Mark 1:35-45

Week of October 12, 2009
**Parents, you will need to do a little prep work (and try it once) before doing this with your family. You can also do this
with things you have already in the house (ie: uncooked rice instead of pebbles and sand). Read the following excerpt,
which will be the basis for the “Do” activity:
Here are some good words to remember and live by. A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in
front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks,
rocks about 2" in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full They agreed that it was. So the professor then
picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open
areas between the rocks. The students laughed.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled everything else. "Now," said the
professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life." "The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner,
your health - anything that is so important to you that if were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other
things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles, and the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you
spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay
attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take
your wife out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."
"Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
Excerpt from “Rocks and Sand,” by Stephen R. Covey – accessed from
http://blessingsforlife.com/favforwards/rocksandsand.htm on October 9, 2009
Read
Mark 1:35-45 (NLT)
Do
Get the materials for the experiment together. Have someone in the family pour the rice into the container. Next put in
the stones. Does it all fit How could we get it to fit in If it doesn’t all fit, what do we take out After you discuss the
possible solutions, put the stones in first. Do they think the rice will fit now Pour the rice in. Hmm, it all fits!
Discuss
Jesus is having some busy days! If you remember our Scripture from the last two weeks, Jesus was teaching in the
synagogue and then healed a man with an unclean spirit. After that, he went to Peter’s house and healed his mother-inlaw.
If that wasn’t a full day already, Jesus then went on to heal “many people” after sunset. This week, we read that
Jesus didn’t just kick back and relax the next day. He didn’t even sleep in. Instead, we are told, “before daybreak the next
morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”
This was just a break in the action. Soon the disciples find Jesus and He is off again. Jesus doesn’t stay in Capernaum to
teach and heal but recognizes that He is needed elsewhere. Jesus begins a road trip throughout Galilee, preaching and
healing.
Maybe that same day, but probably a different one, Jesus heals a man with leprosy. The man says, “If you are willing.”
And Jesus’ response, “I am willing.” Have we considered what Good News this is Jesus could have responded:
• I am too tired.
• Come back tomorrow when I have more time.
• I would love to heal you, but I am really busy teaching right now.
But that wasn’t Jesus’ response even though all three may have been true. Jesus’ response was to reach out, touch the
man and heal him.
How was Jesus able to do all these things We want to say because He’s God. But we must also remember that Jesus was
human. Jesus got tired, hungry, and frustrated – just like us. Jesus also only had 24 hours in His day – just like us – but
yet He found time to pray. In the midst of a busy day in Capernaum and leaving on a tour of Galilee, Jesus took time to
get up early and find a quiet place to pray. Jesus knew that to do the job God gave Him to do, He needed to spend time
with God. To make sure that He had time, He got up early in the morning and found a place to be alone with God. Jesus
put the stones first before the rice.

Healing and teaching are not “small stuff,” but they came after Jesus’ relationship with God. Jesus said, “Those who
remain (abide) in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. When you obey my Father’s commandments, you remain
in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” (John 15:5, 10) One of the ways Jesus
remained (or abided) in God was through prayer. And prayer is available to us as well!
This Week
Discuss with your family what the stones are in your life. Are these the things that come first each day or each week
What is the rice If your relationship with God is one of the stones how can you make that come first
Consider setting aside time to pray each day this week. With younger children, do this as a family. Pick a time at the
beginning of the day, such as right before breakfast or before leaving for school. With older students, allow time and a
quiet place for each member to pray. Don’t worry about how long you are going to pray, just time to be alone with God.
Allow enough time to quiet your heart and mind. Consider using Scripture (such as Psalm 23) to focus on God and you
relationship with Him.
Pray
Jesus, You are the vine and God is the Gardener. Help me to remain in You today. When I am tired, help me to
remember that You love me. When I am too busy, help me to remember to love others as You love me. Amen.
If you Want to go Deeper
Whether you are a parent or not, you can probably relate to the disciples’ comment: “Everyone is looking for you.” (Mark
1:37) Most days, that may be exactly what we feel like. We cannot find a minute by ourselves, let alone a block of time to
just spend with God. Even though Jesus got up early and found an isolated place to pray, still the disciples found Him
and reminded Jesus of all there was to do. We may get tired just reading about it!
Believe it or not, Jesus knows how you feel. As we have already seen in our short trip through Mark, Jesus was busy!
Even as He finds time to rest and pray to God, the disciples are looking for Him and reminding Him of all there is to do.
Our days and lives are busy. But sometimes they are busy doing things that represent the “small stuff.” Look at the rice
and the stones. There is more rice than stones and if we spill it, the rice makes more of a mess. If we begin with the rice,
we may never get to the stones. What is on our calendar: rice or stones
This is true for all of us. We are a society that over-schedules and multi-tasks. Start one week at a time. Set aside 30
minutes this week to reflect on what the stones are in your life. Are you spending the time and energy there that you
should be Does God even make it onto the calendar other than Sunday morning What might need to be set aside for
the priorities in your life The next week schedule some time for these priorities – actually put them on your calendar.
Remember, you do not need to do it all in one week. Are you lucky to eat dinner together as a family once a week Then
put at least one night on the calendar to make sure you do so – even if it’s at 8:00 at night. Do you want to read your Bible
more, but cannot find the time Set your alarm 15 minutes early twice over the next week to make sure you do so. No
quiet place at home (remember, Jesus had to find an isolated place, too) Leave for work 15 minutes early and read in the
car. Allow yourself time to read but also reflect on what God is saying to you (pick a short passage! so you have time to
read, reflect and listen).
You can do it! It takes time to undo the schedule and busyness that we have in our lives. Set goals and put them on your
calendar to make sure they happen. To “remain” in God is not an agenda item, it becomes a way of life. That is Good
News!