Luke 1:1-6:49
Luke 4:42; 5:15-16; 6:12
42 Now when day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and they came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them.
15 But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.
12 Now it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God.
The early part of Jesus’ ministry quickly moves from zero to warp speed. Once the hurting people of the region hear about this man who can heal diseases and cast out demons, the hurting masses descend on Jesus and His disciples like a flood. There are times he literally receives and heals desperate and despairing souls all day and all night long…without rest. Think about the emotional, mental, physical – not to mention – spiritual toll the volume of demands must of have took on Him. You see in the gospels some of the disciples try and shield him from the needs of the crowd pushing and pressing in on this Nazarene whose compassion and teaching was unlike anything they’d ever heard. But Jesus would often rebuke his followers and allow significant time and attention for the broken, the marginalized, the unclean, and even the children to come to Him.
You may be tempted to think that Christ was just a divine machine – like the “energizer bunny”– never stopping, always moving, ever-fixing, but the Gospel of Luke shares a different perspective. Like us, Jesus was human. Like us, He needed the Spirit of God, intimate prayer, solitude, and rest to accomplish His calling. This was a necessity if He was to accomplish what He was sent to do.
I look at my own life and recognize that “busyness” is often more of a hinderance than a help to my Kingdom effectiveness. It’s easy sometime to keep saying “Yes” to people in need. In fact, if one is not careful, their identity and worth can be inappropriately attached and influenced by the pressure of others’ needs and gratitude. Saying “No” so that the Lord can refill your vessel that is running on empty is a much-needed reminder to you and those you serve that God alone is our source for all good things. As Paul told the Corinthian Christians, “We have this treasure in earthen containers, so that the extraordinary greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Cor. 4:7). Even Jesus knew His limitations as a man, and modeled for all of us a continuous commitment to personally reconnecting with and resting in the Father. So instead of rushing out to accommodate the next volunteer request, or meet the next need, make sure you’ve taken some private time to let God fill you up, and affirm the path ahead.
Happy Reading!
Pastor Lee