Deciding Against What's in front of you

Reading Luke 4:38-44 today has filled me with emotion.

Jesus, having spent the day preaching at the synagogue went to Peter’s house.  His mother was sick, and so Jesus knelt over Simon’s mother and healed her.  She was healed, and jumped up to serve them. I am sure she fed them dinner, maybe cleaned their road weary clothes.  At dusk, when Jesus would finally rest for the day, he was instead receiving ‘all those with any sick’.  These were people who had no modern medicine, no Lysol spray, and no antibiotics.  They came up to Him and he healed them all. 

It then says daybreak came.  Did he get a chance to rest?  Did sleep ever come?  Or did he spend the night healing every sick person in town.  He could have healed them all from his bed while he was sleeping, but he didn’t do that.  The bible says he knelt over Simon’s mother.  He gave her individual attention. He wouldn’t give the multitude that came in the night any less attention.

He is our Savior, but He was in a mortal body. A mortal body needs to be fed and rested. How tired He must have been! At daybreak He left alone to find a quiet moment with his father God.  How long did he get?  How long would you need after spending all day and all night with people to get your bearings again? To remember your true purpose on the earth? 

It ended too soon. The bible said the people were searching for Him, and tried to prevent Him from leaving them.  When I try to stop one of my children from leaving my side in a parking lot, I will grab for their hand; and if that isn’t attainable I will latch on to whatever is closest: their arm, the back of their shirt, a lock of their hair, whatever I can do to keep them close and safe.  Jesus was surrounded by people that didn’t want to let Him go. Did they grab at Him?  Did they plead at Him?  How heartbreaking would it be to know that yes, you could stay and keep this one town safe and healthy, at the expense of the entire world? 

He had a job to do. They did not understand.  Where there are men and women, there are children.  He knew He could stay there and keep them healthy, but he didn’t. Instead He said,” I must preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the other cities, for I was sent for this purpose.”  He loved them all so much. He was a perfect vessel of love.  He knew He had to press forward to the ultimate goal of giving His life for us.  He knew there were other people who needed His help more, and so He continued onward. But it must have been hard. So very hard.