Back to the Shore

There's something appealing about the fact that even Jesus had to get away from it all sometimes. I'm often drawn to the story from Matthew's gospel (chapter 14, starting at verse 13) where Jesus is told some terrible news, and he chooses to take off in a boat to be alone.

The story has a gruesome prologue, one I don't like to dwell on. A relative and colleague of Jesus has just been brutally murdered out of petty vengeance. Pretty awful. An incredible waste of human life and charismatic talent. The victim's name was John: teacher, baptizer, powerfully challenging speaker. And John's students come running to give Jesus the scoop on what's been happening.

We don't know exactly how Jesus is feeling when he hears about John's death. We know only that his response is immediate: I'm outta here. He glides his craft out onto the waves, ready for some alone time.

This is one of those Scripture scenes that can be a lifeline for me. I can climb into the boat with friend Jesus, feeling the anguish of losing a loved one, hearing the soothing sounds of lapping water, taking deep breaths of the calming sea air. I'm filled with the relief of being alone yet accompanied, peace and storm living inside of me at the same time.

But this moment will not last forever. It can't last. There's a fine line between healthy retreating and unhealthy escaping. At some point I need to be called back into life.

When Jesus brings his boat into harbor, he sees lots of people there to meet him. They also have heard about John's death, but their response is quite different. The last thing they want is to be alone. Jesus' insides are torn up when he sees them. They need him so much. He brings them healing. And they have called him back into life.


O Living One, I come to you in this moment, to be refreshed by your Spirit. I'm so grateful that whenever I need retreat, you take me there and you accompany me. Walk with me in every moment. Open my ears to hear you calling, calling me into life... a life where I receive your healing and then can be healing others.

~Kari Henkelmann Keyl