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“No Curse. No Cap”
Metaphysical Application Ideas for The Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“Adam and Fallen Man“
October 30 to November 5, 2023
by Christie C. Hanzlik, C.S., Boulder, CO
ccern@mac.com • 720-331-9356 • christiecs.com
INTRODUCTION: GOLDEN TEXT AND RESPONSIVE READING
This week’s Bible Lesson on “Adam and Fallen Man,” as I am understanding it, offers insights to answer the question, “How do we overcome the belief that we’re not good enough or that the world is un-heal-able?” In my experience, this question is one for which we each need to seek answers. We are not cursed. The world is not cursed. And this week’s Bible Lesson helps us gain more certainty in this truth.
The Golden Text, or main idea, of the Lesson is from the book of Job. In simple terms, the allegory in Job explores whether Job can continue to trust in the goodness of God even when his life falls apart and seems utterly cursed. Though he wrestles with this question throughout the early parts of the book, ultimately Job seeks and finds answers and trusts in the goodness of God. The book concludes with Job fully restored–and more–and at peace with his faith in Good. In the first part of the Golden Text we find Job’s young friend Elihu, who seems to act as Job’s conscience, reminding Job of God’s justice and power by saying, ,” . . . God speaks once, yea twice, yet man perceives it not…” Elihu is reminding Job that God has already made His goodness clear. And then, the second part of the Golden Text comes from God’s words to Job, in which God reminds him of infinite goodness and the allegorical (supposed) curse on Job is reversed. God says, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? . . . When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 33: 14; 38: 4, 7).
In the allegorical story of Job, the supposed curse is reversed. In truth, there is never actually a curse. This is the meaning of the title of this Met, “No Curse. No Cap.” “No cap” is slang that means, essentially, “I’m not lying.”
Note that the Bible Lens published by the Christian Science Publishing Society, is especially helpful in understanding the biblical context of this week’s lesson. You can find it at https://sentinel.christianscience.com/issues/2023/10/125-44/adam-and-fallen-man
As I see it, the Golden Text is reminding us that when we find ourselves wrestling with the question ““How do we overcome the belief that we’re not good enough or that the world is un-heal-able?,” we can turn to listen to God and hear an answer of comfort and assurance.
The Responsive Reading continues the theme of the good of God’s unfolding creation with passages from Genesis 1. Note that I use the phrase “unfolding creation,” because to God–divine Mind–all of creation has always been known, is beginningless, and has always been complete, and yet from our point of view–that is ever-expanding–we are witnessing the unfoldment of the fullness of creation. It is crucial that we don’t see creation as a start point. There never was a moment in which the universe was void, with no goodness or substance, and then *poof* God started something. No. Divine Mind knows and always has known the fullness and completeness of creation. And we are here to witness it as its goodness unfolds to us. Genesis 1 is a description of how we became aware of Mind’s always-and-already creation.
In Genesis 1, we find that throughout the unfoldment of earth, light, water, dry land, grass, herb yielding seed, fruit tree yielding fruit, moving creatures, fowl, cattle, beast, and man–male and female–God continually saw creation as good. The Responsive Reading states over and over–and God saw that it was good.” Hearing repeatedly that creation is good helps us understand that God said it once, twice, three times and so forth.
In the Responsive Reading we read that
God saw the light, that it was good:
and God saw [the dry land] that it was good.
Over and over…
…and God saw that it was good.
…and God saw that it was good.
…and God saw that it was good.
…And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:1-31).
God has spoken, once, twice, three times, four times…and more. Let’s listen.
SECTION 1: SEEING BEYOND THE PUZZLING REFLECTION
Section 1 opens with Paul’s words, ”Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely” (citation B1, 1 Corinthians 13: 12, NLT).
As I understand it, Paul is explaining how an incomplete and partial view of creation makes us see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror. In other words, as we grow in our spiritual discernment and vision, we are able to see the truth of reality more and more clearly.
