March 8, 2023 – Luke 9:1-27

When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick. Luke 8:10-11 

What sort of person do you turn into when you are tired? 

If you are as tired as I have been lately, you probably already know where I'm going with this.  

The truth is when we are tired, we tend to look inward. Let’s be honest, we all can get a bit grouchy! We tend to focus on ourselves. On getting our needs met. It’s a human thing to do. It has been hard-wired in us as part of the set of skills God gave us to survive in a complex and exciting world. 

But when we focus on ourselves, we miss what’s around us. We close doors, don’t see what’s in front of us, and miss exciting opportunities to see the world around us change. 

This was true for the disciples in the Luke 8 passage above. They’ve been out ministering to folks. They’ve been casting out demons and healing the sick while proclaiming the Good News. We can tell they are excited because they end up telling Jesus everything, but they’ve also hit their limit. It’s why Jesus grabs them and heads to a new place.  

They are ready for a break. 

But the crowds continue to hunger and thirst for what Jesus has to offer. They manage to ruin a perfectly good day off by showing up and asking Jesus to teach. 

Does he do what we do when we are tired? 

He does the opposite. He welcomes them. 

We may not always be in a position to welcome people and that’s OK. We all have our limits and we need to respect them, but sometimes, just maybe, God is inviting us to be a little more like Jesus and welcome people into our lives, even when it’s hard. 

Questions for reflection: 

  1. What sort of person do you turn into when you get tired? 
  2. What God-given limits do you have that are hard for you to accept? 
  3. Where is God calling you to safely welcome a difficult person into your world?