All who have been nurtured in the Christian faith can recall the story of Mary's flight into Egypt. Many artists during many centuries have been inspired by the dramatic aspect of this incident, and a well-known modern picture represents Mary holding the child Jesus in her arms and resting between the paws of the mythical Sphinx, while Joseph sleeps on the ground and the stars glitter in the eastern heavens. But what could have induced a Hebrew mother to take her child into Egypt for safety? Of all places of refuge surely this was the most unlikely to provide shelter and security to a child of Israel of tender years. Still a metaphysical explanation of this seeming paradox is at hand which contains a lesson and an inspiration for those striving Spiritward.
The familiar facts which led up to Mary's flight into Egypt are these: the wise men from the east had come to Jerusalem, "saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" This had aroused Herod's apprehension, but before he could take measures to discover Jesus, a very strange message came to Joseph "in a dream": "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."
The author of the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," has revealed to humanity the true meaning of Jesus' birth. No religious writer has ever explained Mary's conception of Jesus with such profound spiritual insight and such loving solicitude as has Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science. On page 29 of her epoch-making text-book we find these words: "Jesus was the offspring of Mary's self-conscious communion with God;" and also, "The Christ dwelt forever an idea in the bosom of God, the divine Principle of the man Jesus, and woman perceived this spiritual idea, though at first faintly developed." It was "this spiritual idea, though at first faintly developed," which Mary sought to safeguard by fleeing into Egypt. Now, every scientific Christian must be ready to rescue his own conception of the Christ from the grasp of the would-be destroyer. Who has not, among those consecrated to Christian Science, experienced the moment when Herod was groping about in the darkness of intrigue to seize upon and destroy the young child. Is not this spiritual idea, when born to human consciousness, the most precious of possible possessions, and is there any earthly sacrifice too great to insure its safety and to keep it inviolate?
