The words that Jesus uttered to the rich young man, centuries ago, ring out to-day with meaning to those who have ears to hear: "One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." No doubt, the individual who lacks material wealth, such as, it is presumed, figured among the young man's possessions, will feel that the words spoken on this occasion do not apply especially to him; but, on a moment's reflection, one will become aware of the fact that houses and lands are a necessity, if the belief be accepted that matter is real and substantial. One may have a bright intellect, a pleasing personality, the faculty for doing one thing or another in a creditable manner. In just so far as one believes that these qualities originate in matter, and, therefore, are apart from God, has he a misconceived idea of possession, which he will sooner or later have to give up. The giving up of false beliefs in regard to possession does not necessarily imply that one is to dispose materially of his property or disregard human ability; but, rather, that one is to know that the reality and the permanency of all true possessions depend upon his ability to reflect divine intelligence.
The word "sell," as mentioned in the above instance, turns one's thought involuntarily to a sense of things wherein one material thing is exchanged for something else material. Here we may recall that Jesus once said to his disciples, "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" When one applies his understanding of divine metaphysics to these words, he will recognize at once that he is to give up the belief of life in matter, and find his true identity in Soul, expressed through spiritual sense. When we actively use God's law of exchange, this law will begin to operate in the smallest details of our affairs. That is to say, we shall value every temporal thing of which we partake, simply because it expresses the loving provision for a present need, rather than from a material viewpoint of value. When this line of reasoning accompanies the payment for services rendered between individuals, the one who is receiving benefit from the time and attention of another and the one who is paying him for his services are alike receiving that which is meeting human needs, and both recipients are giving up the belief in materiality. Thus, we shall be found, not growing in materialism, but growing out of it.
The command of the great Teacher to give "to the poor" did not necessarily refer only to bestowing charity on such individuals as lacked material wealth, any more than the command, "Sell whatsoever thou hast," meant to dispose of one's entire earthly possessions. The "poor in spirit" are those who have learned the limitations which go hand in hand with their material possessions, and have given up reliance on them in their search for the enduring spiritual riches, which supply the deeper needs, and offer an antidote for sorrow and ease from pain.
We may note with interest that the admonition to the rich young man to sell what he had and give to the poor was followed by the words, "And thou shalt have treasure in heaven." Our understanding of God's universe and His ideas constitutes our treasure in heaven; and as we gain spiritual understanding, we continually add wealth to this heavenly treasure, for time and eternity. Unless we realize that our knowledge of Spirit is not a personal possession, but belongs to us only by reflection, we are liable to go around with a burdened sense of metaphysical supply and overlook the question of demand, in an effort to find expression for our full understanding of the truth in our own experience, as well as to offer it to others without first learning whether or not there is any demand for it. It is here that we should watch lest the "vine cast her fruit before the time." We must prove our knowledge of divine Principle through demonstration. The kingdom of heaven comes to earth just in the degree that mortals are governed by divine Mind. Our understanding of divine metaphysics is a reserve on which to draw, as the occasion demands, to meet our own needs as well as to help others.
In all this we are reminded that there is a cross to be actively taken up; for Jesus closed his conversation to the rich young man with these words: "And come, take up the cross, and follow me." Mrs. Eddy has written in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 50), "The real cross, which Jesus bore up the hill of grief, was the world's hatred of Truth and Love." The inability of mortals to understand the Master's mission caused him greater suffering than physical torture could have done. The severity of his earthly experience was due to the human resistance to his spiritual progress, which aroused the crucifying elements of the carnal mind and hastened the crucifixion. In the experience of the Master, the metaphysical meaning of the cross was accompanied by its use as an implement of punishment. Today, the cross figures in the experience of his followers in its metaphysical meaning, which is the claim of suffering that mortal mind's disbelief in Truth seems to add to the experience of mortals, while they are overcoming the beliefs of the flesh. We cannot to-day escape the trial of working out the problem of being through experiencing the resistance of the carnal mind.
