13 When Jesus heard what had happened, (death of John the Baptist, Jesus earthly relative) HE WITHDREW by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. Matthew 14
Jesus wanted some time by Himself after learning of John’s execution, but the demands of the crowd were incessant and they followed Him. In fact the next part of this chapter deals with the miraculous feeding of the five thousand men besides women and children, so Jesus was surrounded by needy people. However, later in the chapter we see Jesus once again withdrawing from all people.
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. Matthew 14
Jesus made His own disciples get in their boat and depart from Him. We don’t know what He told them, maybe something along the lines of, ‘I’ll be along later.’ Then He dismissed the crowd, probably quite insistently because this time they left Him.
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside BY HIMSELF TO PRAY. Later that night, HE WAS THERE ALONE, Matthew 14
THE LORD HAD TO FIGHT FOR SOLITUDE AND SILENCE ON THE MOUNTAIN. He firstly had to separate Himself from those closest to Him and that may be the most difficult. Even after he dismissed the crowd He still climbed the mountain, He removed all chance of a random encounter with people.
The Lord knew He needed that time alone with His Father and engaging with heaven. He had to pour Himself out and meet the needs of a huge number of people but though He gave them His time and energy, He wasn’t permanently deflected from His own time of peace and inner strengthening. Jesus met the demands of those around Him, but withdrew to be alone, to be still and listen.
It’s very easy for us, ‘to run on empty and sometimes not even be aware of it’, but that’s a bad place to be in. The Lord dismissed those around Him, both those close to Him and the more casual ones in the crowd. Jesus knew that He needed to be refreshed and refuelled to keep fulfilling His calling. May we also CARVE OUT OUR OWN TIME to be still and be refreshed in His presence today.
May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.