By: Dr. Jeff Fuller
Making ourselves available to everyone, all the time, at any moment can be taxing. It will tax you physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We may need to learn a lesson from Jesus.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we find these words:
“At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.” Matthew 14:1-14 (KJV)
Look at verse 13:
“When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.”
When an army retreats, the battalion is giving up ground in a battle with the hopes of regrouping and fighting again. In history we read where troops were almost to a point of taking a hill, but the pressures and struggles were so overwhelming they would retreat only to fight again and again, until finally they had conquered the enemy and gained the ground for their own.
When a person retreats, he or she takes a deliberate break from the daily routines or stress. Doing so allows the individual to regroup spiritually, physically, and mentally.
Sometimes the ordinary routine of the day feels like a battle. Fighting with children over schoolwork or virtual learning, cleaning and cooking, meeting the demands of a deadline, or troubles with some appliance or automobile. You take a retreat feeling at least temporarily defeated
Notice why Jesus went on this retreat. His cousin John had been imprisoned and recently beheaded. When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew. He was undoubtedly filled with grief, as He was mourning the death of John, just as later He would endure a time of mourning for the death of a close friend, Lazarus (John 11:32-35).
In this moment of time, Jesus may have felt defeated, dejected, and despondent. He and John had given themselves to a ministry, sharing in the preparation for Jesus’ birth. John had proclaimed in a very unique and unusual way the promise of the delivery of God’s people from bondage to sin.
What I find here is something I need, and you need. We need to remember that God gave us a High Priest in His Son Jesus Christ who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. Jesus was tempted in every way as we are; He was troubled as we are; He was touched by emotions the same as we are. Let us thank God for this beautiful gift.
Jesus retreated because He was human. Just as we are. He used the solitude of the moment to find His bearings. We do not know exactly what He did on His retreat, but we do know that afterwards He continued His ministry of compassion and healing.
If Jesus needs to retreat…so do we.
Until next time…