Have you ever wished that the Master, Christ Jesus, were present today? Perhaps he might heal you of some longstanding physical ailment, or you might be one of the multitude who would see and hear him. If we find our thought drifting in this direction, we should ask ourselves whether we understand the real import of Jesus' mission.
With his lifework fast approaching a climax, Jesus apparently felt an urgency to know if his disciples understood his true mission. He withdrew to Caesarea Philippi. Here he asked them what the people were saying about him. They answered that men thought he might be one of the revered Hebrew prophets returned to earth. With renewed urgency he implored, "But whom say ye that I am?"Matt. 16:15.
Mrs. Eddy pointedly rephrases the question: "This renewed inquiry meant: Who or what is it that is able to do the work, so mysterious to the popular mind?" Science and Health, p. 137. Simon Peter's unprecedented reply gave Jesus the needed assurance: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matt. 16:16.
