Ride to the Other Side

“When Jesus heard what had happened…”

His cousin.

Once a baby who had lept in utero at Jesus’ wombed presence.
Once a prophet who spent his days preparing the way Jesus would walk.
Once a baptizer who immersed Jesus in water and witnessed his anointing by the Spirit.
Once a prisoner grappling with his call to be the greatest and the least in the Kingdom.
Now dead, murdered in a royal display of foolishness.

“Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

For a moment, just stop and consider what Jesus might have felt. It occurs to me that one of the hardest things Jesus had to do might have been to let John die. What would it be like not to rescue someone from confusion, pain, and death when you have the power to save them?

“He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.”

It's not like Jesus got to deal with this in a vacuum. He’s traveling all over the place teaching and healing. People are crowding him so much the only place he can go to get away is in the middle of a large body of water.

I think it all must have been so hard to come to terms with.
I think he must have been so sad.
I think he must have been so tired.
I think maybe he just wanted to be alone.

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.”

The boat ride to the other side. That’s all he had…brief moments to grieve, to pray, to commune with John’s disciples. Then he stepped out of the boat and continued to do the work that gave John all the reason to leap, to preach, to baptize, to be imprisoned, and to die.

Sometimes I just wish I had more time…to rest, to process, to prepare, to pray. Sometimes all I have is the boat ride to the other side. I’m learning to cherish the boat ride. And believe that if I am doing those things which He moves me to do when He moves me to do them, the boat ride will be enough.
God grant us renewal before we step out of the boat.