Hi everyone, welcome back to our podcast, where we take a look at the Gospel reading from today's mass, and we are going to provide an exegesis of the literal sense. What did the original author try to convey to his original audience? That's always the best way to start when we're trying to interpret the The the gospels and that's the method. The Catholic Church tells us that we need to use we always need to start with the literal
sense of the text. So today we're looking at Mark chapter 6, verse 32, 34 that's the Gospel reading. You'll hear today at Mass the apostles rejoined, Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, you must come away to some lonely place, or by yourselves and rest for a while. For there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.
But people saw them going and many could guess where, and from every town, they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. So, as he stepped ashore, he saw a large crowd and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd and he set himself to teach them at some length. So this begins a new section in the gospel of Mark, which a lot of Scholars would say is about
bread and nourishment. And we'll see that over the next couple of chapters that theme of bread and nourishment comes up a lot. So verse 30, the apostles, rejoin Jesus. So if you remember what's happened just before, this is Jesus, sent the apostles out two, by two to go and do Mission, and their possibly away for a few weeks. And now they come back and report, back to Jesus and they tell him all they had. Done and taught. So they give Jesus a mission
report of how it went. It's interesting that they mention the word taught because Jesus instructions to them didn't Indy, he didn't tell them to go and teach you just told him to heal and cast out demons. So they'll supposed to preach but not teach and that tells us that it doesn't have to be mentioned, really. It's an essential part of preaching. The gospel is, there's going to
be teaching in there as well. And as we will Discover, it seems like their Ministry was quite successful, because now there's a huge crowd following them. So, Jesus says, to them after they've just returned from this, from their trip, you must come away to some lonely, place, all by yourselves, and rest awhile. So they've just returned from a very significant trip and they were preaching the kingdom in
poverty. Remember they weren't allowed to take money or extra clothes so they've been living in poverty for a while. It's probably quite exhausting. Very significant trip for the apostles that went out two by two. So Jesus says, let's just go and rest awhile, just us, let's have some us time, and which makes
sense. Because you remember one of the things, one of the things Mark lists as the purpose of an apostle, one of them is to go out and preach which they've done, but the other one is to be with Jesus. So now they're having time to be with Jesus again, and this highlights, Jesus concern to give comfort and rest to those who serve him and, you know, a lot of Scholars, talk your about. If you're in Ministry, there's a big need for a balance between time with Jesus.
As in rest time, intimacy with Jesus in prayer and reflection and balancing that with active Ministry work. And then Mark adds this comment for those so many coming and going that the apostles had no time to eat. So there's thousands of people coming, this crowd is massive. They're all coming to Jesus for healing and the apostles are
trying to control the crowd. The their Ministry has been so successful that the, its booming, the crowd is huge and the trying to control the crowd and the humming even got time to eat anymore. So Jesus says, let's go. Let's have some quiet time verse 32. So they went off in a boat to a lonely.
A place. So, they've been Jesus has been on the edge of the Sea of Galilee teaching and now they actually get into a boat and go across the Sea of Galilee to another side of the lake, which was probably expected to be uninhabited, a quiet place on the edge of the lake. Verse 33 but many could guess where they were going or another translation says many new them. So they saw them leaving in the boat at the Sea of Galilee is quite small. We need to cap the never keep that in mind.
So the crowd saw the direction, the boat was leaving and they figured out while there's only a few places in that direction. They could go and they start to go around and meet them there. And mock ads there from every town. So at this stage, people are streaming to Jesus from all over Israel and they hurried to the place on foot. So they probably running. They're probably running to beat the boat that. If they walk, they might not beat it. But if they run, they might be
able to beat the boat there. So since the lake was quite small. And they know where Jesus is going, it's probably true that. If they hurry there, they can beat the boat there. Remember, this is people from all over Israel. Clamoring to see Jesus and they don't want to miss their opportunity. So verse 34 is Jesus stepped ashore. So they've been expecting it to be a quiet abandoned place but the crowds are waiting for them. They're waiting for Jesus when
he steps ashore. And at this point mark says it's a large crowd but as we learn very soon after this passage, there's probably around 15,000 people here. So, by this point Jesus has become very well known all across Israel as a Healer and a teacher and Mark says he took pity on them so he could have been annoyed. If you think about it, he could have been annoyed because he wanted some private time with the disciples.
And now, the crowd has ruined that but he chose has to chooses, to show compassion and the word here for compassion is a verb that connotes a deeply felt passion in the gut as though his very heart is moving. So deeply felt passion, These feeling for the crowd. And Mark says, he feels this way because they are like sheep without a shepherd. And so Mark, he gives us an analogy in what way of the people like a sheep without a Shepherd. Well, it seems to be that just as sheep literal.
Sheep need a shepherd. And if they don't have one there lost, then these Jewish people have no spiritual guide at the moment, and so they're spiritually lost. To remedy this. Jesus begins to teach at some length as we're about to hear his. He goes on to teach. And so, Mark here is hinting and often in the Old Testament, it talks about God being The Shepherd of his, if his people. And so Marky and might be hinting that Jesus is, is that Divine shepherd?
He Is God, shepherding, his people Now, the very next, that's the end of our passage today, but the very next thing that happens something quite significant happens with this massive crowd, but you'll need to tune in again tomorrow to find out the next thing that happens on this side of the lake with the big crowd, okay? Bit of a shorter podcast today, there's no catechism references. That relates directly to this passage so hopefully you tune in again tomorrow.