“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. ³¹ Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

³² So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. ³³ But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. ³⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Mark 6: 30-34 (NIV)

Horsham: 17th July 2024

You’ll remember that Jesus had sent out the twelve with his authority and power, in pairs, with a mission to ‘tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick’ (Luke 9: 2). We read a few verses ago that on their journey ‘they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.’ they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.’ (Mark 6:1)

Verses 30 – 34 speak of the time when they returned to Jesus and told him everything that had happened on their journey. You get a real sense of activity from these verses. Life around Jesus was busy. In the absence of the disciples, people were still seeking him out and making demands. The crowds are getting bigger and bigger. Whereas before they probably numbered hundreds, we know that by now they are in the thousands.

The disciples are eager and excited to tell Jesus what has been happening, and he wants to encourage them, but there is this constant stream of people coming and going. It’s difficult to find space to talk to Jesus. There isn’t even the opportunity to eat.

Jesus has a solution. Let’s all go away to somewhere quiet so we can all get some rest. So, they went back into the boat and crossed the lake, this time towards Bethsaida. This is a short hop across the north end of the Lake. The boat will hardly be out of sight of land, so perhaps not surprisingly the growing crowd have a good idea where Jesus is going. The word goes around and people start spontaneously running or walking around the lake to meet the boat when it lands.

Sailing boats don’t often travel in a straight line. They have to respond to the changing currents and the direction of the wind. That means that they tack, zig zagging towards their destination. This all makes the journey take longer and means that by the time they arrive near Bethsaida, lots of people have already trekked the 8 miles or so by land and are already there, picking up extra people in the towns and villages along the way.

By the time the boat reaches the shore, there is a large and growing crowd of people waiting for Jesus. He looks on them with compassion because they are like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus  immediately engages with them and starts teaching them.

So, that’s the story. But what am I taking away from these few verses?

I’m noticing that Jesus sent his disciples out into the world to do his work, and brought them back to himself so that they could tell him everything that happened. We need to learn from that example. There’s a section in John’s Gospel where Jesus prays for you and me. Part of that prayer says ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world (John 17:18). Jesus has sent us, you and me, out into this crazy and challenging world to be his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).

William Barclay describes what he calls the ‘rhythm of the Christian life’.

‘The Christian life is a continuous going into the presence of God from the presence of men and women  and coming out into the presence of men and women from the presence of God.’ ⁽ⁱ⁾

This points us towards the risk of spending our whole life out there in the world and never returning to Jesus. Like the disciples, we need to come back into his presence to prayerfully unload, to rest, and to listen. Just as great a risk is spending all of our time with Jesus, and never venturing into the world to be his ambassador. Relationship with Jesus is key, but if we don’t get round to ‘Going into all the world..’ we’ve sort of missed the point.

What does it mean for you and me to be coming back to Jesus. Look at your own lifestyle and find some way of meeting with Christ during your day. You need to make time to prayerfully talk about what’s going on, to unload about what’s on your mind, and to listen for his voice. Some of my friends don’t get out of bed until they’ve had their ‘quiet time’ and some others won’t go to sleep without reading and praying first. Both those options are great, but neither works for me.

A friend of mine feels that Jesus let the disciples down because they never had the downtime and rest he had offered. I disagree. Most people walk at 2-3 miles per hour. It seems to me that for the crowd to walk the 8 miles across open country around the lake would take about 4 hours (don’t forget that they weren’t wearing walking boots!). That would mean that after a wonderful and exciting time, the disciples had about 4 hours rest in the presence of Jesus. What wouldn’t I give for that! Sounds like success to me.

The disciples joined Jesus as he taught the massive crowd near Bethsaida. By now this crowd had grown exponentially with thousands of men, plus women and children. After 4 hours spent with Jesus, they were ready to take part in the greatest miracle of all.

The message is simple. Spend time with Jesus. Go and do what he wants you to do. Return to Jesus, get some rest. Be ready to do it all over again!

^{(i) Wm Barclay: New Daily Study Bible, Kindle Edition, Loc 3242}

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

These verses record the fact that Jesus and the disciples have attracted the attention of Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch, who becomes anxious because of his role in the death of John the Baptist.

