There is the element of the use of the human will in all
miraculous action, whether in nature or among men. Behind both nature's
forces and human forces are unseen spirit personalities, both evil and
good. The real battle of our human life lies there in the spirit realm.
Victory there means full victory in the realm of nature and of human
lives. There is a devil with hosts of spirit attendants. The wilderness
was a spirit-conflict of terrific intensity, ending in Jesus'
unqualified victory.

Jesus' power was more than simply creative, or healing, or over human
wills. It was the power of a pure, strong, surrendered will having the
mastery over a giant, unsurrendered, God-defiant will. This underlies
all else. But we've run off a bit. Come back to the simple story, and
see how the power of Jesus is revealed more and more before their eyes.
And in seeing the faithfulness and winsomeness of His power, see His
wooing.

Intenser Wooing.

A look at the _miraculous_ power first. The turning of the water into
wine was simple creative power at work, creating in the liquid the added
constituents that made it wine. The healing of the nobleman's son rises
to a higher level. The power overcomes diseased weakened conditions and
creates new life in the parts affected.

The healing of a thirty-eight year old infirmity rises yet higher in the
scale of power seen at work. The Roman's child was an acute case; this
an extreme chronic case of long standing. The acute case of illness may
be most difficult and ticklish, demanding a quick masterful use of all
the physician's knowledge and skill. The chronic case is yet more
difficult eluding his best studied and prolonged and repeated effort.
Clearly the power at work is accomplishing more; and so it is pleading
more eloquently.

The feeding of the five thousand is creative power simply, like the
water-wine case, but it moves up higher in the greater abundance of
power shown, the increase of quantity created, and the far greater and
intenser human need met and relieved.

The walking on the water was an overcoming one of nature's laws, a
rising up superior to it. The universal law of gravitation would
naturally have drawn His feet through the surface of the water and His
whole body down. He overcomes this law, retaining His footing on the
water as on land.

It was done in the night, but an Oriental community, like any country
community, anywhere, is a bulletin-board for all that h