Mark 6:30-34

³⁰ Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.

³¹ And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

³² So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

³³ But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him.

³⁴ And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.

Also found in Matthew 14:13-14, Luke 9:10-11, and John 6:1-3.

apostles (v.30) — The first place in Mark where the 12 were called “apostles” — perhaps because, on their trips, they had been “messengers” or “missionaries.”

by yourselves (v.31) — emphasizes that these men had worked hard, to the point of exhaustion, on their journeys and needed rest.

deserted (v.31) — solitary, lonely, uninhabited, but also with the idea of privacy, separation from the crowds

rest (v.31) = recover and regain strength

the boat (v.32) — it has the definite article, so this was probably the boat that was regularly used by Jesus and His disciples. This was the larger fishing boat, not the rowboat.

many knew Him (v.33) — There is no pronoun in the Greek text. The thought is, as our Lord and His disciples were going away, the people understood their reason for doing so, namely to obtain some rest. The verb is “to recognize  thing to be what it really is, to understand.” — Wuest, page 133.

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ran (v.33) = run along with others, to rush with. It describes the frenzied hurry of the people who ran with one another out of the town. The words “came together unto Him” are not in the best manuscripts. These people ran around the foot of the lake and met the boat as it landed. — Wuest, page 133.

These people were jerks. They knew the Lord and those with Him were making a deliberate effort to escape the crowds, but instead of understanding and giving Him a break, they not only ran to keep up with Him, but excited others to come along. I can picture the frenzy of a first-century flash mob, gathering not to listen and learn but to be part of the excitement.

The Lord had compassion (lit. He was “moved with compassion”) for them because He knew what they really needed. He began to teach. The Greek has it “He went to teaching and kept it up.” He didn’t just say a few words to appease them, but He gave them what they desperately needed. No matter how tired He was, and no matter how much He wanted to get away and rest. The people were there, He felt compassion for them, and He gave them what He had. His teaching was radically different from that of their rabbis, and it drew them.