¹⁴ King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying,^[a] “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵ Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!”

Mark 6: 14-29

Horsham, 15th July 2024

These verses tell the dreadful story of the execution of John the Baptist. It is significant to note that the story of the John is really the only detailed story of anyone in any of the Gospels, in which Jesus is not directly involved in the action. This emphasises the status and importance in the Gospels of John the Baptist, the first prophet in Israel for over 400 years, and in heralding the imminence of the coming Messiah, perhaps the greatest prophet of all time.

Take a moment to remind yourself of the close relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist. They were cousins, and the public ministry of Jesus begins with an encounter with John in the desert ( (Mark 1:9-11). It seems that shortly afterwards, Mark was imprisoned by Herod Antipas (Mark 1:14). He is referred to here as ‘King’ Herod, although he was not really entitled to use this title. Herod Antipas was son of Herod the Great (who was King when Jesus was born, and ordered the massacre of all the small boys under 2 years old – see Matthew 2: 16-18). The father had asked that on his death, the Romans divide his kingdom into four sections, allowing each of his male children to inherit one portion. As the master of a quarter of a kingdom, Herod Antipas was a tetrarch, rather than a king. Antipas was given the area of Galilee and Perea, to the east of the Jordan. He ruled this area from 4 – 39 CE, when he displeased the Emperor Caligula and was sent into exile in Gaul.

For all that, within his domain, Herod was extremely powerful. He fell in love with the wife of his brother, Philip, called Herodias. He decided to marry Herodias after first divorcing his own wife. This was regarded as an unlawful marriage in Israel, firstly because Herod had no cause for divorce, and secondly because his brother was still living. meaning that the relationship with Herodias was adulterous. John the Baptist was openly critical of Herod, and his second marriage, and this caused the greatest offense to Herodias.  Such was her anger that to appease her, Herod imprisoned John, keeping him in the prison at his fortress of Machaerus.

17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[b]; yet he liked to listen to him.

It seems that whilst Herodias despised John, Herod himself was fascinated by him knowing him to be a righteous and holy man  v20, and sometimes liked to listen to him (v21).

So, after a period of detention, during which John’s disciples were permitted to visit him (See Matthew 11:2), the dreadful scene described in this passage arose. 

21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of[c] Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. 25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Let’s go back to the introduction of the section in verses 14-16. It seems possible that either Herod had not heard about Jesus, or more likely, took no great interest in him. Until, that is, Jesus sends out the twelve disciples. Now, rather than one Galilean Rabbi creating a bit of a scene, touring the area, performing miracles, there are six groups of two men all doing the same. This, then, creates enough publicity and excitement to  bring them to the attention of the Tetrarch in a way he can no longer ignore. The disciples point to Jesus as the source of their power and authority, and so Jesus’ name became even more well known.

With tis surge in publicity, some said that Jesus could be Elijah (a prophet who had died about 850 years previously). There was a belief, still held by Jews today, that Elijah will return before the Messiah appears (Malachi 4:5). If John the Baptist were in any sense a reincarnation of Elijah, this would mean that even the Jews would have to accept that Jesus was the Messiah.

Others, however, said that Jesus was John the Baptist, resurrected.  Herod panics. The superstition of the day meant that the return of a person from the dead meant that they were seeking revenge, and it was Herod who had ordered the killing of John the Baptist.

I’m impacted by the fact that this whole situation came about because of the integrity of John the Baptist. His ministry was a call to repentance. Repentance means firstly the acknowledgment of sin, and secondly the willingness to change lifestyle to avoid the repetition of sin. He was faithful to his calling, even when it put him in conflict with those who had power over his life or death. Herod Antipas and Herodias took offence at John for his allegation of their sinfulness and rejected out of hand his call to repentance. Rather than bending to their will, John was steadfast. He was faithful to God. Even unto death.

