Mrs. Eddy says that "Jesus' spiritual origin and understanding enabled him to demonstrate the facts of being,—to prove irrefutably how spiritual Truth destroys material error, heals sickness, and overcomes death" (Science and Health, p. 315). While it is true that mortals cannot claim the spiritual origin here referred to, yet, in working out the problems of being, they have today the priceless results of Jesus' teachings and demonstrations, which are scientifically brought within the range of human thought by our Leader's inspired writings. To understand somewhat as Jesus understood, and to work somewhat as he wrought, is surely the greatest boon that could come to any one, and these opportunities Christian Science has brought within the reach of all who desire to know the truth. To understand and be able to "demonstrate the facts of being" is assuredly the goal of every earnest Christian Scientist, for this would include the overcoming of all evil,—sin, sickness, poverty, and finally death itself.
At the present time, as never before in the world's history, humanity is turning to the teaching of the Nazarene Prophet for light upon the many vexed questions which spring from ignorance of both God and man, from selfishness, lust, indolence, and fear, and it is important to note, in this connection, that while many attempts are made to materialize his teaching, we can find nothing in the Gospel records to warrant such attempts. In the 12th chapter of Luke we have the loftiest statements of the infinite provisions of divine Love for every human need, and these provisions made available by no less a power than infinite wisdom.—"The Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." What must Jesus have thought, when one interrupted him in the midst of such teaching to ask that he help to make a division of property! Promptly did he rebuke this intrusion of materialistic thought, and then by a parable he pointed his listeners to divine Principle as the source of all supply.
His teachings show that as life and health cannot be gained by taking thought materially, neither can true riches, or even needed supply to be thus gained, and the true equality can never be demonstrated while we believe that great possessions are necessarily taken from other mortals. What would be thought of the argument that there is something wrong when certain people enjoy good health while others are sick, or that it is wrong for certain pupils in a school to be far in advance of the others! This, be it understood, is no plea for the continuance of any wrong conditions, but it does point to the eternal fact that the divine Principle of being is as truly available in one case as in another, when rightly understood, and that we must both individually and unitedly "work out" our salvation from every form of belief in evil in the way indicated in the reference already used from our text-book, by keeping ever in view "the facts of being," not the falsities of belief. The statement of the great Teacher, that our heavenly Father "maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust," is an unanswerable argument for the impartiality of divine Principle, and it declares equal opportunities for all when we learn how to avail ourselves of these opportunities in the spiritually scientific way.
