Enjoy Cobbey Crisler Insights on select citations on “Soul and Body” (the Christian Science Bible Lesson for May 27, 2018)
Monday, May 21st, 2018
Here are Cobbey Crisler insights on some citations for
“Soul and Body"
(the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson for May 27, 2018)
Warren’s (W’s) PS#1—Cobbey Crisler on Matthew 6.22 (GT) AND Luke 11.34, 35 (B8):
“(Verse 22). Should we be surprised when it says, ‘The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single’? Haven’t we been prepared for that in Jesus’ theology up to now?
“Single, not double vision, duality. Commitment to something other than one God, dividing our sight between what is corrupt and what is pure. Because “if our eye is single,” here’s an equation again. You can make that into an equation. “if thine eye be single”, how does the body respond? Your body is whole. Your body’s single too. Not fragmented.
(Verse 23) But, ‘if your eye is evil,’ see the parallelism? His definition of evil is what? The opposite of single. ‘If your eye is single,’ he says, on one hand, on the other hand, he says, ‘if your eye is evil.’ So evil is something other than single. He is showing that it’s the devil’s outlook, ‘diabolos’ in Greek, the attempt to put dualism on the throne, or have a divided throne.
Isn’t that why in the Book of Revelation (4:2), one of the greatest revelations vouchsafed to John as a seer, was the fact he saw a throne in heaven and one sat on the throne. Just that single vision, according to Jesus, would result in instantaneous healing in our bodies, to see the throne in heaven and only one on it. No one, or no thing, or no thought other than what comes from God can have ascendancy or sovereignty, then, in our being, because ‘our body is full of light’ from the one that sits on the throne. (Matthew 6:22)
There’s something about divine logic that always coincides with divine revelation. The divine logic that Jesus is showing here was coincident with the revelation that John got.”
“Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master: A Tax Collector’s Report,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#2—Cobbey Crisler on Job 23:13 (B2):
“In Job 23:13 we find two revelations from God to Job about God’s nature. Because there’s only one way that you and I can ever find out anything out about God who is the only one who knows who God is, God [Himself/Herself]. God must do the revealing and here Job has two concepts revealed to him about God. And you know we don’t get anything unless we’re ready for it. Job is ready. He needs this, doesn’t he?… Why does Job need to know God as “one [mind], and as soul”?
What’s been his problem? One problem is identity. He said (in Job 9:21, 22) even “[if I said] I am perfect… Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul:” Here if soul is identified with God, where does one find one’s identity? The, whatever he was thinking about as his soul, if he had it, would have to image forth the One Soul. How many souls are there? If you relate the word “soul” to God, there is no other possible alternative than for a monotheist to see one, with whatever is revealed to us about God. That may be tough logic, but if soul is related to God, as a synonym, then there can only be One. So, to seek his identity in that oneness-of-God will tell him more about himself.
What about one mind? Why did he need to know that?[Voice: Because it was God?”] That’s right. And he’d been having a dialogue with many minds, hadn’t he? Nothing but just One Mind as opposed to many, polytheistic gods, or many minds, many opinions… Just think of that beautiful revelation that comes as a solution to all that.”
“The Book of Job: A Mental Court Case” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#3—Isaiah 60.1:(B4): "Arise, shine; for thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee." Note that this verse is embroidered in Hebrews and English on the prayer shawl from Israel that is worn by rope-sandaled prophet guides in CedarS Bible Lands Park . You can see or Download a picture of the sandals and the prayer shawl (with its Ten Commandment fringes) in the upper right corner of the online version of this newletter at http://www.cedarscamps.org/metaphysical/articles/2018/5/enjoy-cc-mbe-library-insights-on-select-citations-on-soul-and-body-the-christian-science-bible-lesson-for-may-27-2018/
W’s PS#4—Cobbey Crisler on Luke 1, Verses 46-47 (B5):
“Mary begins in Verse 46 what the Latin Church refers to as the “Magnificat.” Let’s study some of those words. Mary said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord.” That word “soul” in the Hebrew is very close to our word “identity.” In this case we find that Mary is discussing her being as if it were a lens for God, a magnifying lens. What a beautiful way to describe identity. Would that we ourselves could look through our identity, and every time we did, we only saw the magnification of God and all the qualities associated with the divine nature, increasing more and more as the lens magnifies…”
“Luke the Researcher,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#5—Cobbey Crisler on Isaiah 42.1
“Chapter 42:1, in a prophesy of a servant who should come, the “elect of God” who would have “the Spirit of God upon him.” You will notice in Verse 7 what the assignment of this servant would be, “To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, [and] them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.”
