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[Trust Love as your Shepherd: always-there; meeting needs; uniting, comforting, governing!]
Metaphysical Application Ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on

Love
for Sunday, January 29, 2017

By Christie C. Hanzlik, CS, Boulder, Colorado
720.331.9356 ccern@mac.com

Golden Text: "God is Love"

Most of us wouldn’t walk up to a stranger on the street and blurt, “I love you!” because using that phrase might make someone we haven’t met yet feel a bit awkward. This silly example is a way of showing that the word “love” has power. We don’t toss the word “love” around with people flippantly because it has deep meaning.

Thinking of the power of the word “love” when we read “God is Love” we can begin to understand that Love, with a capital “L”, has Divine power that is infinite and eternal and limitless. But what kind of power does Divine Love have?

One way to understand this week’s Bible Lesson on “Love,” starting with the Golden Text “God is Love,” is that it explores various facets of Love’s power:

· Love is omnipresent. (Section 1)
· Love provides and meets every need. (Section 2)
· Love unites. (Section 3)
· Love casts out fear. (Section 4)
· Love governs and leads the way. (Section 5)

Note that these facets of Love’s power are necessary qualities in a good shepherd. A good shepherd is ever-present, meets the sheep’s every need, unites the flock, makes the flock feel safe, and governs absolutely. Love’s power, like a shepherd caring for a flock, is at once strong and tender. The Shepherd must be strong enough to protect sheep, while being tender enough to remove burrs from the sheep’s wool.

Perhaps the Shepherd’s most important role is to “cast out fear.” Sheep must feel safe. And no amount of sheepish reasoning (or human reasoning) is enough to stop fear. Only “Perfect Love casts out fear.” (B4, S3) The power of Love to cast out fear is highlighted in Section 4 of the lesson, but it is also a theme that echoes throughout the Lesson. You may want to underline or note each reference in the Lesson to Love casting out fear….how many references can you find?

Sometimes when I pray to overcome fear, I think of fear as false evidence appearing ­real or ­­­–forgetting ­e­­verything ­about ­reality. But after reading this week’s lesson, I’m going to try something like this…

Omnipresent Love makes fear

f-aded, forsaken

e-vaporated, evicted, expunged

a-lleviated, allayed

r-emoved, rejected

In each section of the lesson, let’s notice how Love, the Shepherd is able to fade, evict, alleviate, and remove fear.

***As a bonus, perhaps you want to listen to an audio of a Practitioner Talk from 2015 that brings out the idea of Love as the Shepherd at a breakfast talk for a couple hundred children at CedarS CampS: http://www.cedarscamps.org/metaphysical/audio/play/session-1-2015-9/

Responsive Reading: Gratitude for our Shepherd [heals fear of every false claim. (PS#1)]

The Responsive Reading sets the tone of our Lesson with a Psalm that reminds me of praise that sheep might heap upon their Shepherd. It is like the sheep are saying, “Thank you, Shepherd, for your “lovingkindness in the morning” and “faithfulness every night.” You have made “me glad through thy work.” The sheep says, “I have called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.” The sheep are comforted and praise the Shepherd because they know “The [Shepherd] is on my side; I will not fear.” Finally, the sheep are grateful for the Shepherd’s “tender mercies”—because the Shepherd is very strong and powerful and yet gentle and tender with each of their needs.

Section 1: The Shepherd is ever-present

Love’s power reaches to every corner of the universe, and is also present right here with us. Good shepherds are always present when the sheep are in need. And the Divine Shepherd, Love, is omnipresent—always present in every time and every place. Love is omnipresent, so we cannot go beyond or outside of Love’s care. Here are some examples of the Divine Shepherd/Love’s omnipresence highlighted in this section:

· “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord.” (B2)
· “The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (B3)
· “he that dwelleth in love [this is all of us] dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (B4)
· “’God is Love.’…farther we cannot go.” (S1)
· “…all that really exists is in and of God, and manifests His Love” (S4)
· “The depth, breadth, height, might, majesty, and glory of infinite Love fill all space. That is enough!” (S5)

The first section also emphasizes Love casting out fear, repeating the idea in both the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear.” (B4; S3) The ever-presence of the Divine Shepherd means that there is no place where fear can exist. Omnipresent Love makes fear faded, evaporated annulled and removed.

