Jesus' popularity with the people was growing and large crowds gathered around Him to hear Him teach and to be healed of their sicknesses. How does Jesus respond to this acclaim? Luke records it for us in this verse. He withdrew from the crowds and went to deserted places so that he could pray.
This commitment to pray on the part of our Savior is recorded in many places in Scripture:
At His baptism:
Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,
After Feeding the 5000:
Matthew 14:23 After He had sent the crowds away, He [Jesus] went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
At His transfiguration:
Luke 9:28 Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
At the time He gave the disciples a pattern prayer:
Luke 11:1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”
In blessing the children who were brought to Him:
Matthew 19:13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.
After healing many in Capernaum:
Mark 1:35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
Before choosing the 12 disciples:
Luke 6:12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.
On the eve of His crucifixion:
Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
Why did Jesus, as busy as He was, and with the incessant demands placed upon Him by the people and by His own disciples, resort to prayer so often? Here is the perfect man, Who never sinned, clearly showing us that He needed to be much in prayer to His Father in heaven if He was to live for Him here on earth. Note that the examples above mostly seem to be at times of particular demand, particular temptation or particular need for grace and wisdom in the ministry of our Lord. But our text reveals that prayer was something He did "often".
We can make at least two applications from this brief study:
- First, if the perfect man, our Savior and Lord, felt the need for frequent communion with His Father in order to accomplish His ministry on earth, how could we believe that we have need less of prayer than Him, in our weak and sinful condition? Surely we need more prayer if anything than He did!
- Second, since Jesus serves as our example in all things, and since the goal of our sanctification is that we be made more like Him, shouldn't this apply in our prayer lives as in every other area? How are we becoming more like Christ in this regard if we seldom or never pray or feel the need for prayer?
So in this coming week, let's meditate on the example of Christ and reflect on our need of prayer in the light of His practice of it. Let's join together in the prayer meeting and encourage one another to be a people of prayer, just as our Savior was.