Another Commandment

MARGARET Y. LULL

During the last week of his busy healing ministry, Jesus came to Jerusalem and entered into the temple. Already the clouds of hatred were gathering. The ecclesiastical sects had been inflamed by his triumphal ride into the city, showing evidence of the size and devotion of his following. The scribes, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, inflamed by envy and hate, were plotting his downfall. In turn, members of these groups came to ask craftily planned questions, designed to catch him in his words and to break his hold upon the people.

At last, as recorded in Mark's Gospel, one of the scribes who had been listening and who had perceived the wisdom of Jesus' answers, asked him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered, "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." Then, esteeming it no less important than the first, he said, "And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

The questioner admitted the truth and greatness of this answer, and his receptive attitude won from Jesus the commendation, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God."

As we ponder the demands of this second commandment, obedience to it may seem to be a stupendous task. Looking about us, we have to admit that a theoretical acceptance of Christianity has not destroyed war, crime, or the multitude of woes caused by jealousy, hatred, and lack of kindness. Sometimes we may wonder whether this second commandment can or ever will be understood and obeyed. Even a sincere follwer of Jesus' teachings may at times not see just how to go about making a practical application of the injunction to love his neighbor as himself.

Christian Science sheds light on this problem, for Mary Baker Eddy in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 591) teaches that man is "the compound idea of infinite Spirit." So, in our striving to reflect the infinite creator and to realize the truth of perfect selfhood, as this Science teaches us to do, we learn to love God with all the "heart" and "soul" and "mind." And, as we understand that each one of God's children is reflection of perfect Mind, we see that in reality our neighbor expresses nothing to be hated or criticized. Indeed, if we are believing in the reality of evil and personalizing it, we are failing to observe both of these great commandments.

Approaching this matter of loving our neighbor as ourselves, let us consider how we love ourselves. We know we often do wrong and make serious mistakes. Yet while sincerely regretting our shortcomings, we do not actually hate ourselves. We feel regret and resolve not to repeat the mistake. Or perhaps we pity ourselves for having been so deceived or misled. We are unlikely to enlarge upon our mistake in recounting our difficulty to others. Our every effort is to minimize and erase the memory of a mistake, for, as students of Christian Science, we know it is no part of our true self, and we do not want to be identified with error, or permit it to becloud our though and reputation.

Perhaps we are still not free from fear, envy, jealousy, or false appetites. Do we hate ourselves as we battle with these tempters? We may indeed abhor evil, as manifested in the commission of some unkind act or the weak yielding to temptation; and it is well that we do so. But this abhorrence is directed against the act, not the actor. Our need is to express contrition, and a longing to avoid a repetition of the mistake.

Then, can we not look upon the mistakes and errors of our fellow men as we do upon our own, and view their shortcomings as a part of the mist from which we long to help them emerge? Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, writes (ibid., pp. 476, 477), "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals." The arrogant or mean act, the hateful remark made with evident intent to hurt, are no part of our neighbor's real self. By seeing through the mist and beholding God's perfect man, we can help to drive away the cloud for our neighbor, by wholly dissipating it from our own thinking. Who knows at what moment a loving, understanding thought may melt the icy wall of selfishness or self-righteousness which material sense believes it sees? Let us consider how we love ourselves and love our fellow men in the same way.

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