While Christ Jesus is certainly imparting some difficult words to hear at first, he was doing this after quite a while spent healing and teaching and doing good works. I have known people who — after claiming the name of Christianity, Christian Science, or whatever they think gave them the moral high ground — go straight to the rebukes and indignation, without spending any time healing or teaching or doing good works.

Because Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy actually lived Christian Science, and demonstrated it constantly, when it came time to rebuke, they had not only the authority to speak Truth to error, but also the responsibility to do it. In the same manner, the practitioners in this Church have lived and demonstrated this Science, and they teach or heal or rebuke as directed by God, moment-by-moment.

Those who go straight to the indignation — the ones who actually seem to enjoy giving rebukes — are the ones who turn people off to Christ’s Christianity, because anyone listening can feel the words have no power behind them. And, since the words have no power, the listener mistakenly feels that means Christianity has no power.

Christ Jesus lived and demonstrated and earned every step, so there is no doubt that the words God gave him to say in these verses moved at least some who heard them. There are always receptive hearts listening, even up until today!

And then — something certainly taught in this Church as well — Jesus didn’t leave the situation in the negative. While the pretender’s words have the effect of stealing hope and putting a stone on the heart, Christian Science is the Comforter. He thanked God, reiterated the impersonal nature of his work for the world, and then let others know how to follow him.

These verses reminded me of the following from page 27 in Watches, Prayers, and Arguments, given by Mary Baker Eddy:
We must feel the danger and lift our thought to God; He will save us. If we do not feel the danger, and go right on, as though everything were all right, declaring you are all right, you cannot die, etc., when the seeming is all wrong, you will not be watching with God. When we feel the danger, then we earnestly turn to God.
Keep awake — watch; the right kind of watching.

Thank you so much for this lesson, and for all that is taught in this Church!