“I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.” (1 Chronicles 29:17a)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. ⁷ Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. ⁸ These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. ⁹ Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. ¹⁰ Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. ¹¹ And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹² They went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³ They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Mark 6: 6-13

Horsham, 12th July 2024

This Scripture marks a major turning point in the life and training of the twelve disciples. Notice that in the first verse of this section,  we read that ‘Jesus went around teaching from village to village.’ (verse 6). To this point, all of the teaching and the healing has been done by Jesus. The disciples have watched and been part of the work, but it has been Jesus who actually does it. Alistair Begg has said that prior to this moment, the disciples were rather like extras in a film where Jesus was the lead actor. From this moment forwards, it is the turn of the disciples to step up a gear.

If you are offered a challenging role, you should expect to receive a period of training. However there comes a moment when it is time for you to get out and do the job.

A ‘disciple’ is, by definition, someone who follows a teacher in order to learn from them. This extraordinary group of fishermen, tax collectors, and at least one zealot have been witness to the most dramatic miracles and teaching about the Kingdom of God. They had spent nearly two years in training, and now, for the first time, they are encouraged to put their learning into practice, with the power and authority given to them by the Messiah. They are elevated from the role of ‘disciple’, as one who learns from their teacher, to the role of ‘apostle’, which means one that is sent out with the delegated authority of the one who sends.

In the Gospel of Luke, the purpose of the mission of he twelve is made crystal clear.  ‘He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9:1-2).

Two people, says Scripture are better than one (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). The witness of a second person is benficial to support the testimony of the first (John 8:17). Travelling in pairs, they are to take nothing with them. No bag. No extra clothes. No bread. No money. No bag (you will be tempted to put things in your bag if you have it with you⁽ⁱ⁾⁾. The message is go, just as you are. Depend on me. Trust in me.

Travelling light conveys a sense of urgency to this commission. This is not a delegation of powers for convenience, as much as a vital step towards his objective and purpose. For Jesus, time is short, and it’s important to get his team match fit to cope with the first steps of building His Church when, in a short while,  he is taken from them. Encouraging them to explore their own gifts, potential and the power of the Holy Spirit is the essential next step in their development.

We should feel a sense of urgency when God places a call on our life. NT Wright makes the point that the instructions given to the disciples were appropriate for that specific moment in time, for that culture, and for those specific people (Mark for Everyone, p..69). Christ does not call most of us to head out into the unknown with nothing, so that will probably not be the right route for you today, especially if that means abandoning responsibilities which are important to you or others. Having said that, we are called to ‘Go’, not to stand still. I can’t help noticing how we are burdened by our possessions, and how that can sometimes make us prevaricate rather than following His call.

For me, this teaching speaks to our tendency to load ourselves down with unnecessary baggage. It’s all too easy to find reasons not to follow Jesus. The urgency of the Kingdom is such that it may not be right to wait until you are in what feels like the perfect place to step out. If God is sending you, it’s not always right to wait until you fell that you have the right experience, the right degree, the right bank balance, the right suit of clothes. There comes a time when, like those first disciples, we have to take that step. We have to go.

Relying on the power and authority of Jesus, ¹² They went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³ They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Some time later, Jesus reminded his disciples of this moment.

³⁵ Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. (Luke 22:35)

In the same way that you will never learn to swim unless you lift your feet from the floor of the pool, you will never learn to follow Jesus unless you take that first step of faith, trusting that he will provide everything you need.

The disciples took that step. Day by day, hour by hour, we need to be listening, and ready to step out in faith as a follower of Jesus.

A prayer using words from Psalm 25:

In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.  Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.  Guide me in your truth and teach me,  for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

^{(i) The bag, carried by a priest, was used to solicit gifts of food or money.}

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

In the midst of a crushing crowd, pressing against him from all sides, Jesus asks ‘ Who touched my clothes?’

²⁴ So Jesus went with (Jairus). A large crowd followed and pressed around him. ²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Mark 5:21-34 (NIV)

Horsham 8th July 2024

As part of our study of Scripture, I like to encourage people to imagine that they were there, walking the walk with the disciples, looking and listening to their world – sharing their experiences. I’d love you to engage in that way with this story. One mistake we can easily make when we read Scripture is to imagine that Jesus lived in a sort of holy, silent, peaceful bubble. Here’s a story which emphasises that wasn’t the case.

