“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 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.”” (Mark 6:30–31, NIV84)
In the beginning of Mark 6, Jesus sent the disciples out to do ministry. He sent them two by two. They preached about repentance and faith. They anointed the sick and healed people. They cast out demons (Mark 6:12-13). It is considered by many to be one of the first missionary journeys of the disciples. They were very successful. However, when they returned, they were tired. Ministry is hard. It takes a lot of prayer to deal with the stress of dealing with evil. True healing takes a strong faith and dedication to God’s will. Seeing the disciples spiritually and physically exhausted, Jesus urged them to do three things in the scripture above. He asked them to “come with Him”. He asked them to pull themselves back to “a quiet place” to recover. And, He asked them to “get some rest”.
I think it is very important for your spiritual and physical health to listen to Jesus in these verses written above. His three requests of the disciples were not only relevant to their situation. They will, at times, be relevant to your situation. The disciples had done so much work on their missionary journey and in their work for the Lord that “they didn’t even have a chance to eat” (Mark 6:31). They were hungry, tired, and worn. Have you even been exhausted, hungry, tired or worn? When life takes its toll upon you, there will be crucial moments when Jesus will have the same conditions for you as He gave to the disciples. He will need you to 1) spend time with Him, 2) in a quiet place removed from stress, while you 3) get some needed rest. So many Christians do not take the time to follow these three commands of Jesus for those disciples who are weary and hurting. Do you?
Father Jerry had been working himself to exhaustion. Being the only priest in a town of seven thousand souls, of whom half were Roman Catholic, made him feel overwhelmed. At one point he told me he felt like “a sacrificial machine”. He was performing so many sacraments, services, funerals, hospital calls, nursing home visits and more, that he was hurting deeply. His body was ragged. When I saw him last, I was shocked how much weight he lost. Since he was the only priest in the city, the church leaders and diocese kept putting off his vacations. He didn’t get a day off. Because he got no rest, Father Jerry had a breakdown. The last I heard, he had left the ministry to live with a relative.
Caroline was a committed and loving woman. She was very active in her church. She was hard-working and gifted. Despite having a difficult marriage with a husband who had serious psychological problems, she often pasted a smile on her face and went on with her daily work. Over time, her work ethic and increasing arguments at home took a toll upon her life. She and her husband yelled constantly, when they talked at all. Because of the medical bills of her husband’s illness, they were often hurting financially. The stresses ate away at her day and night. Years of these financial and psychological pressures gave rise to various illnesses. She was hit with depression. Then, she had back problems. Then, she got ulcers. The last time I saw Caroline, she had a hard time even smiling. Her joy was gone. She seldom felt peace in worship. Her prayer time was filled with too many anxieties for her to cope. She was a shell of the person she was earlier in life.
If you look at Father Jerry and Caroline, you will see commonalities. Both had a strong faith. Both were active in worship and church life. Both were very hard-working and gifted spiritually. However, both made the same mistakes. They did not follow Jesus’ commands to weary disciples. When life grew intense and stressful neither Father Jerry or Caroline followed Jesus’ words by 1) coming to Jesus by themselves, 2) taking quiet time to spend with Jesus, nor 3) getting some rest in the Lord. Neither one could take a vacation. Both loved being close to Jesus, but neither one was willing or able to get away and be with Jesus and rest in the Lord. They tried to fix and tackle every problem that came along. They worked to exhaustion and then some more. They didn’t take time to be with Jesus in a quiet place, spend time with the Lord in spiritual rest. They thought more work would fix their situation, when what was needed was some quiet time and rest with Jesus.
I find that Christians who do no follow all three of Jesus’ demands in the scripture for today are bound to fall apart either physically, emotionally, or spiritually (or all the above!). Some people take a vacation, but do not take that time to spend with Jesus. In doing so, they do not find spiritual peace. Some people spend time with Jesus in prayer but won’t fully rest in the Lord. Their physical bodies will often suffer from increased illnesses or a susceptibility to disease. Some people won’t allow themselves “quiet time” with Jesus. If you don’t remove yourself from a stressful environment to be with Jesus, you will find yourself unable to truly feel at rest in the Lord.
