Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ... Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. (Mark 6:31-32, 45)
A lot can be found in those dots ... but only because of Jesus.
John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin to whom his own destiny was tied, had been viciously executed, initiating Jesus' ministry and foreshadowing Jesus' own destination. Evil would again have its day before Jesus' triumph would be known. The disciples were exhausted from their own successful ministry tour. Jesus was tired with his own grief. The long journey to Golgotha had begun.
"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Jesus urged them.
That's what they tried to do. Emergency and ministry, however, intervened. The crowds followed. With weariness reaching to their bones and skipped meals in their own recent past, they were called on to minister... again.
A lot can be found in those dots ... but only because of Jesus.
Five thousand were fed out of two fish and five small loaves of bread. The apostles picked up twelve baskets, each full of scraps. In their hands was a tangible reminder of how Jesus could use them in their weariness, insufficiency, and weakness.
They had ministered powerfully, spoken mightily, and served magnificently in their ministry tour. They had just been used by the master to do the unimaginable in the wilderness with a mob of hungry messiah seekers. They were beyond exhaustion. So was Jesus. Yet Jesus, knowing his disciples needed rest, dismissed them to go be alone and rest while he held the crowd a bit longer. He let them escape to another lesson of their insufficiency and his grace (the story of Jesus coming to them on the water in the storm immediately follows).
A lot can be found in those dots ... but only because of Jesus.
Over the last week and a half, tens of thousands of people have exhausted themselves in service, much of it heroic. Millions have emotionally launched themselves into service by praying, fasting, donating blood, sending cards, volunteering at hospitals, removing rubble, comforting the broken, volunteering for service, waving flags, and a host of other challenging and beneficial tasks. Yet the rubble remains. The death count rises. Our bodies are weary. Our hearts barely remain afloat on an endless sea of grief. Amid the exhaustion, anger, and frustration there is work to do, brokenness to mend, and needs to meet. How can we do it? Where do we muster the strength and the will?
A lot can be found in those dots ... but only because of Jesus.
Jesus calls us to a moment of rest. We desperately need it. We need a respite from the incessant images of grief and mind-numbing reminders of horror.
"Come away with me to a quiet place and get some rest!" Jesus urges us. And we must respond.
We must take some time to regain our sense of balance, to touch base with our families, to shut off the TV and radio, and to listen to the quiet voice of our Father's lullabies (cf. Zeph. 3:17).
We know that sleep alone won't fill the hole in our soul. We need more for the storm that rages inside our hearts and that swamps our thoughts with anger and anguish. We need the presence of our Lord Jesus. We need to hear the words, "I Am, do not fear!" in our raging sea of heartbreak and shock. We need his comfort. We need his powerful grace. We need to find him, and let him be our rest. We, too, live in the land of dots where there are many needs, many people, overwhelming responsibilities, and insufficient resources.
A lot can be found in those dots ... but only because of Jesus.
So I want to urge you to back away for a day and be alone with Jesus. Turn off the sights and sounds of horror as much as is possible for you. Not to forget, but to be restored and renewed! Not to escape, but to be mended and returned to service. And as you rest, open your Bible to Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Ask God to make Jesus' presence real, his words alive, and his power active in restoring and renewing you to service. Ask him to help you find your basketfull of miracle leftovers to remind you that his grace is not gone, but that it is working through you.
A lot can be found in those dots ... but only because of Jesus.
Title: "Only Because of Jesus"
Author: Phil Ware
Publication Date: September 20, 2001
Only Because of Jesus
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