Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 1:2). Amen.
Generally speaking, summertime is vacation time. That may be the case for you. You have already gone or are going soon. (But time is short. Have you noticed them? There are now “back to school” sales going on. [I know that I probably just made someone’s day.]) And even if you can’t sneak away in the near future, you can come up with a dream destination.
It is important. Jesus knows that too. So he extends an invitation: Come, get some rest physically and spiritually. We read from …
Mark 6:30-34
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, who gives and grants real rest,
“So where do you want to go?” That is usually the initial question that begins a conversation—especially if you don’t have a cabin where you can mow lawn and feed mosquitoes.
If you are at a loss, you can spot a commercial on TV or search the web on google as far as suggestions. They typically give places where or reasons why—30 must-see locations in this state or that one or 20 things to do in this city or that one. Depending on your personal preference, it might range from a national park to a ballpark to a water park to an amusement park. It changes is you want to be around people or away from them. Or in the mountains or along the ocean. No matter what it is, it is a break from the routine.
But while tourism departments are concerned about your money, Jesus cares about your mentality. And it is not a recommendation, but a reality.
Come, Get Some Rest
1. Physically (30-32)
2. Spiritually (33,34)
1. Physically (30-33)
“How are you?” That is a common inquiry—at the supper table or the church entryway. The reply most often has to do with our bodies. It can be lethargic from being sleep-deprived to energetic from being sleep-blessed (I made that word up.). Wherever you find yourself on that scale, come, get some rest—physically.
That is one thing that Jesus had in mind for his disciples. They had trailed him for a while. As part of their training, he had recently sent them out in pairs (Mk 6:7). (That is what “apostle” means: “one sent out—for a specific purpose and with definite authority.”) He dispatched them to preach repentance from village to village—a change of mind, turning from their sin and turning to their Savior (Mk 6:12). They could take what they had learned from him and get some practical experience without him.
But that was over. Was it because it was predetermined—a certain time frame when they were to return? In the olden days before cell phones, when we went shopping at the mall, my parents would set a meeting site and an exact time for my brothers and sisters to report back—“the food court at 5:00.” Then we would break the huddle and scatter. Or did the recent news of John the Baptist’s untimely death—beheaded by Herod for speaking against his unlawful marriage—bring them scurrying back (Mk 6:14-29)? It makes no difference. Mark simply relays: “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught” (Mk 6:30). It was better than those quarterly or yearly statements about your stocks that come in the mail from companies, full of column after column of numbers (not interesting reading for most). As much as they performed or proclaimed—from acceptance to rejection (Mk 6:10,11). How eagerly and patiently Jesus must have listened.
It was significant work, but strenuous too. And the press of the crowd was infringing on their narratives like when you keep getting texts when you are trying to talk to someone. (You don’t necessarily have to look at them or respond to them.) “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’” (Mk 6:31). The weary workers need some downtime to be refreshed from their traveling tour—even if it wasn’t at a 5-star bed and breakfast or all-inclusive resort. “So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place” (Mk 6:32). Rest followed work. It was rest with him after work for him.
We have been there a time or two—possibly right now. Busy. It affects any and every age group—young and old, all year around. We are constantly on the go. And you are aware of the result: tired (with a smidgen of cranky mixed in for good measure).
It is worth acknowledging. Work is not punishment for us, but a purpose for us. Work is a gift of God going all the way back to the Garden of Eden (CW p. 32). It is a way for Adam and Eve to worship God and give him glory (1 Co 10:31). It still is for us. It wasn’t until sin came into the world that it brought frustration or irritation to the process. By providing us with abilities and opportunities to work in different roles, we take care of our various responsibilities. There is high value and dignity in hard work.
But it was not the Lord’s intention that we work around the clock all year long—driving ourselves so hard that we deprive ourselves so often. There is also the good of rest—ranging from an afternoon nap to a night’s sleep to a week of vacation or an afternoon of recreation (CW p. 32). That is evident in one of the aims of the Sabbath Day in the Old Testament—in part, a day of rest for the body (Ex 20:8-11). Time off and time away allows us to recuperate and rejuvenate.
Either extreme is the issue—to work too much or too little. There has to be a balance—not lounging around and laying around all day. Work follows rest. Work for him is after rest with him. The disciples would soon be back at it serving as waiters and busboys to 5000+ people, handing out food from a boy’s lunchbox—5 loaves of bread and 2 fish—and cleaning up 12 basketfuls of leftovers. We work faithfully and rest appropriately. Jesus is aware of that. Come, get some rest physically so that we can serve our Savior and each other.
2. Spiritually (33,34)
So “how are you?” The response can also include our souls. No matter where you are from exhausted to animated (coffee and caffeine might have a part in that), come, get some rest spiritually.
Jesus and company were able to sneak a bit of time together (Jn 6:3). But not for long. “But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them” (Mk 6:33). It was like paparazzi chasing a celebrity. It may not have been really respectful like calling someone in the middle of the night, but they took advantage of the opportunity to be with Jesus—some, no doubt, for the miracles, others for the message.
It was a conscious choice on their part. We have many options in a day and on Sunday. It is not rest away from Jesus, but rest together with Jesus. We don’t want to take a holiday from him, but with him. We can include worship during time away.
Jesus did not view the throng of people as a nasty interruption of his free time. He did not send them away, but he sat them down. There was an intense need in them. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mk 6:34). His heart ached for them. The comparison is familiar. Sheep cannot survive without someone watching over them—guiding and guarding them. They cannot find food for themselves. They cannot fight predators by themselves. They will end up dead.
Things had not changed that much from Jeremiah’s day. Those in charge were not leading and feeding God’s people. So God took matters into his own hands: “‘I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,’ declares the LORD” (Je 23:4). Ultimately he pledged a “righteous Branch” from David’s family (Je 23:5). That is a prophecy about Jesus.
Here Jesus healed their sick. He helped their souls. “So he began teaching them many things” (Mk 6:34). His instruction more than likely included who he was—the Messiah—and why he came—to save. He had come to lay down his life and take it up again (Jn 10:17).
And that is what he did. With David, a shepherd himself, we can declare: “The LORD is my shepherd” (Ps 23:1). And as such, he summons us to come to him for rest—rest for our weary and burdened souls (Mt 11:28). He takes the weight of the guilt and replaces it with his righteousness. He lives up to his name: “The LORD Our Righteousness” (Je 23:6). Through him, we are right with God—holy. He restores our souls as he makes us lie down in green pastures and beside the quiet waters of his Word (Ps 23:2). Or as the apostle Paul pointed out about Jesus: “He himself is our peace” (Eph 2:14). And changing the picture from an open field to a solid structure: “You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (Eph 2:19,20).
The rest isn’t just on earth, but for eternity where nothing will disrupt or disturb it. We can be confident: “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Ps 23:6). Come, get some rest spiritually. And it will not end.
We maybe fit into two categories—looking back on or looking ahead to vacation. In summer more so than any other time of the year. It is vital for us to rest. Jesus is aware of that. So he doesn’t just suggest rest; he supplies it. Come, get some rest—physically and spiritually. Both come from him whether it is a breather from work or the forgiveness of sins. Rest easy—now and always. Amen.
Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love (Eph 6:24). Amen.
July 22, 2018
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