"Let us go to the neighboring towns and preach.

I came to do this work."

When Simon and his companions found Jesus,

they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."

At that time, Jesus said to them, "Let us go to the neighboring towns and preach.

I came to do this work," and He traveled throughout Galilee,

preaching in the synagogues and driving out demons

(Mark 1:36-39, Korean Modern Bible).

As I meditate on this passage, several thoughts come to mind:

(1)    Why were "everyone" looking for Jesus?  I believe it was because they wanted healing from Him.

(2)    However, the purpose for which Jesus came into this world was preaching, not healing.  It would be good for us to reflect on the purpose of our own lives.

(3)    Jesus preached not only where He was but also went to the "neighboring towns," which teaches us that we should first preach to our "near neighbors"—those in our family, relatives, friends, and coworkers who do not yet believe in Jesus.

(4)    When we see that Jesus also "drove out demons," it seems that there were many demon-possessed people in the first century, more than we might realize (Mark 1:27, 34; 5:12-13; Matthew 8:16, 31-32; Luke 4:36, 41; 8:2, 31-33; 10:17, 20; 13:32; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 19:12-13; 1 Corinthians 10:20; Revelation 18:2, Korean Modern Bible).