Naturally speaking, LONELINESS is something we often seek to avoid. However, there are some moving verses in the Gospels that focus on Christ’s loneliness, e.g.
- ‘And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain BY HIMSELF to pray. Now WHEN THE EVENING CAME, He was ALONE THERE’, Matthew chapter 14 verse 23.
- ‘Now WHEN EVENING CAME, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and HE WAS ALONE ON THE LAND’, Mark chapter 6 verses 46-47.
- ‘Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain BY HIMSELF ALONE’, John chapter 6 verse 15.
If He felt the need to be ALONE in prayer, how much more ought we to value times of solitude in prayer to God for guidance. Most importantly, we learn much about the Person of Christ by meditating upon the times when He was ALONE.
- HE WAS ALONE IN HIS HOLINESS
- ‘And JESUS WAS LEFT ALONE, and the woman standing in the midst’, John chapter 8 verse 9
- the setting is early in the morning, in the Temple
- Jesus’ enemies brought an adulterous woman to Him – they quoted the law to Him that condemned her to death by stoning – they asked Him for His verdict
- if He condemned her, He lacked grace & forgiveness – if He showed grace & forgiveness, He broke the law
- His reply revealed their self-righteous hypocrisy – they had no answer to His challenge, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first,’ John chapter 8 verse 7 – one by one they dispersed
- JESUS was left ALONE IN HIS HOLINESS – there was only One who was holy and, therefore, without sin, who was qualified to cast a stone at her first
- ‘For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ’, John chapter 1 verse 17
To be continued