Luke 4:42-44
At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.
It was, as we saw, a very full night for Jesus, a night consumed by healing illness, rebuking spirits, and tending the needs of God’s people. All the people, Luke reports, brought Jesus their sick to heal, so we can only imagine that he was up most of the night and perhaps, indeed, all of it.
Yet at daybreak he does not turn in for a well-deserved rest but departs, heading for a deserted place. Perhaps a place to pray, or recover, or rest, or simply to be away from all those people. But they won’t let him go. And who can blame them. Jesus is meeting their needs, and poor as they are needs are one thing they have in abundance. So they search for him, find him, and want to prevent him from leaving.
But then Jesus says something very interesting: he is leaving not because he does not care for them, but simply because there are so many, many other people who need to hear of the good news. So many people who need healing. So many people with needs he needs to meet. This, he says, was the purpose for which he was sent, and so he is, quite literally, a man with a mission.
But that’s not just interesting, it’s also hard. Hard for all those Galileans who understandably wanted to keep Jesus for themselves. And hard for all of us who understandably want to keep Jesus for ourselves.
Oh, it’s not quite the same, I realize. But I wonder if each time we resist altering worship that might make Jesus’ presence for others more tangible we’re trying to keep Jesus for ourselves. Or anytime we insist on prayer of a certain sort, or a particular understanding of “the Christian life,” or have difficulty welcoming people who are different from us, or resist change claiming that “we’ve always done it this way.” Are we in these moments trying to prevent Jesus from reaching out to others, others who think differently, look differently, live differently, experience God differently?
I don’t know, but it makes me wonder. I do know that letting Jesus go – or, rather, accepting that we can’t keep him to ourselves – can at times be quite hard.
Prayer: Dear God, remind us that you came and still come for all people, and prevent us from hindering the movement of your Spirit in our congregations and lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Post image: James Tissot, “Jesus Went Out to a Deserted Place” (detail)
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