary places. In each case, the context is Jesus against the opposition, the spiritual enemy who seeks to resist his ministry. From the very beginning of his ministry, we see the spiritual war. He was tempted by the devil and he cast out demons. The motif of the wilderness in the Bible is often connected with the presence of demons. The connotation is not only about a quiet place with no distractions. Jesus came to that place, meaning he insisted on going to war with the power of demons.
The title of the sermon today is Came In and Came Out. We can see this in the very life of Jesus himself. Our spirituality should also consist of this coming in and then coming out. Living in a fallen world, we always face polarization, including political polarization. Sometimes people read the Bible with a leftist tendency, and sometimes with a rightist tendency. Jesus is at times described as a kind of social activist, even a neo-Marxist figure. At other times, he is depicted as an ascetic, seeking only contemplation and seclusion from society. I do not believe that is the way we should read the Bible. We should read the Bible as it is, as God desires to speak to us, not through our own perspective.
There is also another type of polarization, which is even celebrated in the history of Christianity through the terms via activa and via contemplativa. We see these two poles, as if they were not compatible with each other. The contemplative life emphasizes contemplation, meditation, and often seclusion from society. The active life, on the other hand, emphasizes social action, helping the poor, the marginalized, and the less fortunate. But the Bible is much richer than this unfortunate polarization. That is why the church needs to liberate herself from such a polarized view, for it is not the full depiction of the life of Jesus Christ.
Before Jesus came out, he had this inward spirituality. He came to himself and spoke with the Father. This is very important. We live in a very busy world. People often say they have no time: no time for Sunday worship, no time for Bible study, no time for prayer meetings, and perhaps even no time for family. Actually, it is not that we have no time, but rather we do not have the right priority in our life. We see here in the life of Jesus, he secured not only a particular time but also a particular place, making it a consecrated time and place.
What comes out from your life and mine? What do we reflect through our lives? We are always reflecting something because we are human beings. The question is: what do we see? If we see Jesus, we will reflect the life of Jesus in our lives. But if we gaze upon other things, we will reflect those things as well. Jesus took time to have an intimate relationship with his Father, and he perfectly reflected the life of the Father.
We are living in a social media age that tends to share everything, whether edifying or not. We act as though everyone is interested in our lives, as if we are mini celebrities. We often have distorted self-knowledge. This is the sad reality. We have the pressure to share everything. But in the life of Jesus, he shared only what he received from the Father. His words were like a pearl of great value. When Jesus spoke, his words were liberating, and humanity needs to hear his words.
I believe this is also the secret of revival in the church in Europe: that we have an intimate relationship with Jesus, just as he has an intimate relationship with his Father. Without such relationship and intimacy, we tend to share trivial things that are not edifying and sometimes even destructive to others. The depth of our lives depends greatly on this spiritual intimacy, on coming in, knowing ourselves, and seeking God in the desolate place. If we receive nothing from God, then what comes out from our lives will be merely rubbish, carnal things.
In this context, I want to quote a difficult sentence from Theologia Germanica, an important work that influenced the young Martin Luther. The author wrote: “No outgoing was ever so good that a remaining within was not better.” What does this mean? It means that what we reflect outwardly should come from the richness of our spiritual well within. What we share with others should be partial in comparison to what still remains inside.
As a theological seminary teacher, I see this among students. Some write thirty pages, but in conversation you can tell they know much more. Others write thirty pages, and that is all they know. Some even write thirty pages but only understand five. The first case illustrates what the author of Theologia Germanica meant: what is expressed is only partial, while much more remains within. But often in our lives it is the other way around. We act without richness, only evaluating what we have done later. In contrast, the ministry of Jesus flowed out of his intimate relationship with the Father.
Notice in verse 36: Simon and those with him searched for him. Other translations use the word “pursued” or even “hunted”. Isn’t this the kind of pressure we feel, always hunted by deadlines? Many feel hunted even on weekends, finding only brief rest before starting again on Monday. Jesus also experienced this pressure. Yet because of his deep relationship with the Father, he was sensitive to what he should and should not do. He was not dictated by the marketplace, nor enticed by others.
When Simon and the others searched for him, it was not genuine seeking but an attempt to control the work of God. This may also be our experience. Sometimes we appear to be searching for Jesus, but in reality we only want to control the work of God. In verse 37, “Everyone is looking for you.” This word “looking for” or “seek” occurs ten times in the Gospel of Mark, and each time it carries a negative connotation. It does not express genuine longing, but rather control.
Therefore it is important for us to discern mere enthusiasm towards religion so that we do not confuse it with true faith. The danger is to see Jesus only as a miracle worker, to have such a narrow perspective about him, treating him as a mere helper to solve our problems. Of course, Jesus is compassionate and he healed many, but he wants to give more than that. He wants to give not only physical healing but also spiritual healing and liberation. The focus of Jesus’s ministry is the good news of the kingdom of God.
That is why in verse 38 Jesus responded, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” His coming out depended on his coming in, his spiritual intimacy with his Father. It is very easy to be distracted in this life. The question is whether we are doing what God wants us to do. Without an intimate relationship with God, we will lose focus in our life. Simply being busy is not the Christian calling. The Christian life is to do the work of God in the short time we have. It is not about enjoying fame and being influential. That is not the calling of a Christian. To live always in line with the will of the Father, this is Christianity. And we see this model precisely in the life of Jesus Christ himself.
May God help us to grow and to be more like Jesus Christ.