Rest a while

Mark returns to his narrative of the mission of the Apostles which he intercalated with the death of John the Baptist.

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The Apostles return to Jesus and report all they have done and taught. In order to have a leisurely meal, to have some rest, and to renew the bonds among his disciples, Jesus invites them to go “to a deserted place” (v 31). This is basically an uninhabited place with a very small population, where Jesus and his disciples can have more “privacy” —“far from the madding crowd”—away from people who come and go, and people who are looking for Jesus.

The Apostles need to recover their physical and spiritual energies so that they may be ready for future initiatives. In fact, they soon find out that there are people out there looking for them and their Master, like sheep in need of shepherds.