Here, amid violent hostility, Jesus manages to slip away, perhaps drawing the hood of his cloak over his head, perhaps with the help of others. We also know that Jesus tells his disciples when they go to a town that is not willing to receive them, they should simply wipe the dust from their feet and move on.
There is profound inner freedom in Jesus. He does not need to win the approval of all. He does not waste energy on people and situations that he cannot change or take too much energy to change. He simply moves on to where he can exercise his ministry. He often, during his ministry, simply steps away from situations that are not fruitful. Only when he faces his passion does he know that now the time has come when he is called to stay even in
the face of overwhelming danger.
I think there is great wisdom for us here. There may be times when we need to let go, to move on.
There may be a critical moment in our lives, our "passion" moment, where we need to stay even in a hostile or dangerous situation. The key is to commit to being faithful to what God is asking of us, do our best, and trust God with the outcome. To ask, is this a moment when we are called to "shake the dust from our feet" or "to slip away quietly"? Or is this the critical moment in which we experience the cost of our faithfulness with the grace of
God?
- Where are you trapped into needing the approval of others?
- Where are you called to slip away quietly away from danger?
- Where are you called to stand firm with God's help?
