Chapter # 6 Paragraph # 4 Study # 2
December 7, 2021
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: Mark's focus for his record of Jesus' call for a brief vacation is upon the fact that the disciples did not get that "vacation" because of a greater need.
Introduction: In our first study of this paragraph, we saw that Mark told his readers that the "apostles" returned to Jesus and reported both what they
did and what they
taught (both issues attached to the essence of "apostleship"). We noted that it was what they did and taught that blew the reputation of Jesus up into a force that got the attention of Herod "the king", and set the stage for Mark's presentation of "the leaven of Herod" so that the disciples could learn how deadly is the pursuit of the glory that men have to offer. According to
John 5:44 that pursuit
kills the ability to be believing and according to the record here in Mark it
motivates evil behavior that knows no bounds.
In our study this evening we are going to begin to look into the response of Jesus to His disciples' labors to see why He offered them "a brief rest" and then did not give it to them.
- I. A Cursory Reading Of The Text Indicates That Jesus Offered The Apostles A Brief Vacation But Did Not Make It Possible.
- A. On the face of it, Jesus was aware of how tired the apostles were so that He summoned them to a brief rest.
- B. But also on the face of it, Jesus, Himself, did not follow through on His offer.
- 1. That it was Jesus Who "sent the crowd away" in 6:45 means that He had this ability.
- 2. But, according to 6:34, it was Jesus Who refused to enforce His own "brief rest" offer, and then, in 6:37, He loaded the apostles up with a task beyond their ability.
- 3. And, in the following paragraphs, Jesus never did follow through on His call to a brief rest.
- II. A More Careful Reading Of The Text Indicates That There Were Multiple Reasons For Jesus To Cancel The "Vacation".
- A. First, Jesus is presented as "saying" (present tense in historical narrative).
- B. Second, the issue of "rest" is one which Mark deliberately sets into two contexts where it is not a desirable "high priority".
- 1. Mark only uses "rest" in two places in his Gospel (6:31 and 14:41).
- 2. In both places it is presented as a "competitor" to a higher priority.
- a. In 6:31, the context of the "higher priority" was the compassion of Jesus (which His "representatives" were supposed to adopt, but were slow to do so).
- b. In 14:41, the context of the "higher priority" was Jesus' insistence that the disciples with Him "pray" so that they will not fall to the temptation to yield to the flesh.
- C. Third, the place where they were to find "rest" is identified as "a secluded place".
- 1. The translation is accurate, but misleading because it eliminates the major characterization that Mark gives to the word so translated (eremos).
- 2. Mark's meaning for eremos is established as having two major characteristics by his earlier use.
- a. There are nine uses of this word in Mark's record.
- b. Six of those nine are in chapter one where both characteristics are identified and linked.
- 1) The primary characteristic of the two is "chaos" as a physical reality, but also as a critical metaphor for the message of repentance (1:3, 4, 12, 13).
- 2) The secondary characteristic of the two is "absent some normal presence" (1:35, 45).
- a) In 1:35 Jesus went to a place that was "absent" of people, but was moved to prayer because of the chaos of people.
- b) In 1:45 Jesus could not go into any place where the "chaos" was outwardly tamed because the inner chaos of the demanding crowds made it impossible (both the cleansed leper and the people were victims of their own inner disposition to selfishness).
- c. The other three are in our present context (chapter 6:31, 32, and 35), all of which militate against "rest".
- d. Taken altogether, these uses indicate that "human beings are subject to significant inner chaos" (from which there is no "rest" except in Jesus: Matthew 11:28-30) and that "one can never really/finally escape that reality even when there are no people present".
- D. Fourth, the crowd that was "coming and going" so that the disciples had no opportunity to eat was a potent insistence that "inner chaos" means "I want what I want regardless of the load I am putting upon others".
- 1. There are two occasions where Mark referred to the fact that the crowd's demandingness made it impossible for the disciples to even have time to eat (3:20 and 6:31).
- 2. In both cases the crowd is oblivious to the needs of others: the major characteristic of inner chaos.
- E. And fifth, Jesus' response to this massive inner chaos was one of "compassion" rather than annoyance.
- 1. Jesus was aware of the potency of this inner chaos.
- 2. He knew that seeking "rest" was a secondary priority.
- 3. He allowed His compassion to overrule the exhaustion of The Twelve in favor of the greater need of the crowd.
- a. This was difficult for the disciples because of their own inner chaos rooted in "the flesh is weak" reality of 14:38 (they understood that Jesus was sacrificing their "need" for rest to address the greater need of the crowd, and were not too happy about it).
- b. But Jesus knew what the higher priority is: His teaching for their understanding of "many things".
