Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him.
Idle hands are the devil’s workshop. We have all heard that phrase. Its principle is that there is always something to be done and it is best to be about the business of doing it. Here though is Jesus, doing great things, healing the paralytic and the man with the withered hand, thus incurring the wrath of the Pharisees. He could have stayed there and done so much more. Instead, he withdrew with his disciples to the sea. The Scripture does not imply that he wanted to be alone with his disciples. If it did, the attempt was unsuccessful. The crowd followed him because they heard of his great and awesome deeds. They came to him. Later verses state that they too were healed and proclaimed him as the Son of God. Busy day.
There are two lessons to learn here. The lesser one is that sometimes we need to withdraw. The greater lesson is that Jesus does great things, is worthy to be followed, and is the Son of God. To some he was Messiah, to others he was a fraud. No one was neutral.
Nothing has changed. Jesus is doing great things. It is well that we follow him wherever he goes. There is work for us to do too. True, we are to rest but he gave us a Great Commission so that we can say this. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing…
They came to him.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church