Did Jesus just run away from the crowds? Did Jesus not see the needs of the people? Was it not a good opportunity to preach and call for repentance when there were many people gathering and waiting for healing? Why would Jesus choose to cleanse the one who was covered with leprosy but not others? While many questions remain unanswered, the text firmly says, Jesus “would withdraw to deserted places and pray.” What a serendipitous turn of events!
Jesus’ transitory disengagement with the people does not mean Jesus abandoned them. Feeling and absorbing the world’s suffering, Jesus knew best how to channel his energy. Jesus seemed disinterested in rigidity and formality in religious life and refused to fulfill unrealistic expectations imposed on him. Neither being conformed to certain roles and norms, nor fearing of being interrogated for his action and decision, Jesus decisively ventured to those empty, abandoned, and undesirable places. Jesus prayed. His pausing and praying become a way that deepens the connection to his innermost self. Jesus’ prayer centers him in God. His trust in God revives his focus on God’s promise for the world. Even a sense of being deserted can be transformed into places where desperation and hope can meet, and where tears and joy can come together.
How might Jesus’ pausing and praying in the midst of never-ending demands instruct our way of being? In this season of Lent, may each of us withdraw from the rigidity and formality that blur our vision of God and God’s unconditional love for the world. Let us shut down the noise that tells us to please others and fulfill others’ expectations. Now we may re-center ourselves in God through prayer: Bring our hearts, our minds, and our bodies into the learning experience so that our encounter with the Divine can help us find our true selves. It is my hope that this practice will bring us surprisingly new ideas, direction, and stimulation for the healing of the world.
Let us pray,
O Gracious God, we pause and return to you. Help us to examine the priorities in our lives and be sensitive to your voice within us and around us. Direct our thoughts and guide our actions as we seek for clarity of vision. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Man-Hei Yip, PhD
Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology
Wartburg Theological Seminary
