13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.
14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said.
19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
We have all heard and made all kinds of excuses for different occasions. Maybe you couldn't make it for work on time and you gave an excuse. Maybe we order a burger at a restaurant and we say to the people we are with "I have been good all week and today will be a cheat day. Sometimes we make excuses in church or why we could not make it to church. Some say "My tire was low on the car and I did not have time to air it up. Or maybe they say that this was their one day off this week and I did not want to get up early.
Sometimes people of make excuses to go to the restroom when they really just want to look at their phone or check on Facebook or emails.
In Matthew we see that Jesus is trying to get some time away to grieve over John the Baptist's beheading. Jesus and his disciples needed some time to process what had just happened and some much needed time in prayer and rest to get through their pain and suffering.
When Jesus and His crew got to the shore there waits all these people to see Jesus and listen to His words and some to receive healing. The disciples' saw the crowd and went to Jesus asking for permission to send them away. However, Jesus saw the crowd and had intentions on trying to take care of them.
Now can we think about the excuses he could have made. He could have said "I am too tied please, send them all home and we can gather back in a couple of days." He could have said that we are tired from the journey, not today. There is all kinds of excuses that He could have made.
But Jesus didn't make excuses. Even though he was certainly feeling the grief of loss, he didn't keep rowing away from shore, seeking quiet and solitude. Instead, he turned, saw the crowds and, Matthew tell us, "had compassion on them." Then, even though he was hurting himself, even though he was grieving and wanting some peace and quiet, Jesus returned to the shore and healed the sick. But the story doesn't end there. We get the impression that Jesus worked all day, through the afternoon, and into the evening healing the people. And before he knew it, it was meal time. The disciples came to him with an excuse of sorts, an opportunity for a break and some peace and quiet finally. "Jesus," they said. "It's evening. You have to stop now. The people need to get back home so they can eat." But hear again Jesus' response, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."
"But Jesus," they said, "we only have five loaves of bread and two fish!" You can almost imagine Jesus shaking his head, can't you? "Excuses, excuses!" he must have been thinking. But instead, he just said, "Bring them here to me." And after he blessed the bread and broke, the disciples handed out the food. And everyone ate and had their fill, with food to spare. "The number of those who ate was about 5,000 men, besides women and children."
Amazing isn't it? To think that over 5,000 people ate to fullness with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Imagine how disappointed those people would have been if Jesus had made excuses and continued on to find a place of solitude. Imagine if Jesus had listened to the excuses of the disciples and sent everyone home early. People would not have been healed. People would not have been fed. Miracles would not have happened, much less been witnessed by those great crowds. People would not have known the love of God and the miracle of God's kingdom at work on earth. And it all could have gone sour with just a few excuses. But Jesus doesn't make excuses, Jesus makes sacrifices.
There are many people that don't come to church and make up or give an excuse why they can't come. Some of these excuses maybe legit, however often times we find that these excuses are not the truth which would mean it is a lie. Be careful that the Devil does not convince you to lie. The Bible says that a lie is a sin and that sin will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
If you make up excuses not to seek God or to enter His temple then where will your Soul be. Also, how can you minister to others in the world that are lost if you are full.
I have heard so many people say "I knew I should have been in church" when they find out about how good a service was. There are people that will run all over town or go to the Zoo or Six Flags or a concert and will not be in church Sunday morning because they did not get home until late.
Most of the time they could have left a couple of hours earlier to make sure they were at church