Jesus would likely push back against “self-care” in this important way…

…because so many people were coming and going that [the apostles] did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. (Mark 6:31-32)

Job 11:6 says that, “True wisdom has two sides.” Which is why we’re exploring five pieces of “double-sided wisdom” in this series—couplets of paradoxical truths that God calls us to hold in tension. Here’s today’s: Enjoy Self-Care AND Embrace Self-Sacrifice.

We see Jesus modeling the first side of this double-sided wisdom throughout the gospels as he “often withdrew to lonely places” for some peace, quiet, and prayer (Luke 5:16). And in today’s passage, we see Jesus offering self-care to his followers (see Mark 6:31-32).

And yet, the dominant theme of Jesus’s life was not self-care but self-sacrifice, the flip side of this double-sided wisdom. For “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (see Matthew 20:28).

So, Jesus made time for self-care and he modeled self-sacrifice. How did he hold these ideas in tension? Matthew 14 offers us a case study to that end.

Verses 1–12 records Jesus hearing the news that his beloved cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded. The first half of verse 13 tells us that “when Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately.” Clearly, he longed for self-care for his mind and soul.

But the crowds wouldn’t let him have it. The second half of verse 13 tells us that “hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.” 

If there were ever a time when it would have been understandable for Jesus to choose self-care over self-sacrifice, it’s right here. But remarkably, Jesus doesn’t. Verse 14 says that “when Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

Many times, self-care and self-sacrifice were not at odds for Jesus. But when they did compete, he always chose self-sacrifice. You and I are called to do the same (see Matthew 20:26-28, Romans 12:1, and Luke 9:23).

Practically, this might look like scheduling workouts before work for your own self-care—but being willing to sacrifice that workout when your spouse needs help on a difficult morning with the kids. Or prioritizing your self-care by setting clear boundaries on when you will and will not work—but being willing to sacrifice those boundaries when a hurting co-worker wants to grab a drink after work.

Embrace the way of Jesus by making time for self-care today. But ask God to prepare your heart to choose self-sacrifice when necessary for his glory and the good of others!