Moved with compassion

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. – Mark 6.34

Rest is all well and good. It should be a priority. Jesus knew that and even instructed the disciples to pull away for a while.

The problem is that it doesn’t always work. There are sometiems things that are still more important than our rest.

As Jesus and the disciples tried to get away the crowds pursued them. I know that my response would probably have been frustration and irritation. I would have said, or at least thought, something like ‘why can’t they leave us alone?’

But Jesus didn’t respond that way. He didn’t say ‘Sorry folks, we need to take a little break here. Come back tomorrow.’

Jesus was ‘moved with compassion’ and His compassion for the shepherdless flock overrode the disciples and His need for rest.

So they picked themselves up. Jesus taught the crowd. Later in the day they took the time to feed the people instead of sending them away.

There is not much to say here. Rest is important. We need to take the time to get away. We need to prioritise it. It is vital.

But we also need to be aware that sometimes there are things that are more important that taking a break.