Jesus cited his works of spiritual healing as proof of his identity as the promised Messiah, or Christ, the chosen or anointed messenger of God to humanity (see Matt. 11:2-6). He also designated healing without material aid as the hallmark that identifies all true Christians with the eternal mission of the ever-available healing Christ. The Master prophesied, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do." John 14:12.
Both of these reasons—the distinguishing of Jesus as the Exemplar of the Christ, God's idea, and the distinguishing of his followers as the disciples of Christ, the divine idea Jesus exemplified—point to a purpose for spiritual healing that goes much further than the physical recovery of those healed, important as that was and is. Mrs. Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science—the divine law that Jesus practiced—writes of the ultimate aim of our Exemplar in Science and Health, "His purpose in healing was not alone to restore health, but to demonstrate his divine Principle." Science and Health, p. 51.
We need to keep this holy purpose before our thoughts when we seek Christian healing. And if we do, we will find more than relief, more even than restoration to normalcy. When our motive for seeking spiritual healing is deeply religious, the healing effects we experience also serve to prove to us in conclusive degree that God, good, is All-in-all; they bring to light our true identity in God's image.
