After he had dismissed the crowds, [Jesus] went up the mountain by himself to pray. Matthew 14:23 (NRSV Jesus was about to conclude his earthly ministry, and events were overwhelming him both physically and emotionally. Probably more than at any time, he needed support from his twelve disciples. Instead they continued to rely heavily on him, which only added to his burden of responsibilities. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Christ knew all the details of the events as they would be unfolding, every act leading to his betrayal and eventual crucifixion: “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Overwhelmed by these impending events, Jesus needed to be reenergized with power from God to be able to finish his vital ministry. Therefore, he took his disciples to Gethsemane so he could pray. Similarly, we need power from God to enable us to build our faith amid the distractions of our daily lives. To do this, we can make a conscious decision to pull away from the “crowds” of our many responsibilities in life, as Jesus did, and find some time to commune with God through reading and meditating on scripture and through prayer. Philip Polo (Nairobi, Kenya)
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 04:36:11 +0000
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