The Valley

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him."

3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 4for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.

6On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."

16Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

17"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

18"Bring them here to me," he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Matthew 14: 1-21

The air was heavy the evening that Jesus had gotten the report that his cousin and partner in the ministry had been murdered. John had been a source of support for Jesus and his ministry well before Jesus began to preach. Now he was gone, and Jesus thought of how he would probably die in a similar way.

Shaken by this news, Jesus decided to take a break. His work was often physically draining, and sometimes spiritually draining with power leaving Him with the slightest faithful touch. But this afternoon, Jesus was feeling a sadness that he had never felt before. He had just lost his closest spiritual adviser, and was given a dark snapshot of his future. Jesus decided to take a break in order to gather His thoughts - His bearings. He got in a boat and sailed to where He could just be Himself by Himself.

For Jesus, this was one of the lowest times in His ministry. His mission and his work had suffered a huge loss with the death of John. John's disciples would never be the same. In order to not suffer the same type of punishment, many of them would shrink back. Some would fall away. Jesus' disciples worried as well. They would rethink their decision to follow Jesus, wondering if they made the right choice to give up their lives, their jobs, and their families to follow the one who claimed that he would overcome the world. At the moment, the one they called "Messiah" wasn't looking so powerful.

As the sun started its descent, Jesus began to regain His strength. He remembered why he had come. So He lifted His head, and headed back to the shore. If at any moment, Jesus now felt the seriousness of His calling, the evil of this world, and the hope He had in His heart, all in one emotionally overwhelming moment. As He approached the shore, Jesus was surprised by what He saw: from all over the city and the countryside, people who He didn't even know were welcoming Him back. Some begged to be healed. Some just wanted to see what all the hooplah was all about. But all had the mustard seed.

As He looked back at them, Jesus felt a stirring in His heart that excited Him to His very core. In their eyes he saw despair. He saw heartbreak. He saw the one last tries.
And He saw dreams. He saw the repaired relationships. He saw the fixed families. He saw the newly found self-confidence in those that would get their security in God alone. He saw them through the hopeful eyes of the God that put the first man and woman here on earth. And now, many years later, those same eyes still saw a heaven on earth - a chance for the lost sons and daughters to be brought home to paradise.

As His boat slowed as it drew up on the sand, Jesus took one final deep breath filled with a refocused perspective of His role in the lives of these desperate people, stepped out of the boat, and hurriedly went into the crowd. Many pressed up against Him so they could touch Him, or maybe just get the chance to hear Him speak. With His newfound determination, Jesus would heal as many as He could. He would look deeply into the eyes of all that he could talk to - connect with. And He would teach them all until the sun set and they could no longer see.

It refreshes me to know that I have a Savior that has understands what I go through. At times, I can give my best only to feel tired (not refreshed) at the end. I can love deeply, only to find that it cannot be returned at the moment. I can lose focus on my purpose, my mission, and all the dreams that make every day exciting. Life happens, and it brings many great memories, but also many trials that challenge our joy, faith, and our will to persevere. But we have a godly example in Jesus, that not only went through darker times than we do, but shows us how to cope, and then thrive in a way that is pleasing to God.

In Jesus, we see a man who was hurt. He took time to mourn, gather Himself, and then he made the decision to persevere. And then He went and did something. He continued along the path that He started. He went to those who needed Him and didn't turn them away at a time when He would've been justified in doing so. Instead, He embraced them. He went on to take care of the needs of those who were without. He then strengthened the faith of those close to Him by doing something radical and Godly. And then He went right back into the middle of the battle to try to do the greatest miracle of all: change the human heart of those who could not feel (read Mt 14 and 15).

Why did Jesus do the things that he did? He did this because he loved deeply. As we heard and saw it so eloquently put on Sunday, love will drive us to go beyond the norms of our environment and our daily lives. It will make you stay up late and get up early. It will make you drive across the county or walk across town to be with the one that needs you. It will make you pray constantly.

He is the light that illuminates our path when we are not sure which way to go. And it is in this passage that we see what we are to do when our lives face turmoil. We feel. We pray. Then we act.

It is my prayer that you keep your spiritual fervor. No matter the circumstances, there are always the opportunities to show God how obedient, faithful, and loving you are. And show Him these things - not because you have to - but because you want to. You can’t help but to desire God and please Him, because he has given you so much. He has told you that he loves you in so many ways. And the biggest way is by allowing you the opportunity to live with Him forever in His mansion - which has to be the coolest house ever.

Never does the Bible call us to quit or rebel. Rather, impress Him with your faith. Go beyond the limits that you think you have. Stay up all night. Pray all day. Run through your exhaustion. And if you always make time to fall in love with God “again,” you’ll be joyful every second of it. And God will ensure that you will stand victorious, whether in this life or the next.