Those who are successful learn how to be alone. Whether it is an artist with a canvas, an author staring at a page, a teacher making out a lesson plan or a businessperson reviewing accounts, they know that certain things must be done alone. From that time alone a painting can be put on public display, a book may be published that many will read, a teacher can stand in front of a class, or an accounting can be given to the stockholders and the board of directors.
For introverted people the choice for solitude is fairly easy. Their temperament inclines them to get away from people. For extroverts being alone is almost unthinkable, because they draw energy from being with people. The only way solitude will make sense for an extrovert or type A personality, is remembering that Solitude is being alone for personal growth and accomplishment. Solitude is being alone on purpose. It is being alone for personal renewal and refreshment. Loneliness happens to you. In contrast, solitude is something you choose (The previous two paragraphs were adapted from Eyre, S. D. (1995). Drawing close to God: the essentials of a dynamic quiet time: a lifeguide resource. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.).
In Mark chapter 6, crowds constantly followed Jesus and His disciples. Jesus knew how tiring ministry can be. He knew what it felt like to heal people, to have the press of the crowds upon him, to preach from town to town until his voice was hoarse, to get so caught up in God’s business that daily needs were forgotten. His compassion reached out to the disciples, and he encouraged them to come away from the crowds to get some rest (Cooper, R. L. (2000). Mark (Vol. 2, pp. 104–105). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
One of the problems with our world is that it is difficult to be alone. The cost of being hyper-connected, by carrying a cell phone, with constant social updates, instant messaging and email, we can continually be at others beck and call. Compound that with group work, social functions, customer expectations, yet alone family time, we may never really have time to sort our thoughts out or discern God’s direction.
What Jesus shows us from Mark chapter 6, is that the more busy times get, the more we need solitude. It does not mean abandoning problems or extended times away, but even a short devoted time, perhaps with others, for a spiritual purpose of focusing and discerning, enables us to sort our thoughts out and discern God’s direction. In this we see: 1) The Call to Solitude (Mark 6:30-31), and 2) The Challenge of Solitude (Mark 6:32-33), 3) The Compassion of Solitude (Mark 6:34)
1) The Call to Solitude (Mark 6:30-31)
Mark 6:30-31 [30]The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. [31]And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (ESV)
Let’s start with a working definition of solitude and pull the details out from this event in Mark 6. Solitude is intentional individual or group isolation for a spiritual purpose. It can enable spiritual growth and direction through reflection, prayer and study of God’s word in order to renew a relational closeness to God.
In Mark, the Apostles were sent out. This lasted weeks, probably maybe just a few months. The Apostles returned and gathered with Jesus. He had commissioned them to be his emissaries (Ch. 6:7–13), and it is appropriate to this circumstance that they should report to him how they had fulfilled their commission. The designation of the Twelve as “the apostles,” which occurs only here in Mark’s Gospel, has specific reference to the mission they have just undertaken. In this context the term is descriptive of the disciples’ function rather than an official title, and could be rendered “missionaries.” It was in consequence of their mission of preaching and exorcism in Galilee that the Twelve were designated “apostles,” i.e. those who had been sent forth and empowered by Jesus (Lane, W. L. (1974). The Gospel of Mark (p. 224). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co)
The word apostle (Gr. apostolos) means “one who has been sent on an errand.” It basically means the same as missionary, which comes from the Latin (Earle, R. (1970). Mark: the gospel of action (pp. 58–59). Chicago: Moody Press.).
• For missionaries today we see this practice of return as furlough. It means withdrawal from the field of ministry for debriefing, consideration of the effectiveness of ministry and a refocus. It can be difficult to achieve these functions in the midst of all the activity so the withdrawal is a form of solitude.
The disciples probably returned to Capernaum which was the headquarters of His ministry. They gather together to give their reports. They have gone out two-by-two so they’re at least six reporting teams that are coming back. We have no record of what they did. We can assume they were told to go and do exactly what Jesus did. They b They preached repentance. They preached the of the arriving Kingdom of God, AKA, The Kingdom of Heaven, in Mark.
As they came back weary, and worn out because the crowds once believing that the miracle power was only in Jesus, now see it multiplied. For miles around, all who were sick, broken etc. came to them. All of them in desperate need, all of them wanting a miracle, wanting a touch from God. All inflamed with hope that God was present and would not let them down.