It wouldn’t make sense to look through a distorted and fragmented mirror and then ask, “why is everything so messed up?” And yet that’s what we’re doing when we start from the premise of a limited and “mortal” view of reality, and ask why things are distorted and fragmented, and why are we not good enough and why is the world un-heal-able? Paul is reminding us to trust in the knowledge of a complete and whole view of Truth even when it seems puzzling at first.
In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy’s chapter on “Genesis” offers a line-by-line spiritual interpretation to help us discover the full meaning of Genesis. For example, for the verse, “Genesis I. 1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” she writes, “The infinite has no beginning. This word beginning is employed to signify the only, — that is, the eternal verity and unity of God and man, including the universe. The creative Principle — Life, Truth, and Love — is God. The universe reflects God. There is but one creator and one creation. This creation consists of the unfolding of spiritual ideas and their identities, which are embraced in the infinite Mind and forever reflected. These ideas range from the infinitesimal to infinity, and the highest ideas are the sons and daughters of God.” (cit. S1, 502:22–5)
Note Mary Baker Eddy’s explanation of beginninglessness–”the infinite has no beginning.” In other words, creation has no beginning, but rather has always been known. It has always been complete. It is both complete and unfolding to us infinitely. As an example of this, consider that every principle of mathematics already exists right now. And yet mathematicians still discover more and more about mathematics each day. So even though the principles already exist, they have not yet been discovered. Likewise, the perfection of the universe already exists, but we are still discovering it step by step. Prayer enables us to make these discoveries of Good. Prayer enables us to see beyond the puzzling reflections of mortality.
Note that Mary Baker Eddy describes creation as the “unfolding of the spiritual ideas and their identities.” As mentioned earlier, creation is continually unfolding. We can only see it in part–like Paul explains–and yet as we learn to see with spiritual discernment, we can see more and more and more good. As an example of this, think about the billions of stars in the universe, and yet there will always be one more star to discover. We will never ever know all of the stars in the universe. They are all known by divine Mind, and yet, for us, there will always be more and more and more and more stars to discover. In this way, the unfoldment of creation is eternal and infinite…never ending. Creation is beginningless. And unfoldment is endless.
When we start from the premise of Genesis 1–that the unfoldment of creation is very good–and reason out from there, we will find ourselves capable of discerning the truth of reality in which “Divine Mind is the only cause or Principle of existence.” As Mary Baker Eddy explains, “To begin rightly is to end rightly” (cit. S3, 262: 9-10. 27-28, 30-31)
SECTION 2: AN ALLEGORICAL RIDDLE
Now that the Bible Lesson has established the foundation of creation as good and only good, it introduces the “riddle” of evil and foreign powers (cit. B3, Ezekiel 17:2). The “riddle” of evil is often explained with the allegory of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2. In Genesis 1, God creates the universe including man and it is very good. In Genesis 2, a mist descends and Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, which is–in allegory at least–the origin of evil.
But there are holes in the story. For one, there is no such thing as a talking serpent. For another, God–all-knowing Mind–has to ask, “Where art thou?” (cit. B4, Genesis 2:6, 7, 21, 22; cit. B5, Genesis 3:9–13, 16, 17), This version of God as anthropomorphic and not all-knowing is a clear indication of the ludicrousness of the story. It is not history. It is an allegory.
Unlike Genesis 1, which offers a poetic description of the unfoldment of creation, Genesis 2 & 3 offer an allegorical tale to describe the so-called origin of evil. The Genesis 2 & 3 account is, like Paul described, “like puzzling reflections in a mirror,” and does not add up. These two chapters in Genesis are remarkably different. As Mary Baker Eddy explains, “there are clear evidences of two distinct documents in the early part of the book of Genesis” (cit. S5, 523:14–17).
In Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy includes word play with the name “Adam,” which makes the allegory even more like a riddle. She explains that the word Adam can be broken into two words “a” and “dam,” like an obstruction. She explains, “Here a dam is not a mere play upon words; it stands for obstruction, error, even the supposed separation of man from God, and the obstacle which the serpent, sin, would impose between man and his creator” (cit. S8, 338:12–15, 21–25).
