alone time

Many people in our culture consider it weird when people want to spend time alone, be by themselves or get away. Something is thought of as not right, or that person has issues because they can't be in community 24/7.

I think it's interesting that the Gospel authors point out multiple times of Jesus' alone time. As in our culture, Jesus' desire to be by himself, to get away from people, was quite strange for that day and age. Especially in a time where robbers free-roamed the territory, wild animals couldn't be defended against with modern weaponry...it was much more dangerous being alone and people didn't often do it.

Yet Jesus did, alot.

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16)

"...Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed..." (Mark 1:35)

"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." (Luke 6:12)

"...Sit here while I go over there and pray..." (Matthew 26:36)

The key thing to notice is that Jesus didn't go be alone for the sake of getting away from people. He seems to have gotten away to have deep prayer time with the Father and reflect on His ministry and pray for God's will to be done. Before Jesus made major decisions, He went to be alone.

Ironically, Jesus' alone time seems to have strengthened and fortified Him for the times that He did interact with His community of disciples and the larger crowds full of thousands of people.

And so, just as Jesus was considered a complete weirdo for many of the habits He had and things He did, I think it's safe to say that we can also find intentionality in our times of solitude, for they are necessary to functioning well and living a life full of the Spirit for God.