withdrawing to Ephraim

In response to the miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the religious leaders plotted to kill Jesus, both out of jealousy and out of fear that Jesus would cause a revolution, which He did.  John's gospel tells us that Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea, but withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where He stayed with His disciples (John 11:54).

This withdrawal is reminiscent of Elijah's withdrawal to the wilderness near Beersheba, after the miracle of fire on Mt. Carmel, for which Queen Jezebel vowed to kill him (1 Kings 18-19).  The key difference, however, between Jesus and Elijah is that whereas Elijah withdrew in fear, Jesus withdrew on purpose.

It seems to be common that, at precisely those times when we experience a significant advance in our life and ministry in The Lord, we also experience significant opposition from the enemy, hitting us when we are likely very tired.  Jesus was not only aware of His opposition, He was also aware of His need for time apart to rest and recover from Lazarus' raising, withdrawing in the company of His friends.  So He chose to go to Ephraim, a wilderness village named after the second son of Joseph.  Ephraim means "fruitful", the child so named because God had made Joseph fruitful in the land of His suffering (Gen. 41:52).  In the midst of His current and impending suffering, as well as His exaltation, Jesus withdrew to the wilderness, this fruitful place of isolation, for repair and restoration.  A week before His death, Jesus would return to Judea in the Power of The Holy Spirit, much as He had done at the beginning of His Messianic ministry when He returned from the wilderness.

If Jesus needs times to retreat, to withdraw, to repair, recover, and restore, what about you and me?  How long has it been since you have withdrawn to a quiet place, a fruitful wilderness place, to be with Jesus, and perhaps with His disciples.  Could God be calling you to withdraw to your Ephraim?