I am sure He was exhausted. His fame had spread to the point He couldn’t go anywhere without someone recognizing Him and wanting something from Him. Even when He had the chance to be alone, people were always searching and waiting for the next opportunity to get His attention. In fact, Mark tells us, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, ‘Everyone is looking for you’” (Mk. 1:35-37).
Imagine what life must have been like for Jesus. Jesus could not go anywhere without having people come to him from every direction (Mk. 1:45). His life was constantly interrupted by others and their needs. But notice this amazing quality about Jesus: no matter how busy He was or what else He had going on, Jesus always made time for people. He always gave what He had and did what He could to bless the lives of others, even when it was inconvenient.
Why did Jesus treat people the way He did? For Jesus, His life was always focused on His mission (Matt. 4:23-25; Jn. 6:38). His ultimate desire was for all people to be saved. So Jesus used every opportunity, no matter how inconvenient, to minister to others. He did what He did in hopes of bringing others to faith in Him.
I have no doubt that each one of us believes in the Great Commission. However, before we can fulfill the Great Commission, we have to set a foundation for it by the way we treat others. We must look for every day opportunities to minister to those in need. We can’t allow ourselves to become too busy. Like Jesus, the giving of our time to others should not be a matter of convenience but a matter of opportunity. If we look for open doors, we will have the opportunity to lead others to faith in Christ.
Justin Morton