Enjoy CC & other Insights for citations on “Unreality” (the Christian Science Bible Lesson for April 8, 2018)
Monday, April 2nd, 2018
Here are Cobbey Crisler and other insights on some citations for “Unreality"
(the Christian Science Bible Lesson for April 8, 2018)
To download a monologue from Ken Cooper "spoken" by a friend of the man with the withered hand as noted in in W’s PS#8)
go to the online version and click on the file in upper right.]
Warren’s (W’s) PS# 1— Warren’s (W’s) PS# 1—Cobbey Crisler on Ps. 14.1-3 (Responsive Reading-RR)—no virus of unreality within, but all things working together for good
“In Chapter 14, Verse 1, “”The fool,” that’s the kind of point of view it is, completely unwise, The fool that said in his heart, [There is] no God,” a foolish point of view that exposes you to the infection of that idea. It communicates a contaminating influence if it cuts one off from the very source of life and health. Because treatment is available.
In Verse 2 “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, [and] seek God.” Notice what arena we’re dealing with here. God was not checking our pulses, but our thoughts. How do we know what effect thoughts actually have ultimately on the pulse, for example? “To see if there were any that could understand and [seek] God” because that’s the bottom line.
Instead, in Verse 3 “They are all gone aside, and become filthy.” Something that’s unsanitary doesn’t belong; it’s not part of the health code of the Bible any more than it’s the health code of material medica. Because what is unsanitary [like any unreality] is liable to cause or promote a disease. It’s also interesting to note that the word “virus” which is being used so generally today as the cause of much of man’s physical complaints and effects [W:—as well as from any implanted computer virus, hack or issue].
The virus, according to Webster, is able to break down the defensive mechanism of the host. And, by the way, it comes from a Latin word that means poison or slimy liquid, virus. The word “filthy,” in part of its Hebrew meaning, is morally corrupt. So we know we’re dealing really at both levels here, moral and physical. If out of that filthy condition, that polluted state of human consciousness, we’re coming to the conclusion “[there is] none that doeth good, no, not one,” has the defensive mechanism broken down? Have we become the host of ideas that are contaminating to our pure relationship to God, and ingesting those pure Words? It’s a question of thought. It’s the faculty of knowing which God is addressing here.
Consider what Jesus lists in Mark 7, Verse 20, where he lists the toxic causes of man’s problems. He says, “That which comes out of the man, that defies the man.” Now we’re going the opposite route from those pure Words from God.
[Mark 7, Verse 21] “From within,” and, by the way, that is almost the literal translation of the Latin word intestin from which our word “intestine” comes. “Out of the heart of men, proceed,” and look at the list; it’s certainly not intestinal fortitude, “evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, porneia, root of our word pornography, murders.” [Verse 22]. “Thefts,” do we need to go into the headlines as current as this morning? “covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.” [W: fool, as in Psalm 14.1] And Jesus says in Mark 7, Verse 23, “All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” That’s where disease is also felt; the “within.”
[W: Instead of affirming that in God (and in reality) we have everything that we need,] We [often tend to] yearn for so much within, don’t we? How imperfectly that’s often expressed. Our longing often, perhaps most of the time, is expressed in terms that we would conquer the world outwardly in some way. Be appreciated. Be applauded. Be loved. Be served. Be patted on the head. Be comforted. That obeisance is being shown to us. That we have the homage of the world outwardly. We want to conquer the world in some way. That’s trying to impose domination. That kind of longing is imperfectly expressed.
A more perfect sense of longing, the desire that Jesus calls prayer, would be to conquer all the influences of that same world inwardly. [W: “to bring EVERY thought”—NOT EVERY OTHER THOUGHT— “to the obedience of Christ.”(2 Corinthians 10.5)] Then you’re a king. In that sense Jesus was always a king. There’s nothing wrong with that messianic attribution to him of “king.” He ruled and nothing overruled him. But look at all these things that [would attempt to] take over our “within” where the kingdom of God is supposed to be. And instead, we find anarchy most of the time.
