Bible Tuesday

The agony of the cross of Christ is not the physical torture.  It is the separation from God. The interruption of the holy intimacy between God and Jesus. 

12 His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.  
13Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself ; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  

Mathew 14:12-13 (New American Standard)


Jesus hears that John the Baptist has been killed. He ‘withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place’. Jesus is not surprised or shocked by what has happened to John. When John was still in Elizabeth’s womb and Jesus in Mary’s, Jesus already knew what was going to happen to John.

But Jesus’ reaction to John’s death gives us a glimpse of what happens when His humanity and deity meet. Jesus as God is not worried about John. He knows John’s work has been completed and that , while his physical head may be on a platter in Herod’s throne room, John's soul is reclining at Abraham’s bosom. Jesus as God knows that John is doing fine...in fact, better than he has ever been before. 

But Jesus as man still mourns John’s death. Why? I think the first reason is pretty simple. Just as Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb, He is also affected by John’s death because, quite simply, He loved him. And now that human connection is over. But the second reason I think Jesus withdraws after John’s death is that this event pushes Jesus’ earthly story forward. From the moment Jesus is born in Bethlehem, He has been marching toward the cross. For all that we as Christians seem to want to glorify the horrors of death on a cross, I don’t believe that Jesus ever feared it. But I do think that He feared the separation from God. If we could see the horror of that, instead of focusing on a crown of thorns, or nail scarred hands, maybe we could understand why God puts up with so much ‘stuff’. Maybe we could understand why He continues to let this world spin, let evil work and let Satan roam. He does not want even one to perish. Jesus feared being separated from God for a few hours. Imagine how He grieves when those He loves make decisions that will separate them from God forever.