So, now we have the allegorical explanation of the beginning of evil, of badness and division in the world. But, as Mary Baker Eddy explains, this explanation is really about a “dam” or obstruction or error which seems to keep us from seeing the true nature of reality. The myth of “a-dam” seems to create puzzling reflections in a mirror, which makes us feel separate from God, Good and unclear about the goodness of reality.
SECTION 3: CHRIST–TRUTH FREES US FROM THE RIDDLE
Section 3 explains that just as the first man, A-dam, seems to cloud our thoughts about reality, that Christ Jesus frees us from the trappings of evil. As we read in first Corinthians, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (cit. B6, I Corinthians 15: 47) And then in Romans we read, “Because one person [A-dam] disobeyed God, many became sinners [who believed they were separate from God/Good]. But because one other person [Christ Jesus] obeyed God, many will be made righteous.” And further, “So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (cit. B7, Romans 5: 19, 21).
Christ Jesus’ clear vision of reality frees us from the obstruction and error of A-dam and enables us to begin to perceive the full view of Good. God spoke of infinite goodness once in Genesis 1, and again through Christ Jesus…are we now ready to perceive it? Are we ready to look beyond the A-dam myth, see beyond the obstruction and error of a mortal view that makes the universe seem like puzzling reflections in a mirror? We can see beyond these “poor thought models.”
As Mary Baker Eddy explains, “In divine Science, man is the true image of God. The divine nature was best expressed in Christ Jesus, who threw upon mortals the truer reflection of God and lifted their lives higher than their poor thought-models would allow, — thoughts which presented man as fallen, sick, sinning, and dying” (cit. S10, 259: 6-11)
SECTION 4: ALL ARE WORTHY OF LOVE
The fourth section highlights Christ Jesus’ pure love for all and shows how he overturned all preconceived notions of who is worthy of love. As we read in this section, Christ Jesus was eating at Matthew’s house and “many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with him and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this, and they asked, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus replied, “It is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick.” In other words, Jesus was willing to share a meal with those who needed him most. And then he shares the parable of the prodigal son. In this parable, the younger son asks for his inheritance early and then leaves home, squanders his inheritance with a wild life, and then–destitute and desperate and working in the lowliest of low jobs–decides to go home where at least he can eat remnants of what is leftover in the fields. When he goes home, he finds his father (God) longing for him to return, and welcoming him home with a hug and a feast (cit. B9, Matthew 9:10-13).
Put into the context of this week’s Lesson, we all seem to find ourselves, at one moment or another, feeling utterly unworthy and alone and without value. This feeling is terrible. It feels like we’re cursed. Nothing is going right. But it is a myth just as surely as Genesis 2 is a myth. And we don’t need to riddle through a myth; we only need to dispel it. The myth is not true. It is only a puzzling reflection in a mirror of mortality. As we awaken to the truth of reality–witness the unfoldment of Good–we will each discover our perfection, wholeness, and worthiness.
In the parable, the Father was always ready to welcome the son. The son wasn’t able to see that he was welcome home because he was looking with a limited and distorted – “puzzling reflection.” But his Father’s embrace was always there for him. All along we are worthy of our dear Father’s tender love. But it would seem that the A-dam myth and the “puzzling reflections” of mortality seem to put up obstructions to this Truth.
We cannot lose our true likeness even if we temporarily seem to be looking through a puzzling reflection. Our true likeness is true…unmistakably good. We are perfect–perfectly at one with divine Mind, our creator that has always known us and known us good. As Mary Baker Eddy states, “The true likeness cannot be lost in divine reflection” (cit. S11, 259: 15).
It is Christ–our awareness of divine Love–that clarifies our view. It is Christ that breaks through the A-dam obstruction of the mortal misconception of self. “Divine Love corrects and governs man.” Divine Love overturns all sin, belief of separation from God/Good. The more we hold on to sin, the belief of separation from God/Good, the more we self-inflict suffering and the pain that seems to come from the falsity of unworthiness. But divine Love overturns sin, the belief of separation from God/Good.
