They went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. You can imagine what that road trip (boat trip!) was like. Jesus recognized that the apostles had been working hard and suggested they take a vacation. Great! No doubt as they traveled by boat they were laughing and enjoying the prospect of down time just for themselves. Then reality came crashing down. A large crowd, “like sheep without a shepherd,” was awaiting them at the supposedly deserted place. I’ll bet the apostles were not happy about having their vacation spoiled. What a vivid illustration of the conflict we all live with between taking care of one’s own physical, mental and spiritual health and the reality that sometimes the needs of others trumps ours.
