Think About It

In the last book of the Old Testament the prophet Malachai poses an interesting question.  He asks "Have we not all one father?  hath not one God created us?" (Mal. 2: 10 to 2nd?)  He doesn't treat this as a rhetorical question.  And yet he doesn't answer it either.  He leaves it for us to ponder.

The person who answers this question is Jesus Christ.

In the fourth chapter of Matthew, following his defeat of the tempter after 40 days in the wilderness and his calling to Peter and Andrew and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, he begins his mission.  It states, "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease among the people."(Matt. 4: 23)  As a result the Bible tells us "his fame went throughout all Syria" and that "there followed him a great multitude."  It goes on to describe this multitude as "people from Gallilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea,and from beyond Jordan." (Matt. 4: 25)

When he saw this great multitude he went up into a mountain and the multitude followed him.  Beginning with the fifth chapter he delivers what we call the Sermon on the Mount.  In the midst of this sermon he teaches his followers how to pray, and in so doing he answers Malachai's question.  He begins what we call the Lord's Prayer with the phrase "Our Father." (Matt. 6: 9) 

With this phrase he united everyone on that hillside into one brotherhood.  He acknowledged that there is but one Father, regardless of human background, and he answered Malachai's question with absolute conviction.  Mary Baker Eddy recognized this.  In Science and Health she writes, "It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love.  Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established." (p. 467: 9-13)

As a Christian Scientist I strive to follow the directions and commands of the Master Christian.  Each time I pray the Lord's Prayer I am mindful that I am embracing all humanity.  Each and every person who offers this prayer is acknowledging that "Yes.  One God hath created us.  We all have one Father."

What a wonderfully inclusive idea at a time when there seem to be so many things that would divide us.