2 August 2026

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:13-14

Greetings in the name of Jesus!

Having heard the bitter report that John the Baptist had suffered a humiliating beheading, Jesus dealt with this deep disappointment by taking on more desolation, not admitting defeat but defying despair. As a matter of fact, Jesus’ face was set towards having compassion on the crowd, healing their sick and feeding them. So, before distributing His miraculous meal, He made two defiant gestures. He defied sadness and hatred by looking up to heaven and then by giving thanks. He looked up because the symmetry and beauty of the heavens are hopeful signs of the life that once was and of the future that will be of the fullness of life that Jesus will replace this one with and, finally, subdue the world’s crookedness and ugliness, ending all sadness and emptiness and illnesses forever.

Pastor Jaime