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[Unveil harmony through living the Commandments!]
Metaphysical Application Ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on

“Unreality”
for Sunday, October 2, 2016

by Kerry Jenkins, CS, House Springs, MO
(314) 406-0041 kerry.helen.jenkins@gmail.com
[Infinite thanks and blessings to all you precious friends who have replied to CedarS recent fiscal year end pleas for funding! BIG or small gifts dated 9-30-16 are still much-needed and appreciated as expressions of gratitude for CedarS weekly (free) newsletters and its priceless work! See contact info. With forever gratitude, Warren Huff, CedarS Director and Editor of these newsletters]

It is helpful to regard the "heart" in the Golden Text as the truth, or reality that dwells in each of us. The heart, here, is where our truest sense of ourselves, our most treasured, core identity dwells. And while that could, in some cases, be seen as materialistic (if such a person loves material things), in this case it is referring to our best and truest self, our perfect, holy, spiritual nature, made by God. You might call it the real man. God does not see us through the veil of matter, but clearly, through the lens of Spirit.

In the Responsive Reading (R.R.) we are introduced to a sense of ourselves as living letters (epistles) from Christ. We are meant to live the word of God (something that was featured in last week's Bible lesson on Reality). This word is represented in this lesson by the Ten Commandments, not as written letter, but as demonstrable, vibrant, Christly, living, and healing laws. The ability we have to demonstrate these Commandments in our lives comes from God, as it says in the New Living Translation of our 5th and 6th verses of the R.R. "It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life." When we look at the Commandments through the "veil" of the "letter", that is, as words to be obeyed literally with limited spiritual understanding of their import, we find that they are not living words. They do not lead us to reality, eternal life, but lead to "death". That sounds very dire. But isn't that what Christ Jesus taught us? He condemned the literal, strictly scholarly, understanding of the word (you shouldn't heal on the Sabbath day, for example). This was why the Pharisees hated him, because he didn't pay homage, respect, to their educated, erudite position of authority. Jesus cared about the love of God demonstrated, as we will see later in this lesson. This R.R. is asking us to do the same by turning ourselves (our face) to God, we find the veil of matter burned away by the brilliance of beholding God clearly, and so ourselves as well. The unreality of the veil of matter disappears naturally in the light of God's wonderful, good, reality. Remember that one of the amazing symbolic things that happened upon the crucifixion of Jesus was the tearing of the temple veil. This veil separated the holy area of the temple (where God was thought to dwell) from the general congregation. Only a priest could go behind that veil, and then only on one day a year during a special religious holiday (and with a veil over his face!). This symbol of separation between God and man was literally torn from top to bottom. In descriptions that I've read about this veil, it was said to be some 4 inches thick and 60 feet tall. It took many, many men to move it or hang it. Think of trying to tear something that is that thick?! Yet that is how Jesus' life revealed our oneness with God, no separation—symbolic or otherwise! Nor do we need a priest or someone more "holy" to speak to God for us or reveal the reality of His goodness. The veil is gone for good—and whatever material sense does to try to build it back up, the Christ is always present to tear down any unreal suggestions of material sense. Christian Science really helps with this "unveiling" task!

Section 1: First and Second Commandments "unveiled".