To have reached the mental position wherein one is ready to bear this cross is an interesting stage of progress in human experience. It means that one has relinquished, to a considerable extent, belief in material substance and intelligence, and has accepted as reality that which is spiritual and eternal. This advanced stage of spiritual understanding places one on the side which evil opposes, and involuntarily arouses "the world's hatred of Truth and Love." At this stage of progress, however, one begins to learn the impersonal nature of error, while its opposition to Truth is understood to be the common foe of all mankind. To overcome the beliefs of the flesh is a duty that we all owe to divine Principle. And we are doing one of two things: we are expressing either the thought that heals or that which crucifies. Spiritual sense overcomes the flesh by proving its unreality. This it does through love, purity, and meekness. In the suppositional absence of Truth, so-called mortal mind is left to its own belief of activity; and it cannot do other than govern its phenomena, matter, according to its own nature and tendencies. Evil, however, works its own destruction. There is nothing that will so tend to free mortals from resentment for the wrongs they suffer from others as a knowledge of this fact. The Master said: "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! "
Our debt to our brother and our debt to God are two distinct obligations. We are indebted to God, not only for benefits already received, but for all the blessings that a full understanding of Him will bring to us. Our debt to our brother consists of forgiving him for every false belief that he entertains about God's universe and man. And the true forgiveness of sin is to be found in the Master's words, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." We therefore first have to gain the sense of divine Love, which enables us to realize that mortal existence is a dream. This awakening will begin at once to destroy all sense of reality in whatever has taken place of an erroneous nature between mortals; for no wrong can seem real when the law of divine Love is understood. God's forgiveness of sin reaches humanity only as mortals forsake sin and purify their own thinking. To forgive others uncovers our most secret and hidden errors, and enables us to overcome them. We do not need to wait for our brother to forsake his sin before we give up our belief in sin, and establish in our consciousness the true identity of man. We shall never witness the passing away of our own sense of sin, until "the accuser of our brethren is cast down." For our belief in the reality of evil is none other than the "accuser," which, the Revelator goes on to say, "accused them before our God day and night." Even in our clearer moments, we have overlooked the relationship which God's ideas bear to one another. God knows only man made in His image and likeness. If we are to reflect His harmony and completeness, we must realize the equality of true brotherhood.
Healing, in divine Science, is both individual and collective. Every mortal has the beliefs of the flesh to overcome individually in working out the Science of being; and we can always know what our work is by the problems that the school of human experience assigns us. These problems that confront us are the ones for us to work out first. And it will always lighten our individual work to realize that it is collective as well. Mortals may have their attention drawn to the world's need of healing, in just as many ways as mortal thought has of presenting its claims through the five physical senses. Mortals may be reminded minded of it through suffering infirmity in their own body, or by seeing disease expressed by another; or, again, by coming in contact with individuals who manifest evil; or as a result of having been placed in uncongenial surroundings. Whatever the nature of the difficulty may be with which one is confronted, it should never be looked upon as an affliction, or a wholly personal problem; but rather seen to be a cry of human belief calling out to be healed of its suffering. In any event, when sin or sickness is expressed by an individual, it is not altogether a personal problem.
The cry for healing is universal; for the whole world is seeking a solution to these phases of error. When one corrects sin or sickness in this way, whether it be for a friend or for himself, his work becomes both collective and individual, for he is also helping in a degree to overcome the universal belief in evil while healing a specific case. On page 86 of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy has written: "Jesus once asked, 'Who touched me?' Supposing this inquiry to be occasioned by physical contact alone, his disciples answered, 'The multitude throng thee.' Jesus knew, as others did not, that it was not matter, but mortal mind, whose touch called for aid."
The Christian Science practitioner may gain a helpful lesson from the words of the Master, "Who touched me?" Jesus' ear was so well attuned to the harmonies of Spirit that he was able to detect the slightest discord in the experience of mortals. He could hear the voiceless cry of humanity calling for help; and in that particular case he sought to learn through whom the call for aid came, and what the specific need was, in order that he might heal it. He knew that the cry came from so-called mortal mind, not matter; and he likewise knew that the divine Mind is sufficient to correct and destroy the beliefs of mortal mind, when its rules are applied in any instance. When humanity has called out for help, it has done all that it knows how to do; for it is only a cry, which grows silent in the presence of Truth, where all its needs are met. When we are tempted to believe that humanity is not ready to be healed, it is well to remember that mortals are always looking for the answer to their problems; and each individual who is demonstrating the power of Truth over error in his own life is aiding in making the answer to human problems plainer and clearer. If our own fitness to detect and heal the troubles of humanity does not to-day turn all to the truth for healing, it will certainly bring many.
The young man's refusal to sell what he had and give to the poor, and to take up the cross and follow the Master, was due to the same cause. It all hinged upon his failure to give up the belief that matter was substance. The requirement for spiritual progress has not changed with the centuries. It is ever the same,— namely, to accept as a reality only the substance of Spirit. The divine Principle upon which the teachings of Christ Jesus were founded has been rediscovered, and revealed to the world through Christian Science; but the progress of Truth in the world to-day depends upon the unfoldment of Life, Truth, and Love in individual consciousness. "Centuries ago," writes Mrs. Eddy (Science and Health, p. 224), "religionists were ready to hail an anthropomorphic God, and array His vicegerent with pomp and splendor; but this was not the manner of truth's appearing. Of old the cross was truth's central sign, and it is to-day."
