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Bible Lens—August 17–23, 2020
Subject: Mind
To be spiritually minded is life and peace.
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 Golden Text
I Corinthians 2:16
We have the mind of Christ.
Although this is the only place Paul uses the phrase “the mind of Christ,” other passages give an idea of what he means. For instance, Galatians 4:6 tells us that God has sent “the Spirit of his Son into your hearts.” One source notes, “Believers have the Spirit of Christ to reveal Christ’s thinking to them.”
To the Christians at Philippi, the apostle writes, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5, Responsive Reading).
from the Responsive Reading
John 4:7
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
Jacob’s well—not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible but believed by some to have been dug by Jacob—is the setting for this striking interchange between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Typically, the meeting of an unattended man and woman was prohibited, and free conversation between a Jew and a Samaritan was equally unacceptable. Yet scholars point out that as Jacob was an ancestor of both Jews and Samaritans, his well was a site of shared reverence—perhaps a natural place for long-standing social walls to be broken down.
John 4:13, 14
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Water from rivers, springs, and rainfall—fresh or “living” water that constantly replenishes itself—was scarce in Judea. Wells and cisterns were necessary alternatives, but standing water from these sources could become bitter and brackish. For that reason, “a well of water springing up into everlasting life” may have sounded inconceivable. But its spiritual sense speaks of the Christ to the Samaritan woman.
Like Jews, Samaritans were waiting for the arrival of the great prophet Moses had promised (see Deuteronomy 18:15). But because Samaritans didn’t accept Jewish scriptures other than the Pentateuch (the five books of Genesis through Deuteronomy), they had little idea what to expect. Jesus’ answer convinces the woman of his status as the long-awaited Messiah (see John 4:29).
About Samaria and Samaritans
When Israel was split into two kingdoms circa 930 bc , Samaria—located about 30 miles (55 km) north of Jerusalem—became the capital city of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. After Israel was conquered by Assyria in 721 bc , thousands of Israelites were deported, and Babylonian and Assyrian colonists were brought in. Because of the intermarriage with the remaining Jews that took place over subsequent decades, Samaritans were not deemed of pure blood.
After the Babylonian exile ended in the sixth century bc , Samaritan “half-Jews” were barred by Jews from helping to rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem. Enmity deepened between the two groups, and at the Samaritans’ request, the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was halted by Persian king Artaxerxes. When Nehemiah was permitted to resume construction, he was actively opposed by Sanballat, a Samaritan official.
As hostility continued, Jews outlawed marriage with Samaritans and barred them from sacrificing in the Temple. Samaritans built their own temple near the city of Shechem, on Mount Gerizim—the mountain referred to by the Samaritan woman at the well (see John 4:20). Samaritans’ rejection of Old Testament writings other than the Pentateuch effectively cemented the rift. In 128 bc , Jews destroyed the Samaritan temple.
By New Testament times, Samaria was the name for a small region between Galilee and Judea. Jewish travelers regularly avoided the area, making a longer journey through barren land to the east of it. Jews who did cross Samaritan territory were sometimes refused hospitality (see Luke 9:51–53, for instance). In light of this long-standing animosity, Jesus’ favorable references to Samaritans (see examples in Luke 10:33; 17:16) are pointed illustrations of his doctrine of loving one’s enemies.
from Section 1
Translation
3 | Job 23:13, 14
He is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.
• • •
… he is unchangeable; who can oppose him?
He does what he desires.
He will certainly accomplish what he has decreed for me,
and he has many more things like these in mind.
—Christian Standard Bible
3 | Job 23:14
He performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.
Rather than a statement about God performing Job’s appointed tasks, this affirmation declares that no one can alter God’s will. Šālam, the Hebrew word rendered performeth, has the sense of completing or carrying out. The Message offers this paraphrase: “He’ll complete in detail what he’s decided about me, and whatever else he determines to do.”
