Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Mark Chapter 7
Metaphysically Interpreting Mark 7:1-23
7:1And there are gathered together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, 7:2and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands. 7:3(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders; 7:4and when they come from the market-place, except they bathe themselves, they eat not; and many other things there are, which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels.) 7:5And the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands? 7:6And he said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
This people honoreth me with their lips,
But their heart is far from me.
7:7But in vain do they worship me,
Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.7:8Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.
7:9And he said unto them, Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition. 7:10For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death: 7:11but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God; 7:12ye no longer suffer him to do aught for his father or his mother; 7:13making void the word of God by your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do.
7:14And he called to him the multitude again, and said unto them, Hear me all of you, and understand:7:15there is nothing from without the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man. 7:16If any man hath ears to hear, let him hear.
7:17And when he was entered into the house from the multitude, his disciples asked of him the parable. 7:18And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever from without goeth into the man, it cannot defile him; 7:19because it goeth not into his heart, but into his belly, and goeth out into the draught? This he said, making all meats clean. 7:20And he said, That which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth the man. 7:21For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 7:22covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness: 7:23all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man.
March 11, 1917: Mark 7:1-13
1. 7:1And there are gathered together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem -- The Pharisees represent that state of consciousness which is concerned with the formalities and customs of the external realm. The scribes represent fixed ideas built up in consciousness through adhering to tradition and superstition.
2. 7:2and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands. -- The disciples of Christ, that is, those thoughts which have been established in the Christ consciousness, become a law unto themselves.
3-4. 7:3(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders; 7:4and when they come from the market-place, except they bathe themselves, they eat not; and many other things there are, which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels.) -- Excessive thought relating to the realm of form leads to narrowness, bondage and enslavement. “The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.”
5. 7:5And the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands? -- The unillumined thoughts in consciousness must look to the Christ Mind for guidance and instruction.
6. 7:6And he said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me. -- Isaiah means salvation and is the freeing principle in mind which foreshadows the coming of the Christ, and discerns the thoughts that are not established in living Substance.
7. 7:7But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. -- The doctrines and precepts of men that have their foundation in personal opinion or traditional custom are profitless. To worship God is to conform to an entirely new principle and teaching. God is Spirit and must be worshiped in spirit and in truth.
8. 7:8Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men. -- The commandments of God embody living, harmonious ideas. The traditions of men are only symbols of the real principles and lack the substance of Spirit.
9. 7:9And he said unto them, Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition. -- “And he said unto them. Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your tradition.” The adverse consciousness in man rejects the Christ, and man in a degree recognizes that this is so. Jesus imparted a life-principle direct to the people through his teaching, and only by keeping his words can the adverse consciousness be overthrown.
10. 7:10For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die the death: - Moses represents that phase of consciousness that is concerned with the moral law. This serves a purpose in disciplining the thoughts, but is only a preparation for the advent of the spiritual law.
11-12. 7:11but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or his mother, That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God; 7:12ye no longer suffer him to do aught for his father or his mother; -- The Pharisaical state of mind casts all responsibility on God, “doing aught” for the creative father-mother principle within, through which spiritual growth is set into activity.
13. 7:13making void the word of God by your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do. -- The Word is the seed through which increase is rendered unto God. When man fails to use the Word, believing the Law will adjust his consciousness, he renders “void the word of God.”
March 18, 1928: Mark 7:1-13
What is the theme of our lesson today? Jesus teaches in this lesson the importance of spiritual understanding rather than the observance of religious rights and ceremonies.
When the Pharisees criticized Jesus and His disciples because they did not wash their hands before eating, what was His reply? Jesus met the criticism by quoting from lsaiah: “This people honoreth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me, But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.”
The meaning of verses eleven, twelve and thirteen is obscure: “But ye say, if a man shall say to his father or his mother. That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God; Ye no longer suffer him to do aught for his father or his mother; Making void the word of God by your tradition, which ye have delivered; and many such like things ye do.” Explain. The Jews were very rigid in their respect for and loyalty to their fathers and mothers, and those having possessions were expected to provide for the needs of their parents. If they did not they were subject to the penalty, even death. To avoid this the Pharisees held that they could claim their possessions under the head of Corban, which means “having consecrated,” or “given to God.” This evasion would excuse them from contributing to the support of their parents.
