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. . . the things which are seen
are temporal; but the things
which are not seen are eternal.
—II Corinthians 4:18
Bible Lens
Reality
September 21–27,
2015
Exploring Bible Verses
Reality—September 21–27, 2015
from the Responsive Reading
Matthew 13:13, 14
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because
they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not,
neither do they understand. And in them
is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which
saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not
understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall
not perceive.
The Old Testament uses the ears, eyes, and
heart many times as images for ways to
discern truth. The New Testament embraces
this concept as well.
For centuries the Israelites’ religion depended
on oral tradition for transmission to the next
generation, as did Jesus’ ministry during his
time and for some time after. Therefore, great
emphasis was figuratively placed upon the ear
to represent hearing, understanding, and
obeying God. The Israelites were told many
times over, “Hear, O Israel . . . .”
Today people consider the eye an organ that
lets outside light into the body in order to
understand what is external. But in most
biblical thought, the eye actively transmits
light inwardly, enlightening the whole
individual — thus “the light of the body
is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
thy whole body shall be full of light”
(see Matthew 6:22).
In the verses above, Jesus reiterates these spiritual concepts when he quotes Isaiah 6:9, 10
to explain his use of parables. The people
have physical eyes and ears but do not see
or hear God. So he uses everyday illustrations
to help them understand what is real and
true about God and His creation.
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye
indeed, but understand not; and see ye
indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of
this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and
shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and understand
with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
—Isaiah 6:9, 10
In Acts 28:26, 27, Paul quotes the same verses.
Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing
ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and
seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: for the
heart of this people is waxed gross, and their
ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have
they closed; lest they should see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and understand
with their heart, and should be converted, and
I should heal them.
—Acts 28:26, 27
from Section 1
6 | Psalms 145:13
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and thy dominion endureth throughout
all generations.
The concept of a heavenly kingdom, or the
universe ruled by a divine monarch, derives
from the cultures of ancient oriental monarchies. These peoples imagined their gods had
fought with and defeated other gods and
therefore not only reigned supreme in the
heavens but also cared for the earthly nation
which worshipped them.
The actual phrases “kingdom of God” and
“kingdom of heaven” do not appear in the
Old Testament. However, the idea of God’s
kingdom is widespread throughout the
From the Christian Science Quarterly® Bible Lessons
“. . . a lesson on which the prosperity of Christian Science largely depends.”
—Mary Baker Eddy
Hebrew Scriptures. The many references to
God as “King” or as “reigning” indicate that
God was understood as King not only over
Israel, but over all peoples and all creation.
Israel, in contrast to pagan monarchies,
accepted God’s existence prior to the world
without question or proof. God’s nature was
expressed through His universal acts and
His demands on mankind.
In the New Testament, “kingdom of God”
and “kingdom of heaven” appear well over
one hundred times. Their frequent use in
Matthew, Mark, and Luke shows that this
heavenly kingdom stands at the very center
of Jesus’ message. As Jesus points out in Luke
17:20, 21 (cit. 12), it is not a geographical or
political entity. It is the power of God that
can be understood and experienced on earth.
Watch for good
Did you know?
Because of the way the King James Version
(KJV) of the Bible was translated, many
New Testament citations of Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) verses don’t match
exactly. The authors of the New Testament
wrote in Greek and used the Greek translation (the LXX or Septuagint) of the
Hebrew Bible. The KJV Old Testament
was translated directly from copies of the
original Hebrew.
Sometimes these different groups made
mistakes in, and even personal changes to,
the texts. Scholars who compare the many
hand copies of the different writings can
often tell what was mistaken, added, or
changed. But they cannot always identify
the precise original, as the first copies no
longer exist. Their sources are copies of
copies of copies.
Interest is growing in examining the oldest
Latin manuscripts, since some of those
copies predate some surviving Hebrew
and Greek manuscripts. But every translation involves interpretation and subjective analysis, highlighting the need to rely
on the inspired Word rather than on
literal interpretations of the Bible.
LOOK and LISTEN! Hear and see
All God’s good for you and me.
God will tell it, God will show it.
We, God’s children, all can know it.
By Lesley E. Gort
From the April 17, 1978, issue of
the Christian Science Sentinel
For Further Study: Resources Used in This Issue
RR: Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, InterVarsity; Eerdmans Dictionary of the
Bible, Wm. B. Eerdmans
Cit. 6: The Anchor Bible, Doubleday; The JPS Torah Commentary, Jewish
Publication Society
For more information, go to jsh.christianscience.com/bible-lens.
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A religion of the heart
By DeWitt John
From the October 1982 issue of The Christian Science Journal
C
hristian Science is a religion of the heart.
Its meaning really cannot be grasped
just in the head, as a theory. To understand
it in the heart is to understand it with
love. And to understand it with love is to
grasp its true meaning because it is the
religion of Love. There is no other way to
fathom it. In the words of its Discoverer and
Founder, Mary Baker Eddy, “The vital part,
the heart and soul of Christian Science,
is Love” (Science and Health with Key to
the Scriptures, p. 113).
It was the warmth and radiance of divine
Love, manifested in works as well as words,
that gave Christ Jesus’ mission its transcendent
luminous power. Our Saviour was a living
transparency for divine Love. His marvelous
humanity and compassion brought convincing evidence to sinners and sufferers of the
healing efficacy of Love. His selfless affection
and sacrifice have continued to touch human
hearts throughout the centuries.
He himself said his teachings must be
understood in the heart and with the heart.
Speaking of the stolidity of those around
him, he said, “This people’s heart is waxed
gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and
their eyes they have closed; lest at any time
they should see with their eyes, and hear
with their ears, and should understand with
their heart, and should be converted, and
I should heal them” (emphasis added)
(Matthew 13:15).
The Master’s life-example makes clear
that our efforts to worship God alone as
good, never should lead us to be unappreciative of ourselves or others, for God is Love
including all and appreciating all. We should
never be cold or uncaring toward other
people. If the Christ-spirit of meekness and
affection takes the lead in our hearts, we’ll
never let an “impersonal” lack of concern for
others chill our outlook. On the contrary
we’ll seek to find and appreciate in others,
and in ourselves, the spark of divinity that
bears testimony to our real spiritual identity
in the image of God.
People sometimes speak of Christian
Science as “an intellectual religion”—but in
the ordinary meaning of the phrase this is
a misnomer. True, Christian Science gives
no weight to pomp, ceremony, or ritual, nor
does it depend on charismatic appeal; and it
is a religion of ideas, calling for thinkers and
challenging the beliefs of mankind. But it is
also the pure, practical, healing truth that
Jesus taught and proved. It is the genuine
Science of Christ, described by its inspired
Discoverer, Mrs. Eddy, as “aflame with
divine Love” (Science and Health, p. 367).
There is nothing abstract about the
Christ, Truth. It is evident from the gospel
accounts that the great Teacher, ever attentive to the Father’s guidance and also to the
human need, lovingly and patiently shared
the Christ, Truth, with all who would listen.
Through his works the Word was made flesh
in lives redeemed—men, women, and children profoundly blessed and healed. His
ministry illustrated the coincidence of the
divine with the human: the redeeming
power of divine Love meeting the truehearted human cry for help. As Christ Jesus
made plain, the healing touch of this Love is
felt not only in exalted words and stirring
healings, but also in the inspired humility
and affection that prompted him to say, in
referring to Christian deeds of mercy, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least
of these my brethren, ye have done it unto
me” (Matthew 25:40).
To read the complete article, go to
jsh.christianscience.com/religion-of-the-heart.