马太福音 14:13-14 耶稣听见了，就上船从那里独自退到野地里去。众人听见，就从各城里步行跟随他。 耶稣出来，见有许多的人，就怜悯他们，治好了他们的病人。

我们有一个多么无私的救主啊!当耶稣听说他的堂兄，施洗约翰，以如此残忍和无耻的方式被处决时，他跑到山上，以便能独自呆一会儿。我们有一位救主，他会被今生的境况和痛苦所影响，正如我们被它们所影响一样。有时候，我们只是想独自一人，在悲伤中哭泣。当你有这种感觉时，要明白耶稣知道那是什么感觉。正如以赛亚书53:4节说:“他诚然担当我们的忧患，背负我们的痛苦”。

众人都跟着耶稣，在那个时期，主耶稣就像一位名人，加利利的人们跟随着他到任何地方。当我们的日程从早到晚都被排满的时候，我们需要休息一下。事实上，这是一件好事，尤其是我们需要用一些时间让我们的灵魂在祷告和默想中得到休息。

但是马太说，当主耶稣看到一大群人时，他对他们产生了怜悯。希腊语描绘了一种“痛苦的揪心的感觉”。你有没有那种为某人感到非常难受，以至于你的心会痛的感觉？这就是主耶稣对他们的感觉，对那些需要牧羊人的人，对那些生病的人，对那些需要知道出人意料的平安的人。这也是耶稣对你我的感觉。

祷告 :亲爱的主耶稣，谢谢你把我们的疾病和悲伤带到你的心里。你是主宰天地万物的主，但你却顾念了我们。你知道我们一切的软弱、疲惫和孤独的滋味,感谢你眷顾我们。奉主耶稣基督的名求。阿们！

Matthew 14: 13-14 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

What a selfless Savior we have! When Jesus heard that his cousin, John the Baptist, had been executed in such a brutal and shameless way, he took to the hills so that he could be alone by himself for a while. We have a Savior who was affected by the circumstances and sorrows of this life, just as we are affected by them. Sometimes we just want to be alone by ourselves and weep through our sorrows. When you feel like that, understand that Jesus knows what that’s like. “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,” says Isaiah (53:4).

 But the crowds followed Jesus. This was a time when Jesus enjoyed (?) some celebrity status, and the crowds in Galilee followed him everywhere.  When our schedules are packed from morning till evening, it’s ok for us to take a retreat once in a while. In fact, it’s a good thing, especially when that retreat incorporates time for our souls in prayer and meditation.

 But Matthew says that when he saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them. The Greek word pictures a “gut wrenching feeling.” Have you ever felt so bad for someone that it literally hurt in your stomach? That’s how Jesus felt for them, for people who needed a shepherd, for people who were sick, for people who needed to know the peace that passes all understanding. And that’s how Jesus feels for you and me as well.

 Prayer:  Dear Jesus, thank you for carrying my sicknesses and my sorrows on your heart. You are God who rules all things in heaven and on earth, and yet you also shared our humanity. You know what it’s like to be weak and tired and alone. Thank you for making room in your heart for me.  Amen.