The Prayer Life of Christ - DUH!

Luke 5:16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

Now if we simply scantly read only this verse we would basically understand that Christ withdrew to a secluded place and prayed. But if we get some understand of the context or the story surrounding the prayer it will help us better understand the prayer life of Christ. Beginning in verse 12 we read that Jesus was confronted by a leper. This disease is horrible and it eats away at the flesh to the point of eating the fingers off a person. Lepers were supposed to cry unclean and stay a good distance from anyone outside the leper colony or house. No doubt the leper had been crying this but we find that Jesus came close enough for the leper to fall prostrate before Him. Not only were the lepers not to come close to anyone outside the leper colony; no one was supposed to touch them. Jesus heard this leper's plea for help and reached His hand out and touched the leper. The leprosy left the man and Jesus told him to go and show himself to the priest in order to follow the law that God gave Moses. Why do you suppose Jesus told this leper to do that? Well Jesus did not want to have "fame" and "popularity" about miracles. He knew the mission He came for and did not want anything to distract or detain Him from that mission. However, the Scripture says in verse 15 "But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities."

The fact that the Scripture says "But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him" lets us know that the leper didn't keep quiet about his healing. Now what did Jesus do next? According to verse 16, "And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed." The Scripture says he withdrew in the wilderness and prayed. It does not say he healed those who came to Him, it says he withdrew Himself. Jesus did not come specifically to perform miracles. He did perform miracles and he still does but He came to fulfill the mission that God, His Father, sent Him to fulfill. He withdrew when the crowd pressed in for a miracle.
Now I want us to understand that Jesus did heal many more and performed many more miracles but He knew His purpose for coming and that He must stay focused on His Father's mission.
Let's look into the verses after he withdrew to pray. The Scripture says after some days he was teaching in a house with Pharisees and doctors of the law also there. There were four men who had a friend who was plagued with palsy to the point of making him bedfast. They wanted to bring him to Jesus but the house was so packed they couldn't get in the doorway so they took him on the roof (flat roofs in those days) and broke up part of the roof and let him down. When Jesus saw their faith the first thing He said was, "Man thy sins be forgiven thee." You see Jesus was being faithful to His mission to teach fallen man about redemption and reconciliation to His Father and forgiving this man of His sins. This infuriated the Pharisees and doctors of the law. They challenged Him. But Jesus said, verse 22 "What reason ye in your hearts? [23] Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?" The Pharisees and doctors of the law were stunned and became indignant. They told Him only God can forgive sin. I think Christ looked at them with those piercing eyes and in the word of some of the youth today would say, "DUH!"

He shows the reason, the purpose, the mission he came to us by saying, "man thy sins be forgiven thee" and "whether it is easier to say thy sins be forgiven thee or to say rise up and walk." He is the reason today we can have the blessed assurance of the words "thy sins be forgiven thee.

Jesus first of all forgave the man of his sins and then he healed the man of the palsy. What is our focus today? Is it miracles or are we joined with Christ in His mission? Right before he ascended he did not say you shall perform miracles or your ministry will be a great healing ministry, He said, "ye shall be witnesses." He wants us to be with Him for ever and ever and ever. Share your testimony of God's saving, forgiving grace to you through Jesus Christ with someone today. If you haven't experienced that grace simply ask God to save you by telling Him you are sorry for your sins and asking Him to forgive you and you will hear the words, "thy sins be forgiven you." AMEN!!!