Editorial August 22, 1931 Issue

The Christ and the Comforter

Clifford P. Smith

For a long time before the birth of Jesus, the people of his race had expected an advent or coming to which they had given the name Messiah or Christ. Although they did not know exactly what to look for, the general expectation was for a person who would redeem, restore, and save. They expected that he would serve Israel particularly, but some of the prophecies in the Jewish Scriptures were expressed in universal terms. Many of the Jews expected that he would establish a kingdom or political rule which would begin with Israel and would extend to all nations. Only a few appear to have foreseen the kind of kingdom actually to be instituted by Jesus the Christ; and only a Samaritan woman appears to have expected distinctly that the Messiah or Christ would be primarily a teacher. "The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he" (John 4:25, 26).

In most dictionaries, the word "Christ," or the term "the Christ," has these two meanings: 1, the Messiah, whose coming was foretold by Jewish prophets; 2, a title of Jesus, as having fulfilled these prophecies. By later usage, this title became part of his name, which later and modern usage has obscured the original meaning of the word "Christ." As yet, only one dictonary (the Practical Standard) records Mrs. Eddy's definition of this word or term, from page 583 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," as follows: "The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error."

The Jewish prophecies of the Christ called for fulfillment by or through a person. Most of them were expressed in personal terms. Nevertheless, it was and is the human consciousness, collective and individual, which needs a savior—which needs to be saved from error or evil. And when Jesus began his work, the most urgent need was the genuine enlightenment of mankind; it was a purely spiritual teaching, with the application thereof to human conditions and problems. Indeed, this is the most important of all human needs at any time; and it is one which requires both a teacher and a teaching. Hence, although Jesus was acclaimed to be the Christ, the expected Messiah, yet he consistently distinguished between himself and the teaching which he received from God and made known to mankind. (For an instance, see John 12:44-50.) Afterward, Paul explicitly spoke of Christ, or the Christ (according to different translations), as distinct from any person, and so did the author of the epistle to the Hebrews. (See I Corinthians 10:4; Hebrews 11:26.)

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