These Commandments unveiled, reveal one God who is all good. This may sound like old news. But it isn't. How many times a day do we actually behave and think as if we really know that God is in control and is all good? [As God’s “image” do we stay focused on only studying the original— do we “behold God’s face in righteousness” so as to truly “awake”— totally “satisfied” as His flawless “likeness”? (B5, P.S.1) Or, are we still “asleep… lulled by stupefying illusions” (95:28) – unaware that all the counterfeit images of reality being aggressively presented these days are really “graven images” or lies designed to obsess us? If so,] Are we worried about something? Tired? Angry? Disappointed? All of these feelings belie the fact that Good is the only power and is governing every action. To really feel this fact takes a certain amount of discipline and daily prayer, for sure. It does seem as if the veil of matter extends pretty thoroughly across our experience. But even just that daily study of the Bible and Science and Health take us a long way toward planting our feet in spiritual reality. Citation S3 tells us that "Divine Science explains the abstract statement that there is one Mind by the following self-evident proposition: if God, or good, is real, then evil, the unlikeness of God, is unreal." In other words, Science takes an abstract statement about God/Mind and reaches into our hearts to help us embrace what is already within us, the understanding that nothing can oppose God. The sense of evil that we grapple with is not from God and stems from material sense that disguises (veils) itself as life and intelligence in matter. I find citation S5 to be an arresting statement: "The corporeal senses are the only source of evil or error." That confirms that whenever we behold evil in a situation or person, we are really beholding it within our own corporeal sense, that's the only place it can seem to "dwell". Being unreal, it has no true residence in a person! This "living" understanding of the first two Commandments is one that constantly unfolds to us new ways to demonstrate the truth that there is one God only, and that we should worship none other. It is never a knowledge that is "attained" or memorized, but one that demands us to implement and demonstrate it daily. Our goal? To see God when we look in the divine mirror, recognizing nothing in our nature that is material. (B5)

Section 2: God's work is holy and ever fruitful.

Wouldn't it be taking the name of the Lord "in vain" if we attributed to His nature (name) anything other than good? And wouldn't His work of creation be one that "rests in action" as Mrs. Eddy puts it (S7)? Most of us have heard the statement from someone "It is God's will" as an explanation for some misfortune, a death or illness. But the Biblical statement of creation from Genesis 1 certainly makes it clear that He beheld His work and saw that it was good. Where is the good in evil? The passage from Isaiah (B9) points out that God doesn't think and act as material sense does. It states that His word accomplishes what He intends. Jesus flawlessly demonstrated this useful nature of God's goodness. The letter of the word accomplishes/heals little. This lack of accomplishment can be perfectly self-satisfying until it is held up against the heartfelt demonstration of the word in human life. Demonstration reveals the reality of Good and the unreality of evil/matter. And this demonstration rests on understanding God (a constant endeavor). Understanding helps us discern the presence of spiritual good, reality, right where error or unreality seems to be. Understanding God gives us the proof that we seek that Good is the only real! (S8) As "ministers of the New Testament" (R.R., 2 Cor. 3:6) all our work can be holy, fruitful work, never in vain.
[“Moses” awakens visitors to CedarS Bible Lands Park to give their loving attention to (and so remember) their original, "very good", Sabbath-day perfection from Genesis 1 as they work out from (rather than up to) perfection and their freedom from frustation and efforts in vain. (3rd C. and 4th C.)]

Section 3: Spiritually revolutionary view of our parentage, or, No more sour grapes!

This section makes use of the Ephesians restatement of the Commandment "Honor thy father and thy mother". It tells us that this "is the first commandment with promise", meaning that it offers a promise of good for those that obey it. Why would "it be well with [us]" and give us a long life if we honor our father and mother? And what does it mean to honor our father and mother? This might seem a troublesome question if our parents have been abusive in some way. But let's explore the unveiled view of this Commandment, a view unobstructed by a material sense of our parentage. Remember that demand that Jesus makes of us, that we leave our gift at the altar and go and forgive our "brother" first (if we have a grudge against him)? He points out that if we can't love someone that we have seen, then we can't really claim to love someone we have not seen (God). So we need to demonstrate our ability to love our brother first, before we can honestly offer our sincere love to God and have it be meaningful. We are the offspring of God, the divine Father-Mother. A proper understanding of our true Father-Mother, God, reflected in respect and obedience and love for our parents ("whom we have seen"), helps to reveal that "The mutable and imperfect never touch the immutable and perfect. The inharmonious and self-destructive never touch the harmonious and self-existent." (S14, 300:15) We aren't mixing material parentage with divine, erroneous genetic heritage with divinely perfect and complete inheritance. The two experiences never touch. Our "finite sense" (S14) has no true or clear appreciation of the one God, Principle (source). Remember—only one God?! The true understanding of our divine heritage [as “His infinite image” (S14, 3004)] frees us from the veiled or material sense of having limited human parentage, whether that parentage seems loving and supportive or not. We can express respect and love for our human parents through this deeper understanding that anything less than good is a material, veiled, sense of human origin. Leave the sour grapes behind for the freedom and harmony of spiritual existence. This is where we get that long life and harmony that is promised in return for our honoring our father and mother. It is in understanding our divine heritage, unmixed with matter, unlimited by genetics or any kind of tormented, human past. [As we give honor and loving attention to both our human parents and especially our true divine parentage, “all may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (B14, P.S.2)]

Section 4: Unveiling, or removing the mask of sin.

