Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
A. INTRODUCTION
1. Us
It seems, sometimes, that our lives can be so busy that we have little time to rest. There’s always something that needs to be done, and no sooner have we done one job than another one is waiting our attention. Indeed, sometimes it can seem as though we’re trying to juggle too many things at the one time, as other things make demands on our time. And, as a consequence, we can rush from one thing to the next, having very little time to ourselves And, of course, with the danger of never doing anything particularly well.
And yet, despite that, rest is still important. We need sleep—some more than others. We need time to relax, to recoup some of that vital energy. And we need to de-stress ourselves, to remove the burdens that are holding us back.
2. The Disciples (Mark 6:6b-13)
But how exactly can we balance our busy-ness with the rest that we need? Well, some of the answers can be found in this passage from Mark’s gospel. Because what we have in our story is twelve worn out, and exhausted disciples, who had just returned from a mission that Jesus had sent them on. And having been sent out in six groups of two, on a mission of their own, our story tell us what happened next.
B. THE GOSPEL
1. Withdrawal from the Crowds (30-31)
Because what happened next, immediately on their return was, that after briefly telling Jesus all they had said and done, they discovered that there was no rest for them there either.
People had heard about Jesus, and they’d heard about the recent mission of the disciples. And, as a consequence, they had gathered around them to hear more. So much so, they couldn’t even enjoy a meal in peace.
Now these were twelve tired men, and the last thing they wanted was to be surrounded by a crowd wanting more. But Jesus recognised their dilemma and suggested that they withdraw from the crowds to a deserted place. In other words, Jesus suggested that they needed rest, away from the demands of life and the demands of the crowd. They needed sleep and they needed to be alone. And so, in the circumstances, a time in the wilderness would have been ideal.
2. Time Alone With God (30-31)
However, sleep and needing to be alone, were not the only reasons that Jesus called them to go to a deserted place. Because, at the conclusion of the disciple’s mission they may have immediately reported back all they had seen and done, but in addition to the physical rest they so desperately needed, they needed to recoup spiritually too.
The directive to withdraw into the wilderness signified more than just the need to rest from strenuous labour. It also signified the need to spend time resting in God’s care. Because they had a task to do—to be people of God and to tell others about God—and, as a consequence, they needed to be refreshed and be ready for the next stage in their spiritual journey.
3. Rest Interrupted (33-34-(44))
Unfortunately, as things happen, they were allowed neither physical nor spiritual rest. A multitude of people had watched them depart and they followed them even into the wilderness.
However, despite the fact we are told that the crowd built up to five thousand strong, and despite Jesus having compassion on the crowd by deciding to teach them and feed them, he still showed concern for the welfare of his twelve disciples.
4. A Second Attempt (45-52)
So he sent them out once again—this time on their own, in the hope that they could have their rest away from the demands of the world. And while Jesus dismissed the crowd, the disciples set sail, probably quite confident that at least while on the lake they would be safe from being interrupted again. And while they were on that lake, Jesus put into practice what he preached himself. He withdrew to a mountain top for physical and spiritual refreshment.
However, if the disciples thought that the lack of a crowd would ensure a time of rest, they were mistaken. Because as the disciples sailed off in the boat, maybe they did get some rest for a while. However, this time, it wasn’t people who interrupted their rest but the weather. A terrific storm blew up, and they had to row the boat to the point of exhaustion. When Jesus, therefore, come to their rescue, by walking on the water, the disciples not knowing who it was, at first, would have been frightened out of their lives. Their physical exhaustion now mixed with stark terror.
However, with Jesus’s arrival at the boat, the storm calmed. And the disciples were at last able to spend some time alone, brief as though it maybe, away from the crowds, and with their Lord and Saviour.
5. Back to Business (53-56)
That is until the boat finally arrived at Gennesaret where the whole situation started all over again. It was a thickly populated part of the country, and it didn’t take long for the crowds to appear and for the sick to be brought to Jesus for healing. And so, having had even a little bit of rest, it was back to it again, with all the demands and expectations of the people wanting to be met.
C. APPLICATION
Rest! It’s a very important part of life. Yes we can be busy—we may even like being busy—but as Jesus indicated to his disciples, and even practiced himself—but not always successfully—rest should be very much part and parcel of life. And for some of us . . . Well, maybe we can be just too busy to take it seriously enough.
Despite that, this gospel passage does set a pattern of rest which we would do well to follow. And in particular, there are four ideas about rest that come out of this passage.
1. Sleep
And the first idea relates to the need for sleep.
Now, the idea that we should cease being active, in order to refresh our bodies and souls, is not a new idea. And yet insomnia, apparently, is probably the number one physical problem in the West today.
Of course, failure to sleep may have many causes. But more often than not, insomnia has its roots in one’s spirituality. Many people find it difficult to sleep because they bear the world’s problems on their shoulders. The events of the day, or a particular difficult relationship, tend to be the kind of things that people churn over in their minds, to the extent that they are kept awake at night.
