Article February 23, 1929 Issue

Binding "the strong man"

RICHARD P. VERRALL

When Christ Jesus employed the double illustration of the "house divided against itself" and of "the strong man" and his goods, he referred, as the context shows, to human consciousness, which is a supposititious mixture of good and evil thoughts. The above parables were given, according to the Gospel of Matthew, immediately after the healing of "one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb." The Pharisees, when they heard of the case, desiring to discredit Jesus, said, "This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." This challenge gave Jesus an opportunity to state the true meaning of his healing ministry, which he did by saying, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."

In the narrative just referred to, the metaphors are intended to illustrate the incompatible nature of Spirit and matter. A study of the whole passage compels recognition of the fact that one cannot successfully overcome evil with evil, or permanently enjoy health and happiness while his interests are divided between good and evil. Obvious as the foregoing conclusion may appear in theory, who has not found that in practice it is quite another thing to control one's beliefs in the seeming power of evil with that understanding of Truth which casts out evil? But attempts to do this have persisted with unremitting zeal, and with a certain measure of success, on the part of Christians throughout the centuries. Since the loss of the understanding of the method of Christian healing, however,—understanding which gradually disappeared with the growth of personal ambition and sectarian strife within the church, until toward the latter part of the third century it was no longer in evidence,—no scientific and demonstrable system of right thinking had been generally taught or applied to bring about spiritual healing, until Christian Science was discovered by Mary Baker Eddy in 1866.

Quoting from Jesus' metaphor of the strong man's house, in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy writes (pp. 399, 400): "Our Master asked: 'How can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man?' In other words: How can I heal the body, without beginning with so-called mortal mind, which directly controls the body?" Here is a logical and inescapable conclusion. It is the natural solution of the cure of all human ills, and is the most simple and effective remedy. Carrying the illustration still further, Mrs. Eddy continues: "Mortal mind is 'the strong man,' which must be held in subjection before its influence upon health and morals can be removed. This error conquered, we can despoil 'the strong man' of his goods,—namely, of sin and disease." In the practice of Christian Science it is found that the transforming influence of Truth upon error is not only metaphysical in its nature, but is physical in its effects. It is the "outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace;" and what is more, it is the revival of a constituent element of the primitive practice of Christianity.

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