Matthew 5

I have neglected our February blog work but turned to the Sermon on the Mount this morning. So, what is the message Mind has for me this morning Sunday, 22^nd February 2026?

“Ye have heard that it was said….” Matt. 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43.

Why have I never noticed these introductory words throughout the latter part of Matthew 5 before?

 

Verse 21 Jesus begins to elaborate on the commands God gave to Moses.

The first is the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” Jesus warns of the dangers of being angry with one’s brother, or say to him “Raca.” (Google: Raca comes from the Aramaic term reqa. It was a derogatory expression meaning “empty-headed,” insinuating a person’s stupidity or inferiority.)

My goodness. What meaning is behind that word Raca which one doesn’t expect to find!

So. When we look at our fellow man, we are obliged to see nothing but God’s perfect man. No stupid or inferior or lacking in intelligence man or woman or child shall we see. The concluding verse of this chapter gives us the clue – “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48)

 

Verse 27 handles “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Lust is equated with adultery, or rather, the starting point of it.

 

Verse 31 carries on the adultery theme with relation to divorce.

 

Verse 33 “Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.”

AI has for forswear, “...to swear falsely, commit perjury, or break a vow made in God’s name.”

There is one article in JSH-Online, Perjury and Profanity, by A. M. Crane in the February 1888 Journal which covers this fully. Here is an excerpt:

Jesus was talking to Jews. They recognized two offences: Profanity, or taking the name of God in vain; and Violation of Oaths, or what we should call, in the present day, Perjury. Taking an oath was to them no more of an offence than it is today in our courts of justice, where oath-taking is required; the offence was in Forswearing. Their distinction was very much like ours, and in the same line. They had a distinct formula of words for each offence.

 

Lev. 19:12: And you shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. The NRSV has, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.”

And of course, there is the seventh Commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”

 

Verse 38 “Ye have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”

AI. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is a principle of reciprocal justice—known as lex talionis—stating that a person who causes injury should be penalized to a similar degree. Found in the Bible Exodus 21:24 and the ancient Code of Hammurabi, it served to limit vengeance, ensuring punishment does not exceed the original crime. (Quoted from Wikipedia).

Jesus gives us a Christian view with: “That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (verse 39). He goes even further in verses 40-42. We are to give the man who takes you to court for a coat a cloak also; when compelled to go a mile with a man, go with him two miles; give to one who asks of you and lend.

 

Verse 43 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.”

We first hear “Love thy neighbour as thyself” in Leviticus 19:18, and as for “hate thine enemy,” AI says it is a traditional, human-added interpretation, a popular saying, not a command from God. However, Psalm 139:19-22 may be taken into account.

 

Verses 44-48 Of course, Jesus negates all the negatives with the verses following. And in Mary Baker Eddy’s Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896 we have the wonderful chapter Love Your Enemies to direct our work. See Mis. 8-13. Hear Jesus’ words: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (verse 44).

 

To recap, the chapter ends, as has been said, with: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

Joyce Voysey

"Makarios" unfolding

Since reading yesterday's lovely blog post by Joyce Voysey, I've re-visited the Greek word "makarios" which has been translated in the Sermon on the Mount (King James Version of the Bible) as "blessed".

Here are two meanings of the word makarios:

 - fully satisfied

 - joy independent of all chances

I like that meanings of words (ideas) can unfold to us. 

And I like the example of unfoldment shared at a recent online testimony meeting of The Mother Church.

A Sunday school teacher gave each student a sheet of newsprint and asked them to fold the page over as many times as they could until it was very small with just a few lines of print being visible. 

The students were then asked to read the story on that page. Of course, they could read very little. 

The teacher then instructed them to unfold the page just a little. Now they could read a bit more of the story. 

Little by little, more of the story was revealed as the number of folds was reduced, until finally the page lay completely open and the whole story was plainly visible.

Julie Swannell

Blessed

Alexei Navalny, Russian patriot and Putin’s great critic, when imprisoned and treated harshly by Putin’s government, was comforted by the Sermon on the Mount. So much so that he learned it off by heart. He added to that accomplishment by also learning it in English, French and Latin! In his autobiography, he spoke of the experience as “a delight.”

