12 Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.
13 As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. 14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Matthew 14:12-14 NLT
I like when people do nice things for me. It’s much better than when they do mean things to me. For that matter, I-much like you-like doing nice things for people, much more than doing mean things to people.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t always want to do nice things for people. In fact, sometimes I don’t want to do anything for anyone. I have discovered though, that if I fight through my initial resistance to helping someone in need, or serving someone who is not so in need, that in the end, I usually walk away from the situation with a deep satisfaction. A satisfaction that feels warm and weighty, much like eating a good bowl of soup. There are times that I do not want to fight through my resistance to serve though.
Usually these times are associated with some difficult or stressful moment in my own life. I can’t stop and help them push their car, I’m running late. Or how about, I don’t have time for your problems, I’m dealing with my own.
Yeah, it’s usually more like that second one: I don’t have time for you, but I want you to make time for me. This is why developing an attitude of service is so important; it is in serving that we learn how small our own issues are. It is in serving that we remember we are not isolated but instead, we are woven into the network of humanity. It is in serving that selfishness begins to die and real love for our neighbors begins to bloom.
Yes, serving is the springtime of the soul.
In this passage from the Gospel of Matthew, we see that Jesus was in a difficult time. His cousin and friend, John had been beheaded because of the drunken whim of an irresponsible king. What was Jesus’ response?
He wanted to be alone.
It is a very human thing to want to be alone when we are hurting. Let me heal myself, then I can help you, is our usual mantra.
But Jesus is interrupted. The crowds hear He is coming and they bring their sick to Him to be healed. He could have told them to wait a day or two, but the Bible tells us that He was moved with compassion and proceeded to heal their sick. Jesus was more interested in serving the needs of others than in fulfilling His own needs.
We all too easily lose sight of the fact that in this world, we are co-strugglers. We limp about like Jacob (Genesis 32:24-32), and the only way that we can walk upright is to help someone else do the same.
Remember, God put you on this planet for purposes much bigger than yourself. In spite of your current struggle, stop and help another along the way. After all, it’s what Jesus would do.
