“Jesus never rests” – Mark 6:30-34
At the time of Jesus there was a theological dispute between the various schools of rabbis, as to whether or not God rests on the Sabbath day. As we know Jesus was constantly getting into trouble with the Pharisees because he worked miracles on the Sabbath. This discussion about God lies as the root of the disputes with Jesus and his claim to be the Messiah.
In this Sunday’s Gospel we get a wonderful picture of Our Blessed Lord and his care for the apostles. In last Sunday’s extract the Lord was sending them out to preach, this week they come back and they are exhausted. Jesus sees this so he tells them they must come away to a lonely place and rest. The tender compassion of the Lord is made evident.
When Jesus sees the large crowd and they are like a sheep without a shepherd, he is again moved to tenderness. This time he sets himself to teach them at some length. There is no rest for Jesus. The Lord never rests because there is always a need for mercy and compassion. We must remember this in our own lives. At times we can feel the Lord is very distant from us for instance when we feel our prayers haven’t been answered. He seems to be asleep or indeed not interested in our concerns. The Gospel for this Sunday teaches us that the Lord is always kind and full of compassion that he reacts differently depending on the various situations we find ourselves in. When he doesn’t seem to hear us or when he seems absent to us, these are moments of deep faith. Moments when we place our faith in the teaching of this Sunday’s Gospel, knowing that he never rests and that he is always there.
Therefore we have to ask ourselves what he is doing. He is bringing us on a journey of deeper faith and trust. In moments of doubt or fear always remember that Jesus never rests, he is present and he is carrying you in his loving arms. In such moments we learn to say “Jesus I trust in you”.
Fr. John Harris OP