In verse 31, Jesus says to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate/secluded place and rest a while.” The first provision He makes for them is a provision for rest. Jesus expected His disciples to “come away” periodically for rest. The Bible speaks of more than seventy days a year in which “no customary work” is to be done (Lev. 23:7, 8): the seven-day feasts that mark Passover, Tabernacles, and Weeks, as well as the Feast of Trumpets, and every Sabbath day! In addition to rest and prayer, leisure days in the Bible are associated with food, gift-giving, singing, and great joy (Rev. 11:10). A time of rest from work is advocated for those who are experiencing grief (Matt.14:10–13), those who are seeking spiritual empowerment to do God’s will (Matt. 4:1, 11), those who are entering into an intense period of prayer (Matt. 14:23), and those who are newly married (Deut. 24:5) (Thomas Nelson, I. (1995). The Woman’s Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson).
• What we can surmise about solitude is that it revolves around key changes in people’s lives. These times require particular focus on God and His provision.
Jesus’ invitation for a retreat into the desert, to “Come away by yourselves” was restricted to the 12. He knew they needed rest and privacy after their tiring ministry expedition and the continuing press of the people (MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1472). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.)
• Solitude does not have to be limited to a solitary individual. The principal can apply to a particular confined group for a spiritual purpose together.
It was in the wilderness, that desolate place, that God gave rest to his ancient people in the Exodus from Egypt. In the preaching of the prophets Isaiah (Isa 63:14) and Jeremiah (Jer 31:2), this became a type of a second rest promised to the new people of God in a second exodus. Jesus and his disciples fulfill this promise. Jesus is God’s presence (instead of the pillar and the cloud), and the Bread (instead of the manna) is God’s provision of sustenance (Wessel, W. W. (1984). Mark. (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.)The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.).
Please turn to Hebrews 4 (P.1003)
We read in the book of Hebrews that Jesus is a High Priest who understands our infirmities, who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He understands well that we need rest.
Hebrews 4:14-16 [14]Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15]For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16]Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (ESV)
It was our Lord Himself back in Mark 4:38 that was so weary physically that He fell asleep in a boat with His head on a piece of wood in the middle of a storm, that’s how tired He was. He knew what it was to be worn out, spent, exhausted and wearied. And so He said, “Let’s go to a secluded place and rest a while.” “Rest” is anapauō (ἀναπαυω) “to cause or permit one to cease from labor in order to recover and collect his strength.” In the middle voice as it is used here, it means “to give one’s self rest, to take rest,” in our present day language, “to rest up.” (Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.)
• Human pride and unthinking voices around that continually drive, would tell us that the work never stops. But just like an engine that needs time to be tuned and oil changed, work without adequate rest deteriorates the quality of the work itself. Only when we are rested, focused and discerning can we truly be controlled by the Holy Spirit and effective for the Kingdom.
It was such a busy time that the disciples had no leisure even to eat. Jesus’ invitation for a retreat into the desert was restricted to the 12. He knew they needed rest and (solitude) after their tiring ministry expedition and the continuing press of the people (MacArthur, J. J. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Mk 6:31). Nashville: Word Pub.).
• The demands of our personal, family, business and general ministry lives do not stop. As we look forward, in many ways they only seem like an ever increasing slope. But if we don’t take time alone with God in solitude, our energy, focus and leading from God, will be forgotten.
• Verse 31 shows that it is right sometimes to leave a place of need for a time of rest, which was also in this case a place of prayer (v. 46, cf. 1:33–36), so as to return with greater effectiveness. The Christian life needs that balance. There is no doubt that some Christian workers are just too busy and need to spend more time in rest and prayer, no matter how urgent the tasks facing them might appear to be (Grogan, G. (2003). Mark: Good News from Jerusalem (pp. 127–128). Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications.).
Illustration: In his sermon “Finding God in a Busy World,” John Killinger tells the story of a woman whose life was transformed by solitude. Killinger had traveled to New York to preach, and one night he took a walk with one of his hosts on a promenade that overlooked Manhattan. The woman explained the significance of that place to her. She had gone through difficult times since moving to New York several years before. Her husband had left her. Her daughter had been difficult to raise. One night she had walked to this promenade in such pain and despair that she didn’t know how she could go on. She sat on one of the benches and looked across the bay at the city. She stared out at Liberty Island in the distance and she watched the tug boats as they moved in and out of the bay. She sat and she sat. The longer she sat, she said, the more her life seemed to be invested with a kind of quietness that came over her like a spirit. Down deep she began to feel peaceful again. She said she felt somehow that God was very near to her, as if she could almost reach out and touch God. Better yet, she didn’t need to reach out. God was touching her. She felt whole and complete and healed as she sat there that evening. It became a turning point in her life. “Since then,” she said, “whenever I feel under pressure at my job or from any personal problems, I come down here and sit on this very bench. I’m quiet; I feel it all over again, and everything is all right.”
