Article May 13, 1922 Issue

One Meaning of Rod

MABEL JOHNSON

Perhaps no passage of Scripture has been so misinterpreted as the one in Proverbs: "He that spareth his rod hateth his son." Earnestly desiring wisdom with which to guide her children, the writer has from time to time searched the Scriptures to gain this understanding. The passage quoted had always been perplexing; but after coming into Christian Science the interpretation became much clearer.

In looking for the meaning of "rod," it was found that a rod is not only an instrument for punishment but a support or staff upon which to lean,—something to sustain one, as in the psalm, "Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Mrs. Eddy says in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 208): "His rod brings to view His love, and interprets to mortals the gospel of healing." Then, it would seem that the passage may imply that parents should strive to give their children this rod to lean upon,—this understanding of Truth as a foundation for character, expressed more by the silent lesson of good example than by the chastising of their bodies.

Another word often misinterpreted is "chasten," which means, in the light of Christian Science, to correct rather than to punish; as Mrs. Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 323): "Through the wholesome chastisements of Love, we are helped onward in the march towards righteousness, peace, and purity, which are the landmarks of Science." It is often overlooked that the commandment, "Children, obey your parents," is followed by the admonition to fathers, "Provoke not your children to anger." Mrs. Eddy says, "Children should obey their parents; insubordination is an evil, blighting the buddings of self-government" (Science and Health, p. 236). Any one who has had experience with children has found that they need to be governed by a firm, kind hand; that they are quick to appreciate justice, and suffer keenly from injustice; also that they readily understand when instructed in Science that it is not their parents or guardians who cause their sufferings, but their own wrong thoughts and acts.

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