In the wilderness, Christ Jesus thrice overcame the temptation to believe that the purpose of his ministry was other than spiritual. His mission was to reveal and glorify God. When he felt the pangs of hunger after fasting for forty days and forty nights, the suggestion came that he should turn the stones about him into bread. His refusal to do so indicates that he had risen to the pure state of consciousness which recognizes spiritual existence as the only reality, and God as the sole sustainer of life. Each temptation to benefit or exalt himself materially by spiritual means was overcome by the understanding that his life purpose was to exalt God.
Demonstration, in Christian Science, is based upon divine Principle. Students of Christian Science watch that their objective in demonstration is realization of the spiritual facts, untainted by the subtle desire to turn stones into bread—merely to change unpleasant material conditions into pleasant ones, to use spiritual means for material purposes. They seek for spiritual revelation. They seek the enduring substance of divine concepts. They affirm the government of divine law. Mrs. Eddy has said (Science and Health, p. 260), "Science reveals the possibility of achieving all good, and sets mortals at work to discover what God has already done." The Christian Scientist's purpose is to achieve "all good," through understanding and expressing infinite divine Mind.
Demonstration, in Christian Science, does not mean material bestowals of benefits upon individuals by spiritual means. It means proof that God, divine Principle, is eternally expressing divine good through invariable laws. This proof interprets the established will or purpose of Deity. It unveils the radiant vision of Love, blessing its own spiritual concepts. It reveals the pure qualities of divine Mind, which enlighten human consciousness. A demonstration in the practice of Christian Science is a proof of the ever-present spiritual reality.
