There is something about this Gospel reading that I think makes us feel a little breathless, a little claustrophobic even. Jesus really had to love human contact in order to keep on going when he was pressed in on every side. He really loved people, and had great compassion for them. Knowing the great need of people for healing, he continued to find ways to reach out to them – this time by preaching from a boat – so that he could minister to them.
Sometimes I think we often think of our own needs for healing as unworthy of our Lord’s attention. Maybe our own problems or health needs are unpleasant, but surely God has more important things to do than take care of our petty needs, right? But that’s not the message here. Here we see that Jesus didn’t use the boat to withdraw from the people, but instead called for the boat so that he could continue to reach out to the people.
If Jesus would go to such great lengths then, he certainly has not abandoned us in our needs now. It may take some persistence in prayer to align our will with God’s and to accept the healing the way he desires us to have it, but we will certainly receive answer to our prayer. We must never withdraw from Jesus thinking that he has more important things to do. His love for us and his compassion knows no limits. We should not impose limits for him.