When life takes its toll and you are driven to exhaustion, do you follow Jesus’ commands to weary disciples as shown in these verses? Do you follow all three commands? You can NEVER find peace with the Lord if you don’t follow Jesus’ commands in these verses. Your soul needs what Jesus is teaching. Your body craves what Jesus desires in these verses. Your emotions cannot handle too much stress in the absence of a connection with your Lord. If you don’t spend critical moments with Jesus in prayer, and spend quiet time with Jesus in meditation, and take a real rest for your soul, how can you ever feel God’s comfort coming your way?
I think it is very important for your spiritual and physical health to listen to Jesus in these verses written above. His three requests of the disciples were not only relevant to their situation. They will, at times, be relevant to your situation. The disciples had done so much work on their missionary journey and in their work for the Lord that “they didn’t even have a chance to eat” (Mark 6:31). They were hungry, tired, and worn. Have you even been exhausted, hungry, tired or worn? When life takes its toll upon you, there will be crucial moments when Jesus will have the same conditions for you as He gave to the disciples. He will need you to 1) spend time with Him, 2) in a quiet place removed from stress, while you 3) get some needed rest. So many Christians do not take the time to follow these three commands of Jesus for those disciples who are weary and hurting. Do you?
Father Jerry had been working himself to exhaustion. Being the only priest in a town of seven thousand souls, of whom half were Roman Catholic, made him feel overwhelmed. At one point he told me he felt like “a sacrificial machine”. He was performing so many sacraments, services, funerals, hospital calls, nursing home visits and more, that he was hurting deeply. His body was ragged. When I saw him last, I was shocked how much weight he lost. Since he was the only priest in the city, the church leaders and diocese kept putting off his vacations. He didn’t get a day off. Because he got no rest, Father Jerry had a breakdown. The last I heard, he had left the ministry to live with a relative.
Caroline was a committed and loving woman. She was very active in her church. She was hard-working and gifted. Despite having a difficult marriage with a husband who had serious psychological problems, she often pasted a smile on her face and went on with her daily work. Over time, her work ethic and increasing arguments at home took a toll upon her life. She and her husband yelled constantly, when they talked at all. Because of the medical bills of her husband’s illness, they were often hurting financially. The stresses ate away at her day and night. Years of these financial and psychological pressures gave rise to various illnesses. She was hit with depression. Then, she had back problems. Then, she got ulcers. The last time I saw Caroline, she had a hard time even smiling. Her joy was gone. She seldom felt peace in worship. Her prayer time was filled with too many anxieties for her to cope. She was a shell of the person she was earlier in life.
If you look at Father Jerry and Caroline, you will see commonalities. Both had a strong faith. Both were active in worship and church life. Both were very hard-working and gifted spiritually. However, both made the same mistakes. They did not follow Jesus’ commands to weary disciples. When life grew intense and stressful neither Father Jerry or Caroline followed Jesus’ words by 1) coming to Jesus by themselves, 2) taking quiet time to spend with Jesus, nor 3) getting some rest in the Lord. Neither one could take a vacation. Both loved being close to Jesus, but neither one was willing or able to get away and be with Jesus and rest in the Lord. They tried to fix and tackle every problem that came along. They worked to exhaustion and then some more. They didn’t take time to be with Jesus in a quiet place, spend time with the Lord in spiritual rest. They thought more work would fix their situation, when what was needed was some quiet time and rest with Jesus.
I find that Christians who do no follow all three of Jesus’ demands in the scripture for today are bound to fall apart either physically, emotionally, or spiritually (or all the above!). Some people take a vacation, but do not take that time to spend with Jesus. In doing so, they do not find spiritual peace. Some people spend time with Jesus in prayer but won’t fully rest in the Lord. Their physical bodies will often suffer from increased illnesses or a susceptibility to disease. Some people won’t allow themselves “quiet time” with Jesus. If you don’t remove yourself from a stressful environment to be with Jesus, you will find yourself unable to truly feel at rest in the Lord.
When life takes its toll and you are driven to exhaustion, do you follow Jesus’ commands to weary disciples as shown in these verses? Do you follow all three commands? You can NEVER find peace with the Lord if you don’t follow Jesus’ commands in these verses. Your soul needs what Jesus is teaching. Your body craves what Jesus desires in these verses. Your emotions cannot handle too much stress in the absence of a connection with your Lord. If you don’t spend critical moments with Jesus in prayer, and spend quiet time with Jesus in meditation, and take a real rest for your soul, how can you ever feel God’s comfort coming your way?