A lot of us take pride in our busyness, yet Jesus capped us all with his overflowing schedule. We tire out sitting at a desk for hours, loading and unloading laundry, sorting out problems, fixing what’s broken, or getting interrupted from our tasks. At the end of the day we’re in need of a vacation.
Needy people clung to Jesus’ robe like leeches: ‘I can’t see.’, ‘Have mercy on me!’, ‘My servant is ill.’ , ‘My mother-in-law has a fever.’, ‘Can’t you see we’re drowning?’.
On top of that, there were those with nagging questions : ‘Why aren’t your disciples washing their hands?’, ‘Why did you heal him on the Sabbath day?’, ‘Do we have to pay taxes?’.
There was not enough daylight for Jesus to cover every need; to answer each curiosity (genuine, or not); to teach hungry souls; and train his disciples. Much to be done in a short time. So, Jesus skipped a lot of meals, missed a lot of good night’s rest, and lacked privacy, and He often got chastised by his family.
Yet, Jesus never deviated from His priority.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35
How are your prayers? Short, rushed, and superficial?
And, Jesus never deviated from His purpose.
“Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’ Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.’ ” Mark 1:36-38
Does your attention go to the urgencies that scream the loudest? Sometimes you have to say ‘no’ to good things. Jesus did.
Jesus didn’t allow the needy, or the nagging to dictate His priorities, nor His purpose.
He stayed focused.
(As to that vacation from the busyness, I’ll quote my father “I’ll rest in heaven.”)