Thoughtful Christians have long been aware of more than a literal meaning in the commands and assurances of Jesus to those he was about to heal. In Christian Science the larger significance of these sayings becomes increasingly plain. Far from being suited only to the occasions on which they were uttered, and of practical effect only because of the presence of Jesus, they are seen in Science to represent what the Christ, the actual truth of existence, is forever declaring and making practical for everyone.
To everyone the spiritual, which is to say the truly scientific facts about himself and about all reality are constantly saying in effect, "Receive thy sight," "Thou art loosed from thine infirmity," "Be thou clean," and the other similarly beautiful things which Jesus said to those whom he healed.
All these sayings, given their full value, are found to have essentially the same meaning. They are admonitions to turn aside from spiritual ignorance, and to recognize and adopt consciously what already is true about oneself and others. Jesus understood the spiritual facts so well and represented them with such conviction that the illusions of disease and distress, with all their pretentious evidences, vanished for the ones he addressed. And the spiritual truth, wherever it is recognized, does the same today.
In other words, there ceases in Christian Science to be any mystery or remoteness about the Christ. This term, so loved by all Christians, stands in Science for Truth, for reality, coming to light in human consciousness. As it does so, the ignorance and fear which have seemed to cast a veil over reality, to develop a material sense of things unlike the facts, yield to the true understanding and evidence. This is what occurred for the blind beggar on the road to Jericho, for the woman who "had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years," for the leper, and all whom Jesus cured. It is what is now occurring widely through Christian Science.
Not more significant than the sayings of the Master on other similar occasions, but of peculiar interest and value nevertheless, are his words to the man with the withered hand, of whom three of the Gospels speak. Jesus, it will be remembered, found him in a synagogue and presently, cutting through the doubts, prejudices, and envy of those about him, said to him, "Stretch forth thy hand." And the record is that the man obeyed, and that "his hand was restored whole as the other."
It is of course plain in Science that the man had not really been crippled, definite and obvious as his affliction had been to mortal sight. In reality he had been in no manner limited or imperfect, but had been always the likeness of God, the perfect expression of divine wholeness and harmony. Because the power of God had not lessened, or been less than complete, the man of His fashioning had remained unchanged. Jesus' understanding and love challenged the crippled one, as he seemed, to reach out in proof of these facts, and as he did so the mistaken sense of himself yielded to Truth. He found himself free from the affliction which a moment before had appeared so real and difficult.
"Stretch forth thy hand"!
What is the practical meaning of this command today? Obviously it is not addressed only to those who are crippled or otherwise more than ordinarily hampered. Surely it is for these; surely they can have the healing that is needed, as the practice of Christian Science is continually proving. But the admonition is no less for other human beings, whatever their condition or position. It is a challenge to everyone to advance in recognition and proof of the fact that he is not limited. It is a challenge to everyone to rise above whatever would thwart his righteous aspiration, whatever would limit his usefulness, his longevity, his dominion and joy, and to realize and prove more fully his oneness with God, perfect and infinite intelligence and Life. No matter what measure of happiness one may already know, the challenge of these words to him is that he expand his recognition of reality to the extent of blotting out whatever remains to make him unhappy.
How is he to do this?
The writings of the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, are filled with practical instruction on this point. It is unmistakably plain from what she has written, and indeed from the common experience of Christian Scientists, that the first step in such progress, or the next step for anyone, may be taken from where one mentally or physically is, to human sense, regardless of where this may be. No one has to go anywhere else or become any other sort of person to have the opportunity for such advancement. The liberating and inspiring experience which he seeks is always at hand for him, and can come simply through putting off some false sense of himself, some supposed characteristic unlike God, with which he may be only too familiar.
Has he been tolerating for years, for example, the suggestion that he could not rise in one of our Wednesday meetings and tell of the benefits which Christian Science has brought him? Then here, plainly, is an opportunity for him to stretch forth his hand—in giving and receiving. For the truly stretched-forth hand is engaged necessarily in both. The feeling of lack of inspiration, of inability to progress further in Science, has often been broken and vanquished by letting the truth dispel the false sense of difficulty about speaking helpfully to others, in public or in private. The actual self of anyone has, certainly, no difficulty about expression. It is always the perfect expression of intelligence and Love; and to reach out consciously in recognition of this fact—to acknowledge it as already established—is to have proportionally the evidence of the fact.
Similarly, unwillingness to examine any fault that one may seem to have, or to endeavor faithfully to overcome it, is surely the acceptance of a withered faculty—when perfection is available. If one is crediting the suggestion, at any point in his human experience, that he has gone about as far as he can expect to go in the present state of the world's understanding, or with the understanding that is now attainable for him individually; if he is believing that more inspiring experiences than he has ever known are not available for him in any hour—surely, under any such conditions, his need and his great opportunity are to stretch forth his hand.
It is true, as Mrs. Eddy clearly shows, that the major experiences of Science must be approached through many a smaller victory. "The new birth," she writes on page 15 of "Miscellaneous Writings," "is not the work of a moment. It begins with moments, and goes on with years; moments of surrender to God, of childlike trust and joyful adoption of good; moments of self-abnegation, self-consecration, heaven-born hope, and spiritual love." And on page 4 of the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," she says: "What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds."
But she also shows that the good to be gained by such painstaking, faithful endeavor is not limited, and is not to be conceived of at any time as limited in its availability. Thus she writes (ibid., p 262): "We must reverse our feeble flutterings—our efforts to find life and truth in matter —and rise above the testimony of the material senses, above the mortal to the immortal idea of God. These clearer, higher views inspire the Godlike man to reach the absolute centre and circumference of his being."
The demonstration of reality, Christian Scientists know, is always primarily an individual demonstration, but it is possible for every individual. The Christ-message, "Stretch forth thy hand," is therefore a message to mankind as a whole. For mankind no less than for individuals, a state of things better than it has ever been accustomed to or even thought of as possible is certainly attainable. Science leaves no doubt about this. War, hate, disease, death, materiality, dissatisfaction, whatever is not good, will necessarily vanish from the earth as the earth is filled with "the knowledge of the Lord." For all these are unlike the knowledge of God.
The demand upon men in order that these high results may be attained is that they reach out in acknowledgment of the allness of God and man's likeness to Him, and that in their individual thought they let the universality of Truth and of good, of intelligence and Love, be more apparent.
Like every individual, mankind is not spared the necessity of taking carefully every needful small step in the improvement of its affairs. It must remove dishonesty here and injustice there, in accordance with what seems to be its ability at the moment; and it must steadfastly go forward with such work. But it must not forget that its high and practical goal is the obliteration of all evil through the proof of the naturalness and infinitude of good. Nor should any individual forget that his opportunity for forwarding this great achievement on behalf of himself and mankind, is not limited.
