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Weekly Bible Study Resources

Bible Characters for Your Weekly Bible Study

Compiled by Lt Gen C. Norman Wood, USAF (Ret), Burke, VA 22015

For week of November 8 - 14, 2010

SUBJECT: MORTALS AND IMMORTALS

McKinstry, Mrs. Roetta B. Page (CS), TESTIMONIES FROM THE FIELD, Christian Science Journal, Vol. 23 (August 1905), p. 313.

One Sunday morning, in getting ready for church…[a] red-hot iron dropped across my wide-open eye and over my cheek. I did not cry out, but for a brief moment the sense of intense pain, coupled with the fear that I had permanently injured my eye, held me breathless. Immediately I began repeating the scientific statement of being, as given in our text-book, Science and Health, page 468….Several times I was tempted to remain at home, but I resolutely went on dressing, all the while getting a clearer sense of the scientific statement of being….Upon reaching the church I decided not to go to the balcony, knowing my friends were there, but went into the main audience room, hoping that strangers would not notice me….I closed my eyes and tried to grasp all I could of the beautiful lesson on "Mortals and Immortals." When the fifth section was reached I suddenly realized that all pain had ceased. I opened my eyes, and could wink without the least irritation. When the service closed I was absolutely free from suffering.

SECTION I: Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah (Gen 5: 22-24)

RELATED SCRIPTURE: II Kings 2: 10,11; Heb 11:5; Jude vv.14,15

TIME LINE AND AUTHOR: Ascribed to Moses, written after the Exodus (@1445 BC), but before Moses’ death (@1405 BC). The events occurred earlier @3300 BC.

“The ‘tombstone lane’ that makes up chapter 5 is briefly interrupted with the life of Enoch. Verse 22 says that Enoch walked with God.” (King James Bible Commentary) “The special notations on Enoch (vv.22-23) are brief, highly isolated, and so not very useful.” (Interpretation Commentary)

“The ages of these antediluvians is problematic….Various suggestions have been offered to explain them, from gematria (assigning numerical values to words) to astronomy (e.g., Enoch’s age 365=days in a year)….At present all that can be said is that they reflect the author’s belief that these people were real yet lived a long time ago.” (Eerdmans Commentary) "The consequences, if any, to be drawn from these facts are not intimated in the text." (Interpreter's One-volume Commentary)

"It is noteworthy that the life of Enoch is the shortest mentioned in this [chapter]." (Dummelow Commentary) "The life of Enoch provides the only break in the chapter from the incessant comment, 'and he died.'" (MacArthur Bible Commentary) Enoch's "bodily translation into heaven was a sign (during the long prediluvian sway of the curse) that, ultimately, reconciliation with God includes victory over death." (King James Bible Commentary)

Babylonian tradition also reports that Enmeduranki, the seventh hero prior to the flood, was taken by God, i.e. translated (2 Kings 2.11).

Enoch

(See Hebrews, below)

Methuselah

[Mi thoo’ suh luh] ('man of the javelin")

"One of the long-lived ancestors before the Flood. In the Sethite genealogy in Genesis 5.21-27, which lists one male for each of the ten generations from Adam to Noah, Methuselah is listed eighth, the son of Enoch and the grandfather of Noah. Methuselah is the longest lived (969 years), but all ten live to remarkably high ages, as do the pre-Flood ancestors of Mesopotamian tradition.

“The name Methuselah is very like Methushael, listed as Lamech’s father and Enoch’s great grandson in the similar genealogy in Genesis 4." (Oxford Guide to People & Places) “The stories of Methushael and Methuselah are very likely a case of one legend diverging into two over the course of the centuries.” (All the People in the Bible)

Methuselah “was an ancestor of Jesus (Luke 3:37).” (Who Was Who in the Bible)

Bell, Leslie C. (CS), "Enoch," POEM, Christian Science Sentinel, Vol. 42 (25 May 1940), p. 769.

God must have been very real to Enoch.

For the timeless solitude

of empty desert and of trackless plain,

and underneath the quiet stars

aglow within the dim sky's magnitude,

or where the wind swept clean again

the sleeping hills and sun-baked rocks,

and also in the bustle of the camp,

amid the stir of mart and din of trade,

in all the flurry of the mingling flocks,

or chatter round the goods displayed,

did Enoch feel the presence of his God—

like wings of glory beating round his head,

like tongues of fire leaping in his heart,

like radiant light about the path he trod.

There, where the world caught discord’s muttered breath,

Enoch could hear the voice of harmony;….

