After What? He Did What?

Mark 1:14
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.

John the Baptist was a cousin to Jesus Christ. John the Baptist and Jesus were related and of almost the same age. John the Baptist had the duty of preparing the way for Jesus. Therefore John the Baptist and Jesus had a lot in common. Therefore we expect them to express great concern for each other. But our text today tells us that after Joh was put in prison, the significant thing Jesus did in response was to go preaching the good news of God.

Under normal circumstances, we expect that Jesus should have made a statement to condemn the imprisonment of His innocent cousin and partner in ministry. Jesus did not. Jesus should have gone to comfort the family or send some emissaries to the prison. Jesus did not. Jesus should have hanged around Jerusalem to see how things unfold, perhaps His help may be needed. Jesus did not, in fact, He went away to Galilee to preach, far away from the prison. After John was imprisoned, Jesus went away to Galilee to preach the Good News of God!

John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus. That was his mission in life. By the time he was getting arrested, his mission had been accomplished. Jesus had gotten baptized and His ministry was taking off. It was time for John the Baptist to exit the scene. This arrest only facilitated the exit. Therefore Jesus saw no need for the hullabaloo. After John was imprisoned, Jesus went away to Galilee to preach the Good News of God!

If Jesus did not visit John in prison because his mission was already complete, it means, Jesus acts on purpose only. We too should learn to act on purpose. Dress on purpose, eat on purpose, befriended on purpose, travel on purpose, go on a date on purpose, do whatever you want, on purpose!

If Jesus had focused on John and attended to him, the mission would have been affected. There are times when bad news should not change what you had purposed to achieve. Focus without distraction. If we allow every piece of bad news to interrupt the great work we were doing, we will be rich in excuses and poor in achievement. There are enough valid excuses why you shouldn’t do what you should do today.

There are enough valid excuses why you should write tomorrow and not today. There are enough valid reasons why you should start the gym tomorrow and not today. There are enough valid reasons why breaking up in that sick affair should be next week and not immediately. Visiting John in prison or attending to John was a valid reason, but in relation to the mission, it was not worth it. We do not need a valid reason not to do something, we should do what we should in spite of the ever-flowing pieces of bad news!

Jesus acted immediately. When John was put in prison, Jesus immediately left for Galilee to preach. Do not delay or think too much, just do it. There are a lot of things we will never do because we think a lot. There are dreams that will never come true because we never acted immediately. There is pain that will prolong because we never acted immediately. Act immediately on what needs to be done!

This is not a license for us to ignore friends and family at the critical hour. When John was beheaded, Jesus went into mourning as a family member, Matthew 14:12-13. Mourning meant His business stopped as He attended to what being a relative required. We must learn to differentiate between what can be ignored and what must be attended to.

Dear God, grant me the wisdom to remain focused amidst the unending flow of bad news and valid excuses. Save me from delay and teach me to act immediately. May I learn to differentiate between what can be ignored and what must be attended to, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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