King David committed the double whammy of breaking both the Commandment not to kill and the Commandment not to commit adultery, in one fell swoop. How is a prophet to reveal this to a king in such a way that the pride and entitlement of a king does not resist the truth? Nathan beautifully appeals to the pure heart of David by telling this story of two men in citation B17. In telling this story he unveils to David the depth of his sin against Uriah. It also reveals to us that as long as we still find sin to be pleasant, safe, rewarding, wise, respectable… we will still be regarding evil as real. We are looking at life through the veil of matter. Nathan revealed David's error through a parallel story in which David could impersonally recognize the injustice and cruelty of the wrongdoer. This is a good lesson for us when we are finding these laws into our own hearts. It is always most fruitful to portray sin as impersonal evil. We will not be spared the sense of deep regret, but will find our way more quickly to the reality of our native purity and goodness if we don't take our sins too personally. We can take citation S22 to heart and regard evil as a "phase of nothingness" and truly demonstrate that in overcoming whatever poses as evil in our own consciousness. [As “Moses” encourages in CedarS Bible Lands Park, we can affirm to ourselves often throughout each day the blessings of each Commandment. Because of the 1st Commandment we have everything we need and we know it. So, there’s nothing in this world worth being lustful about (7th C.); AND there’s nothing in this world worth getting angry about! (6th C.)]

Section 5: Unveiling three in one.

What a masterful section we have here with three Commandments included and well covered by one Bible story of the Good Samaritan! Again we have a New Testament statement of these three Commandments in citation B19, prefaced by "owe no man any thing, but to love one another:” It is especially interesting to me that the first Commandment, having one God, reveals, or unveils the law of loving our neighbor. If we have only one Mind, there are no strangers, no enemies. Citation S24 articulates this thought clearly, and points out that “selfishness reigns” when we think we must fight for our own interests as separate from another's. The parable of the Good Samaritan is brilliant in its teaching to the lawyer who tried to catch Jesus in some kind of intellectual trap. Instead, the lawyer is left, much like David, with a story that reveals his own lack of demonstration of the heart of these Commandments that every good Jew would have known. The lawyer is forced to recognize that the man in the parable who stopped to aid the bleeding and beaten man by the roadside, is the true neighbor, though he is a non-Jew. Thus is illustrated the fact that it is those that are living the word, choosing not to steal, in this case, not to see anyone as unworthy (bear false witness), nor to covet, as this lawyer was probably doing when he attempted to test Jesus, it is those, that are unveiling God's harmony in the universe. These three Commandments pertain to how we regard one another, whether we see others as neighbors, or see them as somehow wholly separate from our own interests and life. We are one, unified by the one Mind. This fact removes the veil of fear that we might harbor toward someone we are unfamiliar with and frees us to express and live God's love abundantly.

[“Moses” helps CedarS Bible Lands Park visitors real-ize (with their real eyes) that by the divine decree (the 1st Commandment) they have more than they will ever need and so the whole purpose of living is giving! (Like the Good Samaritan gave and we are encouraged to give freely in citation B24 and P.S. #3) Of course, all who SEE and feel this truth about reality will never be tempted by the unreal to steal (8th C.), to bear false witness (9th C,) or to covet (10th C.).]

Section 6: God's love for man is unveiled as we live the Commandments [and so put in action our “great commission” that is certainly achievable (P.S. #3 on citation B24)]

Citation B23 says it all: God's love is shown to us as we [realize our ultimate freedom and understandingly] obey these Commandments. This passage from John 5:4 ends with "whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world"—these Commandments lived, overcome all the [lying] suggestions of evil with the truth that “make(s) you free” and shows evil's unreality. [B22, P.S. #2] And Mrs. Eddy comforts us healers with this thought from citation S28, that when we have "… more faith in Spirit than matter…then no material suppositions can prevent us from healing the sick and destroying error." This is a bit like saying that even when we see error, we are not prevented from overcoming that suggestion and demonstrating the living power of the word of God. We do this every time we heal. These Commandments are really in our heart, they are meant to be lived and living things grow and develop. They are not stagnant words from the ancient past, but vibrant healing laws by which the veil of matter is torn away and our life as one with Spirit is revealed.


[Warren added Cobbey Crisler commentaries on 10-2-16 Bible passages on “Unreality”

P.S.#1 on citation B5: Cobbey Crisler’s commentary Psalms 17:15 Find satisfaction and health only in the original!
“Verse 15 of Psalms 17 [tells us] that God’s prescriptions, precisely filled, bring satisfaction. Satisfaction because “we awake in God’s likeness.” But that results first from the prerequisite of “beholding God’s face in righteousness.” That requires us to go back to the theology of Genesis 1 to comprehend what that means. If we indeed are image, or likeness, and God is the original, the only way we can find out about our nature is to spend our time studying the original. Then we know the image. We also know what’s not the image by studying the original.

Just as Treasury Department experts know counterfeit bills, not because they have studied all the many thousands of counterfeit attempts, from poor work to expert work, but rather, simply study the original and you will know the counterfeit immediately. That’s in a sense akin to surgically removing in a mental way, or taking the purgative cathartic Word of God to remove what does not belong to our nature. Imagine the joy of letting go what has burdened us for so long. It’s part of that darkness that is ignorance, that the light, the laser beam of revealed truth, simply removes, and not painfully at all. It just does what light is supposed to do. It removes any rationale for the existence of darkness.”

Transcribed from a talk by B. Cobbey Crisler entitled Leaves of the Tree: Descriptions from Psalms”. You can buy your own transcripts of most of Cobbey’s 28 talks at a new website: www.crislerlibrary.co.uk Please email your order or inquiry to office@crislerlibrary.co.uk, or directly to Janet Crisler, at janetcrisler7@gmail.com]


P.S.#2 on citation B22, John 8:32: Cobbey on Jesus recipe for freedom:
John 8:32. “Here is the recipe for freedom, “It's the truth itself that makes you free." It is the fact that makes you free. In John 8:44, the devil is defined as a liar and also a murderer from the beginning. If you analyze that again, the devil has one of two purposes when it enters into the thoughts and lives of man. It is either to murder or to kill ourselves or others. That's the motive prompting the thought, critical or otherwise. Remember, judging righteous judgment eliminates most criticisms, and not judging according to appearance. It either murders or kills our neighbor or ourselves, for its purpose is to deceive, one or the other.”

Transcribed from a talk by B. Cobbey Crisler entitled Book of John, A Walk with the Beloved Disciple . You can buy your own transcripts of most of Cobbey’s 28 talks at a new website: www.crislerlibrary.co.uk Please email your order or inquiry to office@crislerlibrary.co.uk, or directly to Janet Crisler, at janetcrisler7@gmail.com]


P.S.#3 on citation B23, Matt. 10: 8: Cobbey’s commentary on Jesus’ “great commission”:
The assignments given to the disciples would not be assignments they were incapable of doing, or Jesus would have been unwise.

(Verse 8). He said, "Heal the sick." What do you expect them to do? He said, "Cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils." Notice the sequence. The things he did. Even putting casting-out-devils at a higher level of what was required of prayer than raising the dead. Then stating, "Freely ye have received, freely give."

Transcribed from a talk by B. Cobbey Crisler entitled Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master: A Tax Collector’s Report , You can buy your own transcripts of most of Cobbey’s 28 talks at a new website: www.crislerlibrary.co.uk Please email your order or inquiry to office@crislerlibrary.co.uk, or directly to Janet Crisler, at janetcrisler7@gmail.com


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