7. John 9
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
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16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles?
29 We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
It became very clear today that Christ Jesus wasn’t concerned about assigning blame or condemnation to person, unlike the Pharisees. Nor was he busy compiling a list of who was naughty or nice, as the Sunday schools of my youth made it seem. He was here to free people from the hell of mortal mind, not trying to condemn them there.
Learning to see that difference – which is only possible because of Christian Science – makes me understand why “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1) and also, as Bicknell Young stated in The 1936 Primary Class, page 82, “The nothingness of anything wrong with them in Love, is the only way to handle anything wrong. Not condemnation, but compassion, is what is needed.”
I am grateful for how being a member of this church has given me such a fresh perspective on Christ Jesus. There used to be bumper stickers that said, “What would Jesus do?” How could I know what he might do now, without understanding what he did then, how he did it, and why he did it? Only Science has proven itself to truly show me these things, so I might “Go, and do thou likewise.” (Luke 10:37)
Thank you for these lessons! Such a blessing to be here!