The death of John must have been so hard.
John was Jesus’s first cousin. They had been friends all their lives. And it was not awkward: John did not know who Jesus was until the day he baptized Him. But Jesus knew John was the forerunner, the great herald, preparing the people for their Savior. Jesus later said no one greater than John had ever been born. But John was also his cousin and friend. Their lives had been connected, divinely linked from the womb. No one could have understood the pressure and loneliness of being the Messiah better than John.
Then Herod chopped off his head.
Imagine the blow. Jesus may have known it was coming—as He knew the cross was coming. But it’s different when it actually happens. Deaths are never quite what you expect. The death of John must have been hard. So Jesus spent time alone.
“When Jesus heard about it, He withdrew by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed Him on foot from the towns. As He stepped ashore, He saw a huge crowd….”
—How do you think He felt about the crowd? He’s just lost a man He connected to like no other, and the crowds will not leave Him alone. So what happens next?
“—He saw a huge crowd, felt compassion for them, and healed their sick” Matthew 14:13-14.
Even in grief, Jesus was moved by people. His eyes were not on the death of His friend. His eyes were not even on the dread that John’s death caused Jesus to feel about the torture and death in His own future (suddenly it all seems real!). Instead, Jesus focused on the needs around Him. He served—not only healing the sick, but going on to feed the 5,000. He would do the same the night before His arrest: washing disciples’ feet rather than thinking of the nails aimed at His own.
Serving others is sometimes the best reaction to grief.
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Household Words: 