Christ Jesus had just made the radical statement that God had sent him to be "the light of the world." Among his listeners, some apparently were ready to accept Jesus' mission. He told them that if they were to continue following his teachings they would, as genuine disciples, "know the truth." And this truth, the Master proclaimed, by its very nature would "make you free."
There were clearly others, however, who didn't want to hear the real meaning of Jesus' message. Only a short time earlier, through his moral suasion and spiritual authority, Jesus had convinced the scribes and Pharisees not to put to death a woman who had been caught in an offense commonly punishable by stoning. Yet now the people were preparing to stone Jesus himself for speaking openly of his eternal relationship to God. But Jesus, as the Bible records, "hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." (See John, chap. 8.)
Then, another remarkable event took place, for as he "passed by" he happened to see a man who had been born blind. The fact that the man had come into the world in this condition caused Jesus' disciples to question the reason for the blindness. They at first tried to trace it to some sin, either that of the man or of his parents. Jesus, however, refused to accept any such cause and pointed his disciples instead to the opportunity presented—"that the works of God should be made manifest in [the man]."
Jesus then spoke again of his mission as "the light of the world." He sent the man to wash in a nearby pool, and the man returned "seeing." He had been healed. The works of God were indeed witnessed, and the man praised God before the Pharisees. (See John 9:1-33)
What had happened? What brought about this healing and the many others Jesus and his disciples performed? What empowers Christian healing today as practiced in Christian Science? The answer is found in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. This book, the Christian Science textbook, opens up the spiritual meaning of the Holy Bible and reveals the fundamental truths of God and of our relationship to Him as His always loved sons and daughters. Science and Health also explains the divine Principle and rules of Christian healing, which have enabled thousands to grasp the laws of God that were the foundation of Jesus' healing ministry, and to begin to fulfill the Master's call to his followers to go into all the world with the gospel and "heal the sick."
Absolute truth
is never abstract or
cold. It is tenderly
warm, practical,
tangible, vital,
life-giving.
Among many statements in Science and Health that explore how spiritual healing is accomplished, the following observations point to two elements that are essential in following Jesus' example: the absolute truth; and pure, impartial love. First, as part of the response in the textbook to the query "What is man?" we read: "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy." Science and Health, pp. 475-477.
Understanding, perceiving, and claiming the absolute truth of man as the spiritual likeness of God—as the holy reflection of divine Soul, the pure manifestation of infinite Life—is at the heart of metaphysical healing. The perfect nature of the real man as the expression of a wholly perfect God needs to be grasped in all its spiritual implications and requirements for human life. This view, this divinely impelled understanding, of man's perfect being in God has a powerful transforming and curative influence on thought and thereby on the body. As thought is lifted by Christ, Truth, above sickly and sinful beliefs about one's identity, not only do moral conditions improve, but the physical body is nourished and restored by this same divine impetus in consciousness. Transformation of thought through an inspired realization of absolute truth always has a healing effect on bodily conditions, which are essentially the objectification of thought itself. The eternal, uncontaminated truth of God and man heals.
There is, however, another essential element to the healing work. Love. It was clearly evident in Jesus' ministry, for the Bible alludes many times to the Saviour's mercy, tenderness, and compassion. And this leads to the second of the two observations from Science and Health referred to earlier that point to how Christian healing is demonstrated. The statement appears in the chapter specifically devoted to "Christian Science Practice." Mrs. Eddy writes, "If the Scientist reaches his patient through divine Love, the healing work will be accomplished at one visit, and the disease will vanish into its native nothingness like dew before the morning sunshine." Ibid., p. 365.
Isn't this what Jesus so successfully proved through both beholding the absolute truth of each individual and loving unconditionally God's entire creation? He healed—in one visit—the man born blind, a woman crippled for eighteen years, an epileptic boy, even a young girl who had died from her illness, and many others. Absolute truth does not and cannot exist without the warmth of God's love expressed. A so-called truth without real love would be like a river without water, or a forest without trees, or a day without sunlight. It would be empty, stripped of meaning, and dark. But absolute truth, the unadulterated reality of God and man, is never without infinite meaning and purpose. It is never abstract or cold. It is tenderly warm, practical, tangible, vital, life-giving.
As we humbly go forward in following Jesus, an honest appraisal of our individual experience will surely reveal where we still need to make progress in more fully bearing witness to man's nature as the reflection of divine Love and Truth. In an article Mrs. Eddy titled "The Way," she writes, "The way is absolute divine Science: walk ye in it; but remember that Science is demonstrated by degrees, and our demonstration rises only as we rise in the scale of being." Miscellaneous Writings, p. 359.
When we have accepted Jesus' call to continue in his word, it becomes natural to express the love of God. And in so doing, we're demonstrably "knowing" the truth. We're actually proving the present power of divine reality, revealing itself in our daily lives. Through pure love, we are rising "in the scale of being"; and through understanding the absolute truth, our demonstration must also be rising. We are walking in the way of Christ-healing.
