What does Mark 1:36 mean?

After a busy day teaching and healing people, Jesus has slipped out of Simon Peter's house to pray alone with God. When the disciples awaken, Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John notice Jesus is missing, and go to look for Him. This was not the first time someone looked for Jesus while He connected with God—when He was twelve, he stayed in Jerusalem to talk to Jewish scholars while His parents searched for Him (Luke 2:41–51).

It's interesting to note that Jesus does not concern Himself too much with what the disciples might have thought. He doesn't wake them up and tell them where He is going. He doesn't ask them to come along. He needs quiet and solitude to pray, and He doesn't feel guilty for taking it. Like a parent, waking up early to have quiet time before the kids awaken, He makes arrangements for His own spiritual needs. He isn't sinning by sneaking away from the disciples so that they had to look for Him. In the same way, we shouldn't feel bad when we need a break from obligations to reconnect with God.

This time alone with the Father appears to be preparation for the next stage of His public ministry: leaving Capernaum and preaching in other villages. Another important observation is the response of Jesus to His instant popularity. He does not seek fame, but instead prefers time alone with the Heavenly Father. His goal is not to please people, but to do the will of His Father in heaven. His example in this area is important still today. We are not called to seek our own glory but to give glory to God in all things (Colossians 3:17).