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  • Commentary on the 16th Sunday of the year (B) 19th July 2015
December 11, 2019

Commentary on the 16th Sunday of the year (B) 19th July 2015

Commentary on the 16th Sunday of the year (B) 19th July 2015

by +Paschal Tiernan OP / Saturday, 18 July 2015 / Published in Commentary

TEA: Text, Explanation, Application

Mark 6: 30–34

 

TEXT: Mark 6: 30–34 Return of the Twelve Disciples

‘Apostles’ Return from Mission

30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.

Jesus’ Concern for the Twelve

31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest awhile.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves.

Zeal of Crowd

33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them.

Jesus’ Concern for the Crowd

34 As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things [JB: “at great length”].

 

EXPLANATION

Introduction

The return of the Twelve concluded the first mission of the apostles (Mk. 6: 7–13) which was the Gospel for last Sunday. Verses 14–29 recorded the beheading of John the Baptist. Mark had a certain predilection to insert a miracle or a story into a passage. One purpose, as here, was that the beheading of John the Baptist suggested a time element to allow for the period the Twelve spent on their mission.

Discipleship has three stages: (i) being called to be “with Jesus” who sends them out on a special assignment (ii) returning when assignment has been completed; (iii) reporting on final outcome of assignment.

 

The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.

The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. — This is the only time that Mark gives the title “apostles” to the Twelve. For him, as for Matthew and Luke, it is a post-resurrection title.

There is no comment or explanation of what the disciples “had done and taught”.

What they taught would have been a call to repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah which was the mission of John the Baptist (Mk. 6: 12–13). They also cast out demons. They were doing the same works that Jesus was doing and with his authority. No details are given. They do not seem to have attributed their successful mission to Jesus and his power or to the intervention of God.

“And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while’” — Jesus was accustomed to going to lonely places early in the morning or after a particular work to pray (Mk. 1: 35; 6: 47; 9: 2; 14: 32–39). That was his way of resting.

St. Bede gives some good advice to those who may have to deal with workaholics: “The Lord makes His disciples “rest”, to show those in charge that people who work or preach cannot do so without breaks”.

While Mark gives the reason for the “rest” which Jesus offered the Twelve, there is also a reminder that the Good Shepherd offered rest and nourishment to his sheep. This scene is followed by Jesus regarding the crowd coming on stage “like sheep without a shepherd”. Then, as a shepherd of his flock, he feeds the 5,000 with wisdom and bread.

“The Lord is my shepherd
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me
to revive my drooping spirit”
.

He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me…” (Ps. 23)

“they had no leisure even to eat” — This is the second time that Mark mentions the zeal and availability of the Twelve (Mk. 3: 20).

 

32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves” — This is the third journey by sea in Mark (Mk. 4: 35 — 5: 1; 5: 21–22).

When Mark described Jesus taking the Twelve apart by themselves it was usually an indication that he was about to give a special instruction or reveal something exceptional to them (Mk. 1: 29; 4: 34; 9: 2, 28; 13: 3).

 

33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them.

“Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them.” — Verses 30–33 centered on the Twelve. They had returned from their mission and Jesus saw that they needed a rest. They must have worked most enthusiastically and were obviously tired. He took them away in a boat. The crowd saw them going off. “and knew them”. Mark does not say that the crowd knew Jesus but “them”, that is Jesus and the disciples. As the crowd was following from many towns and villages in Galilee, they had encountered the disciples during their missionary outreach and had experienced them overcoming demons. They were really following the Twelve, more than Jesus. Some may have known Jesus but by and large it was the Twelve they recognised. Obviously the missionary endeavour of the Twelve was very successful (Mk. 6: 13).

 

34 As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd;

“As he went ashore he saw a great throng” — Jesus now went ashore. It is not said that he “recognised” saw this large crowd that “he saw” them.. There were many large crowds following and pressing around Jesus and the disciples: Mk. 1: 2: 4, 13; 3: 9, 32; 4: 1, 36; 5: 21, 24, 30–32; 6: 34.

“and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” — The “compassion” and “shepherd” themes once again. This shepherd fed his flock with teaching and bread.

 

and he began to teach them many things [JB: “at great length”].

“and he began to teach them many things” — For Jesus’ teaching mission, see Mk. 1: 21; He brought the word of God and divine revelation to them.

The Jerusalem Bible and others translate “at great length” in place of “many things”.

