After Jesus sent His disciples out to preach and heal, which they did (see Mark 6:7-13), they later returned and reported back what had happened. I’m sure that they had lots of stories. However, as people kept coming to Jesus (and perhaps to the apostles, since the news of their ministry had probably started to spread), Jesus recognized that the apostles could use some rest.
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 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. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Mark 6:30-34 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.6.30-34.NIV
God knows that we need rest, to the extent that He made it a part of His example for us to follow (see Exodus 20:8-11, for instance). However, just because we need rest doesn’t mean that we always get it. People were so excited about Jesus that the word apparently spread faster than He and His disciples could travel by boat to somewhere quiet.
Jesus, though, despite the fact that He was probably tired (and – depending on the timeline – may have been grieving from the news of his cousin’s execution, per Mark 6:14-29), had compassion on the people and taught them. Have you ever done that, when you were already exhausted, but someone asked for your help and you helped them anyway? Have you ever seen the tired look in someone’s eyes when you had to ask them for help, and profusely thanked them for the extra effort?
I’m not sure whether or not I should picture Jesus as giving a heavy sigh before beginning to teach the people, though. (I’m pretty sure that I would sigh, but I might hide it from the person asking for help.) Jesus did legitimately get tired, since He was fully human. However, truly caring for someone else changes how we perceive helping them. When we love someone, there’s a different feeling about serving them, even when we’re just about out of energy ourselves.
So, let’s be as compassionate as Jesus was to those who needed a shepherd (or any other help in Jesus’ name), serving when we need to, and not just when we feel like it. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t seek rest at the right times, but it does mean that we may need to step out into a zone where our strength is exhausted, and we must rely on God’s unlimited support to continue.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for October 5, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Mark, by Allen Black. © 1995 College Press Publishing Co.
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