The depth of Jesus' teaching

A Friend of mine once asked a woman who was preparing for an academic career how she could feel comfortable with her commitment to Christianity. My friend believed that academic study and research required a certain depth of intellect that was incompatible with the acceptance of Christ Jesus' teaching of divine redemption from sin and disease. She viewed a belief in God's power as somewhat primitive and unthinking, and even as evidence of a superficial intellect in the believer.

Yet the graduate student with whom my friend spoke did not feel that her intellectual integrity was compromised by her belief in God. She pointed out that while certain approaches to Christianity might seem superficial to some people, this did not necessarily indicate a lack of depth in Jesus' teachings.

Jesus made it clear that his understanding of the law of God well exceeded the level of his listeners' comprehension. He said: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now"^{John 16:12.} and "This people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed."^{Matt. 13:15.} Materialistic thinking is what clouds the profound meaning of Jesus' lessons. In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy remarks: "Jesus of Nazareth was the most scientific man that ever trod the globe. He plunged beneath the material surface of things, and found the spiritual cause."^{Science and Health, p. 313.}

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