"Recreational Getaway”
Text: Mark 6:30-44
7-21-2024
In the name of Him who provides refreshing recreation for our bodies, souls, and minds, dear friends in Christ. This is the time of year when a majority of people take their family vacations. Most of those planned destinations would fall under the category of a “recreational getaway.” And that "recreation" could involve activities such as camping, fishing, hiking, swimming, sightseeing, or going to a popular amusement park. Perhaps I’m a little weird (please, no comments!) but that's NOT what I consider to be a recreational get-away. Over the years, my wife and I have gone to various places for a vacation. But our favorite location was spending time at a cabin up in Ontario, Canada. I’m confident our time up there would totally bore most of you. And that’s exactly the way we wanted it. This cabin is located on a dead-end trail occupied by only a few neighbors. It sits perched over a beautiful, big lake. When people hear that, they usually ask, “Oh, so you went fishing every day, huh?” Their jaws drop when I say no. Actually, we went there to do a whole lot of nothing, and we accomplished that goal! It was a time to rest, go for walks, read, meditate and pray in a quiet, peaceful place. Like I said, it probably would bore most of you to tears, but for me it was the perfect recreational getaway place.
Have you noticed that nowadays we’re not too good at spending quiet, non-busy times like that? Don’t get me wrong, I also like taking vacations where we go sightseeing, have activities planned, and perhaps visit the people we love. But after one of those vacations, I usually have to come home to rest up, which is all backwards when you think about it. You may have some great memories, but it’s not very restful or refreshing for your mind and body. If only we could find a healthy balance between those busy times away and the ones where we just relax and do nothing. The problem is that the latter of those two is usually ignored. And we especially ignore a time of quiet recreation in our weekly cycle of work and play.
In our Gospel lesson, Jesus saw a need for His disciples to experience a time of quiet rest in the midst of a very busy ministry. Just prior to our reading, Jesus had sent out the 12, two by two, with the command to tell others the good news that the Kingdom of God was at hand. But Jesus gave them authority to do even more than that. Mark 6:13 says, “They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.” These amazing activities were reported far and wide. It was a busy, exhilarating time for the disciples. They were also now very popular and in high demand, leaving them little time to even eat a peaceful meal. It was exhausting and Jesus knew the potential for burnout if they didn’t get a break. So, when they reported back to Him, He showed His extreme care, telling them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” A recreational getaway from all the busyness was just what they needed to recharge their batteries. You can almost hear a collective sigh of relief from the disciples.
But how do you get the ever-increasing crowds to stop following you wherever you go? A boat ride was just the ticket. Off they went. They were looking forward to time with Jesus, all to themselves. It wasn’t just an opportunity for them to catch a nap, go fishing, or take a relaxing swim. No, when Mark tells us “They had no leisure time to even eat” it wasn’t just the food for their stomachs they were missing out on. In all the hustle and bustle their souls needed to be fed and nourished by Jesus. I can tell you from personal experience that Pastors face this same dilemma. We try to be unselfish in ministering to others. We study God’s Word so that we can preach it and teach it to you. We gladly lead the church services and administer the Sacraments. But we don’t often have the opportunity to just sit quietly in church and be the ones who are fed.
That’s what Jesus was calling the disciples away to do. And you can bet that they were excited at the prospect of a refreshing, recreational time. But it didn’t turn out as they expected. The people on shore saw where the boats were headed and ran to meet them when they landed. When the disciples saw the crowds approaching it was like letting air out of a balloon. So much for their restful mini-vacation! After they came ashore and Jesus taught the people you can almost sense a bit of irritation when the disciples encouraged Him to send the crowd away to get something to eat.
Now, maybe you’re thinking that Jesus forgot about the rest and relaxation that the disciples needed. Trust me, He didn’t. There’s a lesson for all of us in what happened next. Jesus knew full well that the crowd was going to join them in this desolate place. And they were there for the same reason as the disciples. They needed a recreational getaway where they could rest. They needed time for a nourishing, peaceful meal. Not necessarily for their bodies but for their souls. When Jesus saw the crowd, He had compassion “because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” In other words, their inner spirit was lost and vulnerable. Their souls were tired and hungry for God’s Word of life which they had been deprived of by their religious leaders. So Jesus had them sit down to rest and He fed them. Ah, I’m not talking about the bread and fish just yet. No, He fed the crowd by teaching them the wondrous truth of God’s grace and mercy. He taught them how floods of forgiveness would flow when they repented of their sins. He taught them that He was God’s Son who came to be their Good Shepherd and save them. In this way, Jesus provided the much-needed rest and nourishment for their souls. It was their recreational getaway.
Unfortunately, the disciples didn’t see that it was for them too. Which explains the lesson behind the miracle of feeding the 5,000. Remember how I pointed out that the disciples were a bit miffed by the crowd interrupting their restful time with Jesus? They felt deprived and cheated. They wanted all these extra people to just go away so they could get back to their R & R. But what does Jesus do once He’s done teaching? He tells the disciples to feed the crowd. “You want us to do what Jesus? We barely have enough to feed ourselves, so how can we feed all of them?” That was true on the physical level, but even more so on the spiritual level. The disciples were feeling spiritually empty because they had failed to receive the Bread of Life for their souls that Jesus had been handing out as He preached the Good News.
And therein lies one of the deeper lessons behind the miracle. In the hands of Jesus, the little bit of food they had was more than enough. So much so that once the disciples had served the mass of people, there was plenty left for them to feast on. They needed to realize this was true for them spiritually too. Their faith needed to be fed with God’s Word of Life. It may seem counterintuitive for them to be handing it out to others when they themselves felt empty. But Jesus wanted them to see that, even as they did so, there was plenty of rest and nourishment for their own souls to receive. In the hands of Jesus, God’s grace, mercy, and love will never run out. It flows out abundantly upon all of us. All we need do is stop the busyness of our lives, sit down, and rest in the presence of Jesus while He feeds us.
That’s the hard part though, isn’t it? The Lord calls us to a quiet place to feed us and give us rest for our souls, but we simply can’t sit still for it. We’ve got places to go, things to do, people to see. We fill up ever hour of every day with noise and activity. As if that’s our sole purpose in life. However, in the end we don’t feel rested and refreshed even after a vacation. It’s at those times that we become just like the disciples. Jesus offers you His Bread of Life in your homes as you take time to sit quietly reading God’s Word. He calls you to this place of worship where you can get away from the crowds to be well fed and rested spiritually. The longer you put that off, the emptier and more tired your soul is going to feel. In fact, you won’t be in any mood to share the Gospel with others since you don’t think there’s enough left for you in the basket of your faith. How foolish we are! Jesus wants us to see that there is plenty to go around. He has more than enough grace and mercy for you as well as the people around you. All you need do is stop the frantic whirl of busyness in your life. Sit down and rest in the presence of Jesus while He feeds you.
You’ve heard me use the term “recreational” several times now. That was intentional, because that’s truly what Christ does for His flock. By providing us with rest and nourishment for our souls, He is RE-Creating us. And so, this Church is actually your best re-creational getaway. It’s where you can go week after week to get away from the madness of this sinful world. It’s where you can go to get away from your own sins by laying them before the Lord in Confession. It’s where your soul can rest in Christ’s forgiveness and be fed by God’s Holy Word. It’s where you can feast on the life-giving Body and Blood of your Good Shepherd Jesus in Holy Communion. Rest assured, His grace and mercy in Word and Sacrament will never run out. So, come. Be well-fed and rested so that you may then be equipped to share the Bread of Life with other tired and hungry souls. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!