Chapter 6: 'Science and Health with Key to The Scriptures' by Mary Baker Eddy

Chapter VI - Science, Theology, Medicine

John the Baptist, and the Messiah

132:1
Jesus returned an affirmative reply, recounting his works

instead of referring to his doctrine, confident that this

exhibition of the divine power to heal would fully an-

swer the question. Hence his reply: "Go and show

John again those things which ye do hear and see: the

blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers

are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up,

and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And

blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." In

other words, he gave his benediction to any one who

should not deny that such effects, coming from divine

Mind, prove the unity of God, – the divine Principle

which brings out all harmony.

Christ rejected

132:14
The Pharisees of old thrust the spiritual idea and the

man who lived it out of their synagogues, and retained

their materialistic beliefs about God. Jesus'

system of healing received no aid nor approval

from other sanitary or religious systems, from doctrines

of physics or of divinity; and it has not yet been gener-

ally accepted. To-day, as of yore, unconscious of the

reappearing of the spiritual idea, blind belief shuts the

door upon it, and condemns the cure of the sick and sin-

ning if it is wrought on any but a material and a doctrinal

theory. Anticipating this rejection of idealism, of the

true idea of God, – this salvation from all error, physi-

cal and mental, – Jesus asked, "When the Son of man

cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

John's misgivings

132:28
Did the doctrines of John the Baptist confer healing

power upon him, or endow him with the truest concep-

tion of the Christ? This righteous preacher

once pointed his disciples to Jesus as "the

Lamb of God;" yet afterwards he seriously questioned