Everyone wanted to catch Jesus’ eye or see what was going on. This would not have been a silent crowd. Along with the disciples, the crowd included a man called Jairus, and a woman who had been suffering bleeding for twelve years.

On the fore-shore, Jairus, leader of the local synagogue, in desperation and humility threw himself to the floor at Jesus’ feet. He tells Jesus that he is desperate for his help. In the midst of the bustle and confusion of the crowd Jairus tells Jesus that his 12 year old daughter is dying. He begs Jesus to come and lay hands on her to restore her to health. Jesus agrees to go with him and they set off towards Jairus’ house, with this crowd in tow. (see more about this meeting here)

So, this modestly large crowd follows Jesus, Jairus and the disciples into the town. Two things quickly happen. In the dusty, narrow streets, the crowd becomes compact and very noisy as people clamour around Jesus. Secondly, the crowd grows in size as people become curious, attracted by the noise and excitement. In my mind,  I see the disciples, acting like ‘minders’, close to Jesus, struggling to make space for him to progress through the increasingly dense crowd.

In a previous post I suggested that Jesus, the celebrity healer and preacher living in Capernaum, and Jairus, the synagogue leader in the same town, were almost certainly well acquainted. In the same way, I wonder whether they both already knew or recognised the woman who is about to take centre stage.

We don’t know her name We don’t know where she was from. We know nothing about her, except part of her medical history. We do know that for 12 years this woman had suffered some kind of chronic haemorhaging. Just think about the horror of her position. She was constantly losing blood. That renders her and her home unclean. She cannot visit the synagogue or play any normal part in the community. She is a virtual outcast. Her condition is enough to make everyone keep their distance and to make her life fall apart. But it’s not just the blood. Untreated, and with poor diet, her condition would have caused the crushing symptoms of chronic anemia.  Utter exhaustion. Constant weakness.  She would have been pale. This lady was visibly sick. Very sick.

Do you sense the courage of this lady. In spite of her poor health, she is so determined, so convinced that Jesus can help, she sets aside all the inhibitions which society has placed on her and somehow forced herself to the front of the crowd. She gets close enough to reach out and touch the edge of Jesus cloak (see Matthew 9:20). Jesus stops in his tracks.

‘Who touched my clothes?’, says Jesus. Not surprisingly, the disciples, currently focused on their role as security guards, want to say ‘In the middle of this pandemonium, when we’re all getting pushed and bumped in all directions are you seriously asking who touched your clothes?‘

In this moment I want you to notice the anxiety of Jairus, desperate that Jesus reaches his daughter without delay? I want you to notice the fear which is gripping this woman who realises that Jesus’ accusatory question is directed at her?

Now as with Jairus a few minutes earlier, we see this lady, throwing herself at the feet of Jesus, in humility and despair. In the midst of the bustle and noisy confusion of this busy street, she quietly tells Jesus why, after 12 years of suffering, she was so desperate to touch his cloak.

Pause and look at this scene, this moment of direct personal contact in the midst of a noisy crowd. Do you sense the compassion of Jesus? Do you see him moved by the faith of this ordinary and long suffering woman? ‘Daughter,’ says Jesus. (That’s a word Jesus doesn’t often use.)  ‘Your faith has healed you.‘

It occurs to me that Jesus could have simply let the moment pass. He knew that the power had left hm. He almost certainly already knew who had received that power. He could have simply allowed the woman to go on her way to rebuild her life. Yet something incredibly important happens in this moment. Her words, and her actions, testify to others that she knew that Jesus could help her. She did all that she could to connect with Jesus. Kneeling before Jesus, she told everyone, including Jairus and the disciples, including you and me, what Jesus had done for her.

His words show that he knows her suffering and is ready to help. He recognises her humility, her despair, and her faith. Doctors – all of them men – had taken everything she had and given her nothing.  Jesus takes nothing from her and gives her everything.

A few verses ago, Jesus turned to his disciples, those who knew him most and had witnessed his power in so many ways, and said ‘Where is your faith?’ Now, he turns to this afflicted, frightened, and incredibly brave lady woman  and says ‘Daughter. Your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK