Come Apart and Rest - Mark 6:31

Mark wrote how “the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught”, and in chapter six and verse thirty-one of his book, Mark wrote how Jesus told His disciples, “come you yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while” where we read:

And he said unto them, Come you yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while:

for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

The verse reads, “And he said unto them, Come you yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while:” Mark began with the words, “and he said” which means “and Jesus uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto them” or “to His disciples”, “Come you yourselves apart” which means “disciples come hither and now toward and” “into a desert place” which means “into a solitary, lonely, desolate and uninhabited location”, “and rest a while” or “and cease from any movement or labor in order to recover strength, refresh, keep quiet and be of calm and patient expectation”. Mark shared how Jesus desired His disciples to separate themselves to a “desolate” location so they might “refresh themselves and recover” from all their ministry.

The verse continues, “for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.” Mark added the words, “for there were many” which means “because, since and on account that a lot of people were” “coming and going” or “appearing, entering and accompanying as well as leaving, withdrawing, retiring or departing”, “and they had no leisure” which means “and the disciples of Jesus did not have opportunity to have a good or convenient time” “so much as to eat” or “nor yet or even to consume or devour food”. Mark shared how so many people were coming to and leaving the disciples that they had no occasion for a “good time” or even to “eat food”.

When we meditate upon Mark's words in this verse, we see how busy Jesus and the disciples were as they ministered to people. Because people were “coming and going”, the stream of ministry for the “disciples” seemed to never end. It is interesting that Jesus perceived they needed to be “refreshed and nourished”, and He purposed to take them “apart” from the crowd so they could “rest and eat”. God is aware when people minister to others to the point of “exhaustion”, and He initiated the time of “rest” on the “Sabbath day”. Those who follow and serve Jesus may find themselves in need of examining their “time” spent serving others, and should they find they need to be “refreshed”, let them “come apart” to a “desert place” for a “while” and “rest”.

Next time Mark shares how Jesus and disciples, “departed into a desert place by ship”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".