A lot happens in the sixth chapter of Mark. Jesus is rejected in his hometown. He sends the 12 disciples on mission. John the Baptist is killed. Jesus feeds the five thousand and walks on water.
It is a lot. Kind of like our lives today. We face seasons that are just a lot. The disciples had to be exhausted during these days. These 12 men had a difficult assignment. They were commissioned by the Lord to travel in pairs, preaching repentance wherever they went. Many places they visited they were not welcome.
The 12 men were not allowed to take any sort of provision for their journey. They were not even allowed to take a bag with them, no food, no money in their pocket, and not even a change of clothes. They were to rely soley on God’s provision and His strength.
During their time of ministry, the disciples didn’t even have time to eat. Jesus knew how the pressures of ministry would affect them. He knew what it was like to be tired and thirty, weary and worn out. The disciples had been so busy ministering to others that they neglected their own bodily needs.
Jesus knew what these men had been through, he recognized their fatigue.
There was such a swirl of activity around Jesus, with so many people coming and going, that they were unable to even eat a meal. So Jesus said to his disciples, “Come, let’s take a break and find a secluded place where you can rest a while.”
Mark 6:31 (TPT)
Just as these men were called to work, Jesus also called them to step aside and rest. The disciples were facing many stresses. Just read through the entire chapter of Mark 6 and you will get a glimpse of all these men endured. Is our life any different? Think of all that you have faced the past week, the past month, and I know what we have all faced the past year!
We to need to hear Jesus’ words, “Come, let’s take a break”. Life’s stresses and pressures can take a toll on our bodies as well as on our relationship with Jesus. We have to take steps to make sure we take a break with Jesus! We have to find the secluded place (more times than not, I find this alone in my car) and fix our eyes on Jesus. Sometimes it is just sitting in His presence.
With so many demands on our lives, it is easy to push Jesus to the side in the busyness we experience every day. Jesus asks us to take a break and dwell on Him. Do you have time to spend with Jesus today? He will give you rest and refresh your soul.
“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis.”
Matthew 11:28