Focused on Purpose

Matthew 14:13-14– When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

Jesus had heard of the death of his cousin, John the Baptist. As the scriptures read, it seems that he traveled to a distant place possibly to mourn his death. When the people heard of Jesus’ travels, they followed Him on foot out of the cities. Through Jesus’ compassion for those that came to Him, there are a number of principles that can be learned:

1. No matter the distance, people will come to where they can receive true help. Jesus traveled by ship. A great multitude followed him on foot out of the cities. News of His movement spread across cities – and the people followed. It can be understood that a ship could travel faster than people walking. Based upon the rest of the text in Matthew 14, men, women, and children followed as well (Matthew 14:21).

2. Don’t lose sight of your purpose. Besides Jesus’ ultimate purpose of being a sacrifice for our sins, He had come to fulfill the words spoken through the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-3):

Luke 4:14-21 – And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

In spite of any emotions of sorrow over the death of His cousin, upon seeing the great multitude, He was moved with compassion. His physical and emotional state was overriden as the needs of the people came to Him. They traveled a great distance to see Him…and He would fulfill His purpose.

Often times we lose sight of our purpose because we entangle ourselves with the cares and affairs of the world (Matthew 13:22) instead of being good soliders:

2 Timothy 2:3-4 – Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

When we’re concerned more for the cares and affairs of the world, we’ll prove to be unfruitful in bearing fruit that abounds before the Master and the world (Matthew 13:23).

3. Your purpose should not pause due to life circumstances. As Jesus spoke in Matthew 6:34, Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Things will happen today that we may have no control over. The only thing we can control is our reponse to those circumstances.

Circumstances changes, but our commitment to our purpose should remain focused and unearthed.

Hebrews 12:1-4 – Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto/Jonathan Kendall