"Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children." [Matthew 14:13-21 NASB]
Jesus has just heard the news that John the Baptist was beheaded. In response, He just wanted to be alone for awhile. The Bible doesn't describe His feelings at the time, but consider the circumstances. John and Jesus were cousins. Since Mary and Elizabeth visited one another, it is reasonable to assume that John and Jesus knew one another as children. Jesus wept at Lazarus' grave, so it is not unreasonable to surmise that he must have wept over the loss of John.
Jesus was fully human and had the full range of human emotions, so it is reasonable to think that He mourned the loss of John. Paul said, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope." [1 Thessalonians 4:13 NASB] We do not grieve over the fate of those who have died in Christ, but we still grieve our own loss of their company. I expect that is what motivated Jesus to get in a boat and go to a secluded place to be alone.
The crowds had a different idea. Whatever their motivations, whether need, desperation, or selfishness, they cared little about the death of John or the grief of Jesus, and they pursued Him on land - following the sea shore - so that when He arrived, they were waiting for Him.
Here, Jesus shows His true nature. He doesn't sail away again. He doesn't roll His eyes an huff. He doesn't berate the crowd nor insist that he be left alone. He has compassion on them and heals their sick.
Afterwards, He feeds five thousand men, plus women and children.
Yes, the miracle of the loaves and fish is a great miracle. But the greater work is the compassion that Jesus showed to the crowd in His own time of need.
How many of us would sacrifice our own time of mourning and loss to minister to crowds of people we don't even know?
We talk about Christianity as being a religion of compassion and selflessness. I have known some godly men and women who gladly put others needs before their own, but never to this extent. This is an example of true selflessness.
I don't condemn anyone who sets aside ministry for a time for the sake of mourning. But in our goal to be more like Jesus I propose that we challenge our own notions of selflessness and giving.
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