What is disease? If the kingdom-of-God-within is the healed, whole state, then anarchy-within must also tell us what disease is. It’s an outright rebellion. It’s a “Declaration of Independence” by one organ over the rest of the bodily systems. The Bible endorses only one system [Romans 8.28] “All things work together for good to them that love God.” There is the prerequisite. We always have to have a prescription filled. We’ve got to love God. Then “all things work together for good.” That’s the ideal situation for any system, bodily or solar, all things working together for good. That’s the definition of perfect health as well.”
“Leaves of the Tree: Prescriptions from Psalms,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#2—Cobbey Crisler on Psalm 73: 26 (RR)
“Psalm chapter 73, Verse 26 refers to heart failure and degenerative diseases. “My flesh and my heart faileth.” But look at immediately what the psalmist knows to do. He feels those symptoms and what does he say? “God [is] the strength of my heart.” See how it handles the terminal nature of heart problems, “and my portion for ever.”
“Leaves of the Tree; Prescriptions from the Psalms” by B. Cobbey Crisler
W’s PS#3—I have heard that in the margin of one of Mary Baker Eddy’s many Bibles she wrote: “Romans 12 is Christian Science”
W’s PS#4—Here’s a CedarS application activity that we hope to be able to fund and build before summer in Bible Lands Park to bring to life Paul’s advice in Philippians 3.13 and in Science & Health citation S8: “When we learn that error is not real, we shall be ready for progress, “forgetting those things that are behind.”
Hundreds of campers and staff have fun, hands-on memories of doing CedarS’ spiritual growth, “Tire Traversal” activity in the 1980s and ‘90s. With two side-by-side sets of 19 tires suspended on aircraft cables between big trees on opposite sides of a cove of Crown Lake, we challenged campers to race a friend (or themselves) using Paul’s one piece of advice to be perfect. To get from to their destination on the far side of the cove side they needed to swing freely from the tire they were on and eagerly release it as they reached out for the next one— symbolically dropping the past and seizing the now in line with Paul’s Philippians 3:13 tip on how to be perfect. However, one winter a visiting beaver community chewed through these trees and used them to make a home! We have forgotten that loss in favor of reaching out to gain a better dream. We plan to build (on beaver-proof power poles) two side-by-side Tire Traversals in our Bible Lands Park near Philippi as an active element in a new hands-on tour of Paul’s journeys. These new Tire Traversals would span our Mediterranean Sea just east of Kayak Cove. Estimates look to accomplish it for $7,000 (or less with some donated services & materials). A new “Giving Tree” option is open (at https://www.cedarscamps.org/giving/tree/ near the bottom) for angels wanting to help us love this dream into view! (An unselfish use for some tax refund funds? You can also call us for more info or to donate at 636-394-6162!)
W’s PS#5—Cobbey Crisler on Matt. 4.17 (B14) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
“Verse 17. After Matthew prophesies [in verses 15 and 16 from Isaiah 9:1, 2) of the coming of the Messiah], Jesus’ opening word, according to Matthew’s gospel is “Repent.” Change your concept. Again, just as John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:2, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That is radical good news for mankind.
It’s not a far-off event. Many denominations have left the impression that heaven is something attainable in the far-off future. But, the opening words of John the Baptist, as well as of Jesus, are “the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” right here. That means that we must be able to do something with it and about it. And, apparently that had something to do with the changing of our concept, even theologically, that heaven can do something about the problems that that seem to be at hand.”
Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master, by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#6—Cobbey on Matt. 13.2, 3, 24+ (B15)—outdoor amphitheater to hear parables
“Chapter 13 begins eight parables…
Verse 1 starts out where Jesus is preaching on the side of the Sea of Galilee…
[Verse 2, “He went into a ship and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.”]
First of all, when you’re standing in a ship without a public address system, can you be heard? This is one of the things that I questioned, and received grants from two foundations to explore… We took an acoustical expert to Israel from… an acoustical firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts… We had a hundred pounds of equipment. We tested every area where it said in both Old and New Testaments a single individual addressed hundreds, if not thousands of people without the aid of public address systems. We came back with very definite evidence that there seemed to be acoustical phenomena at these places which permitted such sound to carry. Of course, none of the gospels tell you where it is exactly.
But outside of Capernaum there is this little cove, and in the middle I stood holding seven red balloons. I had to pop one balloon at a time while my acoustical-colleague was on the slope of this natural amphitheater measuring it with his electronic instrument…
Interestingly enough, we measured how many people could have been in that area. Five to seven thousand people could have stood or sat there and seen and heard anyone in the vicinity of the rock where I was standing. My suggestion is that these four parables, where Matthew records as having been said here, have an unusual emphasis on the acoustical element.
Listening and being receptive…
Parable number one…Verse 3. Here is the great parable of the sower. What is it all about, but listening?…
…count up the number of times ears or hearing, or anything acoustical, is mentioned there, as well as the visual. Because it was an audio-visual environment. Right there in that very spot today you can see the sower parable come to life. You will see the tares and wheat right there. The thorns. The stones. The rock. The fowls that come and eat the seed. We’ve seen them all right there at that spot.
What a classroom it must have been, for a Master to teach his prime students in, and those who would listen! They could look around to see the lessons. [W: like at CedarS Bible Lands Park] They could hear every word he said. But then he tried to uplift that vision up and uplift that sense of listening to a higher spiritual category.
Parable number two is the tares and the wheat beginning in Verse 24. When I had our high school students over there, we actually experimented with details of the parable where the tares are very difficult to pull up. They bring the wheat right up with them because the wheat has a softer root, and this fits in exactly with the details of the parable as Jesus gave it.”…
Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master, by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#7—Cobbey Crisler on Acts 10.38 (B19) (+verses 34-44)
“Acts 10, verse 34, begins a lecture or sermon to the first group of Gentiles. And the opening statement that Peter makes is one that could be well considered by every denomination of Christianity today… Here Peter expressed his new view of God, that God is no respecter of persons, that God speaks to receptivity….
Then he begins to explain to Cornelius and the friends and acquaintances of Cornelius, the history of early Christianity. “The beginning of Christianity is traced from Galilee after John’s baptism, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth.” … Of course that word “anointed” immediately identifies Jesus as the Messiah. This is a point that Peter is obviously going to get across to this Gentile audience that would need some instruction in this. (See below, paraphrased)
Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
And you find in Acts 10, verse 43, he does that by stating that “all the prophets had given witness to the Messiah, namely Jesus.”…
As soon as Peter gets into this “Walked to Emmaus” approach, in other words the comprehension of Jesus’ role in the earlier scripture, we find in Acts 10, verse 44 that “the Holy Ghost falls on all the listeners.” …
It wasn’t Peter’s idea that this should happen; it’s at the Holy Ghost’s initiative. This is disturbing to some of those that came with Peter: Jewish Christians.
And we will find it becomes even more disturbing to other elements in the church later on, for this is a departure. The question underlying this event is “Should the church be parochial or universal?” Is it simply a sect of Judaism or an outcome of Judaism, or is it the fulfillment of God’s will as expressed in prophecy with its ultimate mission to embrace universal humanity?”
“After the Master What? – The Book of Acts” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#8a—Cobbey Crisler,“What Mark Recorded”—on withered hand healed Mark 3:1-5 (B20)
“In Mark 3, Verse 1, we have a renewed definition for church where another healing occurs in the church context, namely, ‘the man that had the withered hand.’… According to an earlier, largely lost gospel called the Gospel of Hebrews, we find this man saying to Jesus, “I was a mason seeking a livelihood with my hands. I pray thee, Jesus, to restore me my health that I may not beg meanly for my food.’ According to Luke 6:6, it was his right hand. As a mason, you could not really pursue your craft. If that is an authentic recollection, it just adds a little more enrichment to our comprehension of the story. Again, it’s the Sabbath and we find that prayer is a church activity. It would be hard to find someone that would disagree with that no matter what denomination one belongs to. Healing would have to take place, because prayer is no idle exercise without results. Healing follows prayer…
Verse 3. Jesus stops the order of service again. He says to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand forth.’ Would that electrify most congregational worship today? ‘Stand forth.’ Everything stops. The priority is here.