Isn’t it interesting that the prophet Isaiah foresees this prophesied individual in the terms of “a servant” when the Greek word most often in the New Testament for healing has the classical Greek meaning of “to serve.” You remember how Jesus defined his ministry in those terms, “I came not to be ministered unto but to minister” [Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45]. Healing is serving by definition in Greek. Serving whom? God and man.”
“Heal the Sick”: A Scriptural Record,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#6—Cobbey Crisler on Acts 9:1-20 (B11, B13)—Paul’s conversion & healing via Ananias
“Acts, Chapter 9, introduces us to a prominent character in the history of Christianity. Although we have referred to him earlier, through his persecutions of the early Christians. But here we find that “Saul, breathing out threatenings and slaughter,” and you can appreciate that the Elizabethan terminology here hides some of the impact of some of the real meaning. (Acts 9:1 paraphrased) … Saul had received authority from the temple to persecute Christians – to find wherever they were, all the way to Damarcus and bring them back bound to Jerusalem.
Notice in Acts 9, verse 2, the earliest form of reference to Christianity is “of this way.” If he found any “of this way,” literally in Greek, “of the way.” And this is the first descriptive title for Christianity.
“Saul is quite equal in his treatment of men and women. He brings both bound into Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:2, paraphrased) …
But, “on his way, near Damascus, something happens to Saul. He has a vision, and a great light shines about him.” (Acts 9:3, paraphrased) … Chapter 9, is the first version, by Luke, the author of the book of Acts of Saul’s’ experience on the road. It’s told in the third person; however, later in the Book of Acts, we have in the 22nd Chapter and in the 26th Chapter, Paul, himself, in defending his record and his career, refers to this extraordinary experience on the road to Damascus…
Now, let’s focus on the incident as recorded in Acts, Chapter 9, noticing that the vision that is vouchsafed Paul is to an unbeliever. And it’s occurring outside Palestine, almost as if to emphasize the universality of the Christian mission, taking it already outside of Jerusalem.
The light that falls upon Saul may be as much a light within as without. Whatever it was, it leaves him blind, almost as if by contrast to what he has known before in his life.
“A voice is heard saying to Paul, ‘Why persecutest thou me?’” (Acts 9:4, paraphrased) …The question is then, “Who art thou, Lord?” … The answer, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” …Now, there is a significant point because Jesus is certainly not present physically. He had long since disappeared in the ascension. … And yet, this voice to Paul certainly implies that a persecution of the church is equivalent to persecution of its founder, as if the message and messenger are inseparable. The voice of Jesus continues, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” (Acts 9:5, paraphrased) … What basically do you think Jesus is telling Paul here? Who is it hurting when Paul is persecuting the church? It’s hurting him, isn’t it? Paul himself.
Well, “trembling and astonished, his response is ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’” And his instructions are “to go into the city, and it will be told him what he must do.” (Acts 9:6, paraphrased) …
When “Saul rises from the earth, he is blind, and they must lead him into Damascus.” (Acts 22:8, paraphrased) … Saul has plenty of time to think about what has hit him. “For three days he cannot see, and during that long period, he doesn’t eat or drink.” (Acts 22:9, paraphrased)
At this point, “a vision occurs to a disciple named Ananias, who is located at Damascus.” (Acts 9:10, paraphrased)
“Ananias is told to go and meet Saul and to heal him.” (Acts 9:11-12, paraphrased) … Now if you were Ananias, you’d think that you would be extremely eager to meet the one who had a warrant to arrest anyone who named the name of Christ and had the authority to take them back to Jerusalem.
Well, Ananias was no more eager than we would have been. In Acts 9, verse13, you can see that “he actually records what they knew in Damascus already about Saul’s reputation, how much evil he had done to the saints at Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:13, paraphrased) “And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. (Acts 9:14)
But the message to Ananias gives us what Saul’s appointed mission will now be. “He is a chosen vessel.” Chosen to do what? Alright, (he is chosen) “to bear my name before the Gentiles.” (Acts 9:15, paraphrased)
We have seen Philip bring the gospel to the Samaritans, but here Saul is set apart, specifically, as being the one who will carry Christianity around the known globe. And this, as we know, he does, in less than a generation.
When Ananias meets him, speaks with him, in Acts 9, verse 17, “from Saul’s eyes fall scales – his past outlook dropping away completely. And he was seeing things from an entirely new point of view.”… “and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. (Acts 9:17-19, paraphrased)
“It is not very long before Saul is actively engaged in preaching “the way.” (Acts 9:20, paraphrased) Notice in Acts 9, verse 20, where we are told “he straightway preached Christ, or the Messiah, in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.” … You can imagine what those who heard him must have thought since they already had been well acquainted with Saul’s reputation earlier. Here was “the key persecutor of Christianity now preaching in the name of Jesus.” (See Acts 9:21, paraphrased)
“After the Master What? – The Book of Acts” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#7—Cobbey Crisler on Acts 14.8-10 (B21): prophesy fulfillment of a leaping lame man
“Acts, Chapter 14 begins with [the prequel of] “the unbelieving Jews” in Acts 14, verse 2, “stirring up the Gentiles.” … And we find now that this is close on the heels of all the success the church makes – a step forward and then a counter step trying to resist and destroy what has been achieved. Church has never been probably such pressure up to this moment since the general persecution in Jerusalem… So, the “stirring up occurs.” Acts 14, verse 4, shows you a “division in the city, an actual assault is made” in Acts 14, verse 5, “to stone them.”
“And they leave the city going to Lystra and Derbe, and to the surrounding region to preach the gospel.” (Acts 14:6, 7) …
In the midst of all this persecution and conflict, “there is a man at Lytra, a cripple, and born that way. He never had walked.”
Acts 14:9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
Now you remember what we said when Jesus looked at someone? “And Peter beheld someone.” … Here it says, “Paul, stedfastly beholding him.” The author means much more that staring at him, doesn’t he? “Stedfastly beholding him, perceiving” – you see it’s an inner sight – “perceiving he had faith to be healed.” (Acts 14:9)
Now, if he hadn’t [perceived that he had faith], the implication is what? They were many that needed healing there, but receptivity – the patient has to be part of it apparently. Just as Jesus did not physically lift people to their feet so much as he said, “Pick up your bed and walk…stretch forth your hand” and so forth here.
Paul, perceiving that he had faith to be healed “Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. (Acts 14:10)
You notice that the first thing this man does also is what? He leaps before he walks. He never had walked, and “the first thing he did was leap.” …
And Isaiah, if you will recall the prophecy, it indicated “the lame man shall leap as an hart.” (Isa 35:6) … It is a fulfillment of prophecy. Therefore, it’s God’s idea, you see, not man’s healing.”
“AFTER THE MASTER, WHAT?” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#8 Download insights in a poem by Ken Cooper by going to the online version and click on the file in upper right of the online version. Of this week’s offering, Ken writes: “Although the transfiguration does not feature in the lesson directly, the shining light in the picture gives such a lovely example of the "revelation-light" (The Passion Translation) that also shone from Moses and Stephen, and gloriously shines in each of us. God has us in His light because we are inseparable as His light, in which is no darkness or duality.”
W’s PS#9 (S26) —Near the middle of a YouTube video of the May 6th Principia Parenting Association inspirational meeting, I (Warren) shared a healing of a cancerous growth 10 years ago that came to me by God's grace and the application of ideas in Science & Health citation S26 (page 162:4) Click the YouTube link below to hear it and several other healings and application ideas from my 40-minute talk on “Live Love Infinitely” (CedarS Metaphysical Theme). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxyV_czaSlI]
**You can buy your own transcripts of most of Cobbey’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, at janetcrisler7@gmail.com ]
