A Wondrous picture—seen through the eyes of a mighty oriental king—is set forth in the Bible in the third chapter of Daniel. The king, Nebuchadnezzar, pagan and materialistic in his thinking, looked into a burning, fiery furnace, heated at his command seven times more than its usual heat, and saw through the flames the three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom he had ordered cast into the furnace. According to the Bible, "The king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? ... Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
The king's countenance, which moments before had been filled with rage toward the young men because they had refused to worship his god, was now lighted with awe and reverence. He had caught a glimpse of the Christ, the healing and saving power of God! To Nebuchadnezzar's materialistic thought, the Christ seemed to appear in the form of a man; at least, Nebuchadnezzar so expressed it to those around him. The words he used mattered little. He had recognized the presence of a holy, divine, redeeming power that was greater than any power he had ever before known; and he hastened to free the three Hebrews and to promote them to positions of honor and respect in his kingdom.
The Christ presence, which Nebuchadnezzar glimpsed so many centuries ago, is present with each one of us today to save and heal. One needs only to understand God and trust in Him with all his heart—as did the three Hebrews—to experience this redeeming power in his life. Mrs. Eddy has brought the revelation of the Christ, Truth, to this age so that all mankind may better understand God and prove for themselves the redemptive power of the Christ. In Science and Health she defines "Christ" as "the divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error" (p. 583).
This manifestation of God comes to the human consciousness as the Saviour to comfort, heal, and redeem. It is an ever-present, ever-operative power which transforms thought from a material to a spiritual basis, from the belief of matter and evil as real to the recognition of spiritual harmony and good as the only realities of being. Through this change of thinking, man is found to be wholly spiritual and perfect, the image and likeness of God; and the recognition of these truths brings healing.
Mrs. Eddy has made clear the distinction between the Christ and Jesus. Jesus was the human man, and Christ is the divine idea, or Truth, which empowered Jesus to heal. Thus it is seen that the Christ always has been and always will be an ever-present power, coming to the spiritually uplifted consciousness to save men from all evil.
To receive the full blessings of the Christ, however, we, like the three Hebrews, must daily and hourly turn resolutely away from the idols of material sense—from criticism, self-will, fear, apathy, doubt, or compromise with error. Like them, we must keep our thinking pure, consecrated, loyal, and unswerving in our allegiance to God. Although these three men lived in the midst of a pleasure-loving, materialistic people, they evidently did not allow their consciousness to be contaminated or manipulated by the erroneous suggestions around them. They preserved the tablet of their thoughts "from every blemish free" (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 383).
Acquiescence in error, regardless of its form, may deprive us of our ability to share in the healing power of the Christ. Only as we rise above the lies of the carnal mind can we see the Christ presence with us everywhere and utilize its power. We, then, like the three Hebrews, will be able to walk calmly, undoubting, and poised through any seeming fiery trial.
A mother who had always known Christian Science and had been a student of it for most of her life witnessed this saving, healing power of the Christ. Her young son of about six years was suffering from a breathing difficulty and lay crying in great distress beside her in bed one night. The mother had been singing to him Mrs. Eddy's hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal and recounting the simple Bible stories, bringing out God's great love and care for all His children. The little boy had always loved to hear these hymns and stories, but they did not seem to quiet him now. The mother, however, persisted and went right on singing hymns and repeating the Bible stories.
Finally, the child's crying began to subside, and he listened more intently. The mother knew that the Christ presence was there, all-powerful, ever active, and that no error can stand in its presence. She clung resolutely to these truths, turning away from every suggestion of the claim of mortal mind that her child was in pain or discordant in any way. At last, the boy sat up in bed and announced that he would like a drink of water. The mother started to get it for him, but he climbed out of bed and said, "I'll get it myself."
The mother felt a great glow of gratitude as she realized the complete healing had taken place. When the child returned to bed, he fell asleep and wakened in the morning normal in every way.
The Christ presence is always with everyone, everywhere. Nothing can withstand its holy power. It is waiting at the door of every human consciousness, needing only to be recognized and accepted to bring its healing touch and blessing to each individual. What a joyous privilege it is for us to start each day, knowing that this Christ presence is with us wherever we may be! And how wonderful too to know that this presence is also with each member of our family, whether he goes down the superhighway to work or on his bicycle to school; that it is with the housewife as she goes about her daily round of duties, transforming what material sense would call humdrum routine into blessed, joyous activity.
We can also know that the Christ presence is available in every conference room to solve harmoniously business and political problems; it is at hand in prison cells to purify and regenerate; it is present in the sickroom to uplift thought to the true understanding of man as God's perfect image and likeness; it is in every far-off corner of the world, awaiting acceptance to heal and save.
What if the place seems seething in paganism, and ignorance? The Christ is there, active and shining, and it will eventually shine away all lies. Men have only to lift their eyes from earthly suggestions to see the presence of the Christ and experience its healing touch.
On page 351 of Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy says that her own prayers, as well as those of her orthodox church, were impotent to heal her. She recalls, "But when the spiritual sense of the creed was discerned in the Science of Christianity, this spiritual sense was a present help. It was the living, palpitating presence of Christ, Truth, which healed the sick." This "palpitating presence of Christ" encircles the globe and must finally be recognized by all mankind as the only healing and redeeming power in the universe.
