If you've ever had a day in which you've been blitzkrieged by demands... if you've ever ridden the roller coaster of sorrow and celebration... if you've ever wondered if God in heaven can relate to you on earth, then take heart.
- Jesus knows how you feel.
In the Gospels, we read of a time when Jesus began the morning by hearing about the death of John the Baptist: His cousin, His forerunner, His coworker, His friend (see Matthew 14:1–13). The man who came closer to understanding Jesus than any other was dead.
Imagine losing the one person who knows you better than anyone else, and you will feel what Jesus was feeling. Reflect on the horror of being told that your dearest friend has just been murdered, and you will relate to Jesus' sorrow. Consider your reaction if you were told that your best friend had just been decapitated by a people-pleasing, incestuous monarch, and you'll see how the day began for Christ. His world was beginning to turn upside down.
The emissaries brought more than news of sorrow, however; they brought a warning: The same Herod who took John's head is interested in Yours.
Listen to how Luke presents the monarch's madness:
Herod said, 'I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?' And he tried to see Him. — Luke 9:9, emphasis added
Something tells me that Herod wanted more than a social visit.
So, with John's life taken and His own life threatened, Jesus chose to get away for a while. But before He could get away, His disciples arrived. Mark states that the
apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. — Mark 6:30
They returned exuberant. Jesus had commissioned them to proclaim the gospel and authenticate it with miracles.
They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. — Mark 6:12–13
In a matter of moments, Jesus' heart went from the pace of a funeral dirge to the triumphant march of a ticker-tape parade.
Look who followed the disciples to locate Jesus. About five thousand men plus women and children (see Matthew 14:21)! Rivers of people cascaded out of the hills and villages. Some scholars estimate the crowd was as high as twenty-five thousand.6 They swarmed around Jesus, each with one desire: to meet the Man who had empowered the disciples.
What had been a calm morning now buzzed with activity.
So many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat. — Mark 6:31
I've had people demand my attention. I know what it's like to have a half-dozen kids wanting different things at the same time. I know the feeling of receiving one call with other people waiting impatiently on other lines. I even know what it's like to be encircled by a dozen or so people, each making a separate request.
But twenty-five thousand? That's larger than many cities! No wonder the disciples couldn't eat. I'm surprised they could breathe!
The morning had been a jungle trail of the unexpected. First, Jesus grieved over the death of a dear friend and relative. Then His life was threatened by Herod. Next, He celebrated the triumphant return of His followers. Then He was nearly suffocated by a brouhaha of humanity. Bereavement... jeopardy... jubilation... bedlam.
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