Mark 1:38-39

Jesus retires for rest and strength: V.37. And when they had found Him, they said unto Him, All men seek for Thee. V.38. And He said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also; for therefore came I forth.

Having found the Master, they inform Him that all the people were even then searching for Him. To men and women anxious to hear words out of the mouth of Jesus and to see works of glory performed by Him, the early hours of the morning are not too early.

But at this time Jesus was not influenced by the message of Peter. He denies the implied petition to return to Capernaum at this time. He wanted to go to other places, and asked them to go along, to village-towns, little, unfortified hamlets. For there He wanted to preach, to proclaim the Word of the Gospel. The healing was a secondary consideration; it was intended merely to confirm the Word. The people of Capernaum should now, for a season, have time and leisure to meditate upon the preaching He had done before them, in order to have the full benefit of its influence.

The Healing of a Leper. Mark 1, 39-45.

The beginning of the Galilean journey: V. 39. And He preached in their synagogs throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

Mark relates the events of the Galilean journey very briefly. Jesus went, He carried out His intention at once, perhaps without returning to Capernaum; the anxiety to perform His work urged Him on. Throughout Galilee, not only in the towns of the hill country of Upper Galilee, but also in the less mountainous districts of Lower Galilee, He went His way.

The outstanding feature of the journey was the preaching in the synagogs, which could be done all the more easily, since services were held not only on the Sabbath, but on Mondays and Thursdays as well. He came preaching, He continued proclaiming the glad tidings of salvation to all, without respite, without ceasing.

"This zealous, affectionate, and persevering diligence of Christ should be copied by all His servants in the ministry: it is not less necessary now than it was then" (Clarke, Commentary, 5, 29).

Wherever people were assembled for services, He was willing and anxious to bring them the message of salvation.