Jesus takes rest in a boat
31 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.”
32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
Mark 6:31-32 NIV
Jesus and the disciples have just gone out in small groups and preached the Gospel of the Kingdom all over the area. They cast out demons, healed the sick, and all kinds of stuff. They preached repentance and the kingdom of heaven to so many people that by the time they got back to Jesus, things were so crowded they couldn’t eat.
So Jesus and the disciples found their rest in a boat. Talk about being anti-social! There is no way all of those people are going to have access to enough boats fast enough for them to follow along. Jesus and the disciples left them in the dust.
It is vitally important for us to value resting. It was so important to Jesus for the disciples to get away from what they had been doing.
Were there more people to talk to? Yep.
Were there more people to heal? Yep.
Were there still demons that needed to be cast out or villages that hadn’t been reached? Yep.
Jesus took those guys out on a boat to rest. It was not that easy or cheap. I know a Pastor named John Lovelace and his marriage advice was this:
Once a quarter, if you can afford it, take your wife out and stay in a hotel. It’s not for a romantic lovey-dovey thing, it’s so she can go to sleep and not have to look at laundry or have some chore sitting there undone staring at her while she falls asleep! — John Lovelace
Jesus led the way into rest. He didn’t wait for the disciples to need it desperately, He intervened and led them into a time of rest.
Is the Lord calling you to do the same thing for your family? For your neighbor? Is there some way that you can drag that lonely friend off to a movie so you can laugh at something stupid as a gateway to laugh at the greatest joys of life?
It is always worth it afterwards to invest in some healing and resting. It doesn’t have to cost a thing, but invest the time in it or it could cost you a lot.