 

At a court hearing, his testimony referenced the Sermon, particularly Matt. 5:6, saying, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied” declaring this as his “guide for life” and a reminder that millions of Russians long for truth.

 

I’m reading the New Revised Standard Version of Harper Collins Study Bible (NRSV). It points out that “Jesus both interprets the old law and offers a new law, recalling the revelation to Moses in Mount Sinai.”

 

Some versions of the Beatitudes give “happy” where the King James Version (KJV) has “blessed.”

NRSV also offers “fortunate” in its notes. Happy seems weak to me; fortunate reminds me of luck.

NRSV stays with “blessed.”

 

Dictionary offers for “blessed”- Adjective: Made holy; consecrated. Endowed with divine favour and protection. Noun: those who live with God in heaven.

 

Matt. 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. NRSV says, “The heart was considered the region of thought, intention, and moral disposition.”

 

Matt. 5:17. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” AI says, “This means Jesus came to bring the Old Testament scriptures (the Law and the Prophets) to their ultimate purpose, not to destroy them, by perfectly embodying their moral teachings, fulfilling messianic prophecies, and demonstrating true righteousness, thereby completing their meaning for believers.” That sounds quite scientific to me.

But I haven’t come up with a quote from Mrs. Eddy yet.

Joyce Voysey

Overcoming self

 In the Christian Science Sentinel dated 16^th February 2026, Tony Lobl writes:

For our own sake and the sake of those near and far whom we wish to see blessed, every step of overcoming self through the light of Christ is lessening the darkness in collective human consciousness.

As I read this, I was reminded of Christ Jesus’ teaching in his Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5: 14):

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (NRSVue)

It may seem that being the “light of the world” diverges from “overcoming self”. But it’s not the human self which shines; it’s allowing the Christ light to shine through us and our work that lessens the darkness of despair, depression, and despotism, and defuses un-Christlike behaviour.

We become the transparency, as explained by Mary Baker Eddy in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

The manifestation of God through mortals is as light passing through the window-pane. The light and the glass never mingle, but as matter, the glass is less opaque than the walls. The mortal mind through which Truth appears most vividly is that one which has lost much materiality — much error — in order to become a better transparency for Truth. Then, like a cloud melting into thin vapor, it no longer hides the sun.
(SH 295:16)

The more light, the less darkness.

Collective human consciousness benefits from this unselfed, focused, unstoppable Christly light of love which shines through each one of God’s children to heal, harmonise, clarify, forgive, and empower. This force is irresistible.

The Christ is here, all dreams of error breaking,

Unloosing bonds of all captivity. 

(Rosa M. Turner, Christian Science hymnal 202 and 412)

Julie Swannell

Salt of the earth

Today I want to talk about salt. But first, let’s get some context to where Jesus incorporates salt into his teaching, in what’s come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount.

My King James Version (KJV) study Bible states that Jesus' teaching on a mountain signifies his position as the "new Moses". It points out that the phrase translated as "he went up into a mountain" occurs 3 times in the Old Testament, i.e.

Ex. 19:3 And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain…

Ex. 24: 18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Ex. 34: 4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

So, here we are, way up on a mountain-top, away from the hustle and bustle of the everyday, listening to this new teacher and prophet, hanging on his every word.

Was Jesus in the mountain for some time before beginning this teaching? How many climbed the mountain with him? Were there women and children too? How long were they there? Did he go over certain points as he went along?

How did he prepare? Did he write down some thoughts in advance? Did he have notes in his pocket? Or did he speak extemporaneously and in response to his listeners?

We can only surmise the answers to these questions, but we do know that he used analogies that his listeners would understand. And here we come to the question of salt. Jesus gave a promise and a warning:

Matt. 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. (KJV)

If you are a “salt of the earth” type of person today – not that I’ve seen or heard the phrase lately – you would be reliable, trustworthy, generous, selfless, honest, transparent, genuine, wholly good, and decent. Jesus  undoubtedly fitted that description.

