Luke 7:37-39 The Pharisee … spake, saying, … This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
Science & Health 592, 593, 476:32
PHARISEE. Corporeal and sensuous belief; self-righteousness; vanity; hypocrisy.
PROPHET. A spiritual seer; disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth.
The Pharisee’s definition of a prophet was the ability to detect sin. But Jesus could detect perfection. Mrs. Eddy said, “Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals.”
Luke’s passage cause me to turn the question on myself to see what I could learn from it, and say to myself, “IF I were a prophet, I would…”
And then I went through an intense self-examination in everything I was doing, from the little to the large things…
“If I were a prophet… I would not ram through this yellow light right now. If I listened to Mind, I would anticipate the yellow light, and lovingly surrender the light to those it legally belongs to.
I would be praying and knowing that crime in myself and others is held in check/destroyed/nothing-ized… Am I doing that? How effectively, fervently, knowingly am I being a prophet? I would be in service/reflection. I would be visionary, and foresee and forestall events for man kind’s sake. I would be brave to speak God’s Word in season to the weary. How well am I doing? Well, the works are God’s. In His time, in His season.
My soul groaned so hard when I faced that question, I had to remind myself (My 165:21), “I am able to impart truth, health and happiness, and this is the rock of my salvation and my reason for existing.” And finally, I claimed for myself Bicknell Young’s statement, “Whatever idea of being it is, it is Mind saying, “Here I AM.” And I am content to let God be BEING.