When we say that Jesus is the Son of God it is easy to then assume he is entirely equipped with supernatural abilities. Therefore, he would not be susceptible to things like burnout, exhaustion, and fatigue. I mean, if he can feed a multitude with just a few loaves and fish, and if he can cure diseases and perform all sorts of miracles, can’t he create energy for himself to rely upon?
Those are good questions based on good logic. But I believe that whole line of thinking is a mistake. Let’s remember that while Jesus is the Son of God he is also still fully human. He gets tired. He gets hungry. He has human needs.
Let’s run through the scenes we just read and realize how draining it all was for Jesus.
We started with Jesus returning to his hometown of Nazareth. We’d expect the hometown crowd to be proud of their local boy. He’s going on to have regional notoriety. He is putting Nazareth on the map for good things. He’s also showing extraordinary insight in their midst. Yet despite all of that they question him. They’re critical and they don’t believe. That’s not a nice way to return home.
Jesus leaves there on a bit of a low.
In the very next scene we hear about the execution of John the Baptist. It’s a pretty disgusting story where a human life is ended, basically as part of a party. This news hits Jesus hard. We know that their ministries were linked and the fate of John the Baptist was a sure foreshadowing of what Jesus knew was coming for himself. So after leaving Nazareth on a low he hears about John’s death. He then withdraws all by himself in a boat to pray. He truly wants to be alone. He wants no crowds around him. No disciples either. Leaving alone and in a boat was a sure way to find uninterrupted solitude for as long as he needs.
But even before he gets ashore he sees a great crowd waiting for him. He somehow dredges up enough energy to be with them and cure their sick. When evening comes they are hungry. The disciples, probably being compassionate for their master, advise him to send the crowds away. But Jesus says, “They need not go away. You give them something to eat.”
The disciples know that five loaves and two fish aren’t going to go anywhere in a crowd of that size. But Jesus takes control of the situation and performs a great feeding miracle.
With only a few hours of alone time Jesus then sets out walking across the lake to meet his disciples, who are in the boat Jesus originally took for himself. It’s a tough journey because of the wind and the waves. And when he catches up with his disciples we have the antics of Peter who decides he want to try walking on water too. Of course Jesus has to rescue him.
Getting across to the other side Jesus is immediately recognized by the people and he is again swarmed by needy people. In the midst of that some religious leaders come and try to interrogate Jesus about technicalities in the religious law. He just can’t catch a break! No one is offering support. No one is defending him.
The very next scene is the Canaanite woman who asks Jesus to heal her daughter. He’s not kind to her. I don’t believe his lack of kindness is because of fatigue on his part. Although many pastors put that interpretation on it. I think there is a lot more going on there. (The men’s breakfast will explore that more on Wednesday.) For right now though, let’s just realize the obvious answer. Jesus is already overwhelmed by just the needs of the local Jewish people. How on earth can he possibly allow his ministry to expand to fixing everyone’s problem everywhere. He is showing this woman his priorities. Even so, he bends them for the sake of compassion.
In the next scene Jesus is again curing crowds of people. Immediately following that we have another feeding miracle by Jesus. This time it is a somewhat smaller crowd, but Jesus feeds them with just seven loaves of bread and a few small fish.
Is he ever going to get a break from all these needs?
Despite all of this outgoing show of God’s glory and mercy we have religious leaders again coming to Jesus to test him. No one ever seems to be satisfied. No one ever seems to support Jesus.
The whole series wraps up with Jesus having a conversation with his disciples.
I doubt any of us have ever felt as overwhelmed and over-demanded by life the way Jesus was in these chapters, but we probably know the feeling. Let’s note two things. One, God knows what it is like to feel overwhelmed. Sometimes life keeps throwing problem after problem at you, with need after need. Sometimes the problems seem as bit as feeding a crowd and you only have a few loaves and a couple little fish. Yet do not lose heart. Stay faithful and stay committed. Hour by hour, day by day, week by week, God will be with you. You will get through it by faith. It probably won’t be easy. It’s unlikely there will be supernatural solutions but that doesn’t mean you’ve been abandoned by God.
Second, and finally, realize that Jesus does not continue to do everything all on his own. Even here he has his disciples with him often. Next week we will read more about the beginning of the church; the community of faith built around Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. When life overloads us we know that we are not going through it alone. Jesus had his disciples. Even as they often fell short, they still helped carry the load. Remember, they’re the ones who provided the bread and fish for the two feeding miracles. Jesus didn’t create them out of nothing! We do the same. We are wise to turn to family, friends, and the faith community for support and resources. Perhaps the support will feel meagre and inept. But you will not be alone.
God knows what it is to feel tired and overwhelmed. And God is willing to be with us when we feel the same. God will help us endure; and not only endure but actually accomplish his will at the same time. We rejoice in our never-failing God and God’s commitment to us.
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