AS the Easter season comes round, the thoughts of Christians tend toward the contemplation of the resurrection of Christ Jesus. Christians admit that it happened on the third day after his crucifixion; they agree that it was one of the most extraordinary events that ever occurred. But they are not all of the same mind as to its meaning. That it meant a setting aside of the generally accepted order, a reversal of material so-called law, they probably believe; but as to how this was done, many among them may not be able to hazard even an opinion. Perhaps the most prevalent belief held by Christians about Jesus' resurrection is that God, on this occasion, suspended the activity of material law, breaking the fetters of death for His beloved Son, thus, by special intervention, enabling him to rise from the grave.
While Christian Science by no means leaves God out of the Master's problem, it holds that he himself played a great part in its solution. It will be remembered that during his ministry Jesus restored others to life. The widow of Nain's son, Jairus' daughter, and Lazarus were raised from the dead by him. What happened in each of these cases? The Gospel narratives are clear with regard to them all: each shows plainly the life-giving influence of Jesus' thought. Indeed, in the light of Christian Science, it is evident that he was able to bring to bear on the problem an extraordinarily spiritually enlightened understanding and that this understanding overcame the materiality, dense though it was, which assumed the form of death.
In considering Jesus' own resurrection, one cannot allow one's self to forget his mental attitude towards those others whom he so wonderfully restored to life. His spiritual understanding must be taken into account. And at this point it may be well to consider just what "resurrection" means, for it is far more than a rising from the grave, great as that undoubtedly is. Mrs. Eddy defines the term onpage 593 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" in these words: "Spiritualization of thought; a new and higher idea of immortality, or spiritual existence; material belief yielding to spiritual understanding." As one comprehends this definition one sees that, in a very real sense, the entire life-purpose of the Master was to resurrect himself and to help in the resurrecting of his fellow men from the belief of life and intelligence in matter, through his understanding of the eternal nature of spiritual being.