Are there Pharisees in this day and age? There are Pharisees today, as there were in Jesus’ time, thought we believe that Christian people are awakening to the need of really practical religion as never before. Yet by many the omnipresent God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is overlooked and symbols of Him are worshiped instead. Moses saw God as a flame of fire in the burning bush which was not consumed, and Jacob realized His presence in ascending and descending angelic thoughts. He was the inner flame, the continuous, eternal life principle in which Jesus lived and through which He overcame death.
What is a very significant symbol of the fact that today many Christians depend upon materiality and material aids for healing instead of upon God and spiritual life? It is readily admitted by nearly everyone that God is life and that He is the one and only source of health. Jesus was called the Great Physician, our example and guide, and He imparted the healing power to all His followers with the explicit instruction: “These signs shall accompany them that believe.” Yet the multitude of Christians today use material means for curing their ills, and they pray to God to bless these means. A missionary in the East tells of this incident: She gave bottles of medicine to a group of natives, and went away. When she returned, the chief man told her that they had been greatly helped and now believed in her God. To prove what he said, he led her into their temple, when she saw the empty bottles arranged in order on a shelf: and immediately the whole company of natives prostrated themselves upon the floor in worship of the bottles as gods.
How should a Christian develop the power of Spirit as taught and demonstrated by Jesus Christ? We should deny that the world of form is the reality of existence, and should daily affirm our oneness with the true Source of being, which is Spirit. “God is Spirit.” We should be diligent in cleansing and adjusting our inner thoughts, desires, and tendencies, that we may always be pure and clean, loving and kind, thoughtful and unselfish. We should keep our faith and our love centered in God, the divine qualities of Being, and worship Him in spirit and in truth.
March 27, 1938: Mark 7:1-13
What do the Pharisees represent in this lesson? They represent the state of consciousness that is concerned with the formalities and customs of the external realm.
Interpret verse 2. The disciples of Christ (the thoughts that have been established in the Christ consciousness) become a law to themselves.
What is the significance of the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees as regards religious observance today? Overemphasis on the literal fulfillment of traditional religious custom diverts the attention from the spiritual meaning underlying all religious observance. “The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.”
What is the meaning of the name Isaiah, and in what way is the reference to him related to the subject of the lesson? Isaiah means salvation, and the name is the freeing principle in mind that foreshadows the coming of the Christ and discerns the thoughts that are to be established in living substance.
Are all the doctrines and precepts of men without value? The doctrines and precepts that have their foundation in personal opinion or traditional custom have no value, but those which are from the Father are beyond price. To worship God is to acknowledge an entirely new principle and teaching. God is worshiped “in spirit and truth.”
How can one distinguish between the commandments of God and the traditions of men? The commandments of God embody living, harmonious ideas. The traditions of men are only symbols of the real principles, lacking the substance of Spirit.
What in man rejects the commandment of God? The adverse consciousness in man rejects the commandment. Jesus imparted a life principle direct to the people through His teaching, and only by keeping His words can the adverse consciousness be overthrown.
How does the formalist make void the word by tradition? The word is the seed through which increase is rendered to God. When the formalist fails to use the word in the belief that divine law will adjust his consciousness, he renders “void the word of God.”
October 23, 1943: Mark 7:6-13
Does the habit of honoring our parents help us gain the right attitude toward God? Yes, it develops humility or the capacity for recognizing love and wisdom in larger measure than we ourselves have yet been able to develop it. Humility must be present in us before we can have faith in God (Divine Mind.)
July 28, 1946: Mark 7:5-8
Is the following of tradition a trustworthy standard? It is untrustworthy because tradition is always at second hand instead of being a direct revelation of Truth by intuitive perception.
What does following the Christ mean? It means denying the lower self, shouldering whatever handicap we may have, and living according to our best understanding of the truth of God.
