Leviticus 1-3; Mark 1:29-45, 2:1-12; Psalms 35:17-28; Proverbs 9:13-18

I love that on day 47 we have moved into new books of the Bible: Leviticus and Mark. I’ll be honest, these books of the Old Testament are a bit of a struggle for me to get through, but we push on because they are important to the whole of the story.

Today I can’t help but ponder the gospels and how different each one of them are. Matthew starts with the genealogy and birth, Mark jumps straight into John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus. I think it’s so beautiful that the writers of the gospels all experienced the same situations, but each one of them took their own meaning and importance from what they saw. That’s the whole reason I’m writing in this blog every day! The way I see a story in the Bible and the verses the Lord highlights to me will be different from what He highlights for you. It is only through community and the sharing of stories and experiences that we grow in faith. The things that stand out to me may also stand out to you, or you’ll see it from an entirely different light. We have so much to learn from each other through the sharing of our experiences, which is why I am so happy that the first 4 chapters of the New Testament are all stories from the disciples perspectives on Christ.

As I said, I’m already struck by the differences between Matthew and Mark, but I’m also interested in what Mark sees as important elements to the story. Specifically, I’m drawn into Mark 1:45 where it is described why Jesus was often teaching large crowds so far away from the towns: “Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.” Jesus infamy was growing with the people as He performed miracles and taught about the Kingdom of Heaven. But the phrase “lonely places” stood out deeply to me.

When we choose to step into what the Lord has for us, often it can feel like a “lonely place.” We are set apart for God’s purpose in our life–putting aside the things of the world and instead taking up the things of the Spirit. In living a life of ministry in this way, we can very easily feel left out from what we perceive others to be experiencing. Maybe we’re called far away from family, and feel we are missing out on the connection. Perhaps we feel the Lord calling us into letting go of a specific behavior, which means not participating in events we once used to. Maybe what the Lord is telling us is unorthodox, and the people we love don’t understand why we would go about living in that way. Surely the Lord wouldn’t call you into that when there is an “easier” way, right? The Lord doesn’t call us to what the world sees as the “right path;” the Lord calls us to His path and purpose.

I wonder if Jesus ever felt lonely. We know he felt sad, angry, peaceful, and we know emotions in and of themselves are not sinful, but the action around the emotions can easily become sinful. So I wonder if, as a perfect person, Jesus felt lonely. I can’t help but think back to the descriptions of him in Matthew, the night before His death, praying in the garden with the disciples unable to stay awake. Did he feel lonely in that moment, knowing that they did not understand the brevity of what was about to happen? Did Jesus feel lonely, perhaps misunderstood? He knew God’s plan, and even when he told his close companions about it, they didn’t fully comprehend the truth of it all.

I wonder about the times I have felt lonely, uncertain, emotionally tired–yes, Father God knows exactly what I am going through and is there for me, but did the human-ness of Jesus also understand this sadness? I can’t be certain, but it seems to me that Jesus experienced all facets of human-ness, so loneliness would not have been excluded. Which means that even on my lonliest, longest days, Jesus is with me and understand what I’m going through.

Jesus, thank you for showing us your fully-human nature. Thank you for showing us how to react in hard situations, how to listen to the Spirit, and how to trust God through the most difficult situations of life. Jesus, thank you that you are our perfect example of humanity, and thank you for loving us so deeply. Jesus, we ask for forgiveness from the times we’ve let loneliness turn into despair and haven’t trusted you and your plan for our life. Father God, thank you for the gift of your son and for the way you understand us fully by becoming both fully-God and fully-man. Amen.