Jesus has a bad day
Matthew 14
First of all Herod makes a rash, ill thought through promise to his niece and now his step daughter all because she danced a dance on his birthday that emotionally delighted and pleased him personally and in front of his guests. When his niece/ step daughter requested John the Baptist head he was uneasy, grieved, and sorry over his decision but rather than do what he knew was right he choose to ‘save face’ in front of his friends and fulfill his promise.
Jesus now has just received word of John’s death. (likely the previous evening). The day is not off to a good start. He just wants to get away to process things, grieve and spend time with His Father. He knows life. His popularity is quickly rising and. if He tries to hid away locally to spend time with God - for times of refreshing He is sure to be interrupted. Some people will even ripped the roof off the house to get into the same room as you. Talk about stalkers – that extreme. So Jesus wants to get away where he can have some peace, quiet, uninterrupted time alone and with God. So He and his disciples head off in a boat across the lake to a desert place. A place sure to fit his needs. Well some one sees him leaving and the word spreads like wild fire.
For some they just want to see the latest sensation, some hears He can meet their needs and they are off to get their emotional high, their entertainment, their healing or just to check out this guy they’ve heard about. His needs and grief does not matter, they are just looking to fill their needs and get an emotional high. The farther they walk along the more word spreads, the more joins the growing crowd. Soon they all arrive on the other side just as Jesus finds the perfect spot to be alone.
If it was me I’d be ticked but not Jesus. He has compassion on them. He ministers to them, heals them and takes time with them. All day. Everyone is getting hungry. No one took enough food when they left for they had not planned to leave town that day and when they did they did not know where they were going or how long they be gone. They were just interested in seeing the miracle worker.
It has been a long day and soon it will be night. These people needed to get home. Jesus provides supper for them and sends them on their journey full and satisfied.
It’s time for Jesus to return to the place where He is staying too but instead He sends the disciples on ahead of him while He stays there alone as originally intended that morning. Now He has no way home but to walk.
The day is spent, he received news that his cousin, friend, and servant of God, and the one who baptised him died. All he wanted to do was spend valuable time with God His Father to be refreshed and built up. Ready for ministry and life but instead He is mobbed by 20 thousand people (or so) seeking him out like the paparazzi seeking out the latest celebrity. Hoping to see a miracle, to hear His stories, to essentially receive from Him and be entertained. That day instead of receiving from God He’s giving out, caring and having compassion on the people. He heals the sick, encouraging them in the things of God and life and even prepares supper for them so they have the nutrition to go home. If it was me I would be drained, exhausted and ready for bed. Probably upset too that no one cared enough about me and my needs. They always want something from me. Not that I minded but it always seem like a one way street. Sometimes I need me time and God time. Does no one understand that? But no, Jesus did not feel that way. Rather He sent the disciples off and spent most of the night quiet before God. It cost Him. He needs sleep too. Tomorrow he be hunted down again, God would have new opportunities for Him as well, disciplining the disciples was an every day event. It would be another full day - too much to do in to little time. What is a guy suppose to do? Well Jesus took the time He needed with God alone even though it would mean a longer trip home tomorrow – something he could not afford to loss more time. But God honoured His priority. He had Jesus take the short cut right across the lake. Everyone would say it’s possible because it meant walking on water. He even caught up to the disciples who left hours earlier and now was caught in a storm. Wonder who’s now having the rough day – well actually night now. But now God breaks out with two more miracles. Peter walks on the water too and Jesus claims the storm. Jesus uses it as a teachable moment with the disciples and they arrive at shore as the day is now in full swing. It is only a matter of moments before He is recognized and the whole thing starts all over again.
Death, interruptions, demands, expectations, much needed time alone and with God vanished, as well as lack of sleep, a storm, plans and intentions shattered and who knows what else. I would call that a bad day. Well that was one of many bad days Jesus had but He handle it different than I would have.
Rather than seeing interruptions, demands and expectations He saw them as opportunities to demonstrate Gods love and compassion as an opportunity to do what He was called to do and not as an interruption from it. He also knew and kept His priorities straight. Although not always easy He kept His time with God sacred, of high, unwavering priority. As a result, God met His emotional and physical and spiritual needs. He made it possible to fit everything into the day that needed to fit. We call it a miracle to squeeze so much into one day but God made a way... for example God let Jesus take a short cut across the lake. It not only saved time but really demonstrated to the disciples who Jesus was (vs. 33) and provided another teachable moment. So what could have been a bad day in the life of Jesus has become one of the most talked about days of his life - the feeding of the 5,000 plus, the walking on the water by Him and Peter and the claiming of the storm in one day plus all the healings. that happened. Yet in all the excitement of the chapter and a brief glimpse into the life of Jesus let’s not miss on what this chapter is really all about – time alone in the prayer closet with God.
Lessons learned – How I view things can make it a bad day or a great day and my time with God no matter the cost needs to be of the highest, most unshakable, unwavering thing in my life for it is my life, my strength, my hope, my future is wrapped up in that time with Him.