Section 2: The Shepherd meets every need

The second section explains that divine Love, the Shepherd, meets every need. In the Bible, we read that we can be “abundantly satisfied,” “drink of the river of [Love’s] pleasures.” [B5] And we learn from Jesus’ parable of the ravens and the lilies that it is our “Father’s good pleasure to give [us] the kingdom.” (B7, S10, PS#2) And we can “pray to [our] Father which is in secret; and [our] Father which seeth in secret shall reward [us] openly.” (B8) The Shepherd is the all-knowing Father, who takes care of our every need.

We can trust our Shepherd to keep us abundantly satisfied and ensuring we drink from the river of Love’s pleasures. (B5) In the correlating citations from Science and Health, we read that Love supplies all good. (S6, S7, S8, S9, S10) This idea is stated succinctly in the familiar sentence, “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” (S9) Put into a sheep-Shepherd context, this idea corresponds directly with another familiar verse, “[Divine Love] is our Shepherd, I shall not want". (S29)

Love supplies every need. Love provides. Love is a super Shepherd.

Section 3: The Shepherd unites

The third section highlights the power of the Shepherd to unite us. Unity and brotherly love are not Pollyanna concepts. Unity is the rightful state of the children of Love. Unity is the opposite of polarity, the pulling apart by opposite forces or contradictory tendencies. Unity binds together from a singular force. The word “politics” relates to polarity, with the generally accepted belief that multiple political forces threaten to wreak disunity. But, what if we see global and national politics under one unifying umbrella of Love? There are not multiple forces. There is one Force creating, governing, and comforting all. Picture the whole world’s population as a giant flock governed by one Shepherd, uniting us all as “brethren” in “the whole family of man”. (S13)

Section 3 opens with a rhetorical question about unity, asking “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?” (B9) This question is, of course, answered positively in the remainder of the section. For example, Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan to inspires us with a renewed appreciation for brotherly kindness and unity. Jesus strategically uses a Samaritan in the parable as the one who shows kindness and compassion because Samaritans weren’t known for their kindness. Thus Jesus shows that it is possible for each and every one of us to be compassionate… even when it’s difficult. (B12, PS#3) And, to show that brotherly love and unity are more than mere suggestions, the book of James states, “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.” (B13)

The citations in Science and Health further elucidate the concept of unity, describing the universality of Love’s power—“Universal Love is the divine way in Christian Science.” (S11) We are reminded again of the need to "love our neighbor as ourself," and the fact that one God, one Force, one Father, one Mind governs us all. (S12).

Here is an excellent treatment to political strife of all kinds, it is a prayer that binds the flock together: “With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science.” (S13)

We sheep can be grateful for the power of the “dear Father’s loving-kindness,” to guide the “rich in spirit” to “help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father.” (S15, S14) In other words, as good sheep, we can follow the Shepherd in unity as a perfect flock.

Section 4: The Shepherd casts out fear

The previous sections showed that Divine Love—the Shepherd—is ever present, meets every need, and unifies. The fourth section highlights the Shepherd's power to cast out fear. The opening citation in this section is “fear thou not.” (B14) But how can we overcome fear when an issue seems overwhelming or when life seems scary? The answer is that we can’t. We cannot overcome fear on our own. Divine Love alone removes fear. It is the power of Love that fades, evaporates, alleviates, and removes fear. Sheep are not responsible for comforting themselves; the Shepherd calms and removes fear.

Healing happens when fear is removed. When Jairus came to Jesus to ask for healing, Jesus’ first words were “Fear not.” Later, when Jesus went into the room where the daughter was, he told everyone “Weep not; she is not dead, but sleeps.” Those who were in the room with Jesus laughed at him and Jesus “put them all out.” (B16, PS#4) His action—to “put them all out”—is symbolic of our need to evict, to get rid of thoughts and influences that make us afraid. It was Jesus’ clear understanding of Christ—the awareness of Love’s presence—that enabled him to stay calm and fear-free as he witnessed Jairus’ daughter’s healing. Christ, not a person, removed the fear. Likewise, we can reject fearful thoughts and turn toward Christ—our awareness of Love’s presence—to witness the power of Love to fade, evict, alleviate, and remove fear, thus healing the sick, sinning and dying.

