Living in the Spirit
July 21, 2018
Scripture Reading: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. – Mark 6:30-34
There is a scene in the musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, where Jesus is surrounded by people grabbing at him and holding on to him. It brought to life for me the life Jesus led during his ministry. We, today, are acquainted with seeing crowds surrounding superstars who are caught between the desire to please their fans and the desire for a life of their own. I wonder how many times Jesus’ memory flashed back to his odyssey in the desert following his baptism where he was confronted by the major temptations of life: greed, pride, and the lust for power, which were tempting him at every moment of his ministry.
We all face these and other temptations every day and we all must take some time to find a deserted place, rest for a while, and regain our focus and our purpose. Sometimes we must find our equivalent of a boat on the sea to make such a retreat a reality. The result is clarity of vision. We see people who long for a leader, a shepherd, and we too may experience the compassion for them that we need to keep us motivated in our work.
We are all called to care for each other to be a shepherd after the example of the Good Shepherd. The Bible provides role models for the various tasks needed to make our world a place of shalom, a place of peace and well-being and support for each other. After meeting Jesus, Andrew found his brother Peter and said you have got to meet this man. Barnabas not only financially supported Paul’s ministry but ran interference for him and was known as an enabler of the early church’s mission. Pheobe opened her heart and her home to leaders in the church and was entrusted to deliver Paul’s letter to the Romans. In that letter, Paul described Priscilla and Aquila as my helpers in Christ Jesus.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for all your shepherds as we strive together for shalom. Amen.