Christ Jesus was successful in healing and teaching because he was able to lift the thought of his listeners above the evidence of the material senses. He brought a new view of God's love and purpose for man and of man's true individuality. He knew that true individuality is never lost. On the walk to Emmaus two of his disciples, torn with grief about the crucifixion, "talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them."Luke 24:14, 15; Although they did not recognize him at once, he opened their thought to his true individuality by expounding to them the Scriptures concerning himself. When they recognized him as he broke bread at the simple meal, he vanished out of their sight; but their joy was restored, and they returned immediately to Jerusalem to share their good news with the other disciples.
To Jesus, individuality was revealed through spirituality. His teachings urged purification of the thoughts and motives of the heart. He pointed out repeatedly that deliverance from evil must take place in individual consciousness. Mrs. Eddy writes: "The individuality of man is no less tangible because it is spiritual and because his life is not at the mercy of matter. The understanding of his spiritual individuality makes man more real, more formidable in truth, and enables him to conquer sin, disease, and death. Our Lord and Master presented himself to his disciples after his resurrection from the grave, as the self-same Jesus whom they had loved before the tragedy on Calvary."Science and Health, p. 317; She says of individuality: "Man has an immortal Soul, a divine Principle, and an eternal being. Man has perpetual individuality; and God's laws, and their intelligent and harmonious action, constitute his individuality in the Science of Soul."No and Yes, p. 11;
Man's true, changeless being is forever safe and complete in its distinguishing spiritual individuality, and through unfoldment of the spiritual view of man in human consciousness it is constantly being brought to light. The joy of this unfoldment lies in the fact that each individual is constantly given an opportunity to demonstrate his God derived and God-governed being.
