Chapter II - Atonement And Eucharist
Cruel contumely
50:1
"He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
"He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."
"Who shall declare his generation?" Who shall decide
what truth and love are?
A cry of despair
50:5
The last supreme moment of mockery, desertion, tor-
The last supreme moment of mockery, desertion, tor-
ture, added to an overwhelming sense of the magnitude
of his work, wrung from Jesus' lips the awful
cry, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"
This despairing appeal, if made to a human parent, would
impugn the justice and love of a father who could with-
hold a clear token of his presence to sustain and bless so
faithful a son. The appeal of Jesus was made both to
his divine Principle, the God who is Love, and to himself,
Love's pure idea. Had Life, Truth, and Love forsaken
him in his highest demonstration? This was a startling
question. No! They must abide in him and he in them,
or that hour would be shorn of its mighty blessing for the
human race.
Divine Science misunderstood
50:19
If his full recognition of eternal Life had for a mo-
If his full recognition of eternal Life had for a mo-
ment given way before the evidence of the bodily senses,
what would his accusers have said? Even
what they did say, – that Jesus' teachings
were false, and that all evidence of their cor-
rectness was destroyed by his death. But this saying
could not make it so.
The real pillory
50:26
The burden of that hour was terrible beyond human
The burden of that hour was terrible beyond human
conception. The distrust of mortal minds, disbelieving
the purpose of his mission, was a million
times sharper than the thorns which pierced
his flesh. The real cross, which Jesus bore up the hill
of grief, was the world's hatred of Truth and Love. Not
the spear nor the material cross wrung from his faithful
51:1
lips the plaintive cry, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" It
lips the plaintive cry, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" It
was the possible loss of something more important than
human life which moved him, – the possible misappre-
hension of the sublimest influence of his career. This
dread added the drop of gall to his cup.
Life-power indestructible
51:6
Jesus could have withdrawn himself from his enemies.
Jesus could have withdrawn himself from his enemies.
He had power to lay down a human sense of life for his
spiritual identity in the likeness of the divine;
but he allowed men to attempt the destruc-
tion of the mortal body in order that he might furnish
the proof of immortal life. Nothing could kill this Life
of man. Jesus could give his temporal life into his
enemies' hands; but when his earth-mission was accom-
plished, his spiritual life, indestructible and eternal,
was found forever the same. He knew that matter had
no life and that real Life is God; therefore he could no
more be separated from his spiritual Life than God could
be extinguished.
Example for our salvation
51:19
His consummate example was for the salvation of us
His consummate example was for the salvation of us
all, but only through doing the works which he did and
taught others to do. His purpose in healing
was not alone to restore health, but to demon-
strate his divine Principle. He was inspired by God, by
Truth and Love, in all that he said and did. The motives
of his persecutors were pride, envy, cruelty, and vengeance,
inflicted on the physical Jesus, but aimed at the divine Prin-
ciple, Love, which rebuked their sensuality.
51:28
Jesus was unselfish. His spirituality separated him
Jesus was unselfish. His spirituality separated him
from sensuousness, and caused the selfish materialist
to hate him; but it was this spirituality which enabled
Jesus to heal the sick, cast out evil, and raise the
dead.