Mark 1:38—“And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.”
Here, Mark records a decisive moment early in Jesus’ ministry. After a day of intense activity—teaching, healing, and casting out demons—the crowds sought Him eagerly. His disciples pointed to the growing demand, saying, “All men seek for thee,” subtly urging Him to remain where His ministry was already attracting attention. Yet Jesus responds with resolute clarity: “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also.” Popularity, visible success, and pressing need did not determine His course; His God-given mission did.
Significantly, this resolve follows a time of solitary prayer (v. 35). Jesus’ decision to move on was not impulsive, but the fruit of deliberate communion with the Father. In prayer, His purpose was clarified, and His path confirmed. The will of the Father, not the expectations of the crowd, governed the direction of the Son. His example reveals a life ordered by obedience rather than convenience. Jesus sought not what was easiest or most affirming, but what was most faithful to the mission for which He had come.
His priority was unmistakable: preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Although His many miracles (v. 34) authenticated His divine nature and the God-given authority of His message, they were never intended to replace the proclamation of the message in other towns. Jesus affirmed, “for therefore came I forth.” His preaching is not incidental but essential to His incarnation. He has come to announce God’s saving reign, calling sinners to repentance and faith.
As followers of Christ, let us share His perspective of ministry—to value proclamation over popularity and to move forward wherever God calls us, confident that we walk in the footsteps of the One who came forth to preach. Obedience to God’s purpose, not human expectation, defines faithfulness.
