(Photo: Bowyer Bible etching by Jan Luyken Jesus confounds the scholars in the Temple)

As a life long student of Christian Science, I have continually striven to gain a deeper understanding of God. This is something the greatest Christian on earth had from a very young age. Before he was even a teenager, Jesus was found by his parents “in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions,” and even at that young  age, “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers” (Luke 2:46-47 NIV).

This preternatural aptitude of Jesus is not entirely unique. We hear of examples in history like Mozart, who wowed European royalty with his compositions as early as age 5. More recently, a professor of mine at Manhattan School of Music had a young student who could play compositions that were thousands of year old on the Indian Tabla, despite never having heard a note of Indian Classical music in his life.

Now, just because these people seemed to be a few steps ahead in life didn’t mean that they didn’t have to work hard for what they accomplished. Going back to Luke, chapter 2 ends by saying “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” He may have impressed the teachers in the temple, but he still had growing to do, just like the rest of us. His understanding was crucial to his life mission, but he still had to do the hard work, bringing the word of God to humanity, and healing all the while.

What Jesus demonstrated in his early understanding of God teaches us about the nature of understanding itself. Understanding is spiritual and eternal. We reflect spiritual understanding because God is our understanding. And in the immortal words of GI Joe, “Knowing is half the battle,” (the other half is doing).

Join us tonight at Third Church for our Wednesday Evening Meeting. The readings from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook will explore this topic of Spiritual Understanding. We’ll also hear testimonies of healing from people who rely on their understanding of God to find solutions to the various challenges they are facing in their lives. Our service starts at 7:30pm, we would love to see you there!