It can be scary, but we are called to have this kind of faith.
Let’s examine our own lives today and figure out if there’s anything holding us back from following Jesus into the unknown like the crowd did that day. Maybe you’re happy where you live right now and you’re afraid of where He will call you to go.
Is there anything in your life that would be hard to give up in order to follow Jesus? Maybe it’s a feeling of security that you don’t want to give up. Would I have dropped everything to follow Jesus, not knowing where, or how long, I would be gone? Would I have that kind of faith? I like to know exactly what’s happening today, and how I can best be prepared for it. I would not classify myself as spontaneous and I don’t like surprises. This would be really hard for some of us – trust me, I know. As we know from the story, many did not come prepared with enough food. Think about it: Jesus left the city and went to a “remote place,” which means the crowd also journeyed to this remote place. They knew there was something special about Jesus, and they didn’t want to miss out on it even if that meant literally dropping everything to follow Him out of town as He left. The following crowd might sound like a nuisance in this story, but I think we can learn so much from those persistent people. Imagine trying to escape, to have privacy for just a moment during such a hard time, yet you are followed by a mass of people who, most likely, aren’t aware of what you’re going through. He went to a solitary place however, as we see in verse 13, “the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.” Upon learning this, Jesus knew it was time for Him to withdraw for a moment to take time to sit in peace and mourn His loved one before continuing with His ministry. Imagine the emotional turmoil this would cause. And not only had he died, he had been beheaded while in prison. Let’s set the scene: Jesus had just learned that His close friend and family member, John the Baptist, had died. But there are also important details to be found in the moments leading up to Jesus’ provision. When we think about this story, we often emphasize the incredible miracle that Jesus performed to provide sustenance for the following crowd. You are most likely familiar with the classic Sunday School story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with just five loaves of bread and two fish.
You give them something to eat.” - Matthew 14:13-16 Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.A Prayer to Follow Jesus into the Unknown And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. ESV / 11 helpful votes Helpful Not HelpfulĪnd all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate.
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