Article September 15, 1986 Issue

The Christ is not bullied

ROBERT DENNISON WRIGHT

As a child, did you ever tell your mom or dad that someone was picking on you at school? Did you perhaps get the response that you need not react, that the bully couldn't hurt you? I remember such experiences as a small boy and thinking to myself, "That's hard!" In the intervening years, study of Christian Science has brought me a clearer understanding of how to prove that the bully—in whatever from—cannot hurt us when we see clearly that the Christ is present in our lives.

Not that bullies wouldn't try. The world seems well supplied with aggressive behavior, ranging from inconsiderate driving to harassment on the street or in the workplace to the violent behavior of criminals and terrorists. You and I may need to do a lot of praying to gain the Christian composure that enables us to look at bullying with serenity and see its threats nullified. It is not enough simply to repeat some phrase like "harmony and serenity are in control." The Christian basis and scientific conviction for such an assertion must be sought and won through systematic spiritual study and prayer.

The example set by Christ Jesus is our guide. Remember Jesus' statement in his Sermon on the Mount, "Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also"? ^{Matt. 5:39.} Not exactly the epitome of twentieth-century machismo! Yet the Biblical record makes clear that Jesus was not bullied. Facing mob violence, he moved through the mob unharmed (see Luke 4:28–30). The attempt to kill him through crucifixion failed utterly. What was Jesus' secret?

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