Bible Lens—May 9–15, 2016
Subject: Mortals and Immortals
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
Exploring Bible Verses
An exploration of Bible citations from the Christian Science Quarterly® Bible Lessons
“. . . a lesson on which the prosperity of Christian Science largely depends."—Mary Baker Eddy
from the Responsive Reading
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Everlasting and eternal are translated from the Greek term aiónios, meaning without beginning or end. The underlying Greek word aión (often translated “ever,” as in the final word of the Lord’s Prayer) is the source of the English word eon.
One commentator relates the Old Testament sense of eternity to “the duration of … God’s dealings with his people in times past, now, and always.” In the New Testament, eternity is nearly always linked with life—not just as an allusion to time, but as a description of God’s perpetual power and salvation.
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
This sudden exodus of followers has been described as a crisis in Jesus’ movement. But several researchers see the sifting of his adherents as intentional, needed to ensure strength and commitment for the work ahead. Peter’s confession of loyalty responded to that need. He continues his reply with the words, “We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (verse 69)—a statement identical to his answer to Jesus’ question, “Whom say ye that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).
The phrase “went back,” according to one scholar, is a strong term denoting both a move away from Christ and a return to what was behind. Jesus uses the Greek for back (opisó) in this warning: “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back [opisó], is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
from Section 1
1 | Psalms 8:1
O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
God is known by several names throughout the Scriptures. As one researcher observes, references to “thy name” or “his name” describe an entity with whom His people had a close relationship. To know God by name meant that He was not abstract or impersonal, but present and knowable.
5 | Isaiah 2:22
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
One source describes this man as “a poor, frail, mortal man,” another as a being “who is weak and short-lived, and who has no control over his life.” This man is not “to be accounted of” (Hebrew, chashab)—to be esteemed or regarded.
from Section 2
7 | Galatians 6:10
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
In addition to urging Christly goodwill to all, Paul recognizes the need for special attention to “family” relationships. Jesus had referred to his followers as brethren (see Matthew 12:49, for example)—a practice that continued in the early Christian community. Similarly, Peter notes the “unfeigned love of the brethren” and charges his fellow Christians to “love one another with a pure heart fervently” (I Peter 1:22).
9 | Genesis 13:3, 4
And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first.
Bethel and Hai were only two miles apart, located northwest of the Dead Sea. On a previous journey to Egypt, Abraham had built an altar nearby (see Genesis 12:8), which he now revisits. As on his earlier trip, he calls on the name of the Lord at this site.
Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
Abraham’s land would encompass the entire area within view—according to one researcher, from the hills bordering Samaria in the north to the mountains of Hebron in the south; from the land of Moab in the east to the Mediterranean Sea to the west.
from Section 3
11 | Hebrews 6:18
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.
“Two immutable things” refers to God’s promise “In blessing I will bless thee,” and His oath “By myself have I sworn” (Genesis 22:16, 17). The writer of Hebrews cites God’s affirmation to Abraham as an unchangeable source of hope to all believers, continuing, “which hope we have as an anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19).
13 | Matthew 13:34
All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables.
Gospel writer Mark amplifies this statement: “With many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.” And he adds, “When they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples” (Mark 4:33, 34). His account underscores Jesus’ responsiveness to the needs of the people, and his tender devotion to his disciples.
To learn more about the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lessons, go to biblelesson.com.
Resources quoted in this issue
RR: Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Baker
Cit. 5: Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, biblehub.com/commentaries; Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible, biblehub.com/commentaries
Related Healing Ideas
Neighbors at peace
By Susan Stark
From the October 12, 2015, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
A young Palestinian asked me for directions at a street corner in the US city where I live. As we talked, she told me that she was a leader of an Israeli-Palestinian group working for peace.
That’s why I paid special attention to a quote from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in The Christian Science Monitor of September 1, 2015. He says that the Abrahamic faiths should bless the world by practicing their shared teaching that man is God’s image and likeness.
In the Bible, the words image and likeness describe the purely spiritual identity of each individual as God’s reflection (see Genesis 1:26, 27). The spiritual truth that we each are the likeness of the same immortal Mind and divine Love has more than once stopped me from treating someone as an enemy working against my best interests. Most often in those cases we’ve discovered a way to live or work together.
From the beginning of the Scriptures, the more that biblical characters knew about God, the more they learned to respect the lives and dignity of individuals. Abraham was called the “Friend of God” (James 2:23), and it made him the friend of humanity, too. During a conflict over land, Abraham said to his nephew Lot, “Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren” (Genesis 13:8). He then gave Lot the first choice of land where he, his extended family, and his herds would live. You could say that Abraham’s generous conduct came from trusting that God is the endless source of good for everyone.
With the assurance that we belong to God, divine Mind, and express the Godlike qualities of intelligence and lovingkindness, we begin to challenge and overcome the enemy mentality—the belief of two or more mortal minds in conflict. The true spiritual nature of man does not include the mortal characteristics of greed, ignorance, self-will, or hate because they are unlike God, not created by Him, and therefore not included in His likeness.
Mary Baker Eddy wrote in a newspaper article “How Strife may be Stilled”: “The Principle of all power is God, and God is Love. Whatever brings into human thought or action an element opposed to Love, is never requisite, never a necessity, and is not sanctioned by the law of God, the law of Love. The Founder of Christianity said: ‘My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you’ ” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, pp. 278–279).
The explanation of God as all-powerful Love overcomes hate, and is expressed in what Christ Jesus taught. He said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:44, 45).
Any step toward peace starts with ourselves. God, the one Mind and Love, nurtures in us a desire to know God and our spiritual identity as Love’s likeness. And that leads us to recognize and appreciate God’s likeness in our neighbors.
This article was adapted from the original version. To read the entire article, go to jsh.christianscience.com/neighbors-at-peace.
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