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Mark 6:30-34 describes the return of the disciples from their first ministry tour –their inauguration into apostleship. We see them on fire, bursting with thrilling stores of the healing, exorcisms, and the effective evangelistic campaigns empowered by God. They are wired. Excited. Ready. In their minds, what they need is their next project from Jesus. Their next divine mission. In their minds, the crowds are waiting, and it’s time to go.
But Jesus disagrees. Where the disciples see energy, Jesus sees overstimulation. Where the disciples see a tightly packed schedule, Jesus sees a poor sense of balance and rhythm. Where the disciples see invincibility, Jesus sees need. The need to debrief and reflect. The need to eat, pray, play, and sleep. The need to learn the art of solitude.
Perhaps Jesus senses that the disciples have darker stories to share with him, too–stories that will take time and tenderness to unearth. Just as we have stories of failure and rejection. Stories of doubt. Hard stories we too need to process privately with Jesus, the supreme teacher. Whatever the case, Jesus recognizes when we need a break. As in the midst of the disciples’ passion, Jesus sees them tired, underfed, and in significant need of rest. Jesus knows our need for rest.
Jesus, meanwhile, is not in top form himself. He has just lost John the Baptizer, his beloved cousin and prophet, the one who baptized him and spent a lifetime in the wilderness preparing his way. Worse, Jesus has lost him to murder, a terrifying reminder that God’s beloved are not immune to violent, senseless deaths. Maybe Jesus’ own end feels closer, and his own vocation seems more ominous. In other words, he has many reasons to feel heartbroken.
“Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile” with the Lord. “Come away with me”, and hear both wisdom and love in these words, Jesus wants to provide a time of rest and recuperation for us too. He wants to make sure that our zeal for ministry–for success in ministry is for God’s purpose. He wants to make sure that we value being more than doing.
And we wonder why we’re languishing. But we’re not meant to live this way. We’re meant to “come away” to honor the rhythms and borders of work and play, inside and outside, online and in person, sleep and wakefulness, worry and calm. It is not a coincidence that Jesus asks his cisciples to leave the noise and crowds behind. These are times we need deep silence. We need to unplug.
Because we trust God enough to let go, we grow stronger in faith while serving in the work of the Lord. We become renewed embracing holy rest in personal meditation, renewed in spirituality, prayerfully ready to come where there is room. Embrace the Lord’s invitation. The Lord Jesus who says, “Come.” Amen.
Rev. Carole Moore, Assistant Pastor
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