THERE is an old story which tells of a knight who lived in a castle surrounded by a deep moat, the drawbridge of which was never lowered, for this knight believed he had an enemy living not far away. Inside the castle the great hall was cold and cheerless, for there were no windows, but only slits in the thick walls through which the archers might shoot. In the corner of the hall hung a picture, which had been left behind by some passing pilgrim; it was a rough reproduction of a beautiful face, a face so pure and sweet that it looked strangely out of place among those warlike surroundings.
The knight of the castle, passing in and out with his men-at-arms, often stopped and looked at the picture, attracted by the mingled dignity and tenderness of the face. He did not know that he was looking at what purported to be the portrait of one who had reflected such authority that he could still a tempest with a word, and yet was so gentle that he has since been known throughout Christendom as the greatest gentleman that ever lived —Jesus the Christ. The knight lingered more and more often before this picture, until at length he tried to find out something more about this one who looked so calm amid a world of strife. He learned that the man was called Christ Jesus, and that though he had passed from mortal sight he had left this message to men: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." As the knight continued to look at the beautiful face, he began to find no pleasure in sending arrogant messages to his enemy, and commenced to send him greetings instead; and the enemy began in his turn to feel more kindly towards the knight, until one day the great drawbridge was let down, and the so-called enemy rode across it, not as an enemy, but as a friend.
The painter of the picture had conveyed through the medium of his art a glimpse of the Christlike qualities expressed by Jesus, and these qualities, constantly pondered, little by little changed the character of the observer. On page 26 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy writes, "This Christ, or divinity of the man Jesus, was his divine nature, the godliness which animated him." Could we ourselves not look more closely at the character of Christ Jesus, and then endeavor to express those same qualities, thus letting the Christ expel from our thinking all that is unlovable and unlovely?
Let us ponder the love that Christ Jesus expressed towards all mankind, a love so pure as never to be touched by resentment or self-pity. Though deserted by his disciples in his hour of need, after the resurrection he hastened to send them a message of comfort and assurance; and on his meeting them again no words of recrimination passed his lips, but only the tender greeting, "Peace be unto you." How paltry our resentments and our hugging of grievances seem when we remember all the Master forgave! Let us pray for the same spirit of love and humility, that we may be able to forgive even as he did.
To love our so-called enemies is the test of true forgiveness; for if we do not love them we have not yet beheld them as the Father's beloved sons. Jesus always saw the perfect man, and therefore forgave perfectly. Even if we have been seemingly wronged, let us not dig deep ditches of pride and resentment between us and the brother who appears for the moment not to love us. He may be well aware of his error and be striving with tears to overcome it. No one, surely, likes hating. Let us let down the bridge of love and compassion over which we both can pass, and meet in the only meeting place there is— the all-pervading presence of divine Love.
Referring to Christ Jesus on page 162 of "Miscellaneous Writings," our Leader writes, "To carry out his holy purpose, he must be oblivious of human self." As his followers, all of us have a holy purpose to carry out. Let us often examine ourselves to see if we too are growing more "oblivious of human self." Speaking of himself the Master said, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth;" and his whole earthly life showed that he never forgot the end for which he was born.
Might we not all watch more closely lest our human sense of self keep us from bearing witness to the truth? Do we always, for example, after a church service, remember the stranger who may be among us; or are we inclined to speak only to our own friends? We read in the Gospels that Christ Jesus compassionately regarded the multitude, his tender thoughts reaching out to bless and heal every receptive heart. It is natural and right to speak to our friends, and especially encouraging to speak to those who have had more experience in the demonstration of Christian Science than we ourselves have had; but do not these experienced ones show us that we may be even more blessed if we too strive to give impartially to all? Let us try to look round about us a little more, as did the Master. We shall not have to look far, for true compassion in our hearts will draw us to those in need of our comfort. Let us remember that we can never keep our arms tightly fastened round one individual, or set of individuals, so to speak, and at the same time hold our arms wide open to the whole world.
Let us consider more closely the calm poise of Christ Jesus and the reason for it. On his way to what seemed the deathbed of Jairus' daughter, so certain was he of the omnipresence of Life, God, that he could quietly stop, with all the multitude thronging round him, and heal a sick woman who sought his aid. Moreover, knowing that there are moments when the human heart must be allowed to speak, he even found time patiently to wait while the woman knelt down "and told him all the truth;" and then, still unhurried, he paused to give her that healing benediction, "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."
On page 23 of Science and Health we read: "Faith, if it be mere belief, is as a pendulum swinging between nothing and something, having no fixity. Faith, advanced to spiritual understanding, is the evidence gained from Spirit, which rebukes sin of every kind and establishes the claims of God." Christ Jesus did not allow his thoughts to swing between something and nothing; they were ever steadily balanced on the side of Truth. To him Spirit was the only reality; therefore he possessed perfect poise, and was able to rebuke the error that first whispered of a sick child, and in another moment of a sick woman, and immediately to establish "the claims of God." What the world calls poise is very often nothing more or less than pride and fear assuming a disguise. Only as our thoughts are steadily fixed on the side of Spirit, Truth, can we obtain and retain poise. Poise is gained by patiently and persistently overcoming all that is unlike good in our own consciousness, even until we come to know and feel that God is All-in-all, and are convinced, as was the Master, that what is spiritually real alone exists.
Christ Jesus called all the troubled world to come unto his way of thinking, to become lowly and meek, and so to find rest. Thus, even the inclination to seek out something for ourselves alone must be honestly seen and overcome, for that state of thinking, being utterly unlike the thinking of the lowly Jesus, will bring only disappointment, not rest. Striving for place and power is also unlike the Master's way, and will never bring us satisfaction. Should a desired position be gained with these motives, the occupier, not having first learned meekness, humility, and childlike confidence in God, will find himself unready for that position, and will succeed neither in being happy therein nor in adding to the happiness of those around him.
When our personal problems seem pressing, we are sometimes tempted to think less of the welfare of others. Not so did the Master. At the moment of his betrayal, surrounded in the garden by the men sent out to take him, at a time when, humanly speaking, he might have been excused for thinking only of himself, he thought first of others. Ever mindful of his disciples he said, "If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way;" then in tender pity he touched the ear of the servant of the high priest and healed him. Let us heed this lesson if we are wronged, and let no problem, however difficult it may seem, cause us to cease from reflecting the Love that will solve the problem. Christ Jesus never ceased to reflect the Love that is Life; and thus he rose triumphant over death.
When in the full flush of victory men have achieved their hearts' desire, how apt they are to become self-centered! The schoolboy in his second year pays little heed to the new boy timorously trying to feel his way about. The man who has climbed to the head of a business sometimes forgets the one who is struggling at the foot of the ladder. The girl in charge of an office may forget, in dealing with others, the time when a few words of explanation would have made all the difference to her. Amid the glamour of success, mortals think mostly of themselves. But the dear Christ Jesus in the full radiance of his achievement, rising in thought to what has since been called the ascension, with all the glory of heaven opening before him, turned to his disciples and "lifted up his hands, and blessed them."
May we all, every one of us, look more often and more closely at "the beautiful face," for Christ Jesus is our Exemplar, and we need often to look at the example we are striving to follow.
