Bible Lens—January 12–18, 2015
Subject: Life
For in him we live, and move, and have our being.
Exploring Bible Verses
from the Responsive Reading
Proverbs 8:1
Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?
Abstract concepts were often personified in ancient cultures. In Hebrew, which classifies all nouns as either masculine or feminine, both wisdom and understanding are feminine, they are personified as women, and so the text refers to “her voice,” rather than his or its voice.
from Section 2
6 | John 1:17
The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
The law and grace represent two different ways of seeing the relationship between God and mankind. Law, here a translation of the Greek νόμος (nomos), is something prescribed; people are subject to law simply because of who and where they are. Grace is a translation of the Greek word χάρις (kharis), which, in its original meaning, described a reciprocal relationship between two parties. Normally the more powerful one offered protection, shelter, and gifts, often in exchange for loyalty, public praise, and gratitude.
9 | Luke 7:14
And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still.
Jesus’ reassurance to the mother of the deceased man—“He had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not” (Luke 7:13)—was certainly of great comfort. Then, translating compassion into action, Jesus put his hand on the bier, stopping the procession, figuratively and practically arresting the belief in death and demonstrating his complete authority over the “final enemy.”
from Section 4
16 | Matthew 10:8
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils.
It may seem odd that Jesus first gives a generic instruction to heal the sick, followed by the specific command to cleanse lepers. The word leprosy, as used in the Bible, probably refers to several different conditions which are now hard to identify precisely. However, Jesus was directing his students’ attention not to the physical condition of leprosy, but to the cleansing. Lepers were feared, despised, and barred from society. In instructing his followers to cleanse them, he was calling for them to be both physically regenerated and restored to a full, normal place in society.
from Section 5
19 | Psalms 139:9
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
The Psalmist looked to the east—“the wings of the morning”—and to the west—to “the uttermost parts of the sea [the Mediterranean Sea].” Even though what lay in those distances was beyond his imagining, he did not doubt that God would be there, holding, leading, and sustaining.
Word Study
or (Proverbs 8:23) Historically, this word or has nothing to do with the or used in choices such as “this or that.” It’s a variation of the word ere, and like ere, it simply means “before.”
only begotten (John 3:16) This phrase is a translation of the Greek word μονογένης (monogenēs). Originally it meant “unique” or “one of a kind,” but by about 700 BC it had come to mean “only.” The word is used eight times in the New Testament, referring not only to Jesus but also to the son of the widow in Nain (Luke 7:12), Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:42), a boy with an unclean spirit (Luke 9:38), and Isaac (Hebrews 11:17). The word is also used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was widely used by Jews in Jesus’ time, where it usually means something that is precious because it is unique.
bier (Luke 7:14) A stand on which a corpse or a coffin containing a corpse is placed before burial.
right hand (Psalms 118:16) Usually a metaphor for God’s power and authority.
Bible Insights
What our Leader said about …
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son …
As the Wisemen grew in the understanding of Christ, the spiritual idea, it grew in favor with them. Thus it will continue, as it shall become understood, until man be found in the actual likeness of his Maker. Their highest human concept of the man Jesus, that portrayed him as the only Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and Truth, will become so magnified to human sense, by means of the lens of Science, as to reveal man collectively, as individually, to be the son of God.*
… that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Jesus came to seek and to save such as believe in the reality of the unreal; to save them from this false belief; that they might lay hold of eternal Life, the great reality that concerns man, and understand the final fact, — that God is omnipotent and omnipresent; yea, “that the Lord He is God; there is none else beside Him,” as the Scriptures declare.**
*Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 164. **ibid., p. 63
Related Healings
My ‘Eutychus’ moment
By Stella González de Blencowe
From the May 13, 2013 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy came into my life as a beacon of light, bringing me a sense of harmony and peace. I have learned from this book the love, wisdom, and power that God manifests in our lives.
Through studying Christian Science, we can prove that we are truly made in His image and likeness and overcome challenges that involve our health or relationships.
One day many years ago, I was able to see God’s care and love while attending a business meeting at my Christian Science branch church. A natural spring runs under the foundation of our church. When it rains, the water level rises, and we need to keep an eye on it. I went with other members to check. I went ahead, rather hastily, groping in the dark to find the light switch so I could see the stairs to the basement. Suddenly, I realized I’d gone by the switch while walking in the dark. I walked into the air and fell.
That morning I had been praying and studying the Christian Science Bible Lesson. I remember that I had clearly seen the importance of not accepting the belief of death or that there could be an unsolvable challenge. It was very clear in my mind that all problems can be solved by persistently praying to realize our oneness with God.
There is a distance of about two meters from the bottom of the stairs to the opposite wall of the room. According to my colleagues, I hit my head against that wall and fainted. The impact caused my head to bleed profusely.
My colleagues carried me up to the first floor and placed me on an armchair where I regained consciousness. They assured me that everything was fine, that they had been praying, firmly holding in thought that man is the perfect, complete, child of God, and can suffer no accidents because man never ceases to be under God’s care and protection.
A similar experience happened to a young man called Eutychus in the Bible. While listening to the Apostle Paul giving a talk, Eutychus, who was sitting in the window of a third floor, fell asleep and fell to the street, where he was taken up dead. Paul calmed his friends saying: “Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.” He hugged the young man and raised him with the certainty that it is God who gives and maintains life. Soon Eutychus was perfectly well (see Acts 20).
Eutychus’ experience reminded me of my own because my friends also expressed spiritual courage, that inner strength that compelled them to lift me up in their thought, understanding that, as a child of God, I could not be a victim of an adverse situation. After a short while, the wound stopped bleeding, and I had no discomfort. We were able to finish the meeting without a problem.
This experience was to me another proof that God is my Life and that divine action is ever present and good. I learned that nothing can take away from me that spiritual and perpetual gift God has given me.
To read the complete testimony, go to sentinel.christianscience.com/my-eutychus-moment.
