“Come with me to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:30 NIV). I love the thought of spending time with Jesus in an alone place. I’ve experienced the wonder and blessings of only God and me in fellowship. However, I’ve been puzzled by this incident in Mark because “many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.”
Did the disciples feel grumpy about all these people distracting Jesus from giving them His full attention, from the alone time? Finally, it seems to me that they’ve had enough. They go to Jesus and say, “This is a remote place, and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” Then came the miracle of five loaves and two fish. We serve a God of miracles.
Was Jesus giving them (and me) a lesson on rest, perhaps showing them how they could lay their anxieties aside and let Him work? Did He, after all, take the disciples apart to teach them to rest in Him? Is God saying to me: “Long Covid? I’ll take care of it. A broken leg? I knew before it happened. Death? My presence will go with you and give you peace. Loved ones gone astray? My love draws them.”
In busyness, I can rest with Jesus. In the throngs and chaos of the city, I can lean on the Shepherd. When my soul is dirty with sin, God cleanses and gives me peace and rest. In the city or the country desert or mountains, alone and in throngs, Jesus promises, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Berniece
An Ordinary Life 