Paine, Gustavus S. (CSB and Acting Associate Editor), "Methuselah and Longevity," EDITORIAL, Christian Science Sentinel, Vol.23 (9 July 1921), p. 837.

--Of Methuselah, the son of Enoch and the grandfather of Noah, the Bible has very little to say.

• The fact which has made him famous is stated in the twenty-seventh verse of the fifth chapter of Genesis where we are informed that "all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years;" but as to what he did during these years we know nothing. His name has stood out amid the host of Scriptural names simply because to him is ascribed the greatest number of years recorded in all the genealogical data of the Bible.

--In one sense, the experience of Enoch, that he “walked with God,” has been of more immortal inspiration to the world than all the years of Methuselah, for true walking with God, divine Principle, is actually spiritual living.

--Human longevity is merely an earthly counterfeit of the true immortality, which is without beginning or end, in Mind and not in matter.

Moody, William E. (CSB, Associate Editor, Editor, 2nd Reader, President, and Contributing Editor; West Tisbury, MA), “Walk with God,” EDITORIAL, Christian Science Sentinel, Vol. 84 (24 May 1982), p. 884.

--Enoch apparently didn’t hold himself at arm’s length from God; nor did he oppose the divine will and direction.

• He didn’t separate himself from the source and sustenance of his true being; and he must not have followed the world’s ramblings nor listened to mortality’s misleadings.

---Instead, as the Bible poetically narrates, Enoch walked with God. And he found his eternal oneness with the Father.

• The “road” for Enoch, then, had been an upward path. He entered the holy place prepared for all of us, because he served God.

---The scriptural account of Enoch’s experience can be seen as vivid testimony to the scientific fact that man, the emanation of divine Love, is never estranged from God.

Read, George H., “Life Eternal,” Christian Science Journal, Vol. 44 (April 1926), p. 6.

--The experiences of Enoch, Elijah, and Jesus should be comforting and encouraging to all who are ready to give more than passing thought to the promise of eternal life.

• By those who are inclined to point to the divine conception of Jesus as his main qualification for the ascension, it must be admitted that Enoch and Elijah were not deprived of their similar demonstrations, despite their more material manner of birth. To those who are delaying their efforts to begin the demonstration of eternal life on the ground that even the good and pure Christ Jesus was not able to complete his demonstration until after he had passed through the experience on the cross at Calvary, the examples of Enoch and Elijah offer another comforting lesson.

---It will be recalled that neither of them was required to go through a belief of bodily destruction before gaining victory over the beliefs of earthly existence.

Enoch translated—a hero of faith (Heb 11: 5)

TIME LINE AND AUTHOR: Although generally ascribed to Paul, the author of Hebrews is unknown. Hebrews was written c. 67-69 AD.

Enoch

[Ē’nek] (“dedication”)

“The original language of the Slavonic Enoch was undoubtedly Greek. This is clear from the explanation of the name Adam given in it, which depends altogether upon the Greek spelling of the name.” (Funk & Wagnalls Bible Dictionary)

Enoch was the first son of Jared (Gen 5:18), father of Methuselah (Gen 5:21,22), "and a 7th-generation descendent of Adam (Jude 14)." (Eerdmans Dictionary) He was a descendent of Seth. His father was 162 years old when he was born. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch "walked with God three hundred years,” when he was translated without tasting death. His whole life on earth was 365 [years]. He is spoken of in the catalogue of Old Testament worthies in the Epistle to the Hebrews. When he was translated, only Adam, so far as recorded, had as yet died a natural death, and Noah was not yet born. Mention is made of Enoch's prophesying only in Jude.

“Traces of the legend are found in Hebrews 11.5, where Enoch has become a hero of faith. The brief reference in Genesis is further elaborated in Jewish Midrashic tradition; his wife’s name was Edni, and he spent hidden years with the angels before he was taken up to heaven.” (Oxford Guide to People & Places)

"A whole circle of apocalyptic literature was ascribed to him in the post-exilic days, which is embodied in the so-called book of Enoch." (Dummelow Commentary) "The acceptance of the book was based on the belief that Enoch, because of his righteousness, was bodily assumed into heaven, and the book was well known to the Jews and early Christians." (All the People in the Bible)

SECTION II: Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus (John 3: 1, 2 [to :], 3-6)

RELATED SCRIPTURE: John 7: 50; 19: 39)

TIME LINE: The Year of Inauguration (Jesus’ 1st year of ministry) in Jerusalem, 27 AD. Written c. 80-90 AD.

