Luke 5:12-16...

Luke 5:12–16 CSB

While he was in one of the towns, a man was there who had leprosy all over him. He saw Jesus, fell facedown, and begged him: “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean,” and immediately the leprosy left him. Then he ordered him to tell no one: “But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them.” But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.

. Here in our text we see a leper healed but what I want us to see is Christ’s diligence about private prayer.

He’s had some really big days. 4:14-30 He began in Galilee, which didn’t end great (28).

He goes to Capernaum (v31) and there He drives out an unclean spirit (vv31-37).

He leaves the synagogue and goes to Peter’s house and heals his wives mother of a fever. (38-39).

It’s getting dark and “anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him.” (v40).

And He healed them all. And large crowds are starting to form (v42).

Like us, the people didn’t want Jesus to go. They didn’t want to lose Him.

But His mission was to preaching the Kingdom elsewhere.

So, in chapter 5 Luke sets the scene.

There’s a crowd, eager to hear the Word of God. (Don’t you just love going to a place where you are going to hear God’s Word?)

So He gets into the boat of Simon and teaches the crowds from the boat (vv1-3).

With that lesson over Jesus suggested to Peter that they go fishing (v4-5).

Then we see that obedience brings results! (v6-7)

Then in v9-11 the extraordinary nature of the catch astonished the fishermen.

Such that when the group that was fishing landed a shore, they left everything.

They left the greatest catch they’ve ever had in the whole lives.

They did so because of what that incident showed them about Jesus, so they followed Him.

They became disciples in the fullest sense.

Then in our passage Jesus is heals this leper. And notice again in v15

15 But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.” ()

Man....who would want to leave a large crowd that is seeking Jesus? Why would Jesus think He had to leave?

He’s popular and this is popularity of the greatest kind!!

He had preached nothing but truth, performed miracle after miracle for everyone else’s good!

So these reports about Jesus spread so the crowds flocked around Jesus.

To become a popular wonder-worker is the devils plan but not God’s!

So Christ forsook the cities and their crowds and went out to the wilderness.

16 Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.” ()

While Christ was here on earth He exercised Himself a lot in private prayer.

He was often with His Father alone. Let’s look together.

Do you remember how He taught the disciples to pray?

, , , , , , , 21:37

So Jesus chose solitude for private prayer shows us our need to get away from distraction and our thoughts (which tend to deviate from God).

Our own inconsistencies and satan’s restlessness in opposing us calls us to get alone with God where we can pour our souls out of Him.

[read ] and as morning time is the most fittest time for prayer, so hidden or isolated places are the most fittest places to pray [read ]

When Christ wasn’t doing miracles or teaching, we find Him praying.

[read ]

If Christ

Did Christ spend all night in prayer to save our souls?

Then it’s not so much to think about spending an hour or two each day to pray for our hearts and eternal welfare of our souls!

[read 21:37] There’s a connection between teaching and prayer.

Luke speaks of Jesus’s habit of withdrawing for prayer, during which he would be strengthened for divine service.

There is wisdom in Jesus’ encouragement to pray in secret, not only that we might avoid hypocrisy,

but also that we might not be distracted by the presence of other people and

therefore modify our prayers to suit what we think they will expect to hear.

When we are truly alone with God, in the privacy of a room to which we have “shut the door” (),

then we can pour out our hearts to Him.

So, again and again, Jesus would withdraw himself and steal away to lonely places.

This withdrawal also had a positive purpose, namely, to pour out His heart in prayer

in order that the reservoirs of his body and soul

might be replenished from his Father’s inexhaustible resources.

It’s when we are alone, in solitude is when our real spiritual or fleshly nature will surface.

When we’re with others our evil nature is more subdued because there’s a hedge that keeps us from crossing, the hedge of fear and shame.

Because cause we really desire praise or stand to gain a profit of some kind, we’re also kind of stirred up to do good!

But when we are alone, hedge is down, now nothing stops those desires to come in.

The way of holiness now doesn’t quite have the same attraction to me, to encourage our progress.

The unconcealed (uncovered) essence (or what you’re inclined to) and the natural thoughts of the soul are best discerned in secret. (1 Tim. 4:7-8)

So how do we do it?

Get away from people.

Get away from entertainment.

Get away from our responsibilities (even temporally-setting them aside)