Resting with Jesus [Mark 6:30-34]
How is it / that our world seems to be spinning faster and faster with every passing year? And that our lives just seem to get busier and busier? And that / even with all of the progress we have made, we seem to have less time than ever?
Many of our modern inventions were created to give us more time. Dishwashers, washing machines, microwaves, cars, and cell phones. These are great inventions, and I am thankful to have them. But they are supposed to help us to do more / in less time. So why is it / that we seem to have less free time / than ever before?
And with that in mind, this seems like a good time / to focus on the invitation / that Jesus offers in today’s gospel reading / to “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”
Those first apostles have just returned from their first mission trip. And they are excited. They “gathered around Jesus and told Him all that they had done and taught.” They were healing the sick, and casting out unclean spirits, and proclaiming the gospel. And they were ready to do more, to build on their success. But Jesus responded to their enthusiasm with this invitation / to “come away to a deserted place / all by yourselves / and rest a while.” Jesus knew / that this rest / was the most important thing / that His disciples needed. They have done important work, but now it was time to rest.
But I don’t think that this rest is simply physical rest. I think Jesus is offering them Spiritual rest, rest for their souls. What Jesus is doing is inviting His disciples to do what He did regularly. Back in Chapter 1 of Mark’s Gospel we have a great example of this. Jesus is in Capernaum, home base for His ministry. And “the whole city was gathered around the door” / of the house where He was staying. And Jesus “cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out / many demons.” Everything was going well, and His ministry and influence was growing.
So, what did he do? “In the morning, while it was still very dark,” Jesus “got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed.” Jesus followed up His healing and teaching / by resting in prayer. Not by sleeping. He actually had to give up a little sleep and leave while it was still dark / so that no one would stop Him.
But He did this, and He went to this deserted place to pray, and to get some needed Spiritual rest. Some rest for His soul.
When we think of rest, we usually think of rest for our bodies. But when Jesus thinks of rest, He is talking about rest for our souls. And these are very different. Of course, in this fast-paced world of ours, we often forget to do either of these, don’t we?
But what about / Spiritual rest? Are we getting enough of that? And what happens when we don’t get enough rest for our souls? When we don’t spend enough time in prayer? When we don’t spend enough time in worship? When we don’t spend enough time with God’s Word? I think it is similar to what happens when we don’t get enough sleep. Our souls become exposed to disease.
We might become, for example, more and more frustrated / and burned out, even if we are doing good things. We might forget why we are doing those good things. We might forget to rely on God when we are doing those things. Or forget that it is really not about us; it’s about God.
I think / that this is why / Jesus is encouraging His disciples to get away / and rest a while. Come away to a deserted place, Jesus says – perhaps even the same deserted place where He prayed? – and rest a while.
But I have to wonder / what His disciples thought about that. Did they wonder if this was really the best idea? Shouldn’t they capitalize on the success of that mission trip, and keep spreading the gospel? Keep healing the sick, casting out demons, and doing the work of bringing God’s kingdom to earth? But no. Jesus knew / that the work of ministry / needs to be followed by rest. By spending time with God in prayer.
And isn’t that the case in our world now? Doesn’t our work need to be balanced by rest? And especially by resting in God? Isn’t that what it means to “remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy”? Aren’t we simply doing what God modeled for us in Genesis, when after creating our world, the Lord rested? And aren’t we simply doing what Jesus modeled for us in Mark Chapter 1, when He got up while it was still dark / and went to a deserted place to pray?
But it is also good to remember / that we don’t worship, pray, and rest in God / simply to rest. This spiritual rest also equips us to continue doing the work to which we are called. It helps us / to proclaim the gospel, and serve people following the example of Jesus, and strive for justice and peace. Spiritual rest helps our Spiritual work, just as physical rest helps our physical work.
In today’s gospel reading, the deserted place that Jesus took the disciples to did not stay deserted for long. “Many saw them going / and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns.” So, what did Jesus do? Did He tell the crowds to leave, or did He go with His disciples to find a new and more deserted place? No, when He saw the crowd, Jesus “had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”
Of course, if I am going to talk about Spiritual rest, I can’t help but share my favorite gospel verse, from Matthew 11, when Jesus says:
Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Rest for our weary souls is what Jesus offers to us all. And we all need that rest. We all carry heavy burdens at times. We all find ourselves weary at times. If this is one of those times for you, then hear Jesus’ words today and come to Him. Cast your burdens at His feet. Entrust Him with what is troubling you. Come to Him, all who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and find rest for your souls.
And then, of course, go. Go and be His hands, His feet, His ears, and His voice. Go in His name to feed the hungry and care for the sick, to comfort the despairing, and share the good news of His love for us all.
May all you who are weary come to Jesus and find rest for your souls. And may all you who are rested, go out into the world to continue His mission on this earth. All to the glory of God. Amen.