Does spiritualism find Jesus" death necessary 24:24 only for the presentation, after death, of the material Jesus, as a proof that spirits can return to earth? Then we must differ from them both.
24:27 The efficacy of the crucifixion lay in the practical af- fection and goodness it demonstrated for mankind. The truth had been lived among men; but until they saw that 24:30 it enabled their Master to triumph over the grave, his own disciples could not admit such an event to be possible.
After the resurrection, even the unbelieving Thomas was 25:1 forced to acknowledge how complete was the great proof of Truth and Love.
True flesh and blood
25:3 The spiritual essence of blood is sacrifice. The effi- cacy of Jesus" spiritual offering is infinitely greater than can be expressed by our sense of human 25:6 blood. The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon "the accursed tree," than when it was flowing in 25:9 his veins as he went daily about his Father"s business.
His true flesh and blood were his Life; and they truly eat his flesh and drink his blood, who partake of that divine 25:12 Life.
Effective triumph
Jesus taught the way of Life by demonstration, that we may understand how this divine Principle heals 25:15 the sick, casts out error, and triumphs over death. Jesus presented the ideal of G.o.d better than could any man whose origin was less spiritual. By 25:18 his obedience to G.o.d, he demonstrated more spiritu- ally than all others the Principle of being. Hence the force of his admonition, "If ye love me, keep my com- 25:21 mandments."
Though demonstrating his control over sin and disease, the great Teacher by no means relieved others from giving 25:24 the requisite proofs of their own piety. He worked for their guidance, that they might demonstrate this power as he did and understand its divine Principle. Implicit faith 25:27 in the Teacher and all the emotional love we can bestow on him, will never alone make us imitators of him. We must go and do likewise, else we are not improving the 25:30 great blessings which our Master worked and suffered to bestow upon us. The divinity of the Christ was made manifest in the humanity of Jesus.
Individual experience
26:1 While we adore Jesus, and the heart overflows with grat.i.tude for what he did for mortals, - treading alone 26:3 his loving pathway up to the throne of glory, in speechless agony exploring the way for us, - yet Jesus spares us not one individual expe- 26:6 rience, if we follow his commands faithfully; and all have the cup of sorrowful effort to drink in proportion to their demonstration of his love, till all are redeemed 26:9 through divine Love.
Christ"s demonstration
The Christ was the Spirit which Jesus implied in his own statements: "I am the way, the truth, and the life;"
26:12 "I and my Father are one." This Christ, or divinity of the man Jesus, was his divine nature, the G.o.dliness which animated him. Divine Truth, 26:15 Life, and Love gave Jesus authority over sin, sickness, and death. His mission was to reveal the Science of celestial being, to prove what G.o.d is and what He does 26:18 for man.
Proof in practice
A musician demonstrates the beauty of the music he teaches in order to show the learner the way by prac- 26:21 tice as well as precept. Jesus" teaching and practice of Truth involved such a sacrifice as makes us admit its Principle to be Love. This was 26:24 the precious import of our Master"s sinless career and of his demonstration of power over death. He proved by his deeds that Christian Science destroys sickness, sin, 26:27 and death.
Our Master taught no mere theory, doctrine, or belief.
It was the divine Principle of all real being which he 26:30 taught and practised. His proof of Christianity was no form or system of religion and worship, but Christian Science, working out the harmony of Life and Love.
27:1 Jesus sent a message to John the Baptist, which was in- tended to prove beyond a question that the Christ had 27:3 come: "Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, 27:6 to the poor the gospel is preached." In other words: Tell John what the demonstration of divine power is, and he will at once perceive that G.o.d is the power in 27:9 the Messianic work.
Living temple
That Life is G.o.d, Jesus proved by his reappearance after the crucifixion in strict accordance with his scien- 27:12 tific statement: "Destroy this temple [body], and in three days I [Spirit] will raise it up."
It is as if he had said: The I - the Life, substance, 27:15 and intelligence of the universe - is not in matter to be destroyed.
Jesus" parables explain Life as never mingling with 27:18 sin and death. He laid the axe of Science at the root of material knowledge, that it might be ready to cut down the false doctrine of pantheism, - that G.o.d, or 27:21 Life, is in or of matter.
Recreant disciples
Jesus sent forth seventy students at one time, but only eleven left a desirable historic record. Tradition credits 27:24 him with two or three hundred other disciples who have left no name. "Many are called, but few are chosen." They fell away from grace because 27:27 they never truly understood their Master"s instruction.
Why do those who profess to follow Christ reject the essential religion he came to establish? Jesus" persecu- 27:30 tors made their strongest attack upon this very point.
They endeavored to hold him at the mercy of matter and to kill him according to certain a.s.sumed material laws.
Help and hindrance
28:1 The Pharisees claimed to know and to teach the di- vine will, but they only hindered the success of Jesus"
28:3 mission. Even many of his students stood in his way. If the Master had not taken a student and taught the unseen verities of G.o.d, he would 28:6 not have been crucified. The determination to hold Spirit in the grasp of matter is the persecutor of Truth and Love.