Solitude uniquely enables us to sense the presence of God (Larson, C. B. (2002). 750 engaging illustrations for preachers, teachers & writers (pp. 521–522). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
2) The Challenge of Solitude (Mark 6:32-33)
Mark 6:32-33 [32]And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. [33]Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
Regardless of the need for solitude, it always seems like everything in the universe is fighting against this. If it isn’t our schedules, families, collogues or friends, it is outside pitches and pressures. Jesus understands this because He lived this.
The Disciples and Jesus went away in THE boat. It’s always THE boat, definite article. It may have belonged to one of the fishermen and we know there were at least four and maybe as many as seven who were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. And it seems as though there was one boat sort of designated for their use. They went into the boat, headed to a desolate/secluded place by themselves.
They were headed across the water, from Capernaum The disciples obeyed Jesus’ proposal, departing from His headquarters in Capernaum using the same boat as in 5:2 (MacArthur, J. J. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Mk 6:32). Nashville: Word Pub.).
In Mark, Jesus and the disciples travelled to the east which was the least populated area to get their seclusion. Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, John 6 give the other accounts as well, In Luke 9:10 it says He was taking them with Him. He was the leader who was leading them to the place of rest.
And then it says, “He took them to a city called Bethsaida.” That’s what Luke tells us. They didn’t actually go to that village, but they went near that village. The crowd couldn’t have fit in that village. They would find a rather isolated place somewhere near the village of Bethsaida. One would expect that whatever the population of that little village, a few hundred, most of that village was there that day and was fed along with the rest of the crowd, as it tells us, who had come from cities and areas all over that part of Galilee. So they had a very intimate experience with the power of Christ.
Please turn to 1 Kings 19 (P.301)
Elijah has won a mighty battle on the mountain, but a still more formidable opponent than Ahab awaits him in the form of Queen Jezebel. Victory now becomes defeat as Elijah retreats, both physically and mentally, and ultimately arrives not at Mount Carmel but at another mountain to confront not Baal but the Lord himself, whom Elijah serves but whose ways he only partly understands and accepts (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 636). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
1 Kings 19:1-18 [19:1]Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. [2]Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." [3]Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. [4]But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers." [5]And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, "Arise and eat." [6]And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. [7]And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, "Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you." [8]And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. [9]There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" [10]He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away." [11]And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. [12]And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. [13]And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" [14]He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away." [15]And the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. [16]And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. [17]And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. [18]Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him." (ESV)
• At a time of crisis, solitude enables us to remove ourselves from distractions for perspective. Often things are not as dire as we suppose and God’s resources are closer than we first suspect. In focusing on God’s word in solitude we can begin to better understand God’s plan and follow His leading.
In Mark 6, the period of solitude leads to action in verse 33. Rest enables the dissemination of truth. So Now in verse 33, many of the people saw them going, saw them leaving Capernaum, getting in the boat. Many recognized them, and they ran there together on foot from all the towns/cities and got there ahead of them. The physically fit, the fastest of the bunch, the youngest of the bunch were already there waiting. They had run the eight miles before they could sail the four miles. The idea would be you’d almost have to run the entire way to get there before our Lord arrived with His disciples in the boat.
Why did they go? Why did they run to the other side? John 6:2 says, “Because they were seeing the signs He was performing on those who were sick.” Always the thrill seekers, always fascinated by the power of our Lord. They not only wanted themselves to be healed and delivered from demons, but they loved to see this happen to other people. It was the best theater that had ever come to Galilee or anywhere else on the planet. So they ran to beat the boat. Thrill seekers wanting more.
• Solitude can be a very tempting concept. In times of stress and busyness, the thought of retreating from all of that is intoxicating. Even for the most spiritually minded, we think of gleaning new energy, new insight or new strength. But just like those thrill seekers, we must desire Christ before we desire anything from Him. It is only first through the fellowship with God and the desire to be controlled and led by Him, that any breakthroughs occur.
You would think this interruption of solitude would irritate our Lord, right? He’s looking for more rest. He and His disciples had a little while, not long on the boat, but the Lord surely knew they needed more rest. Enough time on the boat to eat their meal, they get to the other side, you would think Jesus would be irritated by their materialism and selfishness, superficiality, and generally disturbed. He might reject their shallowness, but not so. This is an intrusion and yet in Luke 9:11 it says, “He welcomed them and began speaking to them about the Kingdom of God.
