Serving Bread

Jesus must have been a very lonely guy. He was incredibly popular, but he must have been lonely. He visits his hometown only to find that he is not accepted by his own people. And though he’s not surprised by his friends’, family’s and neighbors’ responses, it is hurtful and lonely when the people who were or are community reject you or at the very least, do not honor you the way you’ve been honored. His loneliness comes out in his posture toward the people. His disciples see them as a burden that are ruining rest while Jesus sees them as sheep without a shepherd.

In this scene, what stands out is that though the disciples participate in the miracle, they find themselves farther relationally from the chief shepherd than closer. And finally, seeing how the crowd of people respond to Jesus, they are looking for help and healing but it’s not evident they are wanting a relationship.

Loneliness is a corrupting feeling. Loneliness leads people to hurt themselves and hurt others. Loneliness shapes how we think about others and how to engage others. Yet despite how lonely he must have been, Jesus endured through that. He didn’t turn to sin, to criticism or to abandonment. He remained engaged in the mission. Jesus knew his Father and knew his mission. I wonder if those are the two key elements that help us endure loneliness or hard times in general.

Jesus may have been lonely, but he knew the Father, intimately. He loved the Father and he knew that the Father loved him. How people treated him did not matter because he knew how good the Father is. Second, he knew his mission. And he would be faithful to that mission regardless of the response and how people treated him in the process. Loneliness does not trump mission for him.

The world can be a lonely place. Ministry can be a lonely place. Like Jesus, going deep with the father, and having a clear sense of call and mission helps and navigate the loneliness that may creep around us.