When Jesus sees you coming

The Setting: Jesus and His disciples had been working night and day. The people just kept coming and coming with no end in sight. The sick, the blind, the demon possessed. They were desperate for help and Jesus was the only one in their entire lives who could deliver the goods. “They didn’t even have time to eat,” was one comment that described the situation. Exhausted from the relentless push of needy people, they pressed on with the work at hand. And then they hit the wall. News reached them that their friend and Jesus’ first cousin, John the Baptiser had been beheaded. It was just as gruesome and horrific then as it is today.

Perhaps this was the first time that the disciples realised that they were in deep. Challenging the status quo is serious business. Countering your culture can bring you deadly attention regardless of which side of the fence you’re on. Jesus went to each of His followers and let them know that first thing in the morning, just before sunrise, they were getting out of there.

And so we read about Jesus and His closest friends rowing across the lake to get some r & r. It’s springtime. The fields are full of new grass and fresh flowers. And best of all - no people. They finally had time to sleep, collect their thoughts and grieve the loss of a dear friend and fellow worker. We don’t know how much time they’d had alone but the inevitable happened. Someone, somehow found out where they were. First dozens, then hundreds and then by the thousands they came. In all 12 to 15 thousand men, women and children all seeking the same thing - Jesus. We don’t know how the disciples felt, but we do know Jesus’ reaction.

“He had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

That is what happens when we come to Jesus. We are no less lost and helpless than the people on that day. We are no less in need of a Saviour than they. We need Jesus to heal us, to comfort us, to set us on the right path just as much as anyone, anywhere at any time. And Jesus has compassion. He cares about us. He loves us. Rather than being irritated by our neediness, Jesus loves us BECAUSE of our neediness. That is why

“With boldness and confidence we can come to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.”

Now some people seem to think that Creator God would be overwhelmed or that He couldn’t possibly pay attention to, much let WELCOME billions of prayers. The fact is, God doesn’t need to pay attention to billions of prayers. Not even millions or even thousands. The only life that God is interested in is yours. The only conversation that God listens to is mine. The only person that Jesus is showering with compassion is the person next door. God is fully present with every person everywhere. You don’t need to compete for God’s full attention. If you’re someone like an atheist who is expending enormous effort in a futile attempt to deny God, it’s hopeless. If you are Christopher Hithchens, or someone like him, you find that God’s presence and God’s attention is suffocating. If you are a Christian however the presence of God’s Spirit is the most wonderful thing in the world. So let Him love you. Let Him guide you. Let Him counsel you and correct you. Most importantly of all, let Him forgive you and free you from real guilt.

If He could attend to the needs of thousands of people back then when He was in human form, He can certainly do it now for you.