The
apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus, and they told him all things, whatever they had done, and whatever they had taught. He said to them, “You come apart into a deserted place, and rest awhile.” For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. They saw them going, and many recognized him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to him.
Mark 6:30-33
Mark 6 [29.] When his disciples heard this, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Mark 6 [30.] The apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus, and they told him all things, whatever they had done, and whatever they had taught. He said to them, “You come apart into a deserted place, and rest awhile.” For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. They saw them going, and many recognized him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to him. Jesus came out, saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things. When it was late in the day, his disciples came to him, and said, “This place is deserted, and it is late in the day. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages, and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat.”
Mark 6 [37.] But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”
They asked him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give them something to eat?”
Meaning:
After the dark account of John the Baptizer’s death, Mark returns to the twelve. Jesus had sent them out two by two with authority to preach and heal (Mark 6:7-11), and they had preached repentance, cast out demons and healed the sick (Mark 6:12-13). Now they come back to report. Jesus responds not with a new assignment but with an invitation to rest. The plan is interrupted by an eager crowd, setting the scene for the feeding of the five thousand. These verses show the rhythm of service and rest in the life of Jesus’ followers, and his care for those who work for him.
- The apostles report back
This is one of the very few places where Mark calls the twelve “apostles”, a word meaning “ones who are sent”. The title fits the moment: they had been sent, and now they return to the one who sent them. They “told him all things, whatever they had done, and whatever they had taught.” Their ministry was accountable to Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel the seventy return in a similar way, rejoicing that “even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17). Jesus is glad to hear what his servants have done, but he also knows what they need next.
- Come apart and rest awhile
“You come apart into a deserted place, and rest awhile.” The word “you” is emphatic: you yourselves, after all your work. Jesus himself regularly withdrew to a deserted place to pray (Mark 1:35), and he invites his disciples into the same pattern. Rest is not laziness; it is part of God’s design from creation, built into Israel’s life by the Sabbath. Jesus offers it as a gift: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The phrase “a deserted place” also recalls the wilderness where God cared for Israel, and prepares for what Jesus is about to do there.
- No leisure even to eat
“For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.” The success of the mission had made the crowds even larger. Earlier, Mark noted that the crowds pressed so hard that Jesus and his disciples “could not so much as eat bread” (Mark 3:20). Busy, fruitful ministry can still exhaust the body and soul. Jesus noticed that his friends were hungry and tired, and he cared about it.
- The crowd runs ahead
They set off by boat for a quiet place, probably somewhere on the north-eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. But people “saw them going”, recognised Jesus, and ran around the lake on foot “from all the cities”, arriving before the boat. On a calm day a small fishing boat might take an hour or two to cross; a determined crowd walking around the northern shore could cover the distance in a similar time. The longing of the people to be near Jesus was so strong that they would not let him go. Their need was about to meet his compassion (Mark 6:34).
The Significance of Mark 6:30-33
- Report to Jesus
The apostles brought everything they had done and taught back to Jesus. Believers today can do the same in prayer, laying their successes and failures before him, receiving his thanks, correction and care.
- Rest is a gift
Jesus does not drive his servants until they collapse. He invites them to come apart and rest awhile. Those who serve in churches, families and communities need times of quiet with him, or they will soon have nothing left to give. Like the shepherd of Psalm 23, he “makes me lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2).
- Interruptions are not the end of the story
The planned retreat was interrupted by a crowd. Yet Jesus did not treat the people as a nuisance. Sometimes God’s plans for our rest are delayed by real needs, and he gives the grace to serve; but Jesus later sent the crowd away and went to pray, showing that service and rest belong together (Mark 6:45-46).
Cross-References:
Matthew 11:28: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest." Jesus is the source of true rest for weary workers.
Psalm 23:1-2: "Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters." The good shepherd provides rest for his flock.
Mark 1:35: "Early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there." Jesus practised the withdrawal he offered to his disciples.
Luke 10:17: "The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”" Another report of disciples returning from mission.
Conclusion: The apostles returned and told Jesus everything they had done and taught, and he invited them to come apart to a deserted place and rest, because the crowds left them no time even to eat. They set off by boat, but the people ran ahead on foot and were waiting for them. The passage shows the accountability of those Jesus sends, his tender care for weary servants, and the hunger of the crowds for him, which would soon be met in the wilderness by his compassion and provision.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible