THE incident of Jesus walking on the water follows the account of the feeding of the 5000. This happening is also recorded by Mark and John, though not by Luke, though all four record the feeding of the 5000.

Not only is this an amazing story, but it is full of rich spiritual instruction and nourishment for the soul. There is an answer here for many of the difficulties we experience in our day to day Christian living.

Firstly, let us place it in the context of the disciples day to day experience with Jesus. They had just had a most uplifting experience. They had seen Jesus perform a wonderful and incredible miracle. They had seen Jesus' love poured out on needy people, and his power and resources more than sufficient to match his love. They had experienced the wonder and gratitude and happiness of the people who were fed. Jesus had been feeding their souls, and then he fed their bodies. No doubt the disciples were experiencing great joy and exaltation. Then it was over. Jesus sent them on their way over the sea of Galilee. We are told that he made them get in the boat and go on without him. They were being sent off on their own. What happens? There exaltation dissipates with a rush. They find themselves on their own and in great trial. A storm rose which threatened their boat, and turned the sailing into a nightmare of fear and effort. From feeling anything was possible as Jesus fed 5000 people, they now felt alone and helpless.

There is a picture of the Christian life in all this. The Christian life has its highs and lows. Sometimes we rejoice in wonderful blessing from the Lord, and we are lifted up with blessing. Then things change. Troubles come and Jesus seems to be parted from us. We find our spirits low and the journey of life hard. At these times we find it hard to believe. The lessons we can learn from this incident are just what we need to strengthen and affirm our faith and confidence.

We can learn the importance of spiritual communion with Jesus. It is a strange thing that prayer and meditation in God's word so often is hardest when we are experiencing a low.

The example of Jesus here is so illuminating. He took our nature upon him. He was truly human. He did this because he came to be our representative and substitute before his Father in heaven. He had to be truly a human being to perform this office, though he had to be God also to make the performing of his work effective and sufficiently valuable. In his humanity he was tempted and tested in all points such as we are, yet without sin. He was a perfect human being, and as such could vicariously give his life to pay the price of our sins. As a true human being he experienced the highs and lows of human life. He grew tired. He found his resources physically and spiritually depleted. He found the world all around him, and its influence pressing upon him, and the evil in the world assaulting him. This used up the resources both physical and spiritual with which he lived his perfect life for us. He needed the renewal of these resources just as much as any human being, and perhaps more.

Jesus had been exalted in his ministry of teaching, healing and feeding the multitude. He had entered into all the human needs all around him. He had used up much spiritual energy in this ministry, and he had used his strength in the exercise of divine power. We read in one of the gospels concerning the women with permanent menstrual bleeding who touched his garment, that he knew virtue had departed from him. I quote from the AV. What this was we can't possible know, but it does tell us that Jesus found his resources depleted.

What does Jesus do here after this time of expending so much of his resources. He sends his disciple away, and goes on his own in a quiet place to pray. This is more than just saying prayers. Surely it has the idea of Jesus communing with his heavenly Father; shutting out the world and all its tragedy, weakness and sin, and drenching his life in the love of God and the atmosphere of heaven. His soul thirsted so he drank at the fountain of life. He needed to be quiet and alone to do this and to have no distractions.

There is a story about a diamond merchant which helps to illustrate in this. The merchant had come to buy diamonds. He had a number before him, which he examined carefully with his glass. He rejected some and selected others to purchase. As he was doing this he would stop and pick up a diamond he had brought with him, and carefully look at it. When he was asked why he did this, he said that this diamond he had brought with him was a perfect specimen, without an flaw. Looking at the other diamonds his perception of excellence was diminished, so he looked at perfection to tone up his sight again.

We need to take the example of Jesus very much to heart. If Jesus needed to spend time with his heavenly Father to replenish his soul, how much more do we. Our difficulty is that prayer and worship and meditation is not always easy. We find that the world, the flesh and the devil distract us, and disincline us to meet with Jesus. In human confidence sometimes we do not appreciate how much we need our spiritual resources replenished.