Each Lesson-Sermon published in the Christian Science Quarterly —Bible Lessons is designed to be complete in itself. Its Bible references (King James Version) are corroborated and explained by passages from the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. These notes and commentary are offered by The Christian Science Journal as indications of the possibilities for individual research.
© 1992 The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved.
March 1 CHRIST JESUS
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him (I John 5:1)
J. B. Phillips translates this verse: "Everyone who really believes that Jesus is the Christ is himself one of God's family. The man who loves the Father cannot help loving the Father's sons."
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself (I John 5:10)
J. B. Phillips offers, "The man who really believes in the Son of God will find God's testimony in his own heart."
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32)
"Truth" has special meaning in John's Gospel. As Rudolph Bultmann explains in Theology of the New Testament:"...the basic meaning of 'truth' in John is God's reality, which, since God is the Creator, is the only true reality. The emancipating knowledge of the truth ... is not the rational knowledge of the reality of that-which-is in general; such a knowledge would at best free one from the prejudices and errors occasioned by tradition and convention. No, this knowledge of the truth is the knowledge, granted to men of faith, of God's reality; it frees one of sin .... The bondage, therefore, to which the world has surrendered itself, consists in this: that by disavowing God the creator as its origin it falls into the hands of Nothing. And freedom is this: that, by acknowledging the truth the world opens itself to the reality from which alone it can live."
March 8 MAN
Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him? (Job 36:22)
The New Revised Standard Version gives, "See, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him?"
Let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink (Dan. 1:12) Pulse here is a porridge of meal and vegetables.
Thou shall increase my greatness (Ps. 71:21)
In his commentary on Psalms, Weiser offers, "Thou liftest me up higher and higher."
March 15 SUBSTANCE
By faith Moses... refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter (Heb. 11:24)
The story of how Moses came to be called "the son of Pharaoh's daughter" in the first place is recorded in Ex. 2:1-10. The present verse is an interpretation of what follows in the Exodus story, where Moses sides with his own people and their sufferings rather than with the Egyptians.
Gedeon...Barak...Samson ... fephthae (Heb. 11:32)
These men were among the "judges" of Israel (see Judges 2:16). Explaining the role of these leaders, The Interpreter's Bible writes, "They were gifted persons, leaders upon whom descended the spirit of the Lord, who were consulted in individual or tribal disputes, and who on occasion inspired and led the warriors of the tribe or combination of tribes against those who threatened their existence."
Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour (Acts 3:1)
In the days following Jesus' resurrection, Jewish Christians continued the observances that marked them as devout Jews. Regular services were held in the Jerusalem temple at the third, sixth, and ninth hours of the day—corresponding to 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. Specifically Christian observances, such as the Eucharist (see Acts 2:42), were held in private homes or halls (see 1:13; 2:1, 2; 12:12) and were apparently scheduled so as not to interfere with the public temple worship (see 2:46; 5:42).
The mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire (Heb. 12:18)
The description is of Mount Sinai at the time the old covenant was given.
March 22 MATTER
The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations (Ps. 33-10, 11) These two verses contrast human planning and the divine. Ferrar Fenton in The Holy Bible in Modern English captures the rhythm of the poetry as well as the sense of the text: "The Lord breaks the plans of the pagans, / And frustrates mere human designs;—/ But the plans of the Lord last for ever, / The designs of His heart for all times."
The form of his visage was changed (Dan. 3:19)
The phrase here in the original is literally "the image of his face," which seems to have been an idiomatic expression for "his attitude." Combining these ideas, James Moffatt translates, "...his face was distorted with rage," and Today's English Version gives, "... his face turned red with anger."
They watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him (Mark 3:2) The Greek term rendered "watch" here can have a sinister meaning. In addition to observation, it may connote lying in wait in order to catch someone.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father (I John 2:16)
The Greek term rendered "lust" actually has a neutral meaning apart from the context; it means strong desire, either good or bad. In the New Testament "the lust of the flesh" is more than rampant sensuality; it refers to the cravings inherent in the whole of mortal nature. The Twentieth Century New Testament calls it "the gratification of the earthly nature."
March 29 REALITY
They all slumbered and slept (Matt. 25:5)
Alan Hugh McNeile notes in his commentary on Matthew, "The wise could afford to sleep, but the foolish wasted the time in which they could have rectified their mistake." Later, he adds, "Preparedness is a quality, not something which can be shared quantitively."
Repent (Matt. 4:17)
The Greek verb means, literally, "to change one's mind, to think again or to rethink something."
Parables (Matt. 13:10)
The basic meaning of the Greek word is "comparison"—literally, "a placing beside." In a parable, an image from common life is laid beside a spiritual truth. In the process, the listener is able to relate the obvious point from everyday life to the spiritual lesson being taught. In essence, a parable is a "word picture."
Tares among the wheat (Matt. 13:25)
Joachim Jeremias writes in Rediscovering the Parables: "The weed is the poisonous bearded darnel, closely related botanically to the bearded wheat, and, in the early stages of growth, resembling it.... The darnel shoots up in much more than normal quantities.... it is usual to weed out darnel, even repeatedly.... The master of the house is of the opinion that the darnel must be left alone, obviously because of its unusual quantity, which means that the roots have become intertwined with those of the wheat." He also notes that the darnel, once cleared away at harvest, would be dried and used for fuel.
