The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
Comment: Remembering the last couple of days devotions, somethings seem to be going along in parallel here. Jesus sends his twelve disciples out on their teaching/healing journey; Herod hears reports and, with a guilty conscience no doubt, assumes that Jesus is the risen John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded against his personal desires. Meanwhile Jesus takes His followers away across the lake for a rest. But that didn’t work out. As the ‘Jesus group’ sailed across the lake the people en masse raced around the end of the lake. On His arrival at the other shore, seeing them as a crowd who needed a real protector (like a shepherd with a mob of sheep), he taught them. It was no twenty minute session and in the end the disciples are concerned for the people. They are in a deserted area and there is not a 24/7 available.
Prayer: Thank you for the wonderful teaching You gave, Jesus, as You headed towards Jerusalem and the Cross.
As I read it! 
Thank you Barry for your comments on this passage. Jesus was concerned for His disciples who needed to find a quiet deserted place, and get some much needed rest. I imagine that Jesus also needed to rest as His life was extremely busy. Their plans to find a quiet and peaceful resting place did not eventuate, because all the people who wanted to hear Jesus and see Him got to the peaceful place first, and that sort of messed up the plans Jesus had to spend some quiet time with His disciples. So “Jesus had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” What a wonderful caring Shepherd we have when we follow Jesus and live with Him in our heart each day. God bless you.
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