Bending over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately, she got up and waited
on them. At sunset, people suffering from many kinds of sickness were brought to Jesus.
Laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Demons were driven out, howling as they
departed from their victims, “You are the Son of God!” He rebuked them and would not allow
them to speak, for they knew he was the Messiah. Jesus left at daybreak and looked for a
solitary place. People went out in search of him, and finding him, they tried to dissuade him
from leaving. But he said, “I have to go to other towns, to announce the good news of the
kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to do.” And Jesus continued to preach in the
synagogues of Galilee.

Reflect

“Announcing the Good News.” In touch with his inner authority, Jesus gave himself
totally to mission. And despite the demands of the mission he needed to accomplish, he was
always full of energy. He did not experience being burned out. Why? He was in constant
communication with God the Father. He remained connected to his Father by setting time to
pray. Today’s Gospel depicts what a day in Jesus’ life would have looked like. Jesus gave
himself whole heartedly in his healing ministry, and then moved to other towns the next
day in order to preach the good news of God’s kingdom. In between, the Gospel passage
narrates that he would withdraw to a deserted place at daybreak. Withdrawing meant
that Jesus was setting a time for himself to communicate with his Father. As Jesus’ followers,
we are called to live up to the demands of a mission-driven life. In our faith journey, we are
always challenged to give ourselves totally to the mission God has entrusted to us. There
could be times when the demands of a mission-driven life are too tasking. All the more
then that we need to set a time to pray.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2024