Our Scripture meditation is based on Matthew 14:13-14 from the Gospel Reading for next week, the 10th Sunday after Pentecost. For a meditation on the Epistle Lesson, click HERE.
[13] Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. [14] When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
I think Jesus was grieving. While the mourning was undoubtedly healthy for Jesus, Jesus’ grief can also comfort us.
Jesus was just informed that John the Baptizer was dead, beheaded at the command of King Herod. God had intimately linked Jesus and John. John was a prophet, sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry. They shared in fulfilling ancient prophesies. Yet they had much more in common than shared ministry. Their mothers were cousins, making Jesus and John blood relatives.
Jesus responds by withdrawing to a desolate place. In the other Gospel accounts of Jesus going to lonely locales, Jesus is going to pray. It makes sense to me that Jesus goes to grieve with His Heavenly Father.
We learn in confirmation classes that God knows our hurts and pains, fears and suffering. This knowledge is gained through omniscience, what is often referred to as mental or analytical knowledge. Because God is all-knowing, God has knowledge of our losses.
God’s knowledge goes deeper than simply being aware of what has happened.
Jesus’ knowledge of our losses is experiential. He lost a close family member. He lost followers (John 6:66). He lost the trust of his family (Mark 3:21). Because Jesus experienced life, He empathizes with us. This is more powerful than mere academic knowledge. We are comforted by Jesus’ hard-won knowledge.
Until next week, the Lord bless and guide.
Kevin Wilson 360 