AT this season of the year the name of Jesus of Nazareth is often upon the lips of those who seek to honor his memory by celebrating his natal day, and whatever be the differences of opinion respecting him, there are none who would deny that he deserves the love and gratitude of all men for what he taught, what he did, and what he was. A well-know writer says that "any belief in him—the smallest—is better than any belief about him," and this was a test of discipleship which he himself gave, when he said to Martha: "Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
From the standpoint of Christian Science it is necessary to do more than to believe in Jesus, as belief is commonly construed, for, as we read in Science and Health, "until belief becomes faith, and faith becomes spiritual understanding, human thought has little relation to the actual or divine" (p. 297). To believe in Christ Jesus, then, in the way he evidently intended we should, demands of us a spiritual understanding of his origin, character, mission, and teaching; and no other study offers so rich a reward for the time devoted to it, if the student is sincere in his purpose to put into practise the truth thus gained.
It is quite true that the one who attempts to establish and maintain a higher standard than that which prevails, on any plane of experience, even in the performance of every-day tasks, may incur the hatred of those who are indolent, unprogressive, or dishonest, and this is even more marked where the demand is for a higher morality. Thus Jesus suffered for the wrong-doing of others. Mrs. Eddy says: "The world could not interpret aright the discomfort which Jesus inspired and the spiritual blessings which might flow from such discomfort" (Science and Health, p. 53). At every step of the way he presented the divine ideal. He lived it himself, and insisted that all should see the possibility of doing the same, for indeed man as God's likeness can have no other ideal than that of Christ Jesus.
