Mark 6:31-33 Rest for a While
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 29, 2018, Mark 6:31-33
He told them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest for a while,” because so many people were coming and going that they didn’t even have time to eat.
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
(Understanding the Text) What did they eat, and where did the food come from? There were not stores to buy food. Someone would have to prepare it. Was this the women who followed Jesus? Later in his ministry Peter takes his wife with him. Was his wife with him now? There were so many people that they did not have time to eat. What were they doing? Jesus was preaching. Were they all healing now, or only Jesus? They had to organize the crowds and protect Jesus. Did they counsel people individually? They would have been answering questions about Jesus. I wonder about these people the same thing I wonder about most crowds who are in one place for days. Didn’t they have some kind of job they had to do? I know that they did not do 9-5 weekly like we do now and had more control over their schedule, but I still wonder about the practical aspects of the crowd following Jesus.
(Revelation of God) Jesus cared that his disciples were overworked and needed some time to rest and recuperate. God does not expect us to work for Him constantly without free time to heal and take care of ourselves. He wants us to be healthy and joyful. He promised to provide for our needs in several places. He does not just use us. He cares for us and loves us. We can count on Him to provide us with rest and recovery if we ask.
So they went away in a boat to a deserted place by themselves. But when many people saw them leave and recognized them, they hurried on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.
(Understanding the Text) Jesus takes the disciples away to a deserted place. Matthew says that they go in a boat. The lake is surrounded by hills. People could look down and see the boat. I’m sure that curious people would watch a boat approach and look to see who was coming in to shore. By now, Jesus’ appearance was beginning to be known. Even if it hadn’t been, a rabbi with 12 disciples would have caught people’s attention and caused them to guess that Jesus had come. In addition, with all the crowds around Him, people looking across the lake would have known who it was and learned a little of His pattern of crisscrossing the lake. Someone watching the crowded shore could have seen the boat’s direction and rushed off passing through a village or too on the way spreading the news.
This says that the people saw them leave and hurried ahead of them by land. Now, boat travel would seem to be faster than foot travel, but we have been told that none of them had eaten, so chances are that they stopped and caught some fish and cooked it onboard and ate it. Or maybe they had brought food with them and stopped and ate it in piece in the middle of the lake. Also, having gone without food, they may have felt a little weak and been taking it easy if they were rowing. The wind may have died down so that they were not going fast if they were sailing.
According to the ISBE dictionary “In the time of our Lord’s ministry in Galilee the shores of the Sea were densely peopled, and there must have been many boats engaged in the fishing industry. Bethsaida at the northern end of the Lake and Tarichea at the southern end were great centers of the trade. The boats were probably of a size and build similar to the few employed on the Lake today, which are between 20 and 30 ft. in length and 7 ft. in breadth.” I wonder if they took several boats or if Peter’s boat was bigger than the one that I saw online.
(Application) I found a site online that said that they could only sail downwind, so they may have had to row across the lake. Also, it turns out that the only time they had alone without the people was in the boat. I guess we should make the most of the time we have because our expectations of the future will usually turn out wrong. The fact that they were leaving the crowd partly because of hunger makes the feeding of the 5,000 in the next verses ironic.
(Prayer) Please help me to live in every moment with You whether I am totally busy or bored with nothing to do. Teach me to enjoy Your companionship and think first of You in all situations.