Mark 1:35

‘And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose up and went out, and departed into a desert place, and there prayed.'

‘In the morning.' Not necessarily the next morning, although it may be. On that first night He may well have been kept awake all night. We can imagine the excitement, and the time taken with each sick person and their families, and the reluctance of the crowd to leave, and the words which would be spoken. Dispersal would not have been easy and the night would soon go. So by morning the crowds would be exhausted.

‘A great while before day.' While the house was silent, and the disciples slept on, Jesus aroused Himself, for He knew how necessary it was to maintain His relationship with His Father, and to bring His work before Him. There is a lesson in this for us all.

‘He rose up and went out and departed into a desert place, and there He prayed.' He sought out a lonely place where He could be away from people. And there He spent time with His Father in prayer. As He constantly emphasises in John's Gospel (e.g. Mark 5:17), He and His Father work together. While He is ‘the Spirit anointed One' He also works in dependence on the Father, for He and His Father are one in all that they do.