It wasn’t a magical, mystical, or miraculous touch from Jesus that healed Jairus’ daughter, but rather it was Divine Love’s authority to remove the fear of death, the fear of a start and stop to life. Jesus so understood Divine Love’s authority that he was able to bring it to bear consistently. In Mary Baker Eddy’s words, “Divine Truth, Life, and Love gave Jesus authority over sin, sickness, and death. His mission was to reveal the Science of celestial being, to prove what God is and what He does for man.” (S17)

Jesus’ example of acknowledging the Shepherd's power to cast out fear is the same as we learn to practice in Christian Science. Getting rid of fear is our starting point for healing:

· “Christian scientific practice begins with Christ's keynote of harmony, ‘Be not afraid!’” (S18)
· “Always begin your treatment by allaying the fear of patients. Silently reassure them as to their exemption from disease and danger. Watch the result of this simple rule of Christian Science, and you will find that it alleviates the symptoms of every disease. If you succeed in wholly removing the fear, your patient is healed.” (S19)

Again, it is not our human power or mental sophistication that removes fear. Divine Love alone removes fear. To “allay the fear of patients,” is to acknowledge the power of Love to cast out fear. We can realize the presence of Christ—our awareness of the presence of Love, and witness the Law that “The power of Christian Science and divine Love is omnipotent.” (S20)

As we pray, we may sometimes seem to become lost in mental arguments. But, in these moments, we can remember to turn back (repent) to the simple truth that Love is present, all around. Our Shepherd is ever-present. Divine Love, not human reasoning, is the real power behind healing. Our awareness of Love’s presence, the Shepherd’s presence, is what heals. Christ = our awareness of Love’s presence. So every time we witness healing, we are acknowledging Christ, just as Jairus did. It is not human reasoning, but turning to Christ, the awareness of Love’s presence, which heals.

Mary Baker Eddy states, "If the Scientist reaches his patient through divine Love, the healing work will be accomplished at one visit, and the disease will vanish into its native nothingness like dew before the morning sunshine.” (S22) So, how do we best love a patient? We best love a patient as we, “Mentally insist that harmony is the fact, and that sickness is a temporal dream. Realize the presence of health and the fact of harmonious being, until the body corresponds with the normal conditions of health and harmony.” (S20)

We can know that as we acknowledge that “harmony is the fact” because of the ever-presence of Christ-Love, we will witness healing, the casting out of fear.

Human reasoning may help us become more open to acknowledging Christ-Love’s presence, but it is not human reasoning that heals. Healing comes from our acknowledgment of and trust in the infinite ever-presence of Divine Love that casts out fear. We can trust our Shepherd to cast out fear.

Section 5: The Shepherd governs and leads the way

So far, we have seen how the Shepherd is omnipresent, meets our every need, unites us, and casts out fear. And now, this section shows us that the Divine Shepherd governs absolutely. “Love is enthroned.” (S27) We only have one Law and one Lawmaker governing our good flock, which includes all of Love’s ideas. Love’s unifying governance, like a shepherd’s governance of a flock, helps us during a time in which people may seem particularly alarmed by politics. We are not divided, but brought together under one infinite and good Shepherd. The Divine Shepherd is the only government. There always has been, is now, and always will be one good omnipotent Shepherd, governing and guiding and protecting us all.

As an example of Divine Law superseding limited/material law, this section includes the story of Jesus walking on water. Following the limited laws of gravity and the way water works, Jesus should have fallen through the water, but instead he walked right over it. His understanding of Divine Law enabled him to defy the limitations of physical law. And, in the most loving of gestures, he demonstrated for his disciples that Divine Law governs them too. Peter, following Jesus’ example, began to walk out onto the water but was quickly overcome by the "boisterous wind"—the suggestive thoughts that Love was not in control. But Peter was still safe. “Immediately," without delay, Christ Jesus caught Peter and reminded him that he needed to trust and have faith. Isn’t it interesting that Peter was never in danger? He was never for a moment outside of the care of Christ-Love. Jesus immediately caught Peter even though Jesus would have needed to move quickly over some distance to reach his disciple, thus demonstrating another Divine law—the ever-presence of Love’s care. (B18, PS#5)

While physical law would limit our capacity, “With God all things are possible.” (B19) Jesus demonstrated the truth that all things are possible to God. He overcame physical laws because “He knew that the divine Principle, Love, creates and governs all that is real.” (S23)

Instead of focusing on the moment when Peter loses his footing, we can acknowledge Christ’s immediate presence to catch him and keep him upright. Peter—the rock—did not sink. (haha—this is supposed to be funny) Peter was always safe, never in danger. Likewise, as we take steps forward, we need not fear. It’s never us doing the heavy lifting. It’s always Christ—our awareness of Love’s ever presence—that is our government and protection and our life raft.

