And *he* withdrew himself, and was about in the desert [places] and praying.
Crowds were pressing in to hear Jesus and to be healed. His fame was spreading. At that very moment He slipped away alone. Luke records the retreat as carefully as he records the miracles. Why was a man walking away from a crowd worth telling?
The Force of "Withdrew"
The verb does not describe a single afternoon. The form of the word points to a settled habit:
"Withdrew." Wesley's note draws attention to the verb tense here: "He did so often."
The Dependent Man
The verse sits between two miracles. That placement matters:
But instead of giving in to the applause of the crowd, the Lord withdrew and spent the time in the desert praying. Nothing could be more beautiful than this retreat for prayer between the two miracles. He was truly God. Yet He was also man — not only in upholding the authority of the law, but in living out dependence on God.
And what looks admirable in Him exposes something in us:
And what next? Jesus withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. However great the power He used, and however plainly divine, He is the dependent man. This is just where we fail.
Not Steered by the Crowd
The growing crowd looked like an opportunity. He did not treat it as one:
We might think this was a great chance for preaching. How many preachers would be excited by such a prospect! But He withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. How profitable a lesson for us if we tend to think much of "numbers"! The excitement stirred up around Him did not sway Him. The presence of God matters far more than crowds of people. God guided Him, not the apparent interest of the people. He knew that interest could just as easily turn into hateful rejection. It was the crowd who later cried out for His crucifixion.
The same withdrawal shows a fixed aim:
Oh, for this Spirit of holy purpose in every measure! Man would say He ought to come forward. But He kept close to His work with perfect purpose. He was intent on the needs of men, yet, as to the purpose of His own soul, He remained indifferent to their interest in Him. This separation in purpose stands out all through our Lord's life, and so does its calmness.
Why Luke Keeps Recording Prayer
Luke notes the Lord at prayer where the other Gospel writers do not. The reason lies in what prayer shows about the one praying:
As on other occasions, only Luke notes the Lord in prayer. This still shows us that the Lord is set before us as a Man, rather than as a Jew or as the Son of God. A Jew, seen as under the law, was not really called to pray, because the law threw him back on his own strength. But prayer is the expression of dependence. So it is the first duty of a creature like man, who should learn to wait on God as his all-sufficiency and strength.
That dependence is not a side detail of His humanity. It is the heart of it:
Luke presents man in his perfection — the dependent man; for dependence is the essence of a perfect man. We do see God shining all through. Yet in Jesus we see the dependent man, in the place and condition of perfection as man. The root of sin in us is self-will, independence.
The Pattern for Us
Two things belong together in ordinary Christian life, and the Lord's own days show it:
In my last letter I pointed you to the importance of the Word of God. Now I want to speak of prayer and its link with the spiritual life. These two — the Word of God and prayer — always go together. It was so in the blessed activity of our Lord's life. After a long day of ministry we find a record like this: He withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
Summary
- Habit. The wording points to something repeated, not a single retreat. He withdrew often.
- Dependence. The greater the power He showed, the more He took the place of the dependent man. Darby notes this is just where we fail.
- Direction. God guided Him, not the size or excitement of the crowd. The presence of God matters more than numbers.
- Purpose. The withdrawal shows a settled aim: intent on people's needs, unmoved by their interest in Him.
- Perfection. Self-will is the root of sin in us; dependence is the essence of the perfect Man, and prayer is its plain expression.