When Jesus heard of it He departed thence by ship.
The sorrowing Saviour
Jesus hears of John’s death, and thereupon seeks seclusion.
I. Here we learn How to behave in time of trouble.
1. Christ was deeply affected by John’s death-that event gave Him great sorrow.
2. There was good reason for Christ being deeply affected. John from the first had been a faithful friend; his sole object was to magnify Christ.
II. How Christ acted when this great sorrow filled his soul.
1. He sought the desert; He desired to be alone. That He might pray. The multitudes come; He meets them.
2. His sorrow for the dead is changed into compassion for the living. He must now work, not weep. God finds work for every sorrowing heart that trusts in Him, in which relief is found. (A Scott.)
Solitude not permanent
There are some occurrences that simply make us quiet. There are shocks we can only answer by eloquent dumbness. He departed and went into a wilderness: it was better to be among the barren sands than among murderers and most cruel-minded men. There are times when we are all but inclined to give up our work. Our rain is lost, our dews fall in stony places, our best endeavours are returned to us without echo or answer of joy and gratitude, and we sigh for a lodge in some vast wilderness, some boundless contiguity of shade. This will be only for awhile, however, in the case of Jesus Christ. “When He went forth and saw great multitudes He was moved with compassion towards them, and He healed their sick.” He was bound to come back again: the sickness would have a greater effect upon Him than the murder. He will not relinquish His work because of instances that might have shocked Him with fatal distress. He looks upon the multitudinous man and not only upon the individual mischief-doer and murderer. He was the Son of Man; Jesus Christ always took the broad and inclusive view, and this held Him to His work when individual instances might have driven Him away from it and afflicted Him with fatal discouragement. (Joseph Parker, D. D.)
