The apostles gathered around Him and told Jesus all about what they had done and taught. There were too many people coming and going which meant they could not even have a bite to eat. Jesus said, "Come away with me to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away together in a boat to a solitary place.
In a Nutshell
Jesus spent time alone with His disciples
resting. That's also part of God's purposes for us. He wants to spend special
times with us.
Questions
What was Jesus teaching His disciples here?
When Jesus sent out His disciples it was a dangerous time. But He told them what to do. Remember His instructions? Take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them. So that's how they went out. They told people to repent, just like John had done. They drove out demons, anointed and healed the sick, just like Jesus had done. In this way, Jesus sent a message for those who wanted to use obedience to God as camouflage for military resistance. It was a message to those Jews who wanted to throw the Romans out and have their own King. It was also a message to those who wanted to blunt the Jewish people's commitment to God's kingdom because they were afraid of their Roman rulers. Jesus' disciples did what He told them to do. There was no arguing. They went and did the work. When they returned they were exhausted. Jesus was concerned. They had been so busy they even put off their meals. So He called a halt. Now was the time to rest.
The rest God gives us is not only because - because we are tired, or because the job is finished… . In the Bible resting is also in order to - in order to see what we have done and in order to see what else needs to be done. The Old Testament teaches us that if we do things God's way, which includes resting, God will rest with us. He reserves special times to just be with us. Remember the first chapter of the Bible? It describes God's "day off" after creating the heavens and the earth. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. God goes along with the same rules He gives to us. He rests with us; He brings our work to fulfilment and is still caring for us and our welfare when we are puffed out and exhausted. That's also what Jesus was doing when He told them to come away for a while. That boat trip was special. They remembered it. Then they had rested with Jesus. Jesus taught the importance of rest, here, now. If we forget that we will have missed the point. The exhausted disciples discovered that, at times, just being with Jesus was enough. They didn't have to do anything except …. rest. Resting and enjoying the company of the Son of Man was part of what God wanted them to discover.
That boat was an important in the work Jesus did with His disciples. It helped when the crowds got too big; it helped when Jesus taught His inner circle the meaning of His parables. It helped them rest, to get away from the crowds and relax. Maybe they slept, rested, did a bit of fishing or played games. They needed to because the quiet place to which they were headed was not going to be so peaceful. The crowds had realised where they were going. Jesus knew the work His disciples would be doing for the rest of their lives was going to be dangerous and make big demands upon them. For a little while they needed to rest.