Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Pastoring is hard. Bear with me…this is going to end on a positive note! Pastoring is hard. It’s tiring. It’s draining – emotionally, physically, spiritually, and so on. Recently I had a conversation with a colleague who accurately said that pastoring means having your heart broken…a lot. For these reasons, and so many more, I always appreciate when others talk about the importance of the call. After all, it is the call that keeps us here. The call reminds us of why it is important that we remain faithful…even when it’s hard. Even when we are tired, and our souls are weary. Even when our hearts are broken. It is our call and our fidelity to Jesus that keeps us faithful. This week’s Gospel reading reminds us of some additional important truths.

Let me remind you that much like life in America in 2024, Mark’s gospel is told at a fast-paced speed. One of the things we notice about Mark’s storytelling is that he moves quickly from one moment to the next. That is certainly evident in this lectionary text, which, as they are at times, is split up and somewhat choppy. Curiously, the Lectionary omits the part of the story that tells of the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water. What remains is a fast-paced description of what it looks like to be in the depths of ministry. The disciples have returned from their assignments. I imagine that they are excited and somewhat energized by all that was accomplished as they were sent. I also sense that Jesus, who I’m sure is thrilled with them and for them, knows that the disciples need to get away for some rest, even if perhaps they are unaware. It is at this point that Mark tells us that everywhere they went, crowds of people found them and came to them. It was so crazy, that they didn’t even have a chance to eat! How many of us can relate to that scenario? When they finally did have a chance to get away by boat, it wasn’t long before they were discovered, and people are again coming to Jesus in droves.

I wonder if it’s at this point that pastors can sympathize with what it feels like when we are trying to find rest at times. After all, ministry is exhausting, in good ways and in difficult ways. And yet, what I love about this passage, is the invitation to take the posture of Jesus. Pastors are shepherds, and as shepherds we have been given the gift of compassion. This means we can show up and give more of ourselves, even when we would rather go home and kick our feet up and binge watch whatever show it is that gives us some comedic relief. Jesus saw the crowd and had compassion on them. He couldn’t turn them away; he was committed to ministering to them. He was their Shepherd.

I have this friend who was in youth ministry, and she and her husband were enjoying a date night one weekend. Like most young couples in ministry, date nights were few and far between, and they really needed this time together. While they were out, she got a phone call from one of her student’s mothers, whose daughter had recently been admitted into a mental health facility for teens. The mother was having a moment of despair, and was spiraling, and needed to talk it through. In that moment, my friend was conflicted, but overcome with compassion for this mother who needed someone to talk to her. I don’t think there is necessarily a distinct right or wrong when it comes to these situations. The point is, as pastors, as shepherds, we are given compassion for our flock, even (and perhaps especially) when it is inconvenient.

It is here that I want to make something clear, something that we see in this passage: There is a healthy balance that we must maintain. Simply put, we cannot do it all. Even Jesus, who was fully human, did not tap into some supernatural ability to do ministry 24/7 without rest. No – he made time to rest. Therefore, we must make time to rest. (And to be clear, by this kind of rest I don’t mean binge watching that show – I’m talking about life-giving, soul-nurturing rest!) We must resist the notion that we can do it all without rest because you and I both know that we will burn out. The balance is, to recognize that we have been called to show up for others even when we may not feel like it or we would just rather stay home. And yet, we must find rest in the strength and presence of our Good Shepherd who invites us to rest in him. In the midst of all that the disciples were doing, Jesus, who was surely pleased with their work, was inviting them to get away with him.

Pastoring is hard. As we see in this passage, shepherding, for Jesus, was tiring and surely overwhelming at times. Out of his abundant mercy and love, he didn’t turn people away who were like sheep without a shepherd. He was their Good Shepherd, and he is our Good Shepherd. You see, just as Jesus didn’t turn the crowds away, he doesn’t turn us away. Instead, he invites us to get away with him for life-giving, soul-nurturing rest. He fully knows that we cannot pour out of an empty vessel as we show up for others, even at inopportune times. There’s a tension here, a balance to be found. I wonder if the preaching opportunity we are given on this day is to show up for our flock in love and mercy, even when we might feel discouraged and tired. More importantly, we can only do that after we have received life and nourishment from our Good Shepherd. I think that’s one of the invitations for our congregations as well this week. Jesus is proud of you and all that you do in cooperation with him. However, don’t miss the invitation to get away with him, so that he can nourish your soul and give you strength to carry on. I was reading a Year B preaching commentary that says this:

We learn from Mark that the power for the work Jesus did is the very power of God. Jesus’ work is ultimately God’s work. And, through these bits of story and the other accounts between, we are assured that God’s provisions are more than enough for our needs. [1]

So, carry on, faithful pastor. Continue to love your people and show up for them, in a way that you have been beautifully gifted to do so. It is your compassion for them that makes you great at what you do. And yet, remember that you, too, depend on true rest in your Good Shepherd. He invites you (and us) to get away with him. Show your congregation what it looks like to love others and show up for them, while also recognizing that you cannot do it all, and you cannot do it in your own strength. Jesus meets us in the middle of this tension and gives us grace as we remember the One from whom our strength comes.

[1] Soards, Marion. Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, After Pentecost 1. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993), 119.