Some Days Are Just About Survival: Mark 6:53-56
Patience is a virtue. I know it is a maxim. Some people might call it trite. Still, patience is one of the most useful qualities to have in your character. This world will try you. This world will come after you with all its got. This world can wear you down if you let it. Some days the only way to get through the day is to take a deep breath, refocus, and continue forward until the day is over.
The disciples have found themselves in one of those days. What started out as an attempt for the disciples to get some alone time with Jesus has turned into a whirlwind of activity. The crowds gathered, Jesus fed a multitude, the disciples got caught in a storm, and Jesus walked on water. It’s a lot to take in; when we last left the disciples, their hearts were hard. They’re emotionally, physically, and spiritually spent.
A new day starts. They tie up their boat along the shore and people start recognizing them. People start running around to spread the news that Jesus and His disciples have come. They bring the sick. If Jesus goes to a new village, they bring the sick there. There is no break. There is no alone time with Jesus. There still is no debriefing from when Jesus sent them out with His authority. All they can see is people and more people and more people.
I can feel myself tensing up just writing this. I’ve had days like this where it is hard to get any traction. It feels like you don’t get anything accomplished that you woke up and wanted to do. It feels like every time you get a moment to maybe do what needs to be done something else comes along and demands your attention. These are hard and demanding days. These are days where we feel ourselves being poured out as we go from full to empty – and even then the world asks us to pour ourselves out even more. It is a rough cycle of life. Add to it that the disciples are still confused about the last twenty-four hours and I can absolutely empathize with where the disciples are in life.
Jesus, however, handles the situation. The crowds bring the sick and He heals them. They implore Jesus to let them touch His cloak and He allows it. Jesus gives and gives and gives until the last of the people who need healing touch His cloak. Mark tells us that as many who touched His cloak were healed. Jesus gives to every single one. Nobody is denied. That is the power of God.
To their credit, His disciples are still there with Him. As Jesus is swallowed by the crowd, the disciples are there being swallowed, too. The glory goes to God for sure, but as tried and tired as the disciples must be, they get the job done, too. They survive the day. Patience is a virtue.