We are all already created and created “very good.” This is the truth of our being and is incontrovertible. We all must discover our goodness, which is already true, just as we are discovering the truth of creation, which is always unfolding to us. We do this through a constant turning away from the “puzzling reflection” and turning toward the truth of Good. As Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Through repentance, spiritual baptism, and regeneration, mortals put off their material beliefs and false individuality. It is only a question of time when ‘they shall all know Me [God], from the least of them unto the greatest” (cit. S14, 242:1–5).
SECTION 5: NO CURSE
The fifth section includes the story of the woman with the issue of blood who touched the hem of Christ Jesus garment. He, of course, felt her touch and said, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole” (cit. B15, Matthew 9:20–22).
The woman was whole all along–before, during and after her encounter with Christ Jesus. She had not been able to see it, but her faith enabled her to accept Christ Jesus’ view of her. It was as if she believed she was incomplete. She had been looking at herself as if through a puzzling reflection, and so all she could see was a woman of sin, separate from God/Good. But Christ Jesus was able to see her wholly. He was able to see the truth of her being, and knew she was already complete, perfect, whole and worthy. He did not make it true. It already was true. His conscious awareness of this divine fact brought her into awareness of it. And the purity of his love for her–seeing her true being–broke through the A-dam curse on woman.
Mary Baker Eddy explains that we can all break free of this false curse. She writes, “When the mist of mortal mind evaporates, the curse will be removed which says to woman, ‘In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children.’ Divine Science rolls back the clouds of error with the light of Truth, and lifts the curtain on man as never born and as never dying, but as coexistent with his creator. (cit. S18, 557: 16).
We are all capable of breaking free of the myth of mortality, seeing through the puzzling reflection of the A-dam lie, and awakening to the truth that we are whole, just as Christ Jesus awakened the woman in the crowd to the truth of her wholeness. Mary Baker Eddy gives us clear instructions for doing this. She instructs us to “Rise in the conscious strength of the spirit of Truth to overthrow the plea of mortal mind, alias matter, arrayed against the supremacy of Spirit. Blot out the images of mortal thought and its beliefs in sickness and sin. Then, when thou art delivered to the judgment of Truth, Christ, the judge will say, ‘Thou art whole!’ (cit. S21, 390: 32).
When we think of overturning the myth of mortality, we don’t need to take it on like it is a heavy burden. It is not us that is doing the heavy lifting. Truth does the work to overturn the myth. The truth of reality overturns the lie of the puzzling reflection. It is the Science of the Christ–the Knowledge of our oneness with divine Love–that does all the work. As Mary Baker Eddy explains, “Christian Science brings to the body the sunlight of Truth, which invigorates and purifies. Christian Science acts as an alterative, neutralizing error with Truth. It changes the secretions, expels humors, dissolves tumors, relaxes rigid muscles, restores carious bones to soundness. The effect of this Science is to stir the human mind to a change of base, on which it may yield to the harmony of the divine Mind” (cit. S20, 162: 4).
SECTION 6: THE LORD WILL ANSWER MY PRAYER
The sixth section reminds us once again that we are not fallen. There is no curse. We heard over and over in the responsive reading that God saw creation and it was good. You and I are not an exception to this goodness. As we pray, we can turn to God/Good wholeheartedly and lay ourselves open to divine Love’s blessing.
I love the combination of citations in this section because they give us the permission to call out to God when we’re struggling. Sometimes it seems like we feel that we have to be holding it all together before we pray. Here’s a funny way to look at it. Sometimes women will fix their hair up right before they go in to get a haircut. Likewise, some of us may feel like we have to already have our thoughts in order before we reach out to God, divine Mind. But what I’m getting from the citations in this section is that it’s OK to say, “Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until you restore me?”
And of course, we also get the assurance that God/Good will answer. As the Psalmist says, “The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer”. (cit. B16, Psalm 6: 2. 3. 9 NLT)
The sixth section includes the account in Science and Health of Mary Baker Eddy healing Mr. Clark in Lynn, who appeared to be dying from infection. Mr. Lynn definitely didn’t seem to have his thoughts in order, and his bones sure seemed to be vexed, in agony. From the account, we don’t know much about whether he was praying or not. And yet, God did hear his plea.
