No Rest for the Weary

Mark 6:30-33

The disciples had just returned from their first mission trip without Jesus. They had gone to many Jewish villages and proclaimed that men should repent and believe the Gospel of the Kingdom. From what we can read from the other gospels, things went pretty well. There does not seem to have been any of the rejection that Jesus had warned the disciples about. Of course Jesus knew this. He made sure their first mission was successful. There would be rejection by first Jew and then Gentile, but this follows the pattern of Jesus’ own ministry where initial acceptance was followed by increasing rejection and then His death on a cross. The disciples would have to walk down the same road that Jesus did, The death of John the Baptist also stood as a reminder. But the disciples were not yet ready for that.

The disciples needed to reflect with their mentor and with each other as they had been separated in groups of two. It seems from what we read from Luke that they got the wrong interpretation of the events. They were amazed at the power they had over demons. Jesus had to gently correct this by sayig that the important thing is hat their names were written in the Book of Life. They were saved. Even when persecution and death would eventually come to them, they were His. And as Jesus would rise from the dead, so would they.

The passage in Mark notes that that Jesus told them to come apart and rest for a while. They had worked hard and were in need of a Sabbath. Jesus certainly had some ideas about the Sabbath that were controversial to the Pharisees. The Sabbath was made for the benefit of man. The disciples were weary and needed rest. So they got in the boat and landed at a deserted place. I have seen maps which show a place called “Eremos Topos” (deserted place) on a map which was not far from Capernaum, but John in his account in John 6 says they sailed across the lake. In favor to the former is that it records that the crowds outran them and were waiting when they landed. Going across the Sea of Galilee was more than ten miles, and going around the lake even more. But there is good evidence that we should understand it as being where John mentions. Mark is probably not naming a particular place, but rather saying that they went to a place that was uninhabited. It was a wilderness place. And when one sees the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 in this context, one should understand the connection to the wilderness experience of the Children of Israel and the giving of the manna there.

Jesus had called the disciples to come and rest. A deserted place would be a good place to do that. But Jesus also knew that their Sabbath would be interrupted as well. He knew that the crowds would be there. I can only imagine the groans of the disciples when they were thronged with people. There is a saying “No Rest for the Weary.” What was Jesus thinking in sending them to this situation when they were dead tired?

We see this in the pattern of Jesus’ ministry from the beginning. There are several incidents in the first chapter run together without intervening time markers, a day in the life of Jesus. I am not saying that all these events occurred on the same Sabbath day but that Mark presents them as if it were so. If one were to harmonize this with Matthew, this day would have started with the Sermon on the Mount, then the calling of the disciples, the casting out of a demon in the synagogue, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and then healing all the villagers who came. This would be one long Sabbath day indeed! Even the events starting at the synagogue to the healing of the villagers which seemed to have happened on the same calendar day would be laborious. Some Sabbath!

Jesus took whatever Sabbath he could. He got up very early the next day and went out to a desert place and prayed. This was Jesus’ means of Sabbath. It was good for restoring His spirit, but the body must have been exhausted. It would seem a good night’s sleep was needed for the body, but the body did not get much rest. Another long day was coming up.

Coming back to this passage, the disciples were going to learn the utter weariness of the task before them. They would have to take Sabbath when they could. There would be times of prayer and spiritual refreshment along the way. The Christian ministry is centered in the wilderness. The wilderness is not necessarily a place devoid of people but a crowded world of people and their need to hear the Gospel. The needs press in on us. As Moses was wearied in having to manage the Children of Israel in the Wilderness, ministry is spiritually and physically draining.

Here was another large crowd. Jesus is probably as weary in body as are His disciples. But what does He do. He spends a long day teaching and then feeding them. The gospel accounts will then show that while Jesus stayed behind to pray, the disciples would have to fight a terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee, one in which they had to row hard all night. No rest for the weary, at least until Jesus calms the storm and brings peace and rest.

So what do we make of this? If Jesus modelled the ministry the disciples were to follow, then do we follow what both Jesus and the disciples experienced? If one is serious about being a disciple, the answer is yes. The pastor has to maintain his or her family, visit the flock at home and in the hospital. The pastor should try to take a Sabbath. We should set aside a day for Sabbath, in this case a Sabbath from our regular duties. Our bodies need care just like anyone else. But how many times when you are about to take that Sabbath, the phone rings. Someone in the flock has been in a serious wreck or some other serious matter arises that requires your urgent attention. I have groaned at such situations, and so have other pastors. It seems that when we are at the end of ourselves, we are called to go the extra mile. Do we attend to this business, or do we take our Sabbath? If we follow the model here, it seems that we take care of our responsibilities first. This of course is tough on the body and can lead to health issues. It can also be hard on our souls and can lead to burnout. Jesus does tell us to rest, but just when can we?

The answer is that the book of Hebrews says that a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God. Sometimes we won’t find rest for our weary bodies until we are called home to be with Jesus. There we can catch up with the Sabbaths we have had to miss for the sake of the Gospel. I know that many would advise other than what I have said here. There is a case that one can be more effective in their work if they take breaks and eat right. There is no doubt that this is good for this mortal body. And I would also advise that one takes a Sabbath when they can. But we see the picture of Jesus in John 4 who is under divine compulsion to go through Samaria. By the time He gets to the well there, He is so exhausted that He cannot continue. The disciples were so concerned about His health that they went into a Samaritan village to get food, even though they considered Samaritan food most unclean and would not share at table with them. The same chapter shows Jesus telling the disciples that all they have to do is pick the crop. Others had exhausted themselves with the sowing and tending the crop. The same Greek word and tense is used for Jesus’ exhaustion and here. Jesus’ mortal body broke down in the proclaiming the Kingdom of God. Paul’s body was wasted with fatigue, famine, beatings, imprisonment and such.

We can also see an example of this in the life of John Wesley who was so engaged for the Gospel that he only slept about four hours a night. He toiled night and day to spread the Gospel. We also can read about many heroes of the faith whose limbs were broken or subjected to other tortures for sharing the gospel. My labors seem inadequate in comparison to the burdens many Christians have had to bear. So when we have to groan because our down time has been interrupted yet one more time, and that when we most need it, let us consider those who have been called to follow Christ with their suffering. Jesus does tell us to carry the cross.

In a perfect world, we should take every seventh day off, following the purpose of the Sabbath. But oxen fall in pits, people get sick and need medical attention. So one should not feel guilty when they try to bring rest to the suffering, even on the Sabbath. We will get our promised Sabbath one day.

As I am writing this for Sermon Central, I am focusing on pastors here. But perhaps you might be a lay person, a Sunday School teacher working on your lesson. And if you are like me, you have to squeeze time in on a Saturday to make sure you have prepared your lesson. The teaching of the Word of God is too important to be careless. The Gospel must be faithfully proclaimed and taught. I know that is is hard to work at a secular job all week and then have to labor on your day off to prepare your lesson. I pray that the Lord give you strength.

I also notice the countries where those who read my sermons on Sermon Central come from. I know that your ministry is under persecution or immediate threat of such. I also pray for your ministry and that Jesus will give you rest from your suffering. If rest does not come, I pray that the Lord strengthen you in your labor that you might persevere. Keep up the holy task that you are undertaking.