Perhaps one of the most appealing aspects of the life of Jesus is that of his personal interviews with different individuals from various strata of society and religious backgrounds. "This scene contrasts Nicodemus' earth-bound understanding with Jesus' wide perspective on God and the Spirit." (Oxford Bible Commentary)

“The ministry at Jerusalem, though disappointing was not fruitless.” (Dummelow Commentary) “Having heard that Jesus knows the motives of the kind of person…who has placed faith in him on the basis of ‘signs,’ the reader is immediately introduced to such a person…Nicodemus. The dialog becomes an illustration of the discussion between those who apparently share the same identity (both are Jewish teachers/leaders) but do not read the ‘signs’ in the same way.” (Eerdmans Commentary)

“The use of the plural pronouns ‘you’ and ‘we’ (3:2, 7b, 11-12), intermingled with the singular ‘you’ and ‘I,” suggests that this dialogue between two individuals represents a conversation between two groups or communities: the Johannine Christians represented by Jesus, and Christians hoping to stay within the synagogue represented by Nicodemus.” (Theological Bible Commentary)

"In these opening verses [1-2], Nicodemus is introduced as a man of the Pharisees and a ruler of the Jews." (King James Bible Commentary)

"While some have thought that Nicodemus' visit at night [v.2] was somehow figurative of the spiritual darkness of his heart (cf. 1:5; 9:4; 11:10; 13:30) or that he decided to come at this time because he could take more time with Jesus and be unhurried in conversation, perhaps the most logical explanation lies in the fact that, as a ruler of the Jews, Nicodemus was afraid of the implications of associating openly in conversation with Jesus." (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

Jesus answered, v.3: “Jesus seems to give an abrupt or even rude response to Nicodemus’ respectful approach, but John’s point is that Jesus is ‘from above,’ that he and Nicodemus belong to two different worlds (see 2:4), and that Nicodemus (and everyone else) must be born from above before they can grasp Jesus’ true identity.” (People’s NT Commentary)

“A teacher himself, Nicodemus understood the rabbinical method of using figurative language to teach spiritual truth. He was merely picking up Jesus’ symbolism [v.4].” (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

Nicodemus

[Nick oh dee’ mus](‘conqueror of the people”)

Nicodemus was "a Pharisee and a 'ruler of the Jews,' mentioned only by John." (Baker Encyclopedia) “He was a devout Jew and a member of the Sanhedrin, the governing body of Judaism. He had a Greek name, but at that time this was very common among Jews, even among the faithful Pharisees.” (All the People of the Bible) He is first noticed as visiting Jesus by night for the purpose of learning more of his doctrines, which Jesus then unfolded to him, giving prominence to the necessity of being “born again.” "Nicodemus' coming at night suggests his timidity and his trek from the darkness of his own sin and ignorance to the light of Jesus (John 3:2)." (Holman Bible Dictionary) "In Nicodemus a noble candor and a simple love of truth shine out in the midst of hesitation and fear of man." (Peloubet's Bible Dictionary)

“Nicodemus was a wealthy, educated, and powerful man—well respected by his people and a descendant of the patriarch Abraham. He was described by Jesus as “the teacher of Israel,” implying he was well trained in Old Testament law and tradition. Jesus told Nicodemus that physical generation was not enough, nor could his descent from the line of Abraham enable him to be saved. Only as a person has a spiritual generation—a birth from above—will he be able to see the kingdom of God.” (Who Was Who in the Bible)

“The next time Nicodemus appears in the Gospel of John, he shows a cautious, guarded sympathy with Jesus. “Unlike many members of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus had an open mind and was willing to listen to the teachings of Jesus and judge them on their merit rather than on prejudice.” (All the People in the Bible) When the Sanhedrin began to denounce Jesus as a false prophet, Nicodemus counseled the court by saying, ‘Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?’ (John 7:51).” (Who Was Who in the Bible)

“Nicodemus appears a third and final time [with Joseph of Arimathea] in the Gospel of John.” (Ibid) "After Jesus' death, Nicodemus provides an enormous amount of spices for Jesus' burial, thus implying that he was wealthy (John 19:39-40)." (Eerdmans Dictionary)

“Christian tradition has it that Nicodemus was baptized by Peter and John, suffered persecution from hostile Jews, lost his membership in the Sanhedrin, and was forced to leave Jerusalem because of his Christian faith.” (Ibid)

“It is not possible to know the extent and depth of Nicodemus’ discipleship, though many traditions credit him with becoming a faithful follower of Jesus in later years (John 3:1-9; 7:50; 19:39).” (Who’s Who in the New Testament)

Fitzer, Katherine R. (CS; St Louis, MO), “Sing a new song!,” IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BIBLE LESSON: Sacrament, Christian Science Sentinel, Vol. 110 (January 2008), p. 22.