When I’ve read this account in Science and Health, I’ve sometimes wondered why Mary Baker Eddy didn’t include a longer description of what she was thinking, or the line of argument she used in this particular case. But as I’m reading it now, it seems absolutely right that she doesn’t include a lengthy description. Each of us has the inspiration and love to meet the needs of the moment. It is not brain-power or a certain argument that heals the sick, but rather the power of Christ-Truth breaking the A-dam curse and dispelling the myth of mortality.
Note that in Science and Health, immediately before this story about Mr. Clark, is the line, “Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power” (SH p. 192:30).
Perhaps this story illustrates what is possible when we hold human thought in line with unselfed love.
As we are focused on unselfed love, we receive directly the divine power to overturn the curse on man and see through the puzzling reflections of mortal pain and sorrow. We can all do this because it is not mental brain-power, but the truth of reality that overturns the a-dam of obstruction and error. As Mary Baker Eddy writes, “The Christian Scientist, understanding scientifically that all is Mind, commences with mental causation, the truth of being, to destroy the error. This corrective is an alterative, reaching to every part of the human system. According to Scripture, it searches ‘the joints and marrow,’ and it restores the harmony of man” (cit. S27, 423: 8, 18-24).
SECTION 7: YOUR LIGHT IS COME
Over and over in this week’s Bible Lesson we have seen ways to overturn the belief in evil–the puzzling reflections of mortality. We are each being called–“Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee” (cit. B20, Isaiah 60:1).
We can listen to the words in Ephesians that speak to each one of us, saying, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” (cit. B21, Ephesians 4: 22-24).
We can let go of the myth of mortality, the a-dam obstruction and error that seems to interrupt perfection and make us feel sin–the false belief that we are separate from God, Good–and open our eyes to see the complete and unfolding view of creation.
As Mary Baker Eddy writes, “To be immortal, we must forsake the mortal sense of things, turn from the lie of false belief to Truth, and gather the facts of being from the divine Mind.” In other words, we must forsake the puzzling reflections.
We are already whole, just as the woman in the crowd. We are already worthy, just like Mr. Clark. And we are already and always welcomed home to our Father’s house, just like the publicans and tax collectors and the prodigal son. As Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Man and woman as coexistent and eternal with God forever reflect, in glorified quality, the infinite Father-Mother God” (cit. S31, 516: 21).
The first cache of GEMs of BIBLE-BASED application ideas (from Cobbey Crisler & others) will be emailed early in the week and the second cache will be emailed later in the week. You can always check for GEM contributions in progress before then at CedarS INSPIRATION website, whether or not you’ve SUBSCRIBED here for this free, inspirational offering.
Also later in the week, look for Ken Cooper’s
”POETIC POSTLUDE”
contributions related to this Bible Lesson.
THANKS to all you PRECIOUS DONORS for ALL of your ONGOING SUPPORT!
Every camper & visitor will be blessed by your GENEROSITY, VISION & LOVE!
ANOTHER MATCH WAS MET and its project operationally completed before camp! Thanks to several generous donors to our special A/V Appeal we were able to finish building a CHAPEL A.V. BOOTH that will protect not only new, donated equipment, but also all our hymnals for worship services and for CedarS Sunday Hymn Sings.
If you haven’t lately checked out the GIVING TREE, there are still plenty of other smaller areas of need to fill yet this year! Campers & staff will also be blessed bigtime by the donations made to additional areas of camp, including our horse program, activity equipment, camperships, and Christian Science nursing and practitioner services.
We’re deeply grateful for EVERY GIFT of love & support,
The CedarS Team
P.S. For more about ways to keep CedarS operations ever more green and flourishing and/or to make a PLANNED GIFT, A REQUIRED IRA DISTRIBUTION or an ENDOWMENT GIFT (that will all be MATCHED), feel free anytime to call or text me (Warren Huff, Executive Director Emeritus and Project Manager) at 314-378-2574. I can put you in touch with our Financial Advisor/broker who donates all fees for stock transfers and freely shares tailored, tax-advantaged giving approaches.
