The Gospel of Mark Chapter 1

Words matter.  At least to me they do.  The words we choose when speaking should be thoughtful, not willy nilly.  That’s how I feel anyway.  

So, when I’m reading most anything, but especially the Bible, the words used cause me to pause and really reflect on the meaning and/or significance behind them.

As I read here in the first chapter of Mark, there was one word that caught my attention.  I am reading from “A New New Testament” which is the Open English translation, and the word that seemed different was lonely.  It’s used twice.

³⁵ “In the morning, long before daylight, Jesus rose and went out and, going to a lonely spot, there began to pray.”

⁴⁵”The man, however, went away and began to speak about it publicly and to spread the story so widely that Jesus could no longer go openly into a town but stayed outside in lonely places; and people came to him from every direction.”

I don’t know why it struck me so, but it definitely made me pause.  Lonely…

I got up and went to get my other bibles, one is the English Standard Version and the other is the New Revised Standard version.  The ESV used the word desolate both times.  The NRSV used the words “deserted” and “out in the country.”

To me, desolate and deserted bring to mind a barren, dry, cracked earth kind of place, and in the country just means away from towns and quieter, but lonely brings more of a feeling to me — a sad feeling.

Now, I do recognize that this is my personal meaning and feelings that come to me, but for a moment, it made me sad.  To me, the word lonely brings more of a feeling than a picture of a space, so it’s curious to me that this is the word used to describe where Jesus went.  Lonely.

I like to be alone sometimes.  I need to be alone sometimes, but I don’t describe those times as lonely.  When I’m lonely, is when I don’t want to be alone.  When I’m lonely is when I feel alone, and I can be in a crowd of people and feel lonely.

I did look it up and the third definition says, “(of a place) unfrequented and remote.”  And lists desolate and deserted as synonyms. So I guess it’s all the same but the word lonely, to me, brings a different feeling to it and it’s wrapped in sadness.  

So what does this have to do with anything?  Good question!  When I’m reading sacred texts, I try to take my time reading.  Reading slowly, feeling my way through the words.  How does this make me feel today?  And, if I’m writing, I read it over and over for several days. What words jump out at me? What feelings come to the surface? 

Some of my initial thoughts this time were about the humanness of Jesus.  He was completely human.  He had human feelings.  So, did he feel lonely?  Even in the crowds? Did he feel alone when he was with his disciples?  Was the lonely feeling about not feeling understood?  Was it about not feeling cared for? These are all very human feelings.  I think the fact that Jesus is so human is important to our faith because it shows that he knows us, that he has experienced life as we have. He can relate to us.  He can understand us.  He can cry with us. He can walk with us because he’s been there!

I do believe that Jesus is also fully divine. He can heal people, he has deep understanding of life and creation and God.  He loves more deeply.  He has a deep sense of connection to God and to us.  He is connected to all things.  He is God’s “dearly loved child, in whom God delights.”

But here is the thing, I think we are all divine.  We all have the divine within us.  That’s why we say God lives in our hearts, or Jesus lives in our hearts, because we too are divine.  We too are God’s dearly loved children and God delights in us as well.   

So I wonder, did Jesus feel lonely because he knew this too but wasn’t able to make everyone understand it?  Did he feel lonely because he understood what other’s weren’t able to? 

Were the lonely places filled with people coming to him to be healed, or to listen to him teach?  Were those the lonely places?  Or did he go to desolate places without people only to be found and then become lonely? Or am I thinking too much about it?  Most would probably say that, I think. Lol

Maybe this lonely got me because there are so many times when I feel lonely and pulling Jesus into it makes it feel a little less lonely.  I don’t know. 

But no matter what, as you read chapter one, I hope you take time to feel your way through it.  As you read it, what feelings come to the surface for you? How does your body feel? What are your feelings and your body telling you about what you are reading?   I hope you will go and read the whole chapter.  You can read the Open English Version here. https://openenglishbible.org/oeb/2025.5/read/b041.html 

If you feel so led, send me a note and share how you feel, you can even tell me you think I’m crazy.  Lol 

May we read with intention, feeling our way through these sacred texts, listening with our hearts or whole bodies.  May this bring us a deeper connection to Jesus.  

Until next time…♥️

P.S.  If you’re longing for a quieter, shared space of reflection, I’ve created a small monthly circle. You can learn more here.

👉🏻 https://simply-sherri.com/the-quiet-path-reflection-circle/