Read Mat 4.12, Mk 1.14, Lk 4.14
Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;
(Matthew 4:12)
Some call it a retreating and others call it a tactical withdraw. When John the Baptist had been taken into custody it put Jesus ministry at risk in Judea. The people and the leaders were worked into an emotional frenzy with John’s arrest and the emotion of the moment could have cause collateral damage to Jesus’ efforts. Jesus had work to do and the cross would have been premature at this time. So He withdraws back to Galilee.
One of the skills a disciplemaker must possess is the ability to back off. He is not trying to win the war in a day. Frequently, saying or doing the right thing at the wrong time can be counterproductive. A good disciplemaker is watching for the teachable moments and those moments may not have come yet. You cannot rush the “becoming like Jesus” process. You may need to “Just stand there and Don’t do something.” Jesus knew He was headed for the cross but it would be at the right time. He was not interested winning a few battles, He won the war. We are not interested in getting people to say or do something, we are interested in helping them become like Christ (Lk 6.40). FJ33
For questions or comments drop me a line at charleswood1@gmail.com
