Mark 6:30 Then the apostles gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come with me privately to an isolated place and rest a while” (for many were coming and going, and there was no time to eat). 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to some remote place. 33 But many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they hurried on foot from all the towns and arrived there ahead of them. 34 As Jesus came ashore he saw the large crowd and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them many things. NET
This is the only time that the word “apostles” is used in Mark most likely because Jesus has sent them out. (An apostle is someone who is sent). Isolated (desolate/secluded/lonely in other translations) suggests a private place away like the desert or a wilderness. Biblically speaking, rest can have more than one meaning. In Matthew, Jesus tells all who are troubled to come to Him and He will give them rest (with rest being salvation). Here the word rest is just as we typically think of it since the apostles have been working hard.
In Mark, when we read about a boat, it signals a transition in the text. There is no escaping this crowd or the depth of their needs (don’t get caught up focusing on how they got their by foot faster than by boat or you will miss the point). We would understand if Jesus was exasperated, but instead He has compassion. The Greek word splagchnizomai translated here as “compassion” refers to your guts. While we talk about our hearts when it comes to emotions, the center of emotion for a first century Jew is in their guts. This makes sense if you think of “gut” feelings or having butterflies in your stomach (but it is hard to imagine Valentine’s Day cards shaped like intestines). These are sick, demon filled and grieving people who need fixing. He feels their needs and the response is visceral.
Ezekiel 34:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them – to the shepherds: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep! 4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled over them….. 10 This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand my sheep from their hand. I will no longer let them be shepherds; the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore. I will rescue my sheep from their mouth, so that they will no longer be food for them. 11 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy, dark day. NRT
This is a flock that is not being looked after as the shepherds are failing to properly care for them. Christ changes that as He fulfills this promise in Ezekiel.
Mark 6:35 And when it was late in the day, his disciples came to Him, and said, “This place is desolate, and it is late in the day. 36 Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages, and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But He answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give them something to eat?” 38 He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go see.” When they knew, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 He commanded them that everyone should sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 They sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke the loaves, and He gave to his disciples to set before them, and he divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate, and were filled. 43 They took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and also of the fish. 44 Those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. NHEB
In the wilderness, Christ’s first temptation is bread. The devil was saying that Jesus could meet the physical needs of everyone. His response to Satan was that man shall not live by bread alone. Despite those words, we tend to think that teaching is not as good as taking care of people’s physical needs but that isn’t what Jesus does here.
Jesus teaches for awhile – long enough that it has gotten late and it appears that the people can’t be taken care of. At this point, the disciples are likely hungry and tired and want to shut it down and send the people on their way. They want Jesus to do something and He turns it around on them by instructing them to do something. These are the same people who were called by Jesus and who are with Him every day yet they still manage to fumble it. All the more striking since this is after they have gone out on their own and preached and healed. It also shows their similarities to us as we have miscues, too.
As a point of reference, 1 denarii is equal to one day’s labor so 200 denarii equals 200 days of work. Mark is stingy with words but here he points out the “green” grass. This is a signal.
Psalm 23:2 In a place of green grass, there He has made me dwell: He has nourished me by the water of rest. 3 He has restored my soul: He has guided me into the paths of righteousness, for His name’s sake. Brenton Septuagint
Grouping people by fifties and hundreds is something that would make sense to a Roman audience. Worth noting too is that the reference to five thousand men would indicate that the crowd is much larger because their wives and children were also likely there. We will see feeding again in chapter 8.