28:9 While respecting all that is good in the Church or out of it, one"s consecration to Christ is more on the ground of demonstration than of profession. In conscience, we 28:12 cannot hold to beliefs outgrown; and by understanding more of the divine Principle of the deathless Christ, we are enabled to heal the sick and to triumph over sin.
Misleading conceptions
28:15 Neither the origin, the character, nor the work of Jesus was generally understood. Not a single compo- nent part of his nature did the material 28:18 world measure aright. Even his righteous- less and purity did not hinder men from saying: He is a glutton and a friend of the impure, and Beelzebub is 28:21 his patron.
Persecution prolonged
Remember, thou Christian martyr, it is enough if thou art found worthy to unloose the sandals of thy 28:24 Master"s feet! To suppose that persecution for righteousness" sake belongs to the past, and that Christianity to-day is at peace with the world 28:27 because it is honored by sects and societies, is to mis- take the very nature of religion. Error repeats itself.
The trials encountered by prophet, disciple, and apostle, 28:30 "of whom the world was not worthy," await, in some form, every pioneer of truth.
Christian warfare
There is too much animal courage in society and not 29:1 sufficient moral courage. Christians must take up arms against error at home and abroad. They must grapple 29:3 with sin in themselves and in others, and continue this warfare until they have finished their course. If they keep the faith, they will have the 29:6 crown of rejoicing.
Christian experience teaches faith in the right and dis- belief in the wrong. It bids us work the more earnestly 29:9 in times of persecution, because then our labor is more needed. Great is the reward of self-sacrifice, though we may never receive it in this world.
The Fatherhood of G.o.d
29:12 There is a tradition that Publius Lentulus wrote to the authorities at Rome: "The disciples of Jesus be- lieve him the Son of G.o.d." Those instructed 29:15 in Christian Science have reached the glori- ous perception that G.o.d is the only author of man.
The Virgin-mother conceived this idea of G.o.d, and 29:18 gave to her ideal the name of Jesus - that is, Joshua, or Saviour.
Spiritual conception
The illumination of Mary"s spiritual sense put to 29:21 silence material law and its order of generation, and brought forth her child by the revelation of Truth, demonstrating G.o.d as the Father of 29:24 men. The Holy Ghost, or divine Spirit, overshadowed the pure sense of the Virgin-mother with the full recog- nition that being is Spirit. The Christ dwelt forever 29:27 an idea in the bosom of G.o.d, the divine Principle of the man Jesus, and woman perceived this spiritual idea, though at first faintly developed.
29:30 Man as the offspring of G.o.d, as the idea of Spirit, is the immortal evidence that Spirit is harmonious and man eternal. Jesus was the offspring of Mary"s self- 30:1 conscious communion with G.o.d. Hence he could give a more spiritual idea of life than other men, and could 30:3 demonstrate the Science of Love - his Father or divine Principle.
Jesus the way-shower
Born of a woman, Jesus" advent in the flesh partook 30:6 partly of Mary"s earthly condition, although he was en- dowed with the Christ, the divine Spirit, with- out measure. This accounts for his struggles 30:9 in Gethsemane and on Calvary, and this enabled him to be the mediator, or _way-shower_, between G.o.d and men.
Had his origin and birth been wholly apart from mortal 30:12 usage, Jesus would not have been appreciable to mortal mind as "the way."
Rabbi and priest taught the Mosaic law, which said: 30:15 "An eye for an eye," and "Whoso sheddeth man"s blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Not so did Jesus, the new executor for G.o.d, present the divine law of Love, 30:18 which blesses even those that curse it.
Rebukes helpful
As the individual ideal of Truth, Christ Jesus came to rebuke rabbinical error and all sin, sickness, and death,- 30:21 to point out the way of Truth and Life. This ideal was demonstrated throughout the whole earthly career of Jesus, showing the difference between 30:24 the offspring of Soul and of material sense, of Truth and of error.
If we have triumphed sufficiently over the errors of 30:27 material sense to allow Soul to hold the control, we shall loathe sin and rebuke it under every mask. Only in this way can we bless our enemies, though they 30:30 may not so construe our words. We cannot choose for ourselves, but must work out our salvation in the way Jesus taught. In meekness and might, he was found 31:1 preaching the gospel to the poor. Pride and fear are unfit to bear the standard of Truth, and G.o.d will never place 31:3 it in such hands.
Fleshly ties temporal
Jesus acknowledged no ties of the flesh. He said: "Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, 31:6 which is in heaven." Again he asked: "Who is my mother, and who are my brethren," im- plying that it is they who do the will of his Father. We 31:9 have no record of his calling any man by the name of _father_. He recognized Spirit, G.o.d, as the only creator, and therefore as the Father of all.
Healing primary
31:12 First in the list of Christian duties, he taught his fol- lowers the healing power of Truth and Love. He attached no importance to dead ceremonies. It is the 31:15 living Christ, the practical Truth, which makes Jesus "the resurrection and the life" to all who follow him in deed. Obeying his precious precepts, - following his 31:18 demonstration so far as we apprehend it, - we drink of his cup, partake of his bread, are baptized with his pu- rity; and at last we shall rest, sit down with him, in a full 31:21 understanding of the divine Principle which triumphs over death. For what says Paul? "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord"s 31:24 death till he come."