Suppose you were asked what happened to Christ Jesus after his crucifixion—what took place during the ensuing days and weeks. The way you answer will depend, to some extent, on how the question comes to you.

For instance, if the query comes from a six-year-old, the flavor of your reply may be quite a bit different from the way you would respond to an adult skeptic who has deep personal doubts about the resurrection and ascension. And your approach would probably be still different if the question were included in an exam you were taking for a New Testament course. The context does make a difference. This is true with so many things in life. The setting of a given event or question or situation can be the deciding factor in how we interpret what it means to us, or how we should respond.

Study of the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings can be another example of how this element of context is often significant. Of course, plenty of instances will arise when a particular statement (or maybe a phrase, or even a word all by itself) will provide the exact thought we need for the full solution to a problem. But other times the word or phrase gains special meaning from its context just as a particular jewel is uniquely enhanced by its setting among other precious stones.

Let's look at some examples.

If one were seeking healing for let's say a facial blemish, the use of that tremendously valuable tool, a Bible concordance, may lead to a familiar and perhaps favorite Bible passage in Job: "For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot."^{Job 11:15.} What a lovely scriptural promise. In fact, the impact on thought of that God-inspired assurance sometimes has been sufficient to bring healing. The dawning in consciousness of divine Love's perfection and care has dispelled the belief of disease. And yet there are other instances when discovery of such a divine promise is just the first step in healing.

Our need may be for a deeper recognition of what surrounds the promise of healing. As much beauty and comfort as the above verse itself offers, the full setting may provide the necessary guidance and balance of nourishment that we hunger for. In this case, the preceding verses speak of preparing the heart, reaching out to God, leaving sin behind. And the message following the promise deals with steadfastness, fearlessness, forgetting misery; freedom from the effects of age; and the reason one can be secure. The full chapter, or the entire book of Job, can lead to even broader settings and perspectives.

How much we treasure the gems in the Bible—perhaps most of all those nuggets of gold spoken by the Master, Christ Jesus, himself. And often we find that the context of his words is the needed key in healing. Who of us hasn't pondered his pledge, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"? ^{John 8:32.} But how much have we prayed over the condition established in the words preceding that verse: "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed"? ^{John 8:31.} To continue in his word. Just think of the Christian patience, steadfastness, constancy, he called for. Christ Jesus' whole life, which was the embodiment of Truth in action, gave a context for these clear, divinely impelled statements. How unswerving was the example he set for us.

To explore the full context of a point isn't always the easiest path. Some real digging and probing and praying may be necessary—especially if for a long time we have automatically attributed a certain meaning to some words without taking the time to really examine their surroundings.

I recall a friend who mentioned a healing that came slowly. He felt his plodding progress was explained by Mrs. Eddy in Science and Health: "To pursue other vocations and advance rapidly in the demonstration of this Science, is not possible." ^{Science and Health, p. 457.} A discouraging statement for an engineer? Or a businessman, a singer, a politician, or an artist? Well, he thought so; and yet a strong statement that pushes us in a concrete spiritual direction may be exactly what's needed. The demonstration of Christian Science truly can be one's primary vocation or profession—even if an "avocation" in engineering is currently paying the rent and grocery bill.

But years later, in pondering Mrs. Eddy's statement, I saw it within the context of the entire paragraph—a discussion of the futile efforts to heal through methods other than a purely spiritual one. A ray of fresh application was thrown on her words. Do we ever tend mentally to practice medicine—to think in terms of a medical diagnosis? Do we wonder what diet, or some other hygienic method, might accomplish? When praying for healing, we do need to preserve the integrity of just one "vocation" in consciousness: relying entirely on spiritual truths and on the omnipotent power of God. We can't afford to be sidetracked by letting materialistic theories employ our thought.

Consideration of the larger context of a point can reveal a line of thought that has very specific implications for healing. When using your concordance to research ideas, pause to ponder all that embraces the idea. A gift can be especially meaningful to us. And how it is wrapped can also be significant.

NATHAN A. TALBOT