The Ministry of Absence

“And he [Jesus] 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.” (Mk. 6:31-32, ESV)

Jesus sends out the apostles (6:7-13), and they return with a report (6:30). After a glimpse of what ministry looks like, Jesus says to them to return to a desolate place where they can focus on the center and learn not to be seen and mentioned. The outer ministry is possible because of the spiritual formation of workers; the spiritual health of workers is sustained by the quiet center.

“For many were coming and going, they had no leisure even to eat.” It indicates the danger in ministry. We come to serve, not to be served. Serving is one of the characteristics of ministry. Without serving, we cease to be called servants. However, serving can easily lead to burn-out if we neglect the importance of the ministry of absence. Serving is the ministry of presence; retreat is the ministry of absence. “No leisure even to eat” implies that the outer needs of ministry are much greater and stronger than the inner capacity of workers. When the inner space is not in proportion to the outer demand, problems, such as pressure, stress, disorder, etc… start to sneak in. If we are unaware of the tension between them from time to time, we will be burn-out, rust-out, and die-out.

The ministry of presence has its danger because there is a temptation to be seen and needed all the time. The place of ministry can be an idol factory. “The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught” (6:30). We can feel the excitement of the apostles. Such an excitement can become the source of turning away from the Lord of the harvest. The ministry of presence is dangerous because we are living the life of omnipresence, which, however, only belongs to God. The fact that we are not omnipresent shows that we need to know our gifts and prioritize our time to serve according to our gifts. In some areas of ministry where we are not gifted, we can let others who are gifted in those areas to handle them. We exercise our gifts in the ministry of presence; we trust God who bestows gifts upon others to take care of His own business in the ministry of absence. The omnipresence of God is manifested through the body of Christ, not one or a few individuals in the body of Christ.

Jesus invites the apostles to retreat from the ministry of presence and learn to be content with the ministry of absence: get away and rest. Ministry is a tough business. It is supposed to be a means to promote the glory of God. Often time, it becomes the place for self-glorification. The ministry of absence is the clue to avoiding the snare of ministry. The ministry of absence confesses that Jesus is what people need, and He is irreplaceable in the church. The ministry of absence tells us a hard fact that things go on with or without us. The ministry of absence says that a healthy ministry does not depend on our presence, but the presence of the Spirit. The ministry of absence helps us understand our own limitations: we are the creatures; He is the Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and Consummator.

Indeed, without the ministry of absence as the center of our ministerial core, we cannot serve the greater needs of the world. In the following narrative, it is about feeding the 5, 000 (6:35-44). In comparison with the apostles’ previous ministry experience, the feeding of the 5, 000 is more demanding. Jesus anticipates what is to come and cultivates the spiritual formation of the disciples in solitude and silence. The ministry of absence helps us stay healthy in ministry. It also creates more space in us so that we can cooperate with God for a larger purpose in God’s mission.