We, like Peter, can walk in the footsteps of Truth and Love and follow the example of our Master. We needn’t fear falling into metaphorical water because, even if we did, Christ—the presence of Divine Love—is “immediately” present to catch us. Christ’s reassurance of constant comfort gives us confidence to tread on forces. In Mary Baker Eddy’s words, “We walk in the footsteps of Truth and Love by following the example of our Master in the understanding of divine metaphysics.” (S24) With this Christly confidence, “No hypothesis as to the existence of another power should interpose a doubt to hinder the demonstration of Christian Science.” (S25) There’s no room for doubt. The Christ-confidence that holds us up and catches us, is the hand that “holds human thought in line with unselfed love,” and thus “receives directly the divine power.” (S24) This Christ-confidence is what the Shepherd gives to us Sheep.

In the chapter on Teaching Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy explains that we should follow the example of the Master-Teacher, Christ Jesus, as we’re helping others learn about Christ’s comfort. She advises those sharing the Science of the Christ with others to, like Jesus, “Let your loving care and counsel support all their feeble footsteps, until your students tread firmly in the straight and narrow way.” (S27) We can trust that those who are learning about the way of Love will be comforted and governed by Love. And, as we listen to our Shepherd and follow the way of Love, others will see our example, just as Peter saw Jesus’ example and felt the Christ comfort when he needed it. But we are not the Shepherd governing the thought of others. We are each in the flock of the one good Shepherd. Love governs all of our progress because, “Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way.” (S27)

This section reminds me of the hymn, “Feed my sheep”: (Hymn 304)

Shepherd, show me how to go

O’er the hillside steep,

How to gather, how to sow,—

How to feed Thy sheep;

I will listen for Thy voice,

Lest my footsteps stray;

I will follow and rejoice

All the rugged way.

We can follow the Shepherd “all the rugged way,” because we know that the Shepherd is ever-present to catch us, and comfort us when we need it.

Section 6: Divine Love is our Shepherd

This lesson explains how Love’s power is like the power of a perfect shepherd—ever-present, meeting every need, uniting, governing, and leading us each step of the way. Section 6 concludes these ideas with the reminder to “be not afraid.” (B20) We are comforted by the truth that “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” (B20)

When we read that God/Love is “like a shepherd,” we can expand that to mean that God/Love is ever-present, meets every need, unites, governs and leads us each step of the way.

After reading this lesson detailing the ways in which Love is our Shepherd, it is not surprising that our finale is the 23rd Psalm. I find it helpful to see that the qualities of the good Shepherd described so well in this Bible Lesson are also described in this Psalm, which has comforted millions of people over thousands of years:

[DIVINE LOVE] is my shepherd; I shall not want.

[LOVE] maketh me to lie down in green pastures: [LOVE] leadeth me beside the still waters.

[LOVE] restoreth my soul [spiritual sense]: [LOVE] leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for [LOVE] is with me; [LOVE'S] rod and [LOVE'S] staff they comfort me.

[LOVE] prepareth a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: [LOVE] anointeth my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] of [LOVE] for ever. (S29)


[Warren’s (W’s) PS#1: Focusing on gratitude for God’s love heals cancer as told in a CS Sentinel article quoting “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” Ps. 118:17 (RR):
“As I kept my thoughts centered on God’s love for me, I had the sensation of a veil gently touching my face. Suddenly I felt light and buoyant. I was aware of a profound love, God’s love. Time seemed not to exist. I don’t know if it was half a second or five minutes that went by, but as the veil moved across my face, I went from excruciating fear to the most pristine and palpable love I have ever known. I knew then, without doubt, that I could say with the Psalmist, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” At that moment I understood that God is wholly good and gives us peace, not suffering; health, not sickness; abundance, not scarcity; and love, not fear. Tears of gratitude flowed. Every bit of me felt liberated. I felt like dancing on tabletops! I thought: “Thank you, dear God! I feel cleansed and purified. It was never my job to be a perfect mortal. It was always to be the clear and pure transparency of Your love.” For the rest of this healing see: http://sentinel.christianscience.com/issues/2013/11/115-47/gratitude-and-the-healing-of-cancer?s=f

