Come Away With Me

One of my favorite images in the New Testament occurs in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 6, verse 31 when Jesus says to His disciples, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." It is important, of course, always to note the context in which these words were spoken. Jesus had recently empowered His followers to go out into the countryside in order to fulfill the mission He had given them, namely to preach, to cast out demons, and to heal the sick. The tasks I am sure must have seemed enormous to these untrained, itinerant men. The disciples had also returned to Jesus shortly after the murder of John the Baptist by King Herold. At that time they must have felt great trepidation not only about the work Christ had given them to do but also about the dangers they were putting themselves in. Many of us today who call ourselves Christians face a similar trepidation about the future.

For the past week we have been bombarded by 24-hour media coverage of our global economic crisis. The market seems to have been spooked by the number 7--a $700 billion bailout, a 777 point drop in the stock market on Monday, and 7% drop in its market value. For those of us who are retired, we are concerned about our inability to be employed again at our age, the drop in our retirement accounts, and the possibility of inflation.

Yet, in spite of all, we return to Jesus' instructions to His disciples before the life journey they were to embark upon. They were to "take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts--but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics" (v. 8-9). He has given us many promises and assurances in the Scripture that we are not to worry or to become anxious about the future because He will indeed provide. His invitation then is for us to come away with Him to a deserted place and rest a while. Tomorrow is another day for confronting the challenges of the future.