When Jesus heard
about John he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. When the
crowds learned this, they followed him on foot from the cities. –Matthew 14:13
After hearing of the death of John the Baptist, Jesus
needs some time to himself. However, the only time he gets is the time on the
boat. Alone on the water, I imagine him feeling the rocking motion and hearing
the waves lapping against the hull. Other than this, things are still, quiet,
calm. I can imagine the time on the water soothes his pain.
I’ve read this verse many times but never before have I
thought about Jesus’ time on the water. That was merely a transition from point
A to point B in my mind. However, a group from my church recently returned from
a pilgrimage to Israel. I asked two different men at two different events last
week to describe their most memorable moment of the time away. Both of them
described being on a boat in the Sea of Galilee in silence for about ten
minutes—no boat engine, no conversation. Just silence.
Their descriptions of this experience caused me to pay
attention to this verse that details Jesus’ movement by boat. Having heard my friends
describe their experience, my own imagination went with Jesus into the boat,
and I shared the experience with him. It reminds me that being present is not
only about arriving at a destination, but also about being present in the
transitions of life, mundane as they often are. For Jesus had only the boat
time to renew himself, only that time alone on the water to attend to his
grief.
The transitions in my day and yours are many and we often
miss the gifts they offer us. Climbing the stairs, driving the car, standing in
line, walking across a parking lot—all these are times we can choose to be
present and attentive or we can merely be focused on getting to the next thing.
Years ago, I was looking out my office window into the
parking lot. A bush was alive with cedar waxwings, devouring the berries. I was
mesmerized as I watched them. A coworker pulled his car into the parking space
near the bush, got out of the car and walked into the building. He never saw
the birds right there in front of him. That happened thirty-plus years ago and
I still remember it.
So today, I want to pay attention to the transitions, to
the moments between moments, the pauses between words, the spaces between
thoughts or breaths. Those are opportunities to be aware of the Spirit’s
presence.
