Matthew 14:13,14
“Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard about this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. When He came ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.”
I admire the love Jesus has for people. I would be tempted to be frustrated with these events. First off, John, Jesus’ cousin, was murdered in a gruesome way. That’s traumatic and shocking. Jesus goes off by Himself to mourn him. As His boat docks He is greeted by a large crowd wanting for His attention and to be touched by Him.
When we are weary we need to isolate and get refreshed. God encourages that. The Psalms are full of examples of David being alone crying out to God and being comforted by God.
What do we do when we plan to get alone with God and it’s interrupted? We pick up the plow and keep going. The beauty of the Christian walk is that He equips us for the situations we encounter. He would have done so for Jesus. It may be that during the boat ride over the Father refreshed Him. He may have been ready to minister to the people.
It also may be that Jesus was still weary. He didn’t let His condition keep Him from feeling compassion for these. He knew the Father would meet His needs. This is a mature response. Particularly mature in faith.
Jesus response reminds me of being a parent. We have to take care of our children if we feel up to it or not. Sometimes our frustration is evident. Hopefully we get better at it and are loving all the time. We grow in maturity and love.
2 Timothy 4:2 has Paul giving great advice to Timothy, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.” To do a task when we are in season means that we are ready and equipped. To do a task out of season is the opposite. We really aren’t ready. We proceed with a cheerful attitude and do the work. We can’t worry if the outcome isn’t great. We’ve done our best.
Lord, thank You for the example of Jesus. Help us to be able to minister and love others in season and out.