(originally posted on 5/20/2018)
I was reading the book of Mark for this class that my church is offering and I came across the passage below. It jumped off the page at me and I saw something that I didn’t see before.
But that is the way the Bible works. The Bible breathes and is living and active (2 Timothy 3:16 + Hebrews 4:12). So in different seasons of life, the same passage will talk to you in different ways - or in this case, jump out at you as you have never read it before. Read the passage below and then we will breakdown what God broke down for me.
“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” - Mark 6:30-34 NIV
Come with me
This is something that Jesus offers to all people and He offers it often. Jesus wants all people who are tired, worn out, worried, broken, confused, lost, and burdened to come to Him. If life makes you weary and comes with burdens, Jesus wants you to come to Him and get away for a moment with Him.
He offered this to His disciples because He knew that they needed a great. They had been going and going for such a long time and they need a chance to care for themselves. Jesus wants the same for us.
By yourself
This is something that I have missed in this passage before. Jesus encourages His disciples to get away - alone. Jesus encourages alone time every once in a while. Maybe life has been hard for too many months in a row and a moment away is what you need. This is what Jesus is encouraging here. Take some time once a week or once a month and just be by yourself. But not just by yourself - in a quiet place as well.
Quiet place
When I say quiet place - what do you think of? That place doesn’t necessarily need to be the void of sound. It can be a place where you’re focused on God or just calm and relaxed.
This can be the same place every time or this can be a different place every time. Jesus just wants us to find a quiet place. A quiet place to just be with Him. Whether you go to read the Bible or you just go to be quiet and listen for His voice. He does speak in a whisper after all (1 Kings 19:12).
“People talking. People weighing in their thoughts. People needing things. Going here and going there. All the noise. Should I do this or that? I need to get this done.
Life is loud
This is why we need to find our quiet place. A place where we can go to hear the voice of God - a "whispering spot" if you will. Moses couldn't hear the voice of God in Egypt, so God brought him to the wilderness and talked to him there.” [1]
Rest
This is a big deal to Jesus. Rest is important for the beginning. In Genesis 2, we see God take a rest after creating the world. Then here in Mark 6, we see Jesus also encouraging rest. He knew His disciples needed it. He knows we need it. He encourages us to rest.
But this time it was different. Jesus encourages solitude along with rest. So this shows me that there are two different kinds of rest.
There is the rest that we see God do after a week's work (Genesis 1 + 2). He worked for 6 days and then rested. Which is what we do as well. So God wants us to work and then rest at least one day (usually we have 2 days off).
Then here in Mark 6, we see Jesus encourage a retreat kind of rest. He wants us to get away and find that place where we can just breathe and lean into Him. I encourage you to whatever that place is for you and get away there soon (maybe even this weekend).
Life continues
But this is important. After the period of rest - life was there to take over again. We see that a mass of people had followed them and that they needed to care for them. Jesus started teaching them and later the disciples had to find food for them. They wound up caring for 5,000+ people that day.
But life continued after the rest. It is important to realize that. When we go away for a breath - it does not mean that life stops and everything is all better when we are done with the rest.
The time of rest is for us to focus on Who and what is true. The time of rest is to reset our focus on Jesus. The disciples went away with Jesus to focus on Jesus and get ready for what was next - 5,000+ people.
Repeat the process. You will be glad you did.
Find that place. Go to that place. Reset in that place. Focus in that place. Catch your breath and continue with life.
Find that place this week. You will be glad you did.
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[1]Mark Batterson, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (New York: Multnomah, 2017)
