Mark 6:30-34
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - 29 July 2018
Rev. John Derme
How many of you could stand to get a little more rest? I'll admit that I could. We had a great Soccer for Kids camp this past week. We had a great group of kids and a great group of church members putting it on. I enjoyed every moment of it. But I am exhausted.
I know I'm not the only one. Many of you are exhausted from everything that is going on in your lives, too. People may sometimes tell you to get some rest. But you always have more to do. Your list never gets shorter. Wouldn't it be nice if someone would not just tell you to get some rest, but would actually help you get some rest?
That is exactly what Jesus wanted to do for his apostles. They had just returned from a busy time of their own. Jesus had sent them out to the to teach the good news in all the villages of Galilee. And when they got back they gathered around him to tell him what they had done and taught. They'd had a great trip. But Jesus knew that they were exhausted.
They weren't getting any rest where they were at, because Jesus was so popular. So many people were surrounding them that they didn't really even get the chance to eat. So Jesus said, "Come on. Let's go somewhere where there aren't any people, and get some rest." He didn’t just tell them to get some rest, though. He took them onto a boat, which sailed to a place where there were no people. He helped them to get some rest.
But, as it turned out, there were people at that place when Jesus and the apostles landed. Somehow, when the people had seen that Jesus and his disciples were getting away, they recognized where they were going. They ran by foot around the lake and beat Jesus there! When Jesus landed, he saw that there was a large crowd of them there: well over 5000 people came to listen to him that day. He didn't tell his disciples, "Quick, get back into the boat; let's get outta here!" He had compassion on those people who were waiting for him, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
Apparently, Jesus' apostles weren't the only ones who were tired. The crowds were, too. They weren't exhausted from a week of soccer-Bible camp or preaching in the villages of Galilee. They were restless, because their spiritual leaders were unfaithful. The Lord wants his people to have spiritual leaders or shepherds. We saw that it was true in the First Lesson from Numbers 27, and we see that it is still true in the Second Lesson from Hebrews 13. But the spiritual teachers of the time didn't teach the true Word of God. Therefore they weren't giving the people the rest that they needed.
So Jesus shepherded his people by himself. He decided to give them the true teaching of his Word that they needed. He brought them the rest that comes through his gospel message. Rather than getting rest with his apostles, he taught the crowd what they needed to hear.
So, who are you? Are you a disciple of Jesus who needs some rest, because you have been working so hard to proclaim the Word of Jesus? Or are you one of the sheep who is restless, because you have no shepherd? Either way, Jesus wants to bring you rest, because you need it.
If you are like the people in the crowd who ran around the lake to see Jesus, then you need the rest that he gives. This society in which we live is a frenzied place, where we're always busy and there's always more to do and you're never getting everything done. And even if you work long hours and earn lots of money and get your kids to all their activities and enjoy all kinds of entertainment… You don't do everything that you feel like you're supposed to do, but even if you could get it all done, that wouldn't satisfy you. There are certainly many places in our society that will claim to give you spiritual rest or satisfaction, but in reality most spiritual leaders in our world only give you more to do that you can never accomplish, which will only make you more restless.
If you are more like the apostles of Jesus, who crossed the lake with him in the boat, then you need his rest, too. Church members have just as many demands on their time as everybody else in this world. And on top of that, you've got to be here on Sundays and sometimes even other days of the week. If you have kids, you know how tough it can be to get everyone here on Sunday morning. And if you serve on a board or committee, you're giving more of your time to serve others, even though your time is in limited supply!
No matter who you are, it can seem impossible to find rest! And that's no surprise, because we are all by nature restless. We all understand that we need something more than being busy and doing things and serving others. No matter how much you do, you will never do enough to give yourself the satisfaction you want in life. You can never do all that you should do, because you are not perfect. You will always fall short of what God demands that you do, because you are a sinner. If all we have is what we do in this life, then we will miss out on the eternal rest that God wants to give us, and we will be restless forever.
In our Gospel we see that Jesus doesn't run away from people who need rest, even when he is tired. In fact, Jesus didn't rest until he had won rest for you. He kept going, kept living for you, always doing everything necessary that God the Father said he was supposed to do in your place. He kept going, until he got to the cross, where he took your sins and died for you. Now that he has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, he still is working to bring his rest to you in the words of Scripture and in his promises to you in your Baptism. You have peace now in this life and you have life forever in heaven. This is the rest that only Jesus can give.
You don't need to do more. You need to know the one who has done everything for you. You don’t need to serve more. You need to be served by Jesus, who has saved you. The whole purpose of church membership is not to have more work, but to come and find rest in the Word of Jesus. The purpose of serving at church is not to be busy, but to bring Jesus' rest to others.
Jesus doesn’t just tell you to get some rest. He actually brings you rest in his gospel. Because your sins are forgiven, you have rest now. Because you have Jesus' perfection, you will rest forever. So, dear friends, get some rest. Rest in him.