And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those were with him followed him, and they found him and said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ And he said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.’ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Jesus rises ‘a great while before day’ in order to go to a remote place and pray. Remember that much of the night before would have been spent at the door of Peter’s house healing many people. He cannot have had much sleep. The emphasis is on the focus and clarity of Jesus’ actions. He has a task to accomplish, and prayer – even at such an early hour – will be its fuel (note that we are not told what he prayed about, just that he prayed – so it is the act of praying rather than its content that Mark wishes us to notice here).
There is something beautifully human about Peter’s question to Jesus. Peter and the disciples clearly want to know why Jesus left so early and without warning; but they don’t ask him directly. Instead, they shift the responsibility: ‘Everyone is searching for you’. Jesus perceives the question behind the question and tells them why he left Peter’s house. ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.’
When Jesus says ‘that is why I came out’ we can take him to be referring to his dead-of-night departure to pray. But Mark’s ‘came out’ is more literally rendered ‘came forth’, which carries with it an echo of the incarnation. Again, then, we are being alerted to Jesus’ mission. His incarnated life (a coming forth) is of a piece with his mission; they are not two separate things, as if Jesus was born an ordinary human only to be handed a divine mission later in life. The incarnate Son of God is going about his mission in this place and at this time. Mark is keen for us to understand that the concrete details of Jesus’ life and ministry, such as we find them here, are never irrelevant to his overall purpose.