Take A Break
Some people get so busy they do not even stop to eat. It happened to the disciples and when it did, Jesus told them what to do.
Jesus said to the disciples, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Mark explains, “For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat” (Mk. 6:31). The One who had sent them to labor, now sends them to rest. He told them to get away from all the activity (the “coming and going”), from the people (cf. “to a deserted place”), and even from ministry (cf. “rest a while”). In short, take a break.
Some people take too many breaks. They work hard to get out of work. In this passage, the break comes after the work. Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, “There is no fatigue so wearisome as that which comes from lack of work.”
Some do not take a break, even when they are on a break. They use their vacation to work. M. R. DeHaan tells of going to a cottage by a lake on a vacation. He spent some of the time fishing, but also spent a lot of time writing articles for his monthly devotional booklet called Our Daily Bread.
We need time off to protect our health. Vance Havner says, “If you don’t come apart and rest, you will come apart.” In the fall of 1904, Wales experienced a monumental religious awakening that shook the nation. It turned Wales’ coal mines into sanctuaries. Pubs closed as did the local brothels, and scheduled sporting events were cancelled. God used a young man called Evan Roberts (1878-1950) as the prime mover in this revival and he rose to national prominence. For several months, the Welsh press was full of stories about Roberts and his revival meetings. Yet after six months of intensive labor, Roberts withdrew from his ministry, an emotionally and physically broken man. Sadly, he did not return to public ministry for nearly twenty-five years.
We need time off to do better work. According to tradition, the Apostle John’s hobby was raising pigeons. As one of the church elders was returning from hunting, he passed John’s house and saw John playing with one of his birds. The elder gently chided John for spending his time so frivolously. John looked at his critic’s bow and remarked that the string was loose. The hunter explained, “I always loosen the string of my bow when it is not in use. If it always stayed tight, it would lose its rebounding quality and fail me in the hunt.” John replied, “I am relaxing the bow of my mind so that I may be better able to shoot the arrows of divine truth.”
We need time off to be Christ-like. An angry church member said to her pastor, “I phoned you Monday, but could not get you.” The pastor explained that Monday was his day off. The woman responded, “What! A day off? The devil never takes a day off!” “That’s right,” replied the pastor, “and if I didn’t I would be just like him.” Don’t be like Satan. Be like the Son of God, who took time off from a packed schedule.
God rested (Gen. 2:3). Jesus came apart from His work, and so should we.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 2/27/2012
Jesus said to the disciples, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Mark explains, “For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat” (Mk. 6:31). The One who had sent them to labor, now sends them to rest. He told them to get away from all the activity (the “coming and going”), from the people (cf. “to a deserted place”), and even from ministry (cf. “rest a while”). In short, take a break.
Some people take too many breaks. They work hard to get out of work. In this passage, the break comes after the work. Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, “There is no fatigue so wearisome as that which comes from lack of work.”
Some do not take a break, even when they are on a break. They use their vacation to work. M. R. DeHaan tells of going to a cottage by a lake on a vacation. He spent some of the time fishing, but also spent a lot of time writing articles for his monthly devotional booklet called Our Daily Bread.
We need time off to protect our health. Vance Havner says, “If you don’t come apart and rest, you will come apart.” In the fall of 1904, Wales experienced a monumental religious awakening that shook the nation. It turned Wales’ coal mines into sanctuaries. Pubs closed as did the local brothels, and scheduled sporting events were cancelled. God used a young man called Evan Roberts (1878-1950) as the prime mover in this revival and he rose to national prominence. For several months, the Welsh press was full of stories about Roberts and his revival meetings. Yet after six months of intensive labor, Roberts withdrew from his ministry, an emotionally and physically broken man. Sadly, he did not return to public ministry for nearly twenty-five years.
We need time off to do better work. According to tradition, the Apostle John’s hobby was raising pigeons. As one of the church elders was returning from hunting, he passed John’s house and saw John playing with one of his birds. The elder gently chided John for spending his time so frivolously. John looked at his critic’s bow and remarked that the string was loose. The hunter explained, “I always loosen the string of my bow when it is not in use. If it always stayed tight, it would lose its rebounding quality and fail me in the hunt.” John replied, “I am relaxing the bow of my mind so that I may be better able to shoot the arrows of divine truth.”
We need time off to be Christ-like. An angry church member said to her pastor, “I phoned you Monday, but could not get you.” The pastor explained that Monday was his day off. The woman responded, “What! A day off? The devil never takes a day off!” “That’s right,” replied the pastor, “and if I didn’t I would be just like him.” Don’t be like Satan. Be like the Son of God, who took time off from a packed schedule.
God rested (Gen. 2:3). Jesus came apart from His work, and so should we.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 2/27/2012