Matthew 14:11-14 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
When Jesus heard the tragic news that Herod had beheaded John, his beloved cousin and friend, Jesus went away to mourn and probably to reflect on John’s life and his ministry. As Ecclesiastics tells us, There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. On this day for Jesus it was a time to weep, a time to mourn. (Ecclesiastics 3:4) Jesus had other times to mourn in his life, his tears over a reluctant Jerusalem, to find rest and peace under God’s authority. He sorrowed, for He knew God’s broken heart over his chosen people’s rebellion to his love for them. He also knew that if they would have recognized him as the Messiah, He would have taken care of them as a mother hen takes care of her chicks when they are frightened. He would have hidden them under his heavenly wings, but they would not come to him. Actually, the leaders of Jerusalem were in open rebellion against God’s authority. We find in the story of Lazarus’ death another instance when Jesus mourns with weeping. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. (John 11:32-35) We see once again Jesus revealing the hurting heart of God over the desperate condition of mankind’s rebellion. Man’s turning away from God caused death. All men and women would eventually die, leaving behind loved ones who cared deeply for them. In Ecclesiastics we see there is a time for everything, but sadly there always is a time to die. This was not God’s desire for mankind when He made men and women, but He did make them in his image. Mankind could accept God’s authority or he could as God is able to do, design his own existence. Of course rebellion to God’s plan of life, resorting to a different design of a self-willed life, has death written all over it. Rather than experiencing eternal life, man’s plan is susceptible to aging, sicknesses, diseases, accidents, to all the vicissitudes of an imperfect world. Jesus walked in this imperfect world. He knew what perfection was and what God wanted for his creation. But the darkness around him caused him to weep and mourn because of man’s desperate condition of finiteness with its inherent weaknesses and sin. Jesus healed some, He raised the dead, He helped some to see, but what they needed was a new relationship with the Father God. He gave them this possibility with his death on the cross. Faith in his works and in his righteousness would restore man to the eternal plan of a perfect, sinless God.
When Jesus heard about John, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. His plan for that day was to get away from the crowd. He needed time to mourn; He needed time to be alone. His battle each day to restore people to God was an ongoing struggle, a constant giving of himself. Each day He faced not only the acclaim and adoration of the people who desired his attention, He also faced the devil’s cohorts who wanted him to be shamed and exposed as a charlatan. They wanted him out of their kingdom. They wanted him dead. Jesus went away from the people so that He might mourn for John. He also needed a respite from the clamor, but the people heard that He was removing himself from them, so they decided to follow him. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. For Jesus his time of mourning would be short. The people wanted him to satisfy their personal needs. They knew of him as the healer; they were awed by his teaching. But their thoughts were centered on themselves, on their needs not on Christ’s needs. So they were unwilling to let him rest. Jesus expended himself for the people. He gave his strength and time to them. Once in a while He would remove himself from their presence, but they were constantly at his feet, desiring for his intervention in their lives. In the scene above, we see Jesus overwhelmed by the devastating news of John’s death, but his life was a living sacrifice, so He would not take himself off the altar for even a little while. The people chased after him, demanding that He serve them, so that is exactly what Jesus did. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. This is the same crowd that would cry Hosanna on the day He enters Jerusalem for the Passover, and then a while later would cry, Crucify him. He knew as He was serving them that their hearts were fickle. They would seek after him as long as he was serving them, but when they saw him in the hands of the authority, unable to provide for them, they turned against him, for He was no longer of any use to them. Except for a few, they did not love him, they sought for the bread and fishes. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. (John 6:25-26) Jesus was valuable to them only as long as He was serving their needs. Yet knowing this did not keep Jesus from his ministry or sway him from serving the needs of the people. He may have been in a TIME OF MOURNING, OF WEEPING but He continued to have compassion and to heal the sick.
Jesus, the Messiah, came as a servant, a slave to people. God gave him as a sacrifice to his creation. Jesus’ time was not his own. The places where He was to serve were not his own. God designed his ways; He prepared his Son to do his will. God’s will was Jesus’ will. His Master was God, his Master’s will was his will. We who are children of the living God are to be as Christ—totally surrendered and committed. We are to serve God as Christ served God. Of course, Jesus is our constant intermediator between us and God. He has provided the only way for us to be completely pleasing to our Maker. Jesus’ has made us perfect in God’s sight for He gave his life for us. When we trust in his works, we become as He is before the Father God. Our trust in the Perfect One makes us holy. But we still have a responsibility to God to live for him, to display his image to the world. In Ephesians 6 we see the picture of a slave owned by another person. This slave is to serve his master with dedication, enthusiasm, and diligence regardless of whether the master is looking or not. Why is he to serve in such a way? Because he is owned by another and that is Jesus Christ. We are owned by Jesus Christ; we are part of his body. Therefore, we are one with him. We have not made this oneness by our works, but it is his works. We have been bought from slavery to the evil one by Christ’s works, not ours. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) We are to honor God in the way we live. We are to be a slave to his will, and his will is seen in Jesus Christ in the flesh. We live as Jesus lived. Jesus wanted to get away from the crowd after He heard of John’s death. We also might want to get away to meet our own needs and desires. But we are slaves to the Master’s will; we are to serve him even in a time of weeping and mourning. God knows we need time, and there is a time for everything. But we are not to go off for a long period of time, satiating our own needs. When the crowd followed Jesus, He knew what God wanted him to do that day. He had compassion on them and healed their sick. My friends do not let your fleshly needs dictate your service to God. The Bible says, Be strong in the Lord! Be strong in his mighty power! Put on the whole armor of God; put on his likeness in times of trouble. Jesus wanted to be alone. He needed to be alone, but God his MASTER said, Get up and serve. So Jesus did that, for He always did the will of the Father. He served, even a fickle people. He wiped his tears away and served. Let us also serve, in times of rejoicing and in times of sorrow. There is a time for everything, but everything must be brought under God’s authority. He will see you through and the joy of the Lord will be your strength. Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment