"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."
... When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
Since I began to work full time at the Louisville VA hospital last month, I feel all the more the need to rest a while. Saturday, the Jewish day of Sabbath rest, is precious to me.
Jesus first saw the exhaustion of his own disciple when he invited them to come away... and rest a while. Then he discovered the desperation of the vast crowd who followed him into the wilderness.
In those days the city was supposed to be the place of rest. It was safe from wild animals, thieves and armies. But it was obviously not a place of security and rest for the crowds who fled the city to be with him.
Today we may not expect the city to be restful, but we create our homes for that -- until we crowd the space with telephones, televisions, computers and every modern convenience. Everything in the place is convenient except the space. Convenientia, in Latin, is harmony. So why do our homes jangle with cacophony?
I once knew a wealthy woman whose home, overlooking a wooded creek with expansive windows and a balcony, seemed a paradise of serenity. But she and her husband invested enormous amounts of time and money to build a second home, further from the city, where they could rest together. Maintaining both homes, it seemed to me, would only add another layer of complexity to their life together.
Saint Mark's gospel reminds us that Jesus is our peace, our rest and our restoration. We must abide in him and with him. And that truism means nothing if we're not prepared to actually STOP! and let him feed us in the wilderness of our lives.
Wow! Three really good scripture readings in one day, how did you ever pick one to zero in on? The story of Solomon asking for wisdom is pertinent for today. Too many students just want the knowledge handed to them in a neat package. After all they paid their tuition. Knowledge is good, but wisdom is more about knowing what to do with knowledge. I remember going to a "Life in the Spirit" seminar in college, during my early days with charismatic groups. Wisdom was the gift of the Spirit I was most interesting. I had no understanding of King Solomon at that point.
ReplyDeletePsalm 119 would have been a good morsel for mediation. "With all my heart I seek you; let me not stray from your commands." Lord, teach me your statutes. I have so much to learn!
But you would pick on the rest. Not a bad choice since they come from Jesus himself. To rest one must sit still, or remove yourself from distractions or whatever numbs you. Walking in the woods can give the soul a rest from the numbing, the distractions or the business of living.
Peace!