--The [second] section of the Lesson introduces Nicodemus, a faithful and devout Jew who followed all the rules.

• Along came Jesus, presenting a fresh approach to worship—a practical healing approach. Attracted, Nicodemus came to Jesus, interested in learning more…. He wanted to know how to live in this kingdom of God of which Jesus spoke. Jesus’ explanation was simple: be born again. Nicodemus was confused. He thought he was being told to redo something that was impossible to redo.

---Rather, Jesus was telling Nicodemus that he needed to be born anew. He had to start afresh by opening up to new ways of worship. The original Greek word for again can mean either “again” or “anew.” Thus the confusion.

• Nicodemus’ worship was formulaic, done out of habit. He was trapped in interpreting the law without the inspiration. On the contrary, Jesus’ worship was fresh and liberating. Everything he did was out of his love for God and man, and in response to God’s love.

Moss, Eugene W., “The Night of Nicodemus,” POEM, Christian Science Sentinel, Vol.68 (3 December 1966), p. 2127.

Here I am: helpless, defeated, hopeless.

In my night of doubt and despair,

I look, down through the centuries,

to Nicodemus of old, who in his night

went to Jesus.

How I love that lonely, wisdom-seeking Pharisee;

he brought my questions to the Master.

(I too am now old and scarred.)

So I listen carefully

as Jesus instructs Nicodemus and me

in the delicate art of regeneration.

Now even, but especially now in my maturity,

I must be born again—of Spirit.

I am not overpowered.

I’m not helplessly surrendering to evil.

I am deliberately and willingly yielding to Spirit,

cleansing thought in pure water,

learning to live love—even in the face of hate.

Think of the change in Nicodemus.

With fingers of love he fashioned his gift,

“a mixture of myrrh and aloes,” and offered it,

tenderly, at that terrible hour

when many faithful followers had deserted Jesus,

when total defeat seemed certain….

SECTION V: Jesus heals a man who was born blind (John 9: 1-7)

RELATED SCRIPTURE: Job; Luke 13: 1-5; John 8: 12

TIME LINE: The Year of Opposition (Jesus’ 3rd year of ministry), October, 29 AD in Jerusalem.

“a man which was blind from his birth”

“This section continues the series of episodes that began at 7:1.” (People’s NT Commentary) “Here the blind man not only believes but defends his belief against Jesus’ opponents.” (Theological Bible Commentary) This healing probably occurs on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. "As in chapter 5, a miracle takes place in a pool on a Sabbath day, and provokes violent debates." (Oxford Commentary) "The initial scene (vv. 1-7) describes the miracle of Jesus giving sight to the man blind from birth." (HarperCollins Commentary)

“The incurable spiritual blindness of the ‘Jews’ is now dramatically illustrated in the great sign of healing of a man physically born blind.” (Interpreter’s One-volume Commentary) “Like the previous story of the Samaritan woman’s encounter with Jesus, the story of the blind man is a carefully constructed drama with several scenes building to a decisive climax. It continues the themes of light, sight, and blindness begun in ch. 8 and functions both as a positive illustration of Jesus’ role as ‘light’ and as a negative depiction of his opponents’ blindness.” (Eerdmans Commentary)

“Four features highlight this healing:

1) the problem that precipitated the healing (v.1);

2) the purpose for the man’s being born blind (vv.2-5);

3) the power that healed him (vv.6,7); and

4) the perplexity of the people who saw the healing (vv.8-13).” (MacArthur’s Commentary)

“It is intended to illustrate the truth that Christ is ‘the Light of the world.’ [Jesus] proves his power to open the eyes of the soul by opening the eyes of the body. The miracles, being wrought on the Sabbath day, intensified the hostility of the rulers, which had already been violently inflamed by [previous] discourses.” (Dummelow)

"The blind man does not approach him, but is singled out by Jesus' own will (cf 5:6)." (Peake's Commentary) “The disciples (v.2) need not be Galilæan, but may be Judæan.” (Abingdon Commentary) “Verse 2 [also] indicates that “the disciples thought that possibly the man had sinned, either in a previous state of existence (in accordance with the doctrine of the transmigration of souls), or more probably as an infant before birth. To the Jews who attributed intelligence to unborn children, this last was a natural idea.” (Dummelow)

