The Saviour's life on earth was a life of communion with
nature and with God. In this communion He revealed
for us the secret of a life of power.
Jesus was an earnest, constant worker. Never lived there
among men another so weighted with responsibilities. Never
another carried so heavy a burden of the world's sorrow and
sin. Never another toiled with such self-consuming zeal for
the good of men. Yet His was a life of health. Physically as
well as spiritually He was represented by the sacrificial lamb,
"without blemish and without spot." 1 Peter 1:19. In body
as in soul He was an example of what God designed all
humanity to be through obedience to His laws.
As the people looked upon Jesus, they saw a face in which
divine compassion was blended with conscious power. He
seemed to be surrounded with an atmosphere of spiritual life.
While His manners were gentle and unassuming, He impressed
men with a sense of power that was hidden, yet could
not be wholly concealed.
During His ministry He was continually pursued by crafty
and hypocritical men who were seeking His life. Spies were
on His track, watching His words, to find some occasion
against Him. The keenest and most highly cultured minds
of the nation sought to defeat Him in controversy. But never
could they gain an advantage. They had to retire from the
field, confounded and put to shame by the lowly Teacher from
Galilee. Christ's teaching had a freshness and a power such
as men had never before known. Even His enemies were
forced to confess, "Never man spake like this Man." John 7:46.
The childhood of Jesus, spent in poverty, had been
uncorrupted by the artificial habits of a corrupt age. Working at
the carpenter's bench, bearing the burdens of home life, learning
the lessons of obedience and toil, He found recreation
amidst the scenes of nature, gathering knowledge as He sought
to understand nature's mysteries. He studied the word of God,
and His hours of greatest happiness were found when He
could turn aside from the scene of His labors to go into the
fields, to meditate in the quiet valleys, to hold communion
with God on the mountainside or amid the trees of the forest.
The early morning often found Him in some secluded place,
meditating, searching the Scriptures, or in prayer. With the
voice of singing He welcomed the morning light. With songs
of thanksgiving He cheered His hours of labor and brought
heaven's gladness to the toilworn and disheartened.
During His ministry Jesus lived to a great degree an outdoor
life. His journeys from place to place were made on foot,
and much of His teaching was given in the open air. In training
His disciples He often withdrew from the confusion of
the city to the quiet of the fields, as more in harmony with
the lessons of simplicity, faith, and self-abnegation He desired
to teach them. It was beneath the sheltering trees of the
mountainside, but a little distance from the Sea of Galilee,
that the
Twelve were called to the apostolate and the Sermon on the
Mount was given.
Christ loved to gather the people about Him under the blue
heavens, on some grassy hillside, or on the beach beside the
lake. Here, surrounded by the works of His own creation,
He could turn their thoughts from the artificial to the natural.
In the growth and development of nature were revealed the
principles of His kingdom. As men should lift their eyes to
the hills of God and behold the wonderful works of His hand,
they could learn precious lessons of divine truth. In future
days the lessons of the divine Teacher would thus be repeated
to them by the things of nature. The mind would be uplifted
and the heart would find rest.
The disciples who were associated with Him in His work,
Jesus often released for a season, that they might visit their
homes and rest; but in vain were their efforts to draw Him
away from His labors. All day He ministered to the throngs
that came to Him, and at eventide, or in the early morning,
He went away to the sanctuary of the mountains for
communion with His Father.
Often His incessant labor and the conflict with the enmity
and false teaching of the rabbis left Him so utterly wearied
that His mother and brothers, and even His disciples, feared
that His life would be sacrificed. But as He returned from the
hours of prayer that closed the toilsome day, they marked the
look of peace upon His face, the freshness and life and power
that seemed to pervade His whole being. From hours spent
alone with God He came forth, morning by morning, to bring
the light of heaven to men.
It was just after the return from their first missionary tour
that Jesus bade His disciples, Come apart, and rest awhile.
The disciples had returned, filled with the joy of their success
as heralds of the gospel, when the tidings reached them of the
death of John the Baptist at the hand of Herod. It was a bitter
sorrow and disappointment. Jesus knew that in leaving the
Baptist to die in prison He had severely tested the disciples'
faith. With pitying tenderness He looked upon their sorrowful,
tear-stained faces. Tears were in His own eyes and voice
as He said, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and
rest awhile." Mark 6:31.
Near Bethsaida, at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee,
was a lonely region, beautiful with the fresh green of spring,
that offered a welcome retreat to Jesus and His disciples. For
this place they set out, going in their boat across the lake. Here
they could rest, apart from the confusion of the multitude.
Here the disciples could listen to the words of Christ, undisturbed
by the retorts and accusations of the Pharisees. Here
they hoped to enjoy a short season of fellowship in the society
of their Lord.
Only a short time did Jesus have alone with His beloved
ones, but how precious to them were those few moments.
They talked together regarding the work of the gospel and
the possibility of making their labor more effective in reaching
the people. As Jesus opened to them the treasures of truth,
they were vitalized by divine power and inspired with hope
and courage.
But soon He was again sought for by the multitude.
Supposing that He had gone to His usual place of retirement, the
people followed Him thither. His hope to gain even one hour
of rest was frustrated. But in the depth of His pure, compassionate
heart the Good Shepherd of the sheep had only love
and pity for these restless, thirsting souls. All day He ministered
to their needs, and at evening dismissed them to go to
their homes and rest.
In a life wholly devoted to the good of others, the Saviour
found it necessary to turn aside from ceaseless activity and
contact with human needs, to seek retirement and unbroken
communion with His Father. As the throng that had followed
Him depart, He goes into the mountains, and there, alone
with God, pours out His soul in prayer for these suffering,
sinful, needy ones.
When Jesus said to His disciples that the harvest was great
and the laborers were few, He did not urge upon them the
necessity of ceaseless toil, but bade them, "Pray ye therefore
the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into
His harvest." Matthew 9:38. To His toil-worn workers today
as really as to His first disciples He speaks these words of
compassion, "Come ye yourselves apart, . . . and rest awhile."
All who are under the training of God need the quiet hour
for communion with their own hearts, with nature, and with
God. In them is to be revealed a life that is not in harmony
with the world, its customs, or its practices; and they need to
have a personal experience in obtaining a knowledge of the
will of God. We must individually hear Him speaking to the
heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we
wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct
the voice of God. He bids us, "Be still, and know that I am
God." Psalm 46:10. This is the effectual preparation for all
labor for God. Amidst the hurrying throng, and the strain
of life's intense activities, he who is thus refreshed will be
surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. He
will receive a new endowment of both physical and mental
strength. His life will breathe out a fragrance, and will reveal
a divine power that will reach men's hearts.