Article November 12, 1921 Issue

"Take ye away the stone"

NATHANIEL J. BUSKIRK

The common reference to the Bible as the Book of Life becomes doubly significant, when through the illuminating teachings of Christian Science it is seen that the experiences of the characters of the Bible are similar to experiences which you and I are facing to-day. Thus the spiriutal import of the lessons brought out in these experiences is seen to be applicable to the problems of mankind to-day. It is noticeable in the life of the meek and mighty man of Galilee, that in the performance of his works Jesus in many instances found something for his onlookers, as it were, to do. In the raising of Lazarus from the dead, recorded in John's gospel, he asks the friends and relatives of Lazarus, "Where have ye laid him?" Then when they reached the place the instruction followed, "Take ye away the stone."

There is a literal and there is a spiritual significance to all of the Scriptures, but it is always the spiritual import of the happenings of the Bible that is supreme to the student of Christian metaphysics. May not the spiritual value of this incident lie not in the removing of the material stone from the tomb, but rather in what this act signified? Materially speaking, the stone was the obstruction which had to be removed before the body of Lazarus could come from the grave; but metaphysically regarded, may not the stone stand for some belief entertained about the departed, and may not Jesus, metaphysician as he was, have realized that this belief would have to removed from the thought of those near to Lazarus? As soon as the stone was removed, Jesus gave the command, "Lazarus, come forth," and we read that "he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin." Then came the instruction, "Loose him, and let him go." It is noticeable in this connection that Jesus required them to undo all that they had done in relation to the entombing of Lazarus. So to-day do we not hear the command of the Master, "Take ye away the stone," remove that which may be acting as an impediment to our brother, and may be binding him in the tomb of materiality?

It may take a great deal of prayerful searching to discover what it is that may be acting as an obstruction to our fellow man, but if we search diligently enough it will surely be revealed to us. Perhaps if we could hear more from those people of the world whom we are wont to call fallen,—the drunkard, the magdalen, and others struggling with the Octopus-like claims of materiality in the effort to free themselves from the hell of beliefs that only they know the full misery of, and often, it would seem, encountering the cruel and cold scorn of society, skepticism, and doubt of their sincerity, instead of compassionate and constructive helpfulness,—then we would begin to see some of the stones of thought that we may have been casting in the path of those who most need that infinite compassion of the Master. The responsibility of his own individual thinking is something that no man can evade, any more than could Pilate of old wash his hands of the responsibility of delivering Jesus to the enraged multitude, to be crucified. His act was upon him. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap," as applied to thinking, as well as acting, is an edict of eternity. Hear these immortal words from the mount of spiritual inspiration, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." They who sow merciful and compassionate thinking must by the inexorable law of like begetting like reap merciful and compassionate thinking as a reward. When inclined to think that others have not been as tolerant and forbearing in their thoughts of us as they should be, may we not properly ask ourselves how much of tolerance and forbearance we have been exercising toward others; for may not the measure we have been reaping be exactly that which we have been sowing?

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