Article December 6, 1969 Issue

"Shew us the Father"

GRAHAM CAMERON DRISCOLL

Until the advent of Christ Jesus the divine nature was largely hidden from humanity. Through his life and works Jesus illustrated and demonstrated God, whom he designated as his Father. One of his disciples, however, apparently had not recognized the presence and manifestation of divinity. John's Gospel records a remarkable discourse wherein Jesus affirmed to his disciples the presence of God and man's unity with Him. "Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?"^{John 14:8, 9;}

Now, we have the authority of Jesus for declaring that Jesus Christ is not God. He said, "My Father is greater than I."^{ v. 28;} The teaching of Christian Science furnishes a demonstrable and satisfying explanation of the Christ, and so illumines Jesus' words to Philip. In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy writes, "Jesus represented Christ, the true idea of God."^{ Science and Health, p. 316;} When Jesus said, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father," is it not as though he had declared, When you spiritually perceive the Christ—the true idea of God which I represent—you see the Father, Principle, for "I and my Father are one"?^{ John 10:30;}

God is the only "I," or divine Principle, for God is One, infinite. The real individuality or "I" of each one of us is included in the one Spirit—all one with the Father. As we spiritually understand this, we lose the material sense of selfhood and apprehend our real identity in Spirit as idea. This understanding, unselfing us, enables us to follow the example of our Master, who, for our guidance, demonstrated the power of Truth over error and disease.

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