I’m always amazed at how pressured Jesus was by others who thronged Him daily during the days of His earthly ministry. Jesus, Jesus, pressured Jesus!
One instance that comes to mind is found in the sixth chapter of Mark’s Gospel. Knowing the Twelve Apostles were also being wearied by the press of the crowds, “He {Jesus} said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves (Mark 6:31-32).
I imagine the Apostles, who at this point were being ripped apart at the seams, were thrilled by the very idea of getting away for a much-needed break. It’s as if Jesus was telling them, “Come apart, before you come apart!” Climbing into the boat and leaving the crowds behind, they probably envisioned some peaceful fishing on the further shore and the more desolate beaches of the Sea of Galilee.
Imagine you head off on vacation, leaving the workaday world behind. All of the voices that are daily clamoring for your attention are going to finally be silenced as you arrive as your quiet vacation destination. Expectantly, as you open the door to your secluded condo, you’re met with a deafening, “SURPRISE!” And there, to your chagrin, waiting just inside the door, stands everyone you thought you’d just left behind.
Well, this is what happened to the Apostles. Mark goes on to tell us, “But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him” (Mark 6:33).
Turkeys! The nerve of them!
For me, I can totally identify with the Apostles’ response when the needs of the people became apparent. Tired of being everyone’s answer, and as Mark as already told us, with the demands being so great, “they did not even have time to eat,” they lifted one request to Jesus, hoping He would acquiesce: “Lord, send them away!” (Mark 6:36).
Let’s be honest. We’ve all felt that way. “Lord, can I just catch a break? It seems I’m hardly finished with one need when another, even more serious, seems to arrive at the door. Lord, send them away!”
But how different is Jesus’ response to these overwhelming circumstances? Instead of becoming angry that the crowd that had just ruined their vacation, Mark tells us, “And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd” (Mark 6:34).
As the needs of the people continued to mount, what may be even more astounding is the command Jesus gave the Twelve, especially in light of, and clearly in spite of, their complete exasperation and exhaustion. Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat!” (Mark 6:37).
“Wait a minute. You just told us to get away from everyone so we could get some well-deserved rest! You know we haven’t had a minute to ourselves, so much so as to even get a bite to eat. Now you tell us, to not only get up and get moving, but to go and do the impossible!”
This natural reaction is far from the way Jesus calls us to respond, and more so, enables us to respond. Beloved, while we are not able to meet the eclipsing needs that face us each day, we recognize that “our sufficiency is from God,” (2 Cor. 3:5). Since we have “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), we don’t have to succumb to the natural tendency to want to push away people in their time of need. We don’t have to strive to protect our peace, but instead, we can allow the compassion of the Lord to flow through us in order to see the needs of others abundantly met in and through the person of Jesus (Mark 6:42).
As I review this account from Mark’s Gospel, I’m reminded that “compassion does something!” It doesn’t just feel or empathize, but compassion moves us to action that we might see individuals being helped and their needs supplied. May God help us to see through His eyes, and may our hands be an extension of His love to those He brings across our path each day.
Grace and peace,
Jim
