Editorial January 15, 1927 Issue

"By love serve one another"

Duncan Sinclair

The Master's words, addressed to the disciples when there arose "a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest," epitomize the question of service to the Christian Scientist. "For whether is greater," the great Teacher asked, "he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat?" Then came the words which, ever since they were uttered, have remained before the eyes of his followers, and will not be obliterated—"but I am among you as he that serveth."

Christ Jesus gave the world its greatest example of true service. He came into contact with all classes of men and women in the daily round of his active life—with rich and poor, high and low; he honored their feasts with his presence,—and what a gracious guest he must have been,—and always he was the chief among servants. And why? Because he was there to bless, to cleanse, to heal the thought of all who were ready to receive what he, out of the fullness of his understanding, was willing and able to bestow.

What was the secret of Jesus' extraordinary power to serve? One might say it was his unselfishness. And that would be correct so far as it went. But how is his unselfishness to be accounted for? What was its basis? Undoubtedly it resulted from his intimate, his profound understanding of God and His creation, as distinguished from the material sense of men and things. Jesus was able because of his spiritual understanding to weigh all human circumstances and conditions, and to judge of them according to an absolutely correct spiritual standard. The result was that he could tear away the mask behind which the human drama of hate, envy, jealousy, revenge, anger, was enacted, and, beholding its utter vanity,—its nothingness,—could look upon the deluded mortals who were the victims of the suggestions of evil, always with the eye of intensest love. Jesus knew the truth about God and man—the truth which heals mankind—and he made it his life-work to bring that truth to others in order that they might be healed. In her book "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 165) Mrs. Eddy writes these words of comfort and incentive to all: "Of two things fate cannot rob us; namely, of choosing the best, and of helping others thus to choose. But in doing this the Master became the servant."

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