Verse 4. Then he asks the question, ‘Is it lawful,’ is it a church rule, ‘to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil?’ Notice his definition of ‘doing-good’ here. He must not remain on the surface. Doing-good for Jesus would be what? Healing the man. Doing-evil would be what? Not healing the man. He regarded not-healing as evil. The normality of the spiritual function of healing is underscored here…
Verse 5. Then he says, ‘Stretch forth thine hand.’ Why didn’t he go and stretch it forth for him? Again, the consistency of having dominion. Dominion doesn’t exercise you, does it? You exercise it… ‘Stretch forth thine hand and it was restored whole.’”
“What Mark Recorded,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
W’s PS#8b—A recent application idea: Cobbey Crisler’s comment from “What Mark Recorded” (above) on this healing in Mark 3:1-5 is that “This stone mason no doubt could earn a living again by using his hands.” This reminds me of the wonderful 2011 correlative healing shared by Kerry Jenkins, CS in last week’s CedarS Met. Kerry describes (as marked by ** in Sections 2-5) the steps in this undisputable, Christian Science healing of her workman husband, Doug Jenkins. He was crushed under a huge, falling tree, but thanks to the healing power of Christian Science was very quickly back on the job, expressing dominion over every “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2.17)
I first heard this testimony in our church, and it made quite an impact on the whole congregation to see the full restoration through prayer alone of this dear man sitting with his wonderful wife and precious, young family. I felt much of what Ken Cooper describes in the attached soliloquy that he sent this week. He says: “It’s a two-page monologue "by" the best friend of the man with the withered hand. This is clearly inventive, but nonetheless I hope still worthy. We sometimes forget what we have witnessed! And how important does that make our Testimony meetings….”]
PS#8c—Cobbey Crisler on Mark 3.1-5 (B20): dominion method works from “Heal the Sick”
“Chapter 3 of Mark, Verse 1, the man with the withered hand. It's on the sabbath day again. Jesus hadn't checked his calendar. Here it is in the middle of a service, the man with the withered hand. [Verse 2:] they're watching Jesus, almost like they hope he will break the sabbath rule, so they could accuse him of something.
Notice how he takes this early church-service-to-be. [Verse 3:] "He says," right in the middle of the service, in the middle of the synagogue, "to the man with the withered hand, Stand forth."
So, he's going to make an issue out of it. Then, he turns to those around. Notice, again, this is not an immediate healing. He deals with the environment. [Verse 4:] "He says, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil?" How about that being the basic law for what we do and where? If it's good, it's according to the law. If it's evil, it isn't, regardless of what man has legislated to the contrary. "They didn't answer him."
[Verse 5:] It says, "he looked round about on them with anger." Only Mark used those things with reference to Jesus. And "being grieved for the hardness of their hearts," the blindness of what? Of ecclesiasticism. "He says to the man, Stretch forth thine hand." Did he go up to that man and say, [Speaker made sound of physically straightening out the man's hand] Did he do it himself, "Let me help you," even though it was bent perpendicularly to his arm probably?
He says to that man to do what? "You do it." Notice what his support of that man's ability to do resulted in. Suppose Jesus had gone up and done that to him, performed a surgical operation, in a sense, on that man's arm? It would have been depending on person and not God. [Live recording voice: not clear] That's right. Look at the great impersonal freedom, plus the dignity of the man in participating in his own healing. Is it dominion if someone else does it for you? It's not your dominion. It's someone else's. Jesus told him to stretch forth his hand, the very thing he thought he couldn't do. He does, "restored whole as the other."
We're just sitting here as neophytes in the twentieth century reading the account of a method which worked. If we are laboratory scientists at all, or oriented in that direction in our century, which we certainly should be in our technological age, the least we should do is to be willing to study the method and see if it works.”
“’Heal the Sick’: A Scriptural Record,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
**You can buy your own transcripts [IN FULL!!] to most of Cobbey’s 28 inspiring Bible talks at a new website: www.crislerlibrary.co.uk Please email your order or inquiry to Janet Crisler at office@crislerlibrary.co.uk
