There’s Room For You: Matthew 14:13-14
“13) Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14) When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.” Matthew 14:13-14
This text shows the affinity Jesus had for John the Baptist. It highlights the human side of Jesus. Jesus sought a place of solitude by Himself most likely to mourn the death of His friend.
It sounds like He got into a boat alone and pushed off into the water. The text is not clear if He had a destination in mind or if the time in the boat was His solitude.
It didn’t matter. When the crowd saw Him, they began to follow Him along the shore. When the boat landed, a great multitude was waiting for Him. It was nearly impossible for Him to escape notice.
At this moment the true character of Jesus began to shine. He was never self focused nor was He annoyed by the needy people. The text says; “He felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.”
Let’s pause for a moment and learn an important lesson from these two verses. Let me say this loud and clear: “You are never an annoyance or inconvenience to Jesus.” He loves you. He wants to meet you at the point of your need.
There’s an old hymn that captures this lesson. It’s called; “Room at the Cross.” The chorus says:
There’s room at the cross for you There’s room at the cross for you Though millions have come There’s still room for one Yes there’s room at the cross for you.
It took me years to understand that Hymn. I use to avoid taking my needs to Jesus in prayer because I didn’t feel that I mattered. Satan had convinced me that Jesus didn’t care and that my needs were not important. “Who was I to bother God?” Do you ever feel that way?
This text screams that Jesus always has compassion and time for those who are seeking Him. “Though millions have come, there’s still room for one, there’s room at the cross for you.” He invites us to come to Him.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
