These themes emerge again in Jesus’ journey into the wilderness, tying his identity to that of his Hebrew ancestors. Through the experiences of the Israelites in exile, we learn that while the Biblical wilderness is a place of danger, temptation and chaos, it is also a place for solitude, nourishment, and revelation from God. The wilderness of the Bible is a liminal space-an in-between place where ordinary life is suspended, identity shifts, and new possibilities emerge. This gathering of a large crowd in the wilderness set up one of the most important miracles in the Gospels the feeding of the 5000.Jesus performed much of his ministry in urban settings, yet many of his most transformative moments occurred in outdoor settings-bodies of water, mountaintops, and wilderness. In Numbers 27:15-23 Moses realizes he is near death He prays for God to appoint a new leader so that the people will not be “like sheep without a shepherd.” The sick (ἄρρωστος) is a rare word in the New Testament that can refer to the sick, weak, or “powerless.” In 1 Cor 11:30, those who were abusing the Lord’s Supper are “sick and weak” and the verb is used sickness associated with sin in Sirach 18:21. ![]() This also may allude to the wilderness tradition. In Mark 6:34, Jesus teaches the crowd, here in Matthew he heals. The verb σπλαγχνίζομαι appears only in the Gospels with Jesus as the subject, With the except of the good Samaritan and father of the prodigal (Luke 10:33 15:20). This is the second time Jesus has had compassion on a great crowd (9:36) and in 20:34 he has compassion on a blind man. Jesus has compassion on the crowd and healed their sick (14:14). One of the reasons Jesus goes into the wilderness is to evoke the images from the Hebrew Bible. Jesus as a new Moses leading his people into the wilderness where he will care for them like sheep in the wilderness, caring for their sickness and providing them food. The wilderness is associated with Israel after they were rescued from Egypt. The location does evoke scriptural connections. The Church of Peter’s Primacy near Tabgha is also worth visiting for its lovely garden on the short of the Sea of Galilee. This location is on most tourist itineraries. There is a Byzantine church on the site with a traditional rock on which the fish and bread were blessed, along with a famous mosaic which appears in every gift shop in Israel. According to Todd Bolen, the spring water is warmer than the Sea of Galilee so there are algae in the water, attracting fish. The place was known as Heptapegon because it had seven springs, Tabgha is a corruption of this ancient name. The traditional location is Tabgha, only about two miles west of Capernaum. In the context of Galilee, they are in an area where people do not live, between villages and farms. But Jesus is in Galilee, so wilderness here does not refer to a desert location, but rather an unpopulated area. Most Bible readers hear the word wilderness and think of Israel’s forty years of wandering in the deserts of the Negev. The word translate “desolate place” in the ESV (ἔρημος) is traditionally “the wilderness.” John the Baptist was active in the wilderness and Jesus was tempted in the wilderness of Judea. ![]() Remember the Sea of Galilee is not that large! His intention is to go to the cross, but at the time of the Passover to make the imagery of the “lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” more clear.Įven though Jesus goes to a desolate place, the crowds follow him (14:13). He does not want to provoke a confrontation with the authorities yet. It is not as though Jesus is afraid of Antipas. Luke 9:9 indicates Antipas “sought to see Jesus” and in Luke 13:31 the Pharisees warn Jesus to “get away from here because Herod wants to kill you.” In Matthew 4:12 Jesus withdrew to Galilee because Herod Antipas arrested John. In Matthew 2:22 Jesus leaves Bethlehem because Herod the Great threatened to kill the infant Jesus. Jesus has retreated in response to danger before in Matthew. The verb in verse 13 (ἀναχωρέω) does in fact have the nuance of a retreat from danger, an army retreating, and sometimes to “withdraw from public affairs” (BrillDAG). Why does Jesus retreat to a “desolate place” (ESV)? ![]() After the death of John the Baptist, Jesus goes into the wilderness.
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