Luke 9:10-11

Luke 9:10-11

And after the apostles returned, they told Him everything that they did.  And after receiving them He withdrew into His own people in a city named Bethsaida.  And after knowing about it, the crowd followed Him.  And after receiving them He was speaking to the regarding the kingdom of God.  And He was healing the ones needing His services.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Notice that Jesus continues to give us a model to imitate.  After His apostles come back from doing ministry, He withdraws.  He pulls back out of the world and cloisters Himself with them.  He gives them time to recharge.  He gives them time to process what happened.  He gives them time to think and rest and share with Him and the others.  We all need time to abide.  We all need time to recuperate that which we spend of ourselves as we do ministry.  Jesus gives us a great example in this easily overlooked verse.

Do you give yourself time to rest and recuperate?  How do you do this?  How often do you do this?  Why can it be easy to overlook this step?

Second Thought:

Naturally, the crowd doesn’t leave Him alone.  Crowds seldom do.  When someone is popular, famous, or just plain in demand people will find them and seek them out.  The old saying is true.  There is no rest for the weary.  The crowds demand attention, they demand Jesus’ focus, and the place their burdens upon Him.  Even though Jesus was

Teaching His disciples one lesson, the crowds sought out their own will.  Jesus and His disciples don’t always get to rest and talk as much as they might like.

Have you ever needed to abide but the world keeps pushing in on you and demanding your attention?  How does that feel?  How do you get through those moments?  Why do you think that people who need you come to you, often without seeing if you are willing to have them?

Third Thought:

In spite of this, Jesus receives the crowd.  Jesus welcomes them.  Jesus knows that rest and abiding is important.  But He also knows that we must continue to look for the opportunities that God places before us.  When there is a door into someone’s life that opens, we need to be prepared to step into the opening and share the kingdom of God with them.  There is always a balance between abiding and doing mission.  We are always in one getting ready to swing into the other.  To not be in one while preparing to move into the other is often a sign of self-centered thought.  If I am abiding without preparing myself to be ready to move into mission, I am being self-centered.  If I am in mission without looking for opportunities to abide I am being naïve.  As we see in this passage, balance between abiding and mission is what is needed.

How good are you at finding that balance?  When in your life can you get better?  When in your life does this balance come naturally to you?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 9:12-17