Come Away (Mark 6:30-32)

Opening Prayer (Petition and Intercession)

Read Mark 6:30-32

Imagine the disciples, exhausted and in need of a break, gathered around Jesus as He suggests they retreat to a quiet place. It’s a clear picture of human experience—our need for rest. As we live through our hectic lives, much like the disciples, we can understand their weariness and appreciate the seriousness of finding time for recuperation. This moment shows us that even in the busy call of ministry, we must prioritize moments of solitude with Christ to recharge and regain our focus.

Main Idea: Obedience goes into hustle and bustle, as well as calm and rest.

We are called to go out and then to gather and rejoice. (v.30)

A mateyness and a cheeriness is not Christian joy. Christian joy is that which realizes the holiness of God, the depth of sin, and Christ coming from heaven and giving Himself unto blood for ruined man. That leads to a holy joy and a thanksgiving—a joy unspeakable and full of glory. The Gospel of God, 363

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)

You may recall and look back to the beginning of this chapter and you will see the commission and instructions to the newly minted apostles. (Mark 6:7-13)

Go.

Be humble and bold.

Proclaim repentance and show them the works the Father will do through you to prove you to them.

If they do not receive you, dust off your feet and leave.

The Apostles now come back to give an account of the work entrusted to them, and how their work succeeded.

Jesus exercises his authority as his Apostles now report to him as the King whose authority was displayed in and through them.

Here we see a live action display of what the return of Jesus Christ will be like for those who serve Him.

The parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:12-27).

The parable of the evil slave (Matthew 24:48-51).

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30).

There is no argumentation or debate when it comes to the reality that the one who has died for our sins to give us new life is one who will require an account of the grace, mercy, and stewardship he has given over to us on his behalf.

Jesus gives a clear call to retreat and rest in Him. (v. 31)

The place for God’s Word is not an outside place, but an inside place.

Charles Spurgeon

In the “church world” there is a joke regarding men’s ministry in that real men advance, we never retreat. That is perhaps some of the most culturally biased notion ever.

Retreat as a means to escape reality is cowardice, while retreat as a means to rest and regroup is wisdom in practice.

It is important to note that God calls us to retreat unto Him, not the world.

Jesus is not calling the disciples to run away, but to “come away” conveying the truth that they are called to come away with and to him. This resounds the way he calls to the those around him over, and over again:

Matthew 19:14 LSB

14 But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

John 6:37–38 LSB

37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out. 38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

Revelation 22:17 LSB

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wishes receive the water of life without cost.

The Holy Spirit inspires John Mark to note that there are crowds gathering to Jesus and the Apostles as they seek the power that was able to deliver the demon-bound; the frail, sick, and dying; as well as the lost being called to repentance. It is a never-ending work.

Main Idea: Obedience goes into hustle and bustle, as well as calm and rest.

Obedience follows into battle and back into the camp. (v.32)

Lord, take away from me all joy which does not come directly from the Lord Jesus.

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)

The text displays the result of seeing God at work in the lives of those around him, and the authority at work in them—They went away with Jesus.

The call to reflect for us today is simple—Do I come to him on a daily basis? Do I converse with God through prayer? Do I read His word to Hear his voice? Do I gather with other disciples to encourage and be encouraged by them?

The whole of the text displays the level of trust and obedience God can foster in us. When God says “go,” we go. When God says “stay,” we stay. In the mean time we rejoice in his presence over and over again.

If we struggle to rest because we give into the lie that busy work means success or health in the church, I encourage us to know we can learn to trust God even as we hear the screeching halt of a busyness we struggle to manage to ensure we are growing as healthy disciples in God’s grace and all rhythms of life.

Isaiah 40:30–31 LSB

30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And choice young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who hope in Yahweh Will gain new power; They will mount up with wings like eagles; They will run and not get tired; They will walk and not become weary.

Faith leads us, both to move forward and to wait.

He did not withdraw from the world after its creation, but remained in the most intimate connection with it.

Louis Berkhof (American Calvinist Theologian)

As we are called to be God’s children and His own precious possession, we must learn and enjoy the work we are entrusted to do.

As we come to Jesus the first competency we must master is one of simply being as we are becoming—To be his personal redeemed work in progress.

We must define spiritual success as a church family to be how well we love the lulls of life, not the hustle and bustle of activity that increases our potential to be spiritually drained.

When God calls us to go and obey—Let’s go heard and all the way.

When God calls us back to rest—Let’s go equally hard into the rest only God can provide.

Main Idea: Obedience goes into hustle and bustle, as well as calm and rest.

Closing Prayer (Thanksgiving and Petition)