Pentecost 9 Mark 6:30-34 In The Boat With Jesus

Jeremiah 23:1-6 Ephesians 2:13-22 Mark 6:30-34

It was an exciting time to be in and around the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus had picked up the pace of His message and had commissioned the Twelve Apostles to go out healing, teaching and proclaiming the word of God. The disciples also preached repentance as their Lord did.  And God blessed their words by miraculous signs and wonders that accompanied them.  The people flocked around Jesus and the apostles as they did these great things so much that they had little time to rest or to even to eat.  Even so, these men were excited and felt great joy as they proclaimed Christ’s message.

But in the midst of their joyful work, dreadful news reached them that John the Baptist had been beheaded by King Herod.   So when they came back to report to Jesus everything they had done, they had mixed emotions. Our Lord had to deal with excited and exhausted men who had made their first evangelism visits and preached their first sermons and at the very same time he was dealing with those who were grieving the loss of their former teacher, John the Baptist.

Surely some of them must have asked themselves whether this preaching was worth it if it meant that they too might lose their own lives. So, in the midst of their joy, there was also some anxiety and sorrow.

We can relate to this somewhat. This week, we have had Vacation Bible School. Many people helped out and we were all certainly tired after spending five days proclaiming the word of God to so many children. But along with all of the joy we had, we had the sadness of knowing that one of the three young men who was injured in the accident last week had died.   And now we hear that Gladys has been called home as well.

When these sad times come into our lives, we need some time to grieve.  ‘Rest’ is the word that echoes in our hearts. But when we go through these emotional times--when our hearts are deeply saddened, the world does not seem to notice.  The world does not stop, the sun still comes up whether we want it to or not and life goes on.  Grieving and comfort without taking time out from the increasing demands of everyday life is simply impossible. We all need time to be by ourselves and get some rest.

 The apostles in our Gospel lesson found themselves in that same situation; they too needed some time to rest.  However, the crowds still followed them.  They still wanted the apostles to heal them or at the very least, be entertained by watching someone else be healed.   How rude it seems of those people to not let the Apostles have some time alone and grieve even if just for a little while.

So Jesus offered His workers a way to get some badly needed rest.  His rest was twofold. First of all, the kind of rest that their weary bodies needed after all of their teaching and healing was physical rest. This group of tired workers needed some time to sit and relax.  And secondly, they needed some time to grieve. So He took them out in a small boat on the Sea of Galilee.  There is no record of any great message or some amazing miracle that took place upon that boat.  They simply went out to get away from the crowds and to spend some quiet time with Jesus.

Our Church building is a lot like that boat in which the apostles and Jesus took some time out of their busy lives to rest. “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,” Jesus told them. Our Lord wants you to take some time out of your busy lives and spend it with Him here in His sanctuary. 

 Leave your worries and your cares on the shore. Don’t bring them into the church.  Don’t worry about your marriage, your work, your finances, your children or even what you are going to make for lunch.  Forget about the world for a little while and just spend some time with Jesus. Focus on Jesus and His love for you and you will find rest. 

Rest is exactly what the apostles found when they went out in a boat with Jesus. Even so, as they were resting, Jesus was teaching them exactly what a good shepherd does. As Psalm 23 tells us.  “He maketh me to lie down, He leadeth me by the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.” 

Their rest did not mean they were done working, however, but rather they were just taking a break to regain their strength and resolve. There was still much work to be done and in the light of John’s death, they received encouragement and comfort through Jesus Christ so they could carry on God’s work.

Jesus would go on to complete His work in only a few more years. That work would take Him to the cross when He would pay for your sins, my sins and the sins of the whole world. Upon the cross He cried out, “It is finished,” but only the work of His redemption was completed. And after His ascension into heaven, the apostles continued His work of proclaiming His kingdom just as His disciples and shepherds do today.

We still call upon people to repent of their sins and place their faith in Jesus Christ. But because His redeeming work is over, we also proclaim forgiveness to the world through the work of Jesus Christ. 

Remember Jesus told us through Matthew, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus wants you to find rest from the world and all of its demands.  And there is no better place to find Jesus and His rest than in His church. You can bring all of your regrets and sorrow for your sins and set them at the feet of Jesus. He will take them from you and give you a gift in return. He has redeemed your sins with His precious blood. He takes your cold sins from you and wraps you in the warmth of His love and forgiveness. 

No sin that you may have done is too big or too small for Jesus. He is willing to take upon Himself your biggest sins.  No sin is too costly for Jesus; He has already paid for your sins, my sins and the sins of the whole world. He will take your sins and give you everlasting life in return. And He does that for you right now, right here in this little boat we call Our Savior Lutheran Church. Jesus gives you his gifts, His rest through the Hymns you sing, through the liturgy you say, through His Word and especially through His very body and blood you receive in His Supper.

Here in the church is where true rest can be found in Christ Jesus. It is a rest, a peace that the world cannot give.  Here you can find true peace in Jesus Christ.  A peace that will one day be complete when God calls you into His heavenly home. But until that day comes, Jesus invites you to come into His building and find rest.  Then, just as Jesus Christ has had compassion on you and has forgiven your sins, you can go out and have compassion on those who do not know about Jesus Christ.  You can lead them to the Good Shepherd and invite them to find rest for their souls.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.