“What, could ye not watch with me one hour?”
— Christ Jesus (Matthew 26 : 40)
What was meant by this term watch? Did Jesus only mean it for his disciples in that moment? Considering he also said, “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mark 13 : 37) there can be no doubt that Christ Jesus was commanding every single one of his followers to watch.
But how should we watch? What should we watch for? And how do we apply the teachings of Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy to handle what is found through our watching?
Let us first look to Jesus' final teaching for more information on this: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16 : 17-19) Breaking this down into its parts, we see that:
“In my name shall they cast out devils;” — To first cast out a devil, our watching must identify the specific evil or error so that we may then denounce it with statements of the truth of Christ's Christianity, otherwise known as Christian Science. Mary Baker Eddy taught that lies or error come “to you for life and you give it the only life it has — in belief.” (Divinity Course and General Collectanea, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 215)
“they shall speak with new tongues;” — The world will come at us materially, but our work will be done spiritually. As is stated in II Corinthians 10 : 3-5: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
“They shall take up serpents;” — Remembering that “the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made” (Genesis 3 : 1) we begin to see that taking up these serpents of the world's subtle and persistent lies requires vigilant watching, perhaps especially these days with the internet and mobile devices streaming all day, every day. As Mary Baker Eddy instructed, we must “keep [our] minds so filled with Truth and Love, that sin, disease, and death cannot enter them.” (My, p. 210)
“and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;” — In the 1828 Webster's Dictionary, the word imbibe is partially defined as “To drink in; to absorb;” and “To receive or admit into the mind and retain;” and thus we find that by accepting and retaining false beliefs, we are drinking in the deadly things that the human mind is manufacturing daily and advertising incessently to us all. Let us remember Christ Jesus words here: “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ... for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” (Matthew 6 : 31, 32) We must “take no thought” that is contrary to Truth and Love, no matter how incessant these lies might be. As Mary Baker Eddy wrote: “Choke these errors in their early stages, if you would not cherish an army of conspirators against health, happiness, and success.” (S&H, p. 405)
“they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” — Ultimately our watching is not for the acquisition and maintenance of our own peaceful lives, but so that we may help all of mankind as we are able.
This website is devoted to the fundamentals of watching, and then using that understanding to impersonally handle current events, as Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy both taught and demonstrated for us all.
“Christian Scientists cannot watch too sedulously, or bar their doors too closely, or pray to God too fervently, for deliverance from the claims of evil. Thus doing, Scientists will silence evil suggestions, uncover their methods, and stop their hidden influence upon the lives of mortals. Rest assured that God in His wisdom will test all mankind on all questions; and then, if found faithful, He will deliver us from temptation and show us the powerlessness of evil, — even its utter nothingness.” — Mary Baker Eddy (Miscellaneeous Writings, p. 114)
“The song of Christian Science is, ‘Work — work — work — watch and pray.’” — Mary Baker Eddy (Message for 1901, p. 2)