The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known.
From this and other passages we should understand that Jesus was crucified precisely because he was healing people. He knew that. In this twelfth chapter of Matthew he withdraws from that place not in cowardice but because his time had not yet come. The Lord will do nothing not according to the will, direction, and timing of the Father.
We should also understand that when we ask the Lord to heal us, forgive us, or save us, we're asking him to go to Jerusalem to be crucified.
Certainly the thousands who came to him during those few years before he died could not imagine that. Not knowing the future, they assumed that something will workout to placate or neutralize the enemies of the Lord's anointed. He must continue healing everyone, and then establish his promised Kingdom of God.
But he show us, his disciples, what is to come; and we go with him to Jerusalem to witness that very event.
As we recite our rosary, especially the Sorrowful Mysteries, we abide with the Lord in Gethsemane for a while. As his friends we might urge him to flee! Go, find a safe place! Hide out for a while. There must be safe houses and admirers who will protect you until this blows over!
But we also beg him to wait, to be arrested, and to go with the mob to certain death. There is no other way to deliver us from the mess we have created for ourselves. We've tried everything and only failed.
Long after his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, the Evangelist Matthew would make sense of it all as he read the words of the ancient Prophet Isaiah:
Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,my beloved in whom I delight;I shall place my Spirit upon him,and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.He will not contend or cry out,nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.A bruised reed he will not break,a smoldering wick he will not quench,until he brings justice to victory.And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.