Definitions from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy
3 | 114:10
In Science, Mind is one, including noumenon and phenomena, God and His thoughts.
noumenon: a thing of itself; a distinct being, not dependent on outward perception
phenomena: observable facts or events
4 | 488:23–24
Mind alone possesses all faculties, perception, and comprehension.
faculties: abilities, especially mental power
from Section 2
5 | II Kings 5:1
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
valour (valor): great courage
leper: person with a skin disease
5 | II Kings 5:14
Then went [Naaman] down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Centuries after Naaman’s cure, when Christ Jesus meets skepticism about his Messiahship at his hometown synagogue, the Master cites several instances of Gentiles who received healing. Of Naaman he says, “Many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus [Elisha] the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian” (Luke 4:27). The military officer’s experience remains an example of God’s healing power for every humble heart, regardless of religious affiliation.
from Section 3
8 | Ecclesiastes 8:5
A wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.
discerneth: understands; perceives
Translation
… A wise person does the right thing at the right time.
—New Century Version
9 | II Kings 6:8, 9
The king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
In the mid-ninth century bc, an Aramaic kingdom known as Syria (distinct from the contemporary nation of that name) was in continual conflict with Israel. The words of its king describe a strategy to ambush the Israelites—a plan thwarted several times by Elisha’s reports to the king of Israel (see v. 10).
Definitions from Science and Health
11 | 84:11
It is the prerogative of the ever-present, divine Mind, and of thought which is in rapport with this Mind, to know the past, the present, and the future.
prerogative: right or privilege
rapport: close and harmonious relationship
13 | 84:30–12
If this Science has been thoroughly learned and properly digested, we can know the truth more accurately than the astronomer can read the stars or calculate an eclipse. This Mind-reading is the opposite of clairvoyance. It is the illumination of the spiritual understanding which demonstrates the capacity of Soul, not of material sense. This Soul-sense comes to the human mind when the latter yields to the divine Mind.
Such intuitions reveal whatever constitutes and perpetuates harmony, enabling one to do good, but not evil. You will reach the perfect Science of healing when you are able to read the human mind after this manner and discern the error you would destroy.
digested: understood
clairvoyance: supposed supernatural power of seeing beyond the physical senses
perpetuates: causes something to continue
from Section 4
10 | Isaiah 50:4
The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary.
Classified as part of a “servant song” in Second Isaiah (chapters 40–55), this verse shows God to be the source of wisdom for God’s servants. “Attending to God’s instruction,” a Bible authority notes, “prepares the speaker to stand strong in the midst of interhuman conflict and harassment.”
The servant image is introduced in 41:8 and repeated multiple times, pointing to descendants of Abraham—those bound by covenant to Yahweh. New Testament writers identify Christ Jesus with these prophecies—as when Matthew speaks of Jesus as fulfilling Isaiah’s first servant song, “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen” (see Matthew 12:17–20; Isaiah 42:1–3)..
Translation
The Lord God gave me the ability to teach.
He has taught me what to say to make the weak strong.…
—International Children’s Bible
12 | Matthew 16:1
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
Why did the Pharisees and Sadducees ask for a sign from heaven? Jesus had just fed thousands of people with a small amount of bread and fish (see 15:32–38)—surely a sign of his divine status. The Jewish leaders likely hoped to downplay that display of spiritual authority by demanding a cosmic event like the miracles of their prophets. God’s might was revealed through Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah, for example—with manna from heaven; thunder and rain; and the backward movement of the sun (see Exodus 16:4; I Samuel 12:16–18; Isaiah 38:8).
Jesus responds with a play on the reference to heaven. They are able to read the sky, he points out, but don’t understand the “signs of the times” (v. 3)—the many healing works that confirm him to be the promised Savior.
Translation
12 | Matthew 16:1–3
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
• • •
The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus. They wanted to trap him. So they asked him to show them a miracle to prove that he was from God. Jesus answered, “When you see the sunset, you know what the weather will be. If the sky is red, then you say we will have good weather. And in the morning if the sky is dark and red, then you say that it will be a rainy day. You see these signs in the sky, and you know what they mean. In the same way, you see the things that are happening now. But you don’t know their meaning.”