And yet, what was the first thing that the disciples did when they returned from their mission? They told Jesus everything they had done and taught—and, no doubt, what the reaction to their mission had been. In other words, they confided in Jesus the joys and the sorrows they had faced. So, then, it wasn’t necessary for them to toss and turn with the weight of things on their shoulders. They had given it over to their Lord and Saviour. And consequently everything was his problem and not theirs. The burden had been shared.
For Christians, therefore, a lesson we can learn, if we haven’t already, is that we should not continually lose sleep because we are turning over the issues of the day in our minds. Rather we should learn to rest having given all our problems to God. We are not God, and to hold on to any problem, is like we are wanting to play God ourselves. Rather, we should sleep at night with our burdens removed, resting in Christ’s finished work, resting in God’s sovereignty, and resting in the Spirit’s ongoing creative activity.
2. Serenity
The second idea about rest is the need for serenity—for repose and refreshment, and for the restoring of equilibrium to one’s body and person.
Unfortunately, what happens so often these days is that we confuse relaxation and the need to be active. As a consequence, in our culture, we work for money to live and we work for money to buy rest, with the view of ‘doing’ things, being active, even paying for an expensive vacation in an exotic getaway. And how often have you heard the well-worn phrase that ‘people need to go back to work for rest’. But then leisure, these days, often seems to mean little more than a furious activity of consumption.
And yet what did Jesus suggest the disciples do for rest? Well certainly not to go to a holiday resort, or be around other people, or even rush around ‘enjoying’ themselves, or anything like it. No! Rather, he suggested that they get away into the wilderness, and have time just to be alone. To be away from worldly things and the things that would actually prevent someone from having proper rest.
3. Sabbath
The third idea about rest is all about the concept of the ‘Sabbath’.
Now, the idea of the Sabbath is not just to have a day out from normal activity, but it’s a reminder that in order to rest we also need to spend time with God (and not to just pass on our burdens).
The idea of the disciples being sent into the wilderness, and why Jesus went up on to the mountain alone was, therefore, not just so they could catch up with their physical need for rest, but because they needed to pursue the spiritual side of rest too. The needed to have a time of resting in God, talking and listening to him away from the demands of the world. And in an environment where distractions would be minimalized.
As Christians therefore we need both leisure and time with God. But we need time with God more than we need leisure. Therefore, setting aside time daily to be with him—and weekly joining in worship and play—is a recipe not only for physical rest but also for a healthy relationship with God. It keeps our lives centred on meaning and purpose, it keeps our priorities right, and it keeps us in a lifestyle lived in harmony with God.
4. Salvation
And the fourth idea about rest is about salvation itself.
The disciples had just come back from telling people that despite their situations, their dilemmas in life, that they should accept Jesus as the Messiah and rest in comfort based on the promises of God. The crowds also had come running because they wanted relief from their misery—they wanted purpose in life. Indeed, the people gathered around Jesus and the disciples because of the things they were saying and practicing. And even Jesus, elsewhere, used the term ‘rest’ to describe the act of relinquishing life’s burdens, and restoring the body to full life, based on the promise of salvation and the resurrection of the body to eternal life for all who believed.
Salvation, then, is the ultimate expression of rest. Rest is what we are saved for. Rest is the way we are saved. And yet how many people today are rushing around looking for rest and ignoring the message of salvation?
D. TWO DILEMMAS
Rest therefore in biblical terms indicate sleep, serenity, Sabbath (or time with God), and salvation. And all four ideas are wrapped up in this short gospel reading.
1. People Who Cannot Rest
And yet sadly there are people who cannot retire, people who cannot relinquish anything in this life, people who cannot stop working, people who cannot put down a task, people who cannot let someone else take over, people who have never done enough to feel ready for the next life, and people who just don’t know the meaning of rest.
2. People Who Are Not Allowed To Rest
In addition, there are also people who it seems are not allowed, or encouraged, to rest. As in the old adage ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person’.
Of course, it’s not always easy to say ‘no’. It’s not always easy to get away. But then Jesus and the disciples were not always successful in their attempts to have a break either, as we’ve just seen. But even though they were delayed by some five thousand people, they did keep trying to get away, and in the end they did succeed, if only for a very short time.
The implications of that of course is that even we must at times be prepared to say ‘no’. We all need our rest, both physically and spiritually. However, we also need to be sensitive to the needs of others—and encourage them, and enable them, to have their times of rest as well.
E. CONCLUSION
Now, sometimes in our busy world it seems as though our lives are so busy that we have little time to rest. There’s always something that needs to be done. And no sooner have we done one job then another one is waiting our attention. People make demands on us, but we also have expectations all of our own.
However, the challenge for today is that we can just be too busy. Jesus came to bring a message of salvation—the ultimate message of rest.
Sleep . . . We all need sleep. And we all need to give over our troubles to Jesus. Serenity . . . We all need our bodies refreshed and restored. That means quality rest, and the need to cease from activity. Sabbath . . . We all need to nurture a culture of spiritual rest, finding time out with God away from all distractions. And salvation . . . We all need to pursue the ultimate rest. The rest that can be ours through faith in Jesus Christ.
Now we all get tired, and we all get stressed. But the question is: ‘Have we got the right balance between busy-ness and rest? Or are we so busy that our lives are out of our control?’
Posted: 8th August 2023
© 2023, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au
