Article August 14, 1937 Issue

The Awakening of Lazarus

ISRAEL PICKENS

A peculiarly sad incident occurred in the little village of Bethany in the long ago. A young man, beloved and respected by his neighbors, had passed from their sight. His two sisters were grief-stricken, and many came to comfort them. Their faith had helped to sustain them through what must have been trying hours. But, alas! it was too late. If only he whom they knew to be inspired of God to heal the sick and save sinful humanity could have come, they knew he would have saved their brother from the dark "valley of the shadow."

Four long days went by. At last their friend, the Master, arrived. According to the narrative as given in the eleventh chapter of John, one of the sisters went out to meet him; the other "sat still in the house." The latter, however, after her sister exclaimed, "The Master is come, and calleth for thee," arose and came to greet the beloved visitor. Before him was the scene of great sorrow. Christ Jesus was face to face with all that testifies to mortality, death, disintegration. He who had visioned perfect God and perfect man, he whose whole life experience had been hallowed and transfigured by the consciousness of his at-one-ment with God, was here called upon to unsee and reverse with spiritual understanding the false mental picture which testifies to man's annihilation. Here was to be demonstrated the highest of all of the Christ-victories thus far over the belief in the reality and power of a so-called fleshly, mortal, finite existence. With the words, "Lazarus, come forth!" the Master proved the continuity of life, its immortality, its everlasting nature.

In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 583) Mrs. Eddy has given this clear definition: "Christ. The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error." And on pages 332 and 333 we read: "Into the real and ideal man the fleshly element cannot enter. Thus it is that Christ illustrates the coincidence, or spiritual agreement, between God and man in His image." When Jesus resuscitated Lazarus from the dream of death, he demonstrated the fact that man does not die. By knowing the truth about the real man he proved scientifically that Life is God, Spirit, and that man lives in Spirit, not in a so-called fleshly, material body.

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