Salt has been mined from at least 5000-6000BCE! It was vital for the preservation of foods, while also valuable in bringing out individual flavours.

ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE

A Boston Herald report, excerpted in the Christian Science Sentinel dated 25 July 1901 states that “Salt is one of the essentials of life, and the beneficial effects of its various uses are being better appreciated every year….Perhaps the world's most interesting salt mine is that of Wieliczka, near Cracow, in Galicia [now Poland].” The report describes “dazzling columns [of salt]”. It continues: “The Wieliczka salt mines are reached by means of several shafts, some for pumping up water, some for the exit of salt, others for workmen, horses, fodder, etc. Many of these shafts are in the form of spiral staircases. There are five stories in the mine, tunnelling through the salt, and each story is separated from the next by an interval of about one hundred feet. Where the descending shaft passes through clay or loose soil, walls of rock salt are built into the sides of the shaft to support them. Blocks of salt are superimposed in the usual manner and afterward water is poured over the wall thus formed. The water dissolves some of the salt, which fills the crevices and interspaces, and, as the water evaporates, this salt forms a cement which binds the blocks into a solid mass.”

So, we learn that salt can be as “bright and glittering as crystal” and that it can be as solid as cement.

ESSENTIAL FOR PEACE

More research in the indispensable JSH-online repository of articles from the Christian Science periodicals brings us to James K. Westover’s January 1952 CS Journal article “Have Salt in Yourselves”. Mr. Westover reminds readers of Jesus’ “valuable recipe for harmonious living” in Mark 9: 50, i.e. “Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” His disciples would have been used to Levitical law which required every offering to God to include salt. Westover explains that “salt came to be regarded as a symbol of durability and purity and when eaten with bread betokened a motive and intent of utmost integrity.”

Fast forward to the Christian Science Sentinel dated January 19, 2026 where Isaac Otieno testifies to being healed of thinking he had enemies. Isaac shares this: ”The realization that we are all beloved children of God and the expression of divine Love enables us to forgive and to pray for those who seem to be against us. The reality is that when we feel and display this type of love to others, we are showing them the nature of God. And to me, this is what it means to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13, 14). 

May that loving flavour be present in all our relationships.

Julie Swannell

Protected from assault

I recall having previously read a few the healings recounted in the new book from The Christian Science Publishing Society (available in CS Reading Rooms) Christian Science: Continuing Evidence of Christ-healing. 

The testimony on pages 215-217, written by Dianne Dallas Selover from Brighton East, Victoria, Australia and published in the July 2022 edition of The Christian Science Journal, is one of them. It is very memorable, and yet very worthwhile re-reading in the context of the chapter "Peace, Protection, and Progress".

The testimony reminds me that Jesus expressed both meekness and might. He knew that God is the supreme power of the universe and holds us tenderly.

Dianne's recounting of an experience which could have resulted in rape, assault and subsequent trauma offers a different outcome.  It also demonstrates that even if we can't "concentrate" due to a "feeling of dread", we can always reach out for a lifeline and grab it. In this case, it was the twenty-third Psalm which comforted her and provided such a "great sense of peace" that "all fear departed". 

What happened next is quite remarkable. I won't spoil the story for readers who may not have read it yet.

As is often the case, the writer considered the whole incident "a turning point in [her] experience and practice of Christian Science". She had "felt God's tangible presence and power and been protected". 

One line of Psalm 23 was especially applicable: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me". 

Julie Swannell

Unimpressed

For ten years, fear of flying had stopped North Dakota resident Amy Nickell from travelling by plane. 

So, when her son announced that he and his girlfriend would be getting married in Wales, her "joy was clouded over with fear" (Continuing Evidence of Christ-Healing p. 197-199). 

She "began a metaphysical study of everything related to flying in the Bible, in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and in the Christian Science Hymnal", in addition to reading and listening to articles in the Christian Science periodicals. Although she didn't feel she was making progress, she "didn't give up".

There was a change of thought when a pilot friend shared this "eye-opening" comment:

You know, we think we're safe when we're in our favourite chair in our house or on our porch. But our physical surroundings have nothing to do with our safety.