 

APPLICATION

What does this passage teach us about Jesus? This is the first question to be asked after reading each and every passage of the New Testament.

The first obvious observation occurs in the initial two verses. Twice Mark mentions the need of the twelve to go away to “a lonely place by themselves”. Jesus noticed that they were exhausted after their first missionary experience. He was concerned and wanted to renew them physically and spiritually. The best way to do this would be for them to “be with him”. That is why he called them in the first instance: they were the ones he wanted to “be with him” (Mk. 3: 13–14).

He chose “a lonely place” because he frequented such places for prayer (Mk. 1: 35; 6: 46–47; 9: 2; 14: 32–39). He regarded prayer as a great and essential method of renewal.

Yet another reason for going to a “lonely place by themselves” was that he had an exceptional message to impart to them. He always took them aside by themselves when he had a special teaching or revelation to communicate (Mk. 4: 34; 6: 31, 32; 7: 23; 9: 2, 28; 13: 13). This particular message, to be expressed in words and deeds, is to be unusually important. In today’s Gospel passage and in the verses which follow Mark will show us Jesus foreshadow the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Mass, and the gathering and building of community.

We can sum up by saying that Jesus is remarkably observant of peoples’ needs and when he takes the initiative he is expressing his concern in a practical way. He really cares and does something. This will be repeated and developed in the scene that follows.

“As he went ashore he saw a great throng and he had compassion on them” — “Compassion” is a very special word in Mark’s Gospel. It is used only of Jesus to describe a very deep, interior feeling along the lines of what is sometimes described as a ‘gut feeling’. (Mk. 1: 41; 8: 2). It produces a strong urge to remedy the cause of an adverse situation.

What Jesus observed was that the throng was “like sheep without a shepherd”. They had been abandoned by their religious leaders. This was such a frequent theme in the Old Testament. This is what brings about Jesus’ deep consideration; his concern and compassion was for their spiritual hunger; they were without spiritual guidance and spiritual food: sheep without a shepherd.

His immediate plan in setting off in the boat with the Twelve had been to refresh and renew them. Now a more pressing need is presented to him and he postpones his initial intention of immediately renewing the disciples so that he can concentrate on the crowd. They were searching for a religious leader to guide and help them. He will become their shepherd, nurturing, leading and protecting them by giving them direction and guidance through knowledge. He will also look after their pressing material needs by feeding them, a throng of 5,000, a scene which is not in this Gospel passage but in what follows.

The most important event in the Old Testament was the Exodus when God, through Moses, led the Israelites out of the slavery in Egypt, where they had no leader before Moses, through the wilderness or lonely place to the Promised Land. In the wilderness the people entered into covenant with God. This means that he promised to be their God and that they would be his people. God gave them, again through Moses, the two tablets of stone, the Ten Commandments, the sign that they accepted the covenant, that they would be his people. The Israelites became the Chosen People of the Covenant with God. During their forty year stay in the wilderness God, on his part, guided them by day and by night. He gave them water from the rock and manna to sustain and nourish them.

Mark paints a picture of an exodus setting in today’s Gospel. People are lost and they seek a leader to guide them through the wilderness of their lives. They go out to a lonely place to find their ‘Moses’. They have lacked guidance and nourishment. Hosea, speaking as a prophet on behalf of God, said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4: 6).

Jesus, their new Moses and Shepherd, will nourish them with his words of wisdom. He “began to teach them many things”. He will nourish their bodies not with manna but with miraculous bread. It is too early for even the Twelve to recognise this as a foretelling of the Mass, first the Liturgy of the Word and then the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This will be the sign of the New Covenant. For us the next five weeks will elaborate on this theme as presented by John’s Gospel, the readings chosen for weeks 17 to 21 inclusive.

Now we see the second revelation of who Jesus is in this Gospel passage. We have already noted that he is observant of peoples’ needs before they even express these. The care and concern for the Twelve continues with the throng of 5,000. Neither group indicated their needs or problems before Jesus’ observation. His assessment produced his compassion. Once again he took the initiative. He became shepherd of the flock of 5,000. For him this meant nourishing the minds and spirits of the crowd by instructing them with his word. In the passage that follows today’s Gospel he will feed the crowd. The New Covenant is being foreshadowed.

This passage is not a mere historical recording. It is much more. It is a message for the ages. It tells us how Jesus sees us and seeks to be our Shepherd. The response must be personal to each of us.

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