August 11, 1946: Mark 7:9-13
How do we first comprehend the love of God? Through the love of our parents, whom we have always known and seen, we learn to accept the idea of a God of love who is not seen. By appreciating truly the relation of our parents to us we comprehend the divine nature.
Is God honored or served apart from our duty to our fellow men? No. Our duty to God we discharge best by doing our full duty to others.
How do we worship most sincerely? By seeing God in everyone whom we meet and recognizing the interdependence of all men in Christ.
Metaphysically Interpreting Mark 7:24-30
7:24And from thence he arose, and went away into the borders of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered into a house, and would have no man know it; and he could not be hid. 7:25But straightway a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet. 7:26Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. And she besought him that he would cast forth the demon out of her daughter. 7:27And he said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. 7:28But she answered and saith unto him, Yea, Lord; even the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 7:29And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the demon is gone out of thy daughter. 7:30And she went away unto her house, and found the child laid upon the bed, and the demon gone out.
Sunday, April 5 1914: Mark 7:24-30
Tyre and Sidon represent the outer realm of intellect and form, called the conscious mind. The “house” that Jesus entered is the belief in personal separation and secrecy. In the universal light of Spirit, in which Jesus lives, there is neither personality nor secrecy, hence “he could not be hid.” The Syro-Phoenician woman is the intuitive perception of Truth reflected into the intellect from within the soul. Her daughter is affection, which had a “devil.” This “devil” was evidently family selfishness, fear, etc. This is what we all find in persons of Gentile consciousness, and in the regeneration it must be eliminated.
The request of intuitive perception, that the I Am cleanse the affections and root out family selfishness and its fears, is at first refused. The “children” referred to by Jesus, who should first be filled, are the spiritual ideas. They are to be given the substance of our highest and best thoughts, and we should not go down into sense consciousness, until we have fulfilled the Divine Law in Spirit. This is the logic of the intellect, into which Spiritual Understanding has reflected its light.
But intuition shines forth from the soul, and appeals for a cleansing of the subconscious, “even the dogs under the table,” as well as the conscious mind. In the usual denials and affirmations in an abstract manner, there is more or less of a response in the subconsciousness, but it is often ineffectual in casting out the error thought. The crumbs from the bread, or substance, of our affirmations does drop down under this table below the line of conscious thinking, and its needs are partly met, but not wholly. We should heed the persistent call of the soul and concentrate our I Am thoughts in the very substance of the heart, or soul-center. The heart as well as the head should be set free from sense selfishness and human limitations. When the I Am makes the statement of freedom, based upon the “saying,” or logic of intuition, there is an immediate letting go of personality, the “devil” that binds us to this body house gives up its victim, and our love is universal.
In this lesson, as in several other places in the Scripture, Jesus seemingly limits his mission to the Jewish people. This means that when the I in us finds that it is spiritual, its tendency is to function on the spiritual plane only. It has to be educated up to the point where it takes external conditions in hand and rights them.
You may be trying to ignore or hide some lust or “impure spirit” of your fleshly consciousness. But like Jesus in Tyre, it cannot be done; you “cannot be hid” from your thoughts. Nor can you excuse yourself upon the plea that you must first deal with the spiritual; “Let the children first be filled.” Your consciousness will cry out for relief from the “impure spirit” which has possessed her “little daughter” (thought). She appeals for even the “crumbs” or little words and thoughts that seem too trivial to take into account. “A man shall be held accountable for his lightest word,” said Jesus in another gospel. So these most outer states of consciousness may be purified by simple words of Truth. “And he said unto her, For this saying {word}, go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.”
March 18, 1917: Mark 7:24-30
24. 7:24And from thence he arose, and went away into the borders of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered into a house, and would have no man know it; and he could not be hid. -- Tyre and Sidon symbolize the realm of sensation in man's consciousness. This realm must be consciously entered and spiritualized by the Christ.
