Come Away with Me
The miracle of the feeding of five thousand is well known among Christian folk. The gospel of Mark chapter 6 gives an account of this famous supernatural event. In case you have not heard of the miracle, the basic synopsis is this:
Jesus and His disciples are in a predicament when a crowd of over 5,000 men plus women and children descend on them in a remote area. After a full day of teaching, the people were hungry and had nowhere to get food. Jesus instructed the disciples to feed the people, and they responded in warranted confusion and disbelief at Jesus' command since none of them had any food. A young boy brought 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, which Jesus multiplied, and all the people ate, leaving 12 baskets of leftovers.
This amazing event is likely among the top five miracles accounted for in Jesus' ministry while in human form on earth. If you grew up in the church, Bible school, or in a Christian home, you likely heard the account of this miracle at least 100 times. But do we know what preceded it? Why were Jesus and the disciples in a "solitary place"? How did a group of 13 men end up in a remote area of Israel with over 5,000 people to feed?
Mark 6:30-34 tells us how it happened. I think it is an interesting series of events worth investigating further. So, let's go.
Early in chapter 6 of Mark's gospel, we read that Jesus sent out the 12 disciples "two by two." In verse 30, we hear that when the disciples returned from their ministry of preaching the Kingdom of God, driving out demons and healing the sick, they "gathered around Jesus" and gave a report on all that had been done on their journeys. This was an exhilarating time as the disciples worked through the power of the Holy Spirit to teach with authority and deliver people from tremendous burdens. I am sure Jesus enjoyed the review of the happenings.
When it was busy around the home base, Jesus encouraged His disciples to come away with Him to a place of solitude.
But Mark 6:31 tells us something else that happened during this time. According to this verse, so many people were "coming and going" that there was no time, not even to eat! Jesus recognized the situation and realized that the ministry was getting hectic. Something had to be done. So Jesus, the Son of God and Rabbi of this ragtag group of world changers tells the disciples to pack their bags and come with him to a "quiet place". The trip required that they go alone, just Jesus and the 12 disciples, and the purpose was to "get some rest."
Interestingly, Jesus did not tell everybody tooling around, making all the commotion and taking up all the time to stop. Why not just shut the door and say no ministry today? Jesus understood that the ministry had to be accomplished. People needed the truth. The Kingdom of God had to be revealed. So rather than shut down all that was happening around their home base, Jesus instructed the disciples to get out of there. There is no indication that the group knew where Jesus was taking them. But it was evident that the place would be away from the crowds and away from the daily routine of the ministry.
So, the men get in a boat and head off to a "solitary place." This is when the trouble starts. Some people around the town see them leaving and recognize them as Jesus and the disciples. So, the crowd that Jesus hoped to escape from started running around the Sea of Galilee in pursuit of the quiet place seekers. The crowd collects others as they travel around the lake, and by the time they reach the landing point of the boat, there are thousands of people in the crowd!
The only solitude the disciples would get was in that boat. The crowd met them when they landed, and Jesus started teaching. Then, the miracle happened. Instead of going to a quiet place, Jesus and the disciples ended up in an epic time of ministry to the largest crowd they had ministered to yet. Immediately following the miracle, Jesus instructed the disciples to go back across the lake by boat while He went to pray. Later that night, Jesus would walk out to the disciples who were still battling the wind and waves. Just a casual walk on the water to finish this utterly unsuccessful retreat to solitude.
Spiritual takeaways in this account are numerous, but one of the most significant is that Jesus understood it was time for a retreat when things were getting overwhelming at the home base. There is no doubt that Jesus still believes that quiet rest is needed for those involved in His work. Whatever your service to God is, when things are hot and heavy, know that your Lord wants you to come away with Him. Our culture calls it self-love, self-care, or "me time." Spending it in prayer rather than with cucumbers on your eyelids is more constructive and more beneficial. But to each his own.
When the Lord calls you away, go! The work can wait. Go to the solitary place with Jesus and spend some time with just Him. But remember, there is always a chance that you may run into the most significant ministry opportunity you have had yet on the way to that quiet retreat.