HE SEES, HE KNOWS, HE CARES: THE GOSPEL of LUKESample

Read: Luke 6:12–49

SOAP: Luke 6:12

Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God.

Jesus did many miraculous things. He healed the sick, challenged the Jewish leaders, called disciples, and even endured temptation and rejection. Many times, Jesus also retreated to be alone and to pray.

Luke’s Gospel shows us the humanity of Christ. Jesus is the Son of God, and He is fully human. Jesus experienced the same emotions we experience, and He endured the same (or much greater) temptations. He experienced hunger, sadness, joy, excitement, frustration, and betrayal. Yet, in all of these things, He was without sin.

In today’s reading, Jesus chose disciples and then delivered a powerful, theologically rich message to His followers. But what is most crucial to note is what occurred just before these events: Jesus went out alone to pray.

We often hear that if Jesus needed time alone with God, then we need it all the more. While this is true, and we do need to spend time with our heavenly Father, there may have been more to Jesus frequently retreating away from others to pray. Jesus wanted to spend time with His Father. Jesus knew the Father was His source, sustainer, comfort, and joy. Jesus didn’t only retreat to spend time alone with God when He was in need; He did so to deepen His relationship with His Father.

What we can focus on from passages like this is not simply that Jesus needed to be in the presence of God, but that He also desired to be in the presence of God. The more we make prayer a priority in our lives, the more we will desire to be in God’s presence. The more time we spend with Him, the more we recognize the joy and peace that come from only His presence. Jesus regularly sought time alone with the Father. May we also live in a way that guards and protects our precious, invaluable time with God.