25. 7:25But straightway a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet. -- The woman represents the unspiritualized love natural to body consciousness. The daughter, possessed of an unclean spirit, represents sensation which has been demonized by impure thinking.
26. 7:26Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. And she besought him that he would cast forth the demon out of her daughter. -- Love, being in its origin pure, seeks to find through the Christ, its true expression.
27. 7:27And he said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. -- The “children” typify the growing thoughts in consciousness. These thoughts should be given an upward trend, that they may bring forth the spiritualized body.
28. 7:28But she answered and saith unto him, Yea, Lord; even the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. -- The body cries out for cleansing and purification. Life is continually flowing through all creation from the highest to the lowest.
29-30. 7:29And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the demon is gone out of thy daughter. 7:30And she went away unto her house, and found the child laid upon the bed, and the demon gone out. -- Understanding the purity of the one Life Principle permeating the whole man brings cleansing and healing to the sense consciousness.
Metaphysically Interpreting Mark 24:31-37
7:31And again he went out from the borders of Tyre, and came through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis. 7:32And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to lay his hand upon him. 7:33And he took him aside from the multitude privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue; 7:34and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 7:35And his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 7:36And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it. 7:37And they were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well; he maketh even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
April 3, 1904: Mark 7:24-37
Tyre means “strength,” and Sidon “wild.” They refer to that region of man which may be termed body sensation. This realm in its intelligent aspect is designated in Scripture as Greek. It has not been illuminated by Spirit, and is considered too material to be worthy of spiritualization. This is the way nearly all people look upon the body and its sensations. As shown in this lesson they go into it consciously; “he entered into a house,” but they do not want it known, “and would have no man know it;” but we can't get away from our thoughts, “he could not be hid.” The Greek woman represents the unspiritualized love, natural to body. Its daughter is physical sensation, which has been sensualized by impure thought.
Whenever the illuminated I AM centres its attention in a part of the consciousness, there is at once a quickening of intelligence and reaching out for higher things by the thoughts there operating. Every part of the organism is under the control of a set of thoughts that direct and care far that particular function. The nerves are under the control of a man who thinks about nerves; the muscles bones, blood, in fact every department of the man each has its distinct thought centre, which forms a personality. So we are made up of many men and many women, because there is both the musculine and feminine qualities equally distributed, and they all work together in harmony when Divine order is established.
We really use all these different parts of our being, but not understandingly. In our ignorance we dissipate the natural purity and strength of these obedient people who form our soul and body. But when we become illuminated by the Spirit, a reform sets in, and they all reflect the new light that has come to us, especially so when we concentrate our minds upon the centres, or “enter into the house.”
Yet there lingers in the mind that old idea, borrowed from the limited vision of the Jew, that the Spirit does not include the body in its redemptive process. But the body cries out for cleansing and purification. “Even the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.” Good common sense should teach us that life is continuous throughout nature, a continuous stream proceeding from the highest to the lowest. This understanding of the unity and purity of the One Life brings healing to the demonized sense consciousness. “She found the child laid upon the bed and the devil gone out.”
Galilee means to “whirl,” and Decapolis “ten cities.” This refers to a place of great vital activity to which ten of the body centres are closely related. This is the nerve centre at the root of the tongue, which controls the distribution of the nervous energy from the medulla oblongata to the sympathetic nervous system permeating all parts of the organism. This centre responds to the word POWER. When one lets the thought of powerlessness and inability to grapple with conditions control, there is a lack of action at this centre that causes the voice to grow weak; sometimes even the speech has an impediment. The flow of nervous energy to the ears is also cut off and deafness results. The hand represents the activity of the thought of power. So when “they beseech him to lay his hand upon him,” they ask for the thought of power to be laid at this centre, the tongue touched with the Divine thought, and the words “Be opened” spoken to the ears. This is a treatment for fluency of speech and clearer hearing. It should be repeated daily until the quickening is realized.
