Four steps of healing


Notes and References 1/7/01

Four steps of healing

Last week we discussed the four steps in learning how to swim. It was a way of explaining Ezekial’s vision. (Ezek 40:2,3 & 47: 3-5) It was also a way of explaining the process of the spiritual growth needed to be an effective healer. It is a process of letting go of depending upon material conditions for your success and happiness, your health and dominion.

Now lets continue to look at the process of growth spiritward and see how it applies to giving a Christian Science treatment. To do this let’s look at the raising of Lazarus. But before we do, a little background on Lazarus and his two sisters.

Remember Mary Magdalene? She was the prostitute that came to the party Simon the Pharisee was giving for Jesus. Here is the account in Science and Health:

S&H 362:1

It is related in the seventh chapter of Luke's Gospel that Jesus was once the honored guest of a certain Pharisee, by name Simon, though he was quite unlike Simon the disciple. While they were at meat, an unusual incident occurred, as if to interrupt the scene of Oriental festivity. A "strange woman" came in. Heedless of the fact that she was debarred from such a place and such society, especially under the stern rules of rabbinical law, as positively as if she were a Hindoo pariah intruding upon the household of a high-caste Brahman, this woman (Mary Magdalene, as she has since been called) approached Jesus. According to the custom of those days, he reclined on a couch with his head towards the table and his bare feet away from it. It was therefore easy for the Magdalen to come behind the couch and reach his feet. She bore an alabaster jar containing costly and fragrant oil, — sandal oil perhaps, which is in such common use in the East. Breaking the sealed jar, she perfumed Jesus' feet with the oil, wiping them with her long hair, which hung loosely about her shoulders, as was customary with women of her grade.

This is the Mary that is one of the sisters of Lazarus. Some Bible scholars think she was in love with Jesus. In the play Jesus Christ, Superstar that premise is assumed. At the very least we know she was totally committed to Jesus and would sacrifice everything for him, (or her own salvation through him). She is the one that gave up her tears she had saved over her lifetime to wash the Master’s feet. (Those were that same tears that she believed would get her into heaven if she took them with her to her grave.) See class notes from 11/31/99 Moral Courage for the more detailed account of this story.

Martha was Lazarus’ other sister. She is known by the following story from Luke 10:38-42:

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Given this anecdote about Martha and Mary, their reaction to Jesus’ delay in coming to Judea from Bethany becomes more interesting. See how Martha is the one that comes through and Mary is the one that has the lapse of faith.

John 11:20-44

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him?

It is Martha that says Lord I believe and it is Mary that weeps. (Although even Martha didn’t believe that after four days that her brother would actually come back to life physically. She thought is was a life after the grave.)

So now with all that background lets get tot he point of the lesson. Look at the four statements Jesus made in the raising of his good friend:

John 11:41-44

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

FOUR STEPS IN THE RAISING OF LAZARUS

1. GRATITUDE (Father, I thank Thee)

2. AFFIRMATION (For I knew that thou hearest me always)

3. EXPECTATION (Lazarus, Come Forth!)

4. LIBERATION (Loose him and let him go)

What is fear? Remember? Fear = Ingratitude in advance. Therefore what is the opposite of fear? Doesn’t Jesus teach, "that perfect love casteth out fear"? So Love is the opposite of fear. And, what is Love? Based on that logic it must be gratitude in advance. Doesn’t it then make sense that that Jesus first words were, "Thank you father"? How many times have you and I said thank you when we were faced with a bad situation. Aren’t we instead fearful, sad, angry or aggravated? If so then you can now see why you don’t heal things immediately. You must reverse the process and start your treatment from exactly the opposite position you are tempted to maintain.

The temptation to fear, be angry, aggravated, etc is natural and normal. Mrs. Eddy tells us that our initial reaction to a spiritual answer may be resisted. She says,

Ret 80:12-15

Though the divine rebuke is effectual to the pulling down of sin's strongholds, it may stir the human heart to resist Truth, before this heart becomes obediently receptive of the heavenly discipline.

She further describes this process of aggravation or natural resistance to Truth as chemicalization of thought.

S&H 168:30-9

Here let a word be noticed which will be better understood hereafter,--chemicalization. By chemicalization I mean the process which mortal mind and body undergo in the change of belief from a material to a spiritual basis. Whenever an aggravation of symptoms has occurred through mental chemicalization, I have seen the mental signs, assuring me that danger was over, before the patient felt the change; and I have said to the patient, "You are healed,"--sometimes to his discomfiture, when he was incredulous. But it always came about as I had foretold.

S&H 401:16

What I term chemicalization is the upheaval produced when immortal Truth is destroying erroneous mortal belief. Mental chemicalization brings sin and sickness to the surface, forcing impurities to pass away, as is the case with a fermenting fluid.

4:17-22

Simply asking that we may love God will never make us love Him; but the longing to be better and holier, expressed in daily watchfulness and in striving to assimilate more of the divine character, will mould and fashion us anew, until we awake in His likeness.

Not coincidentally there are fours steps to the process of yeast when it causes bread to rise. Do these four steps have any relationship to the four steps in the vision of Ezekial or the four steps in the raising of Lazarus? I submit to you that they do. Take a look at the FOUR CHEMICAL ACTIONS OF YEAST VS CHEMICALIZATION IN TEXTBOOK:

1. AGGRAVATION

2. FERMENTATION

3. ASSIMILATION

4. TRANSFORMATION


Let’s look at the four steps side by side. Go to the 4th chapter in you notebook I gave you. It’s called Just 4 You. We will look at more examples of the process of giving a treatment in coing weeks.

See you all next week.


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