[W’s PS#2: Cobbey Crisler’s and Jesus’ insights on Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:24-33 that lines up with Luke 12: 22-31 (B7):
(Matt. 6:25 & Luke 12:22-23). Now Jesus is going to show us how to control our thinking better than we have been able to thus far. This is the first of several verses which begin ‘Take no thought’ or utilizing that concept.
“Let’s determine just what thought-taking is. Does it mean to be thoughtless? Thought-taking is the way Jesus is using this in context. It’s anxiety, it’s care, its concern. Alright, let’s ask ourselves how we do in this test.
‘Take no thought for your life, what you are going to eat, drink, or wear.’ How much time do we give in any day to those three objectives, eating, drinking, wearing? Then Jesus said, ‘Do you know what? It’s not the menu that counts so much as your life which is bigger than what you’re eating, and your body, or identity, much bigger than what you wear.’
(Matt. 6:26 & Luke 12:24), 'Look at the fowls of the air; they don't sow or reap, but your heavenly Father feedeth them.' I'd like to say that that thought-taking also can run to the taking of photographs because I'm convinced there was something more than a human hand in one of the photographs. Gordon Converse and I were traveling in a little yellow Volkswagen down by the Sea of Galilee. I saw a field of wheat blowing in the wind, just beautiful. I said to him, "Hey. there's our Biblical verse, ''the wind bloweth where it listest' (John 3:8). Let's go get that wheat."
That was a human plan, as we found out very shortly. Because we got down there and Gordon opened the window of our little Volkswagen and rolled it down. Got his camera ready. Right in front of the camera came forty to fifty birds. And there they are, feeding right off the wheat.
You would have to stand there a century to get that picture. And here it was a couple of feet in front of us. If you study those birds carefully, you will see that some have the wheat in their mouths already, some have some are just landing. He froze those birds’ positions with his camera. I looked at Gordon thunderstruck because I said, 'I'm sorry, we'd better change the Bible verse, we've just been handed another one.' That is, 'Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.' …
(Matt. 6:28 or Luke 12:27). Or, 'What you're wearing, why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.' They're disappearing from the Holy Land rapidly with all this building, but you can still see some of them…. all red anemones behind the snow-covered 10,000 foot peak of Mount Hermon is absolutely magnificent. There's no difficulty at all when you're visiting the Holy Land in the Spring to love your anemone. They're simply magnificent. Matt. 6:29 or Luke 12:27). You can understand really why it says, 'That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.'
(Matt. 6:33 or Luke 12:31). And then Jesus gives the priority equation, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." In other words, is what we eat, drink or wear of no significance? They are natural and normal on earth. He's not wiping them all out as if it were a branch of some ascetic cult. But rather, 'Seek God first and all these things will be added.' Added. The heavenly law of mathematics is priority first and all those that we would normally take thought of would come into our experience naturally. Instead of wasting so much good mental time, taking thought, worrying, and being anxious, we spend that same time seeking the kingdom of God, and all those things come naturally as a result of that."
Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master: A Tax Collector’s Report” by B. Cobbey Crisler

[W’s PS#3: Annette Kreutziger-Herr’s wonderful "Daily Lift", “Overcoming the Compassion Fatigue”, helps us today to heal the tendency to ignore the refuge crisis and “walk by on the other side” like the priest and Levite do in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. (B12) Hear more at http://www.christianscience.com/christian-healing-today/daily-lift/overcoming-compassion-fatigue?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Lift&utm_content=New+wider+template+160307 ]