—International Children’s Bible
Definitions from Science and Health
16 | 94:24–3
Our Master easily read the thoughts of mankind, and this insight better enabled him to direct those thoughts aright; but what would be said at this period of an infidel blasphemer who should hint that Jesus used his incisive power injuriously? Our Master read mortal mind on a scientific basis, that of the omnipresence of Mind. An approximation of this discernment indicates spiritual growth and union with the infinite capacities of the one Mind. Jesus could injure no one by his Mind-reading. The effect of his Mind was always to heal and to save, and this is the only genuine Science of reading mortal mind.
infidel blasphemer: 19th century term for someone who rejects Christianity and speaks disrespectfully about God
incisive: accurate and sharply focused
19 | 168:26
Disease being a belief, a latent illusion of mortal mind, the sensation would not appear if the error of belief was met and destroyed by truth.
latent: present but inactive
20 | 162:12–13, 16–19
Experiments have favored the fact that Mind governs the body, not in one instance, but in every instance.… Working out the rules of Science in practice, the author has restored health in cases of both acute and chronic disease in their severest forms.
acute: severe but lasting briefly
chronic: continuing a long time
from Section 5
14 | I Corinthians 2:9
As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Paul’s assertion recalls Isaiah 64:4: “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.” In this declaration to the Corinthians, Paul changes the requirement from simple patience to an active love for God.
Translation
14 | I Corinthians 2:9, 10
As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
• • •
… as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]. Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny].
—Amplified® Bible Classic
14 | I Corinthians 2:14
The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Some ancient philosophers divided identity into three parts—physical, intellectual, and spiritual. While the three were believed to coexist in humans, one or another was thought to predominate. Where the physical or intellectual were strongest, the spiritual was lacking.
One commentator suggests, “Unbelievers, whose minds are blinded, function in the natural world and see life only through physical eyes (see 2 Cor 4:4). They cannot appreciate the significance of the Good News, for it is essentially a spiritual message.”
15 | Matthew 17:6
When the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
sore: greatly; deeply
Definitions from Science and Health
23 | 539:27–30
The divine origin of Jesus gave him more than human power to expound the facts of creation, and demonstrate the one Mind which makes and governs man and the universe.
expound: explain; make clear
from Section 6
16 | Hebrews 4:12
The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
marrow: inmost or essential part
intents: purposes
Translation
… the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.
—Amplified® Bible
17 | Romans 8:6
To be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Thinkers of the time drew connections between sound thinking and peace. Here Paul defines spirituality as the true source of peace, echoing Isaiah: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isaiah 26:3).
A scholar interprets this spiritual-mindedness to mean “making it the object of the mind, the end and aim of the actions, to cultivate the graces of the Spirit, and to submit to his influence.… to seek those feelings and views which the Holy Spirit produces, and to follow his leadings.”
Copyright
Scriptural quotations marked New Century Version are taken from the New Century Version®, copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked GOD’S WORD are taken from GOD’S WORD®, copyright © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of God’s Word Mission Society.
Scriptural quotations marked Christian Standard Bible are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked International Children’s Bible are taken from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked Amplified® Bible Classic are taken from the Amplified® Bible Classic, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
Scriptural quotations marked Amplified® Bible are taken from the Amplified® Bible, copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
Related healing ideas
Who is this man?
Who is this man
asking for a cup of cold water?*
Can’t he see the well is deep
and the day unbearably hot?
Doesn’t he see this is not his neighborhood
and we his kinsmen not?
Who is this man
who brings so little to the well,
expecting me to share my dipper?
And now he says if I had asked for his “water”
I could have
a supply forever.
Who is this man
who lifts my thought of water
as not sustaining life but
as Life sustaining me?
His words flow past my resistance,
purging, enabling me to see.
Who is this man
who in quenching “thirst” cleanses a murky heart?
He knows my past, but implies it’s not my future.
Dare I drink from his well, accept his infinite plan,
and find out just
who is this man?
* See John 4:1–29.
By William L. Oakes
From the January 18, 1999, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
© 2020 The Christian Science Publishing Society. The design of the Cross and Crown is a trademark owned by the Christian Science Board of Directors and is used by permission. Bible Lens and Christian Science Quarterly are trademarks owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