October 27, 1912: Mark 7:31-37
All physical acts are first performed in the mind. The strongest man in the world, Sandow, said in an interview: “It is in the mind, all a matter of mind. The muscles really have a secondary place. A man with strong concentration of mind will develop quicker in the quality of his muscles than will he who cannot concentrate his mind upon the matter. The whole secret of my system lies in concentration of mind.” This testimony from a man who is a muscular giant, is important because of the emphasis he puts upon the mind as the source of power.
But the mind does not necessarily have to confine its working power to fleshly muscles. A magnet the size of a man's arm will lift as much scrap iron as twenty men, when it is charged with electricity. Metaphysicians find that there is an energy even finer than electricity through which the mind acts; they call it Spirit. When the mind concentrates upon Spirit, there is an inflow of this finer force, and the whole man, spirit, soul, body, is charged like a magnet.
In the lesson today Decapolis means “Ten cities.” In the symbolism of the New Testament a city represents a nerve center. Jesus withdrew his attention from the outer centers (borders), Tyre and Sidon, and concentrated upon the “midst,” Decapolis. These ten centers are of the soul, and when lined up by a developed mind exert great power.
Deafness is usually caused by inability of nerves in carrying sound waves. Back of this is the mind that prevents the natural inflow and outflow of universal life. Continuous thought about self and selfish interests throws the life force to the nerve centers and they become clogged. The blood and serums are congested in the mucous linings, and medical men classify the various conditions that arise as disease. The remedy for such is a quickening of the life flow in the body, and opening of the mind to Truth.
Jesus may have treated the deaf and dumb man just as described in the lesson. He had purified and raised to a high rate of vibration all the elements of his organism. He was like a highly electrified magnet, which could impart its power to other magnets in a state of partial inertia. Energy flowed from his finger tips and his saliva was a quickening, purifying serum. When he had set going the physical machinery of hearing and speech, his next and most important move was to impart the consciousness of Spirit, which he did. “He looked up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Eph-pha-tha, that is, Be opened.”
Jesus is still with us, doing his mighty works. “Lo, I am with you alway.” We must have faith in the spiritual power of our minds, then the way is opened for the healing of our deafness and dumbness. We should all be hearing the voice of the Spirit and speaking the words of Truth. We need this treatment daily until our minds and ears are opened. Enter into the “midst” of your consciousness and quicken the power dormant there. Then throw it out to ears and tongue, saying as you do so, “In the name of Jesus Christ, Be opened.”
January 28, 1917: Mark 7:31-37
What is the first step in spiritual growth? The concentration of the mind upon Spirit is the first step in spiritual growth.
What is the result of this form of concentration? A finer force is liberated into man's consciousness, and he is unified, spirit, soul and body, through this transforming essence of Spirit.
What in consciousness are the “deaf and dumb”? The “deaf” is a state of mind unreceptive (not listening) to the revealing Spirit, and the “dumb” is inactivity in expressing Truth.
How are these states overcome? Through the consciousness of the Christ, the Truth.
April 2, 1933: Mark 7:24-37
What is the metaphysical meaning of “Tyre” and “Sidon”? Tyre means “strength” and Sidon “wild.” Both refer to the realm of sensation in man.
Jesus entered into a house in the borders of Tyre and Sidon. Please explain this passage metaphysically. In individual consciousness Jesus represents the expression of the indwelling Christ, and the house represents the body. The house has not been illuminated by Spirit, and is considered too material to be worthy of spiritualization. This is the way in which nearly all people in the past have looked upon the body and its sensations.
Point out the significance of the Greek woman and her daughter. The Greek woman represents the unspiritualized love that is natural to the body. Her daughter is physical sensation, which has been sensualized by impure thought.
What results when the illumined I AM (or the indwelling Christ) centers its attention in some special organ or function of the body? Whenever such a concentration takes place there is at once a quickening of intelligence and a reaching out for higher things by the consciousness, and the body cries out for cleansing and purification.
What naturally follows? The understanding of the unity and purity of the One Life brings healing to the demonized sense consciousness. The Greek woman “found the child laid upon the bed and the demon gone out.”
