“And after [Jesus] had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray.” (Mt. 14:23)

     This verse from Matthew is part of a larger story that goes something like this: John the Baptist, who is both a prophet and one of Jesus’ relatives, is beheaded by Herod the ruler. Some of John’s disciples pass on this news to Jesus, and Jesus withdraws in a boat to a deserted place by himself in order to try and deal with the news.
     However, crowds of people walk around the lake on foot, not about to let Jesus get away so easily. Jesus comes ashore for his “retreat” and finds crowds of people waiting for him, desperate for healing. Jesus has compassion for them, cures their sick, and then feeds over 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Only then is he finally able to go up the mountain by himself to pray.
     This story was used by Pastor Terry Boggs at this Fall’s Study Conference at Luther Village in order to illustrate the need for both self-interest and self-sacrifice. He taught about how these two things are always in tension when we are “agitating for the kingdom.”
     As Christians, we take Jesus as our example as to how to live in God’s Way. Rev. Boggs pointed out that, while Jesus’ life was certainly very sacrificial in nature, Jesus also had sufficient self-interest to rejuvenate himself for ministry. It is a balance and a tension that many of us strive for.
     Many people seem to tend to one extreme or the other. Some are so much into self-sacrifice that pretty soon they are all worn out and used up and have nothing left to give. Others are all about self-interest, where “looking after me” is the only thing that matters. As Christians, we are called to find a balance.
     Rev. Boggs noted that self-interest can be either positive or negative. However, self-interest that is engaged with others’ interest is both necessary and good. Jesus is our model in this respect.
     Some might be tempted to think that for Jesus it was different – being Son of God, for one – no children or family to take care of – free to travel around in order to teach and to heal. Yet, imagine having crowds of people thronging around you all the time – many of them needy – all looking to you to fill their needs. Wouldn’t this be just as wearing as looking after relatives or children or parents or friends? Wouldn’t this be just as stressful – if not more so – than trying to deal with the demands of day to day life?
     Jesus was not immune to the challenges of being human – including the need for food, drink, rest, companionship and prayer. Most often when Jesus needs rejuvenating, we see him withdrawing in order to pray.
     We, too, need to feed our souls – taking the time to worship and to pray. Only then are we fully equipped in order to give of ourselves to others. To do this is to follow Christ, and we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit in order to do so. May each one of us discover the secret to “agitating for the kingdom,” balancing self-interest and self-sacrifice while working toward God’s reign both in heaven and on earth.

     In Christ,

     Pastor Lynne Hutchison