Mark 1:35 (NIV)
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. 

There is a lot going on in this one verse of Scripture.  If you are casually reading God’s Word, you may miss some of the observations and interpretations that are right before your very eyes.  If you take the time to dig deep you will be amazed at your findings.  An observation (OB) is a fact.  There is no wiggle room for anything other than truth when an observation is discovered.  An interpretation (IN) usually comes in the form of a question and the possibilities are endless.  When applied to Scripture, this process brings more life to a Word that is already very much alive!

Let’s look at a fictitious example of one OB and three INs associated with the OB.
OB
1) John was wearing a black tuxedo.

IN
1) Where was John going?
2) Did the tux have tails?
3) Was John overdressed?

Now, let us closely examine Mark 1:35.  Listed below are six OBs:

•  It was very early in the morning.
•  It was dark.
•  Jesus got up.
•  Jesus left the house.
•  Jesus went to a solitary place.
•  Jesus prayed.

Keep in mind in mind that you will always have more INs than OBs.  This rule is etched in stone.  Listed below are ten INs:

• What time was it when it was “very early”?
• Was Jesus sleeping before He got up?
• Was Jesus alone in the house?
• Did Jesus eat or drink before leaving the house?
• Did anyone secretly follow Jesus?
• Did Jesus go to a mountain?
• Was Jesus tired?
• What did Jesus pray about?
• How long did Jesus pray?
• Was Jesus worried about anything?

There are probably more interpretations that you can think of that are not listed above.  Can you imagine the size of the book if all possible interpretations for every passage of Scripture was listed?  The size of this collection would be massive.  Sometimes it is good to review Scripture in such a way.  If you have time today, take time to discover observations and interpretations to one of your favorite passages.  You will be astonished at what you discover!

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