“The term Siloam [v.7] is Hebrew for ‘Sent.’” (MacArthur Bible Commentary) “This note is a clue to the perceptive reader that the story works at a symbolic level (not allegorical). In the Fourth Gospel Jesus is repeatedly the ‘sent one,’ and Jesus’ distinctive for God is ‘the one who sent me’ (found twenty-five times in John).” (People’s NT Commentary)

“his parents” (Mother of the Blind Son)

"The mother of the blind son (John 9:2,3,18,20,22,23) figures in the story of Jesus' healing of her son. She testified to doubting Jews that her son was blind from birth." (All of the Women of the Bible) “The blind man’s mother does not appear as a separate character but is included along with the man’s father in the references to his parents. This mode of reference may stem from the story's source or the history of its transmission. In the Johannine context, this female parent, who fears the consequences of faith, contrasts with the other Johannine women, all of whom are believers in the followers of Jesus. The indirectness of her portrayal draws attention away from her specific identity and hence does not disturb the Johannine pattern of positive representation of women characters.” (Women in Scripture)

“After the man had received his sight, his parents were summoned before the Pharisees to testify that their son had been born blind and to explain how he had been healed.

“When Jesus’ disciples asked, ‘Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?’ (John 9:2), they assumed a current idea of that period that every calamity is due to some sin.” (All of the Women of the Bible)

Gulick, Edyth Whittemore, “’Blind from his birth’,” Christian Science Sentinel, Vol. 32 (9 August 1930), p. 967.

--Much food for thought is contained in Mary Baker Eddy’s brief statement concerning the method of teaching spiritual truth (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 575), “Spiritual teaching must always be by symbols.”

--…let us consider the healing of the man “blind from his birth,” as recorded in the ninth chapter of John’s Gospel.

--Jesus’ disciples, trying to ascertain a cause for the so-called physical blindness, inquired of their teacher, “Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?”

• They evidently recognized that this condition indicated an erroneous mental state, and would, perhaps, have fastened the responsibility for it either upon the man or upon his parents. By directing their attention to the truth, “the works of God” that he was about to demonstrate, the loving Master gently and considerately led their thought away from condemnation of persons and from the belief that sin can be a cause. When he proceeded to anoint the eyes of the blind man with clay, he thereby called their attention to the one thing they needed to recognize about the error—its unreality.

[Spencer], Mrs. Barbara Cook (CS, Boston, MA), “Night lights,” POEM, Christian Science Journal, Vol. 100 (July 1982), p. 394.

Through the darkness—in this valley at the bottom of all hope—

At the lowest moment that my heart has ever felt (it seems),

There comes a gleam.

Gleam of God’s light—of His truth, that paints out shadow

in my thought

And makes a place for form and line and color to appear;

For precious lengths of freeing prayer.

But will the night return?

“A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a

little while, and ye shall see me….”

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is

day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

Again the Christ, with comfort and instruction speaking to my

heart:

Gather while its day, pray while you’re awake to me, use

Daylight hours to see and know and live reality….

McClain, Caroline Gilmore, “He ‘came seeing’,” Christian Science Sentinel, Vol. 33 (15 November 1930), p. 207.

--In John’s Gospel we read of man who was born blind and whom Jesus healed. As was the case in so many of Jesus’ miracles, the Master tested the obedience and humility of the one who desired to be made whole, before the healing appeared, by giving a command to be obeyed. After anointing the man’s eyes with clay, he said, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” And we read that, “he went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”

--If we had read in the account that the man had chosen not to go to the pool of Siloam, or had outlined some other way by which his healing might be accomplished, we should not have been surprised to learn that he did not receive his sight until he was humble enough to obey.

• And yet, is not this what we so frequently do when we come to Christian Science to be healed?

---We would choose the work we consider best for us to do in the church, or that which will fit most comfortably into our busy lives. We would decide just how we will use this wonderful teaching in our homes, and in what way we most desire the truth to make us free.

SECTION VI: Jesus raises the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7: 11-16)

RELATED SCRIPTURE: I Kings 17: 17-24; II Kings 4: 32-37

TIME LINE: The Year of Popularity and Fundamental Principles (Jesus’ 2nd year of ministry), 28 AD at Nain.

