“The disciples returned to Jesus and told Him all that he had done and taught. And He said to them “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:30-31 ESV)
The disciples had done ministry in groups of two as Jesus had instructed them. We aren’t sure about how long they were gone, but we know they come back spent. They gave Jesus a recap. This wasn’t a brief overview, but a detailed play by play of their experiences on the road and with people. I wish I could have heard their conversation: what had they seen? Who did they meet? How many people were healed? Did anyone get dispossessed? Were they run out of a town or two? The scripture doesn’t say, so we’ll just have to file this under “Heavenly Conversation Starters” and move on.
I imagine this entire interaction to be a lot like picking my kids up from church camp: a thousand stories and a Chick-fil-a sandwich and then they were out like a light in the backseat, utterly exhausted from their ministry exploits. The disciples had to be bone-tired, too. Their evangelism tour would have wiped them out physically, mentally and spiritually. Brene Brown calls this level of fatigue being ‘blown’. Additionally, she writes that non-doing is the cure for such total depletion. The disciples were blown and they needed a few minutes (or hours) for a soul reset.
Jesus suggested exactly that. “Come away… and get some rest.” Jesus invited His disciples and us alike: ‘Join Me in a place devoid of distraction. Let My presence minister to your overstimulation and restore your soul again.’ The cure for our overwhelmed soul is not the endless scroll of instagram or Facebook. We won’t be brought back to life by binging Netflix or even disappearing into a favorite fiction book for a few hours. We can’t eat or sleep away our feelings. Our soul is rebuilt in the presence of Jesus alone.
“He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:3 ESV)
Lord, forgive us for all the ways we attempt to refill on lesser things. You are still the cure for what ails us. Give us courage to come away with You to desolate places and experience the restoration that only You can provide. Thank You for always meeting our needs. Amen.