[W’s PS#4: Cobbey Crisler on Luke 8:41-55 (B16), the raising of Jairus’ daughter
“In this case we have something that might present a problem. Two people that need attention simultaneously. What do you do?… Here’s how Jesus deals with it. He is first summoned by a ruler of the synagogue with a great deal of human priority. Jairus has the rank and he asks first. He’s got a more urgent need. His daughter is on the verge of dying (Luke 8:41). But Jesus can’t even get to the location where this girl is because of the crush of people in the narrow lanes of the Palestinian villages. …All the woman with the issue of blood does is touch the border of his garment. The issue of blood, the continuous hemorrhaging that had occurred for twelve years had kept her out of the temple, kept her out of worship and made her as unclean as the lepers. … Jesus refuses to allow that woman to walk away from the scene thinking that physical contact with his robe had anything to do with the healing. He says, again, “Your faith hath made you whole.” … When he goes to the raising of Jairus’ daughter, we don’t find any reason to bemoan the delay in getting there. Even though the news comes back that the daughter has died in the mean time (Verse 49). That is the human news. Jesus goes right in and clears the environment out (Verse 51). Notice, again, this must be telling us something about what is required in order to heal.

The thought of death is so weighted down with its inevitability and grief that Jesus has to clear it out. Notice how he does so, incisively and brilliantly. He couldn’t clear them out while they were weeping. That was acceptable at a funeral. Jesus would have occupied the villain’s role. So, he simply tells them something that was an absolute fact to him, ”That maid, right there that you see horizontal, no movement, no breath, no pulse, no anything, that little girl, she’s really not dead. That appearance that you see there is like sleep (Verse 52). And I am going to awaken her life.” All the paid mourners who were earning their salary for conducting a funeral service, and everybody else who had witnessed the tragedy associated with this little girl passing away laughed (Verse 53).

Can you clear laughers out of funerals? There is certainly more justification from a social standpoint than with weepers. It also showed how deeply their grief had run. Forgetting every reason why they were there, they turned to laughing him to scorn. He put them all out.

He went to the little girl, “Maid arise” (Verse 54). “Her spirit came again, she arose straightway” (Verse 55). And that beautiful practicality of Jesus,”Give her meat,” give her something to eat (Verse 55). What else would a twelve-year-old girl want anyway? It was also an announcement that everything was quite normal.”
Luke, the Researcher by B. Cobbey Crisler]

[W’s PS#5: Cobbey Crisler’s commentary on Jesus walking on water…
(Matthew 14:24-33), And, right after the famous loaves-and-fishes incident in which everyone is fed,” we have the walking-on-the-sea incident.

(Verse 27). The disciples, not knowing how to cope with that, get told what the palsied man had been told (in Matthew 9:2) “Be of good cheer.” You’ll notice that Jesus says this at times when apparently he senses the great need of encouragement and the defeat of fear in thought. “It is I,” he said, "be not afraid."

(Verse 28). Peter who (as usual) wants part of the action says, "That looks like fun, how about my coming out there and joining you?" Peter, not quite appreciating the consequences of his acts—fortunately for awhile—actually does it! He becomes the second one to walk on water.

(Verse 30). But then he begins to look where he is. "How did I get here?"

(Verse 31). At that point Jesus supports not only his own weight but also the weight of Peter in overcoming gravity, proving it is not a law of limitation for man. Man has dominion over gravity as well.

(Verse 32). Not only over gravity, but you will find that "the minute he gets into the boat, the wind ceases." In other gospel accounts (e.g., John 6:21), "immediately the boat is at the land." (They must have gone through the sound barrier and nobody was wearing helmets.)

So, even the so-called barriers to man's being where he needs to be, from a standpoint of transportation, communication etc., were proven to be no barriers at all in the hands of one who comprehended with his eye single. His relationship to God had, within his infinitude, no such limitations.

(Verse 35). When he lands on the other side, "many come to be healed."

(Verse 36), "Many touch the hem of his garment." Apparently the word had gotten around about that woman (in Matthew 9:20 and Mark 5:25, (B20) from last week’s Lesson and PS#2 above) who had done that, "and many were made perfectly whole." Think of how many unrecorded healings occurred, or at least healings that we have yet to discover a written record about.”
Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master, A Tax-Collector’s Report by B. Cobbey Crisler]

[W’s PS#6: You can buy your own transcripts (and audio CDs) of most of Cobbey Crisler’s 28 talks at a new website:www.crislerlibrary.co.uk Email your order or inquiry to office@crislerlibrary.co.uk, or directly to Janet Crisler, atjanetcrisler7@gmail.com ]


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410 Sovereign Court #8
Ballwin, MO 63011
(636) 394-6162

CAMP OFFICE
(Memorial Day Weekend - October)
19772 Sugar Dr.
Lebanon, MO 65536
(417) 532-6699

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