A SELFLESS LIFE

 

What determines what you do and when you do it? For Jesus, this was simple. He was driven by the will of His Father and the needs of those around Him.

DEEP GRIEF

Jesus had received news that his relative and forerunner, John the Baptist, had been gruesomely beheaded. His response was immediate.

When Jesus heard about it, He withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. (Matthew 14:13)

It’s understandable and right that Christ would have sought solitude to be able to speak to His Father and process the death of the one He called the greatest prophet to ever live on the earth. We would think this wise and understandable.

PRESSING CROWD

But there was a problem. As usual, the crowd was oblivious to His pain, for they were filled with pain themselves. And they interrupted His solitude.

When the crowds heard this, they followed Him on foot from the towns. When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick. (Matthew 14:13)

Jesus could have waved His hand and dispensed the needy crowd. A man has a right to some quiet, you would think.

But not our Lord. Notice the three automatic responses that flowed from His selfless heart:

1.    “He saw a large crowd.” Selflessness begins here. Most people don’t see. They walk right past multitudes, never looking up from their own issues, and completely clueless to the needs of others.

2.    “Had compassion on them.” Instead of irritation, Jesus was moved with the love of God and sorrow for these people. They were not mere objects to Him. They were people He had expressly come to earth to seek and to save, and this was a prime moment that some would never forget.

3.    “And healed their sick.” Jesus set about doing what only He could do. He fixed their physical problems immediately as a way to get to their deeper issues. They needed Someone who could heal them spiritually for eternity.

Selfish people think of their needs first; selfless people think of serving first.

Selfish people will “get around to it” in time; selfless people “get to it” immediately.

Selfish people are going to get their needs attended to regardless of what happens to others; selfless people see their needs as dispensable for the greater good.

Selfish people make others feel like objects for their use; selfless people make people feel like they have come just for them.

Tim Keller calls it the art of self-forgetfulness. They are so consumed with God and others, that they don’t even think about themselves. Not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.

Jesus always chose the path of sacrifice, substitution, and self-denial if in so doing it would bring life to others. This began, in His human days, with laying aside His crown in heaven and humbling Himself to be housed in human flesh for our salvation.

Why do you do what you do, and when do you do it? Let the Christ in you, if you are His and He is yours, lead you to a more selfless life. Selflessness always bears the greatest fruit and even brings the highest rewards.