“Now Jesus raises the dead, [in] anticipation of the series of claims he makes in 7:22, this time echoing not Isaiah but I Kings 17:17-24, Elijah raising the son of a Sidonian widow. In his inaugural sermon Jesus had already appealed to Elijah raising this widow's son (4:25-26), there making the point that 'there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah,…yet Elijah was sent to none of them.' Luke is echoing both 1 Kings 17 and Jesus' sermon in ch. 4.” (Eerdmans Commentary)

This story is unique to Luke. It “comes from Luke’s special material, L; it is without parallel in the gospel’s tradition. ” (Interpreter’s One Volume Commentary) “Soon afterward” (v. 11) hints that Luke is not quite sure when it happened. In v.12 the phrase carried out refers to the fact that “Jewish tombs were always outside the walls, and burials were required to be performed within 24 hours.” (Dummelow Commentary) "This [he…touched the bier, v.14] was a ceremonially defiling act, normally." (MacArthur Bible Commentary)

This story reveals Jesus’ sensitivity to the widow’s marginal existence. This miracle was done in front of “much people” and similar to the raising of Lazarus in the presence of a multitude of witnesses. The bier is a pallet, not a coffin. This raising from the dead is in contrast to the struggle and difficulty experienced by both Elijah and Elisha, and indicates Jesus’ authority with the single word of power: “Arise.”

“The object of recording that the young man spoke [v.15] after arising was to give evidence that he was really alive.” (King James Bible Commentary) “And he delivered him to his mother: Verbatim echo of the Elijah story (See 1 Kgs 17:23). Throughout, Jesus’ compassion is directed not only to the dead man but to his mother.” (People’s NT Commentary)

“This [there came a fear on all, v.16] does not mean that they were merely afraid but that they were overcome with the reverent awe that acknowledged they were in the presence of God.” (Ibid)

"a widow" of Nain

"Nain was a small village in Galilee about seven miles southwest of Nazareth [and 25 miles SW of Capernaum on the hill “little Hermon” as it slopes down to the plain of Esdraelon to the southeast, not in Galilee proper; now a squalid collection of mud hovels]. Luke tells us that Jesus traveled to Nain from Capernaum, where he had cured the slave of a Roman centurion. Before Jesus enters the village gates, he encounters a funeral procession. Luke relates the circumstances to show how pitiful the situation is. 'A man who had died was being carried out' (v.12), accompanied by his mother, a widow." (Women in Scripture) “Luke goes on to relate that Jesus had compassion upon her, as [he] always did upon a woman in distress.” (All of the Women in the Bible)

“Among the many widows who were in Israel (Luke 4:25), quite a few of them crossed the pathway of Jesus in the days of [his] flesh.” (The Women of the Bible) "The image of a widow as a symbol for the poor who are completely dependent on God is more developed in Luke than in any other Gospel." (Women in the New Testament) "When a woman's husband died in first-century [BC] Jewish communities, the wife was designated a widow, a term with strict social/economic meaning. A 'widow' was a woman no longer under the authority of a male, either her father or her deceased husband. Although Jewish law recognized that widows lived legitimately by their own authority, this freedom from male authority could leave a woman in a vulnerable social position." (Women in Scripture)

Williams, Christine Irby, “Shine the Light,” BIBLE FORUM, Christian Science Journal, Vol. 125 (August 2007), p. 10.

--For Jesus, crowds were the norm.

• Not that he hosted dinners for thousands every day, but he did it on more than one occasion—with ease.

--The Gospels give many examples in which Jesus publically and outwardly let his light shine to reveal already possible solutions to the challenges around him.

• Once when Jesus was approaching the fate of a city with “many of his disciples…and much people,” there was another crowd nearby in a funeral procession (see Luke 7:11-16).

---With a single touch of the bier that carried the dead son of a weeping woman, Jesus stopped the funeral procession.

• Rather than hiding his spiritual vision from the crowds, Jesus let his light shine—and raised the boy from the dead, showing the mother the highest form of compassion that any parent could hope for.

Naylor, Reita H., “The man from Nain,” POEM, Christian Science Journal, Vol. 98 (July 1980), p. 383.

What

if that

had been me—

raised from death

at an early age

by the master Christian?

How would the rest

of my life have unfolded?....

Indeed, I have been raised!

The Christ has touched me

When dead in sin,

When lulled to sleep

By personal sense.

….

And having once responded,

I found

there was no

turning back.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

The Bibliography is provided only in the notes of the first Sunday of the month.

*The weekly Bible Lessons are made up of selections from the King James Version of the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.

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