Today's encouragement comes from Matthew 14:13a, where we read these words:
"When Jesus heard it [that John the Baptist had been killed], He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself."This is the only place in the Gospel accounts that I am aware of, where our Lord Jesus navigated a boat by Himself. But the reason our Messiah desired to get away from everyone, and all the hubbub, is the focus of this text. The Savior had just heard of the ignominious death of His own relative (through Mary), and of His forerunner, John the Baptist.
It seems to me that our Lord was saddened by this news; and it may well have caused Him to reflect on the fact that He (Jesus) Himself would soon die on the cruel cross, giving His life for all the sins of His church. Christ's "get-away" was characteristically short-lived; but I think we can derive some prin-ciples here: it is proper for us to grieve; and we always need private time alone with our God.
[Puritan quote of the day: "See that all be well within, and then all troubles from without cannot much annoy us.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Soul's Con-flict With Itself"]
