What Have You Seen? {Lent Readings – John 1, Mark 1}

As you read John 1:19-51 and Mark 1 from our daily Lent plan, ask yourself: What have I seen of Jesus? Where do I go to be with Him?

John 1:19-51 See for Yourself

As we continue in John 1, we find John the Baptist being questioned: Who are you (John 1:22)? John said he was the one pointing to Jesus, the Lamb of God (John 1:23, 29).

Who are we? Certainly not John the Baptist.

But do we have a similar mission?

Maybe you don’t have your own faith all figured out. You think you can’t tell people about Jesus until you know more answers, until you can prove your beliefs.

• But John didn’t have all the answers.
• Neither did Andrew when he told his brother Peter about Jesus (John 1:41).
• Philip couldn’t fully explain Jesus either, yet he told Nathanael to “Come and see” (John 1:46).

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
John 1:46

What they knew was what they had seen.

What have we seen?

We can rest in our partial knowledge of a full God, even as we seek Him more. Let’s invite others to just “Come and see” for themselves, too.

As we point the way to Jesus, He will show them who He truly is.

Mark 1 – Find Your Place

After Jesus was baptized (Mark 1:9-13), He went into the desert for forty days. This week begins our own forty-day journey with Jesus, immersing ourselves in His presence through these scriptures and by His Spirit in our lives.

In these first paragraphs of Mark, recorded either by John Mark (a companion of Peter) or anonymously, we read of Jesus’s compassionate acts of healing. Again and again, over and over.

• Jesus drove out an evil spirit.
• He healed Peter’s mother-in-law.
• He cured various diseases from many in town.
• He cleansed a man of leprosy.

Jesus saw people’s needs. He spoke to them and touched them and made them better.

But Jesus did something else, too. Something we also can do.

Jesus found a place.

Early in the morning (actually very early in the morning), Jesus walked away. He found a place He could be alone. And there He talked to God.

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
Mark 1:35

Maybe very early isn’t best for us. But at some point during each day, can we, too, find a place? Can we walk away, be alone, and talk with God?

• Maybe our place is a bathroom closet.
• An office with closed doors.
• Or just a chair at the kitchen table.

Wherever our place, light up there. Time with God is fuel for the fire. It ignites a heart of compassion. It keeps the flames burning for the actions that come before and follow after.

We can’t do everything Jesus did. But we can do some things.

Finding a place—this we can do.

Do you have a place you go to pray? Where are you sitting as you read our daily passages? Please share in the comments.

For more discussion, join in with our DoNotDepart Facebook community.

Catch up on all our articles here on our reading passages for Lent.