• The ultimate purpose of solitude is to relate to God and His truth. When a specific opportunity occurs, perhaps in a way we don’t expect, like an actual interruption to solitude, we must realize that this is the reason for the solitude in the first place, so we are prepared to encounter this.
Illustration: Solitude often does not occur at times and in ways that we suspect. One of the most unusual accounts that I read occurred during the Second World War.
Nazi Death Camp survivor Viktor E. Frankl spoke of the need for solitude experienced by prisoners in the Nazi camps: “There were times, of course, when it was possible, and even necessary, to keep away from the crowd. It is well known that an enforced community life, in which attention is paid to everything one does all the time, may result in an irresistible urge to get away, at least for a short while. The prisoner craved to be alone with himself and his thoughts. He yearned for privacy and for solitude. After my transportation to a so-called “rest camp,” I had the rare (opportunity) to find solitude for about five minutes at a time. Behind the earthen hut where I worked and in which were crowded about fifty delirious patients, there was a quiet spot in a corner of the double fence of barbed wire surrounding the camp. A tent had been improvised there with a few poles and branches of trees in order to shelter a half-dozen corpses (the daily death rate in the camp). There was also a shaft leading to the water pipes. I squatted on the wooden lid of this shaft whenever my services were not needed. I just sat and looked out at the green flowering slopes and the distant blue hills of the Bavarian landscape, framed by the meshes of barbed wire.…
“The corpses near me, crawling with lice, did not bother me. Only the steps of passing guards could rouse me from my dreams.…”( Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (New York: Washington Square Press, 1959), 71–72.)
3) The Compassion of Solitude (Mark 6:34)
Mark 6:34 [34]When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. (ESV)
Here we see the first thing about how the second Moses meets the needs of those who come to him: with “compassion.” This was an intense word which had at its root in the ancient Greek the meaning of vicera, the stomach. The New Testament had this original sense, but added the idea of tender emotions—“tender mercy,” sympathetic emotion. Jesus felt this in the pit of his stomach, so deep was his tender compassion (Nigel Turner, Christian Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), p. 78.).
• Some might see solitude as just another religious obligation. But in the tender compassion of Jesus He knows us: our strengths and weaknesses. He knows that we need time to process what He is doing and for reflection. Understanding this enables us to work in His kingdom with greater clarity and fortitude.
He saw the thousands as “sheep without a shepherd”, defenseless, lost, unable even to feed themselves. The metaphor of “sheep without a shepherd” was used describe the people as helpless and starving, lacking in spiritual guidance and protection, and exposed to the perils of sin and spiritual destruction (MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1472). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.)
• Solitude is for the purpose of considering our helpless condition, what we are exposed to in relying on our own resources and looking to God for guidance and protection.
Please turn to Numbers 27 (P.136)
Solitude enables us to see the nature of God as our shepherd. We realize that we are like sheep, helpless to care for ourselves and we continually need His provision. He has compassion for His sheep and He wants to show us this through His truth and provision.
Moses needs God’s direction, and the Lord tells him to go for a time of solitude:
Numbers 27:12-17 [12]The LORD said to Moses, "Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. [13]When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, [14]because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes." (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) [15]Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, [16]"Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation [17]who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd." (ESV)
Through this time of solitude, wrestling with his own sin, Moses recognizes God as the shepherd, carer and provider for His people. In Mark 6 we see Jesus showing this compassion. He knows the need for physical rest, but is more concerned about spiritual rest. Solitude enables the dealing with difficulties that can provide physical rest. In repentance of sin in coming to grips with His truth, Jesus provides everlasting spiritual rest.
“So he began teaching them many things.” More exactly, he taught them at great length (Hughes, R. K. (1989). Mark: Jesus, servant and savior (pp. 148–149). Westchester, IL: Crossway Books.).
Jesus’ response to the needs of the crowd was His teaching. They needed spiritual wholeness, not just physical restoration. Jesus met both needs (cf. Matt. 14:14) (Utley, R. J. D. (2000). The Gospel according to Peter: Mark and I & II Peter (Vol. Volume 2, p. 76). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.).
• Solitude is about much more than physical rest. It revolves around the truth of God. Without truth, solitude leads to lethargy. Truth without rest, leads one to burn out and become discouraged. When truth is linked with rest, then solitude functions as God intended.
(Format note: Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. Mark: MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press.)
