I have always loved how Christian Science is based on the teachings of Christ Jesus as found in the Bible. Jesus taught his followers by his remarkable example, including innumerable healings, as well as through his sermons and parables. And the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science—especially Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures—help us understand the spiritual import of Jesus’ teachings and the inspired Word of the whole Bible.
One example of Jesus’ teachings is found in the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus is invited to Simon the Pharisee’s house for a meal. A woman in the city with a questionable reputation learns that Jesus will be there, and she goes as well, taking the opportunity to express heartfelt gratitude to him while Simon looks on disapprovingly. She washes Jesus’ feet with her repentant tears, wipes them with her long hair, and anoints them with costly ointment (see Luke 7:36–50).
In Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy provides her exegesis of this remarkable scene in the first two and a half pages of the chapter titled “Christian Science Practice.” She compares and contrasts the repentant and reverent actions of the woman, whom many have since identified with Mary Magdalene, with the arrogant and judgmental thoughts and actions of Simon. She points to the woman’s example as expressing the qualities most desirable for Christian healing, before turning to the reader with this poignant observation:
