Referring to the responsibility of the Master's disciples, in this and every age, to follow his healing example, Mary Baker Eddy writes as follows in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 138): "Jesus established in the Christian era the precedent for all Christianity, theology, and healing. Christians are under as direct orders now, as they were then, to be Christlike, to possess the Christ-spirit, to follow the Christ-example, and to heal the sick as well as the sinning."
The Gospels show that Jesus chose as his immediate disciples, or pupils, those who, as a whole, were receptive enough to assimilate his revolutionary teaching, humble enough to recognize his unique origin, and obedient enough to do whatever he knew was necessary and right for them to do. It was the sacred privilege of those unpretentious men to be instructed by the only teacher in history who proved everything that he taught. No wonder that Jesus was referred to by the people of his day as one who spoke "with authority"!
The mission of the Master was to reveal, by precept and practice, the way of salvation from sin, sickness, and death. After hearing what Jesus said and seeing what he did, his disciples followed his example by both teaching and healing and by preparing others to teach and heal. Accordingly, Christian Science has come to uncover and dispel with truth the error which suggests that Christians of today may not experience all the blessings of discipleship that were experienced by the Christians of old. It has come to show that the moral and spiritual fitness which characterized them will always bestow the same harmonious results upon human experience.