Sometime later, a remark shared on an audio chat from the Christian Science Sentinel resonated with her:

I know that wherever I am, God is, so no place could be safer than where I go.

Amy was able to happily fly to Wales for the wedding! Now, even bumpy weather doesn't impress her. Fear no longer defines her.

Corralling and disposing of fearful thoughts myself, I have often turned to a line in hymn 51 (also #52, #467 and #468) which says: "Unhallowed thought He could not plan" and found peace while travelling.

A beautiful Psalm (139) sums this up:

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

Julie Swannell

Concentrated study brings fearlessness and confidence

Mark Straub’s testimony titled Safe in a Combat Zone is outstanding in our new book*, giving continuing evidence of Christ-healing. It’s long – pages 184-190.

Marc was a Vietnam War helicopter pilot. He says that he was often “required to fly [his] ship into the middle of raging battles.” He explains that “maintaining my fearlessness, calmness, and confidence during extreme danger was absolutely necessary to my safety, and to help with this I studied the writings of Mary baker Eddy, especially Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, whenever I could. This concentrated study through my tour of duty had a profound effect on the well-being of the crew members and passengers on my ship, as well as on me.”

Marc quotes The First Church of Christ, Scientist and Miscellany, 210: 2-4, 7 -- Mrs. Eddy’s advice to students:

...keep your minds so filled with Truth and Love, that sin, disease, and death cannot enter them. ...Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort. And not only yourselves are safe, but all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited. 

Marc’s demonstration is wonderful. He emphasises that he read Science and Health whenever there was an opportunity.

The book’s record includes a testimony from his wife Judy, as well as some up-to-date (2024) comments from him. A very fine record indeed. A must read!

Oh! How we can learn from the dear ones who submit their testimonies to the Christian Science periodicals!

One of my nephews was a helicopter mechanic in Vietnam. I was interested to read that Marc lastly flew with the Royal Australian Navy/US Army Aviation, known as the 134^th Assault Helicopter Company. This was not where my nephew Paul served because he was in the Air Force.

Joyce Voysey

*Christian Science: continuing evidence of Christ-healing - available from Christian Science Reading Rooms

Devouring CS Sentinels and Journals

One of the joys of my early days as a student of Christian Science was in the availability of free Christian Science Sentinels and Journals. I devoured them. There was a tall rack in the foyer of the church and at that time I was probably the biggest borrower.

 

Most, if not all, of the articles and testimonies included quotes from the Bible or the works of Mary Baker Eddy (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures and Prose Works). They gave me ammunition with which to work in handling the problems which came up. My knowledge of our textbooks was very limited as a new student, so these quotes provided much enlightenment.

 

For instance, one of my daughters was in distress on her bed. My husband and I went to her. He went off to fetch a damp cloth to put on her head. I declared, “There is no fear in Love; but perfect Love casteth out fear” (I John 4: 18 (to :)). I had certainly read many reports of healing through knowing that mighty truth.

 

The problem had been a stiffening of her whole body, and I reasoned that it seemed she was “scared stiff.” And that Bible truth made her free.

 

I was reminded of all this on reading my daily testimony from our book on the Continuing Evidence of Christ Healing where David Taillefer (see pages 145-148) seriously injured his thumb and nail. He tells of in-depth study of a copy of the Christian Science Sentinel the night before. He had been left with three quotes, all from Science and Health.

 

The first one: 

   “You must control evil thoughts in the first instance, or they will control you in the second” (p.234). 

The second: 

   “Banish the belief that you can possibly entertain a single intruding pain which cannot be ruled out by the might of Mind, and in this way you can prevent the development of pain in the body. No law of God hinders this result” (p. 391). 

And the third: 

   “Be firm in your understanding that the divine Mind governs, and that in Science man reflects God’s government. Have no fear that matter can ache, swell, and be inflamed as the result of a law of any kind, when it is self-evident that matter can have no pain nor inflammation” (p.393).

I am sure the reader will want to read how Mr. Taillefer used these truths.

Joyce Voysey