Article February 26, 1903 Issue

"Looking unto Jesus"

S. F. S.

Hoopeston (III.) Herald

The Christian world is trying to look unto Jesus, and the divisions among Christians arise chiefly through the different ways in which he is beheld. Many who do long to be Christians more than they long for ease or prosperity, are to-day refusing the help and healing of Christian Science because they fear it will destroy their concept of Jesus. Scripture tells us, however, "By their fruits ye shall know them." If, therefore, Christian Science can teach you to look unto Jesus in such a way that your sufferings will cease, your sins will grow distasteful to you, and your burdens will disappear, is not this a proof that it has a better way of beholding him than the world has known? Our text-book, Science and Health, teaches us to see in Jesus,—the perfect typifier,—man made in the image and likeness of God as Scripture declares God made him. Because Jesus did see and know that nothing short of absolute perfection could be the image of God or represent God, he held to this true concept of man and manifested it to the world, and his understanding of perfect manhood healed the sick. Now the Christian of to-day must learn to look unto Jesus in this same way, must see in him the perfect pattern of manhood, and must follow it. To stand at a distance and admire this beautiful picture, to dwell upon its different excellences, to go into ecstasies over it, will never make us any perfection unless we learn to do as Jesus did, to see him as he is. Jesus never spared sin its fullest condemnation. He said, Go, and sin no more. This is the only way of escape from the consequences of sinning,—to cease the sin. Let us see it as Jesus did. But Jesus destroyed sin just as the light admitted into a room destroys the darkness which seemed to be in it, or just as the truth told about anything destroys and dissipates the false beliefs about it which seemed to hold it before the truth was known. Jesus knew that the true man was like God, was made to image Him forth, therefore he knew that the claims of sin, sickness, and death do not belong to God's man, and he could destroy them with the brightness of his understanding of God and man. Do you say, "I do not understand it; I do not see how I can do these wonderful things though I do see that Jesus did them"? When you began the study of mathematics did you refuse to try to work the first problems because you could not understand those at the end of the book? No, you learned a little and proved you did understand that by working the problems, and this fitted you for more difficult ones. So it must be in your work as a Christian Scientist. You will begin by "Looking unto Jesus," just as the artist looks at his model, and you will day by day see more in your model to shadow forth in your own life. You will learn that you must "let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Our textbook tells us (p. 234), "Sin is thought before it is acted. You must control it in the first instance, or it will control you in the second. Jesus declared that to look with desire on forbidden objects is to break a moral precept. He laid great stress on the action of the human mind, unseen to the senses." So if we are really in earnest in "looking unto Jesus" we shall begin to manifest somewhat of the one Mind which it was his life's work to declare for the world's liberation from the fetters of sin and sickness with which it was bound. He "went about doing good," and so should his followers, and through manifesting the right understanding of God and man, they will be able to heal the sick and uplift the suffering, even as he did. He commissioned his disciples to "Preach the gospel," "Heal the sick," and he said, "Greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." Christian Science is bringing to the world the understanding of the Master's life and works, and is making the same works of healing possible to-day to all those who are learning to receive and put in practice this understanding, as it is given in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."

This is what is meant by demonstrating, it is demonstrating, or proving, that the Christian is "looking unto Jesus" with profit, that he is not simply admiring his wonderful life, but that he is following in the Master's footsteps.

S. F. S. In Hoopeston (III.) Herald.

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