WHAT a privilege was theirs who walked with Christ Jesus as he went about Palestine healing the sick, expounding the Scriptures in the synagogues, teaching the little group of disciples, and preaching to the multitudes on the mountainside and seashore! What an inspiration to have heard his "Be not afraid, only believe," comforting the parent whose daughter was reported to be dead: his "Neither do I condemn thee," reassuring the accused woman who had been engulfed in sin; his "Be thou clean," as he touched the leper. What a privilege to have heard him bid the impotent one at the pool, "Rise"; and to have stood with him at the grave of Lazarus as he prayed. "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me"!
Why could he speak so confidently and know that healing would follow? Was it not because he clearly understood Love, the divine Principle of all being, to be the only power, and knew that he was commissioned to reveal the truth to mankind? So clearly did he manifest the Christ, Truth, and so sure was he of the presence of God, divine Mind, and His perfect idea, that sin, disease, and death could not stand before that realization. His spirituality enabled him to see instantly the falsity of the claims of evil, to renounce them with authority, and to bring a sense of peace and harmony to sufferers who sought his help.
Was Jesus endowed with a power peculiar to himself which is denied to others? Have we the right, or is it our duty, to speak with the same assurance and expect healings to follow? The answer to these questions is found in his own words, "I can of mine own self do nothing," and, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." Before beginning his ministry, he was a carpenter of Nazareth and known merely as Jesus, the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua. But because he manifested more of the Christ-spirit than any other on earth, he came to be called Christ Jesus. And he claimed no power for himself that is not available for all who are willing to follow his example.
