Birth
August 8, 2002
Can there be any birth or death for man, the spiritual image and likeness of God?
Jesus' night visit from Nicodemus covers all aspects of birth and rebirth discussed at our meeting. Physical birth is but the symbol of two grander rebirths, one by water, the other by Spirit. The first is common to all who enter the path of spiritual enlightenment and is symbolized by baptism. The second must be wrought by suffering and/or Science.
Nicodemus' later appearances (see John 7:50 and John 19:39) show that he gained some understanding of the two rebirths, as he first promotes Jesus' commonality with collective values and later prepares Jesus' body for burial, in furtherance of the unique demonstration of resurrection and ascension.
Perhaps the most important words spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus are, "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." (John 3:13)
Our readings from Mary Baker Eddy's works show not only the unreality of birth (and death) from the standpoint of Deity and His reflection, man, but also the wrenching work required, once we're ensnared in mortal beliefs, to effect the second rebirth.
One member read the following from the Gospel According To Thomas: "The disciples said to Jesus: tell us how our end will be. Jesus said: Have you then discovered the beginning so that you inquire about the end? For where the beginning is, there shall be the end. Blessed is he who shall stand at the beginning, and he shall know the end and not taste death. Jesus said: Blessed is he who was before he came into being."
This evoked two interesting comments from members.
1) "We're here, we've always been here and we're always going to stay here. By 'here' I mean Heaven. All the appearances of coming and going represent concepts we try out, then reject until presumably we're totally at one with God."
2) "We live in eternity now — and we know it."
One member asked, "Why was Jesus born?" The standard Christian Science answer was offered by another, "Because mortals needed some human teacher to facilitate the huge spiritual leap mankind was about to take." Perhaps any birth — whether person or idea — could be seen in a similar light: never causing anything, but giving evidence of some new/old truth being borne to consciousness.
The Christ Jesus symbol came up for discussion. Why was the eunuch's statement, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God," sufficient to permit his first rebirth through baptism. (See Acts 8: 26-39, which is included in this week's Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson). Members felt the eunuch was showing an inkling at least of the integration of God and man (Mrs. Eddy explores the eunuch's experience in Miscellaneous Writings, pp. 77-78).
Members made brief references to birth control and abortion as perhaps indicating mortal mind's clumsy attempts to demonstrate the unreality of birth. They will not fully succeed until some new method of reproduction is established.
These healings were reported.
1) A newcomer to our meetings described a demonstration of financial stability arrived at through Christian Science treatment and understanding. He set up his business just three days before the terrorist attacks last September. Since he does massage and accupressure treatments, there was great demand for his services during the tense times after the events. Lately however, perhaps because of summer, business has drifted down. Early this week he knew he must address the situation in Science. He picked up Science and Health and opened to this: "God is infinite..." (p. 330:11). He closed the book and reasoned that this being the case, there could be no lack. Business picked up a bit. Then he discovered a way to make his services known to a group of Gay athletes. Business has now skyrocketed.
2) Another member was approached with quite a lucrative offer to MC entertainment at a bar. Despite attempts to feel positive about the job, he just could not whip up any enthusiasm. He turned down the offer, knowing in Science that it was not his right place. Immediately his other businesses and gigs picked up to such an extent that the money foregone has come through from these other sources.
3) Another member told of his success in entering and cruising a leather bar while he was away on vacation. He had long wanted to conquer fear associated with such establishments and their denizens. Once he was through the door, he found it helpful to visualize the various men talking with their mothers! This broke the mesmerism. Later he thought of this statement in Science and Health: "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals." (p. 476:32-2) He reasoned that if Jesus saw the perfect man in the midst of sinning mortal man, he could see the gentle man behind the mask of a leather-clad sadist. There is more to this story and it may be revealed at a future meeting.
4) Another member found herself overwhelmed by work flowing in over the phone and the Internet. She felt a deep need for more time to devote to her Christian Science practice and prayed to realize that man cannot lack anything that promotes living his divine nature. Suddenly both her computer and TV went on the blink. She is now mercifully free to spend much more time in study and prayer and to initiate work on a long-delayed arts project.
As we finished up, a member wanted to go through a few metaphysical steps he's taking to undergird a trip to his hometown where a number of family members are suffering from serious maladies. He has already worked out some spiritual facts concerning prominent counterfeit concepts at issue. For instance, family is "God being familiar with Himself." Genetics are strictly divine and are in essence reflection only. As for age, everyone is the same age — i.e., eternal. Diagnoses must be reordered as "monagnoses or the One knowing Himself as all."
For this next week we'll look at and live in Joy.
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Human birth, growth, maturity, and decay are as the grass springing from the soil with beautiful green blades, afterwards to wither and return to its native nothingness. This mortal seeming is temporal; it never merges into immortal being, but finally disap-pears, and immortal man, spiritual and eternal, is found to be the real man.
The Hebrew bard, swayed by mortal thoughts, thus swept his lyre with saddening strains on human existence: As for man, his days are as grass:
As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;
And the place thereof shall know it no more. When hope rose higher in the human heart, he sang: As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness:
I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness. . . .
For with Thee is the fountain of life;
In Thy light shall we see light.
As a material, theoretical life-basis is found to be a misapprehension of existence, the spiritual and divine Principle of man dawns upon human thought, and leads it to "where the young child was," —even to the birth of a new-old idea, to the spiritual sense of being and of what Life includes. Thus the whole earth will be transformed by Truth on its pinions of light, chasing away the darkness of error.
To attend properly the birth of the new child, or divine idea, you should so detach mortal thought from its material conceptions, that the birth will be natural and safe.
The new birth is not the work of a moment. It begins with moments, and goes on with years; moments of surrender to God, of childlike trust and joyful adoption of good; moments of self-abnegation, self-consecration, heaven-born hope, and spiritual love.
Time may commence, but it cannot complete, the new birth: eternity does this; for progress is the law of infinity. Only through the sore travail of mortal mind shall soul as sense be satisfied, and man awake in His likeness. What a faith-lighted thought is this! that mortals can lay off the "old man," until man is found to be the image of the infinite good that we name God, and the fulness of the stature of man in Christ appears.
A material or human birth is the appearing of a mortal, not the immortal man. This birth is more or less prolonged and painful, according to the timely or untimely circumstances, the normal or abnormal material conditions attending it.
With the spiritual birth, man's primitive, sinless, spiritual existence dawns on human thought,—through the travail of mortal mind, hope deferred, the perishing pleasure and accumulating pains of sense,—by which one loses himself as matter, and gains a truer sense of Spirit and spiritual man.
The prominent laws which forward birth in the divine order of Science, are these: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me;" "Love thy neighbor as thyself." These commands of infinite wisdom, translated into the new tongue, their spiritual meaning, signify: Thou shalt love Spirit only, not its opposite, in every God-quality, even in substance; thou shalt recognize thyself as God's spiritual child only, and the true man and true woman, the all-harmonious "male and female," as of spiritual origin, God's reflection, — thus as children of one common Parent, — wherein and whereby Father, Mother, and child are the divine Principle and divine idea, even the divine "Us" — one in good, and good in One.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.—JOHN i. 12, 13.
When we understand man's true birthright, that he is "born, not . . . of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," we shall understand that man is the offspring of Spirit, and not of the flesh; recognize him through spiritual, and not material laws; and regard him as spiritual, and not material. His sonship, referred to in the text, is his spiritual relation to Deity: it is not, then, a personal gift, but is the order of divine Science.