A Journey involves a starting point, a route, and a destination. The expectant traveler considers maps and guidebooks, and envisions a desired goal. The mental traveler who accepts Christian Science as the final revelation of Truth, given to the world by the most spiritually-minded woman of this or any age, Mary Baker Eddy, consults as his only guidebooks the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, and her other writings. He finds in these books both chart and compass. He can find himself in no human condition or locality where he may not immediately start to take spiritual steps which will aid him in reaching the goal of true being. He wastes no time in wishing he were in different surroundings or another locality. He has read in his textbook (Science and Health, p. 38): "Jesus mapped out the path for others. He unveiled the Christ, the spiritual idea of divine Love." Christ Jesus spent the years of his ministry in a very restricted geographic area. It was in his journeyings and explorations in the spiritual realm that he "mapped out" for others the path which led unerringly in the direction of Spirit and away from materiality with its dismal outward semblances of sin, disease, and death.
A survey of Hebrew culture in Jesus' time shows that religious intolerance and priestcraft were acute in the districts where many of his greatest works were done. It has been said by historians that Jesus might have found sanctuary from his religious persecutors by prolonging his stay in the pagan city of Caesarea Philippi. Here in the Greco-Roman atmosphere of laissez faire, of worldly indifference to religious sects and creeds, Jesus might have found asylum, had he sought it. This sort of security evidently was not a considered objective with him. His purpose was to unveil the Christ, and this could be done only by meeting each problem presenting itself in the path which he was walking, and making its solution the next ascending step in the direction of Spirit. He proved for all time that human surroundings, as such, neither help nor hinder progress in Spirit's direction. On that Sabbath morning, when he was teaching in the synagogue and noticed the man with the withered hand, were the surroundings propitious for healing? No! Luke records, "And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him." He "knew their thoughts," but after asking the pertinent question, "Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil?" he restored the impotent hand.
It is futile to spend many weary years in rebellion against living in a certain locality and envisioning an opposite one as heaven on earth. Outward conditions of themselves are powerless to influence thought, but thought, when based on God, who is understood through the revelation of Christian Science to be the All, the Only, the ever-present Being, acts beneficially on outward conditions. When even a slight understanding of Truth is applied, it brings release from mental gloom, even though no outward change is immediately apparent. In fact, the awakened student perceives that it is away from fearful and sin-filled thinking that he needs to journey, and that as he does this the sense of value changes.