At Decapolis Jesus healed the one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. Please explain. “Decapolis” represents a nerve center in the body. When man's mind becomes so self-centered that it prevents the natural inflow and outflow of universal life, the nerves become clogged and congested. Often deafness and stammering result. The remedy for such a condition is a quickening of the life flow in the body and an opening of the mind to Truth.
April 3, 1938: Mark 7:24-37
What do Tyre and Sidon represent in this lesson? They represent the untamed force of the subconscious mind. Tyre means “strength” and Sidon wild. The I AM enters the borders of the subconscious mind to bring order out of this chaos.
What is meant by the statement that Jesus entered into a house desiring His presence to remain unknown, but He could not be hid? As the I AM calls the hidden powers of the subconscious mind into expression, its presence is evident at once.
What does the Greek woman who was a Syro-Phoenician signify? Woman symbolizes the soul, and the Greek (Syro-Phoenician) woman signifies that an intuitive perception of Truth is reflected into the intellect from within the soul.
What is the metaphysical meaning the little daughter who had an unclean spirit? The “daughter” of the soul is affection, but in this case, since the child had an “unclean spirit,” the affection was for the outer things of the “mind of the flesh.”
What thought do we find in verse 27? The “children” are the aspirations of the soul that spring from the religious instinct. These aspirations should be nourished with our true thought, and our power to substantiate thought should be proved first in connection with them rather than in connection with the desires of the sense realm or materiality (the dogs).
Interpret the statement “Even the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.” Thought is the mental as distinguished from material consciousness. It is the normal function of mind, the one and indivisible energy, Divine Mind or God. Material and sense desires originate in the subconsciousness or in thought below the level of the conscious mind. Thus the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
Why does healing follow the recognition of subconscious thought by the soul? To bring thought to the level of consciousness and recognize it for what it is means understanding, and understanding is the cure of all mental disorders and obsessions. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Why was Jesus asked to lay His hands upon the deaf man who had an impediment in his speech? The hand is a symbol of activity or agency. The activity of the I AM (Jesus) brings spiritual power into play, spiritual power is the root of physical health.
How should we regard spiritual healing? We should look upon it as normal, customary, and to be expected, never as a subject for astonished comment or as something strange or almost past belief.
Sunday, March 27, 1949: Mark 7:24-37
What work is to be done in the realm of sense consciousness? The sense consciousness is to be reclaimed and transformed by the Christ, the spiritual nature.
In the text for today how is this work represented? By the entrance of Jesus into the borders of Tyre and Sidon.
What is meant by the names Tyre and Sidon, and what do the cities represent? The name Tyre means “rock,” “strength,” “shelter,” “cutting,” “carving,” and Sidon means “lier-in-wait,” “catching of fish,” “hunter,” “trapper,” “beast of prey,” “fishery.” Tyre and Sidon are symbols of fixed states of thought in the individual. They represent the state of mind that makes no excuse for wrongdoing but when brought to judgment under the law is willing to admit its error and repent.
Why cannot the Christ be hid? Because the influence of the Christ on a person's mind and heart is observable in his changed character and in his less self-centered state of mind. Those who are awake to spiritual values detect them in others even when they are expressed indirectly.
Is it right to refuse help that it is in our power to give? No, we should willingly give whatever help we can to those who need it. However the Christ requires faith in the person who asks for help, and this faith is sometimes stirred and intensified by a person's apparent extremity of need.
Can the Christ power become effectual in us when our doubt is stronger than our faith? No, because the Christ can work only through faith. However a very little faith often achieves surprising results.
What attitude of mind prepares us to receive spiritual help? The attitude of trust, expectation, and humility, an attitude that is natural to a child.
What ten thought centers are indicated in this lesson? Those represented by Decapolis (“ten cities”). These thought centers are able to exert great power when developed in unison.
Why did Jesus use physical means or signs in healing the deaf man who had an impediment in his speech? In order to stimulate the man’s faith.
Why does the Christ not publish His work abroad? Because the Christ influence works silently in the inner man, building the Christ consciousness into character through meditation and prayer. However, these influences are immediately observable to those who are awake to spiritual values.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-25-2014
