Matthew 14:13-14 13Now after hearing this, Jesus withdrew from there in a boat to an isolated place by himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed him on foot from the cities. 14And when he got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd and had compassion for them and healed their sick.
This was a low moment for Jesus with word about the death of his cousin. We see Immanuel on full display. These verses transition from John’s execution to Jesus’ miracles. John has passed out of the scene and the focus is now on Jesus. John fulfilled his calling of point people to Jesus. The crowds were hearing and seeing Jesus and were faced with the decision of what to do with him. The disciples had been following Jesus for some time, possibly two years. They had witnessed many miracles and heard the best teaching of all time. The following section in Matthew will highlight their struggles and shortcomings. The narrative returns to verse 2 after the interlude of how John died.
Jesus withdrew to a deserted place after John’s death and hearing how Herod was responding to his ministry. Matthew does not say exactly why Jesus did this, but there may be several reasons, such as he did not want to create problems with Herod because it was not time to face the authorities, or he wanted some personal time to mourn for John and prepare for the next stage of ministry. The best way to find this quiet place was on a boat. The crowds wanted more and would not give Jesus peace. The word about Jesus had spread to the villages and towns along the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus landed, a large crowd was already waiting for him.
Jesus’ response to the large crowd was compassion (esplanchnisthē), a deep sense of sympathy and pity for people. He saw the poor and needy and responded with care and action. Matthew focuses upon Jesus’ response of healing those who were sick. Jesus could have turned away from the needs of the people and found a quiet place, but he did not. When the need was presented, he responded with care. Life can be busy and lead to mental and physical exhaustion, but love like Jesus’ can give us the strength to have compassionate action.
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