Chapter Two

Preaching and Healing

1. And again He entered into Capernaum after [some] days; and it was heard that He was in the house.

2. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no longer room, not even about the door; and He spoke the Word to them.

3. And they came to Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, taken up by four.

4. And when they could not come near Him on account of the crowd, they unroofed the roof where He was; and having dug through, they let down the cot on which the sick of the palsy was lying down.

5. And Jesus, seeing their faith, says to the sick of the palsy, “Child, thy sins have been forgiven thee.”

6. But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,

7. “Why does He thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins except one, God?”

8. And Jesus, straightway knowing in His spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason these things within your hearts?

9. What is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, [Thy] sins have been forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and take up thy cot, and walk?”

10. But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on the earth (He says to the sick of the palsy),

11. “To thee I say, Arise, and take up thy cot, and go to thy house.”

12. And straightway he arose, and taking up the cot, came out before them all, so that all were amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw [it] so!”

As Jesus continues His preaching and healing ministry, He reveals more of His miraculous power — much to the wonder of the people, and much to the concern of the religious leaders. As early as the second chapter of this gospel, Jesus demonstrates what the religious leaders consider a blasphemous mode of healing: He forgives.

This takes place when four men carry a paralytic to Jesus, hoping that He can heal the paralyzed man. “Son,” says Jesus, “your sins are forgiven.” Shocked and outraged, the religious leaders say in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:5-7). In Matthew, we have to wait for nine chapters before we learn of Jesus’ power to forgive sins. In Mark, however, Jesus reveals this power almost immediately. And as He does so, He astonishes the people: “All were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this’” (Mark 2:12).

Matthew, it will be remembered, was about the gradual revelation of Jesus’ divinity. In Mark, which has a different focus, Jesus’ divinity is established immediately. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ — the Son of God.

Old Wineskins and New Wine

13. And He went out again by the sea, and all the crowd came to Him, and He taught them.

14. And passing by, He saw Levi the [son] of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of tribute, and said to him, Follow Me; and standing up he followed Him.

15. And it came to pass, as He reclined in his house, many publicans and sinners also reclined with Jesus and His disciples, for there were many, and they followed Him.

16. And the scribes and Pharisees, seeing Him eating with publicans and sinners, said to His disciples, “Why is it that He eats and drinks with publicans and sinners?”

17. And Jesus hearing says to them, “They that have strength have no need of a physician, but they that have an illness. I came not to call the just, but sinners, to repentance.”

18. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting; and they come and say to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Thy disciples fast not?”

19. And Jesus said to them, “Can the sons of the bride-chamber fast while the Bridegroom is with them? so long as they have the Bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

20. But [the] days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

21. And no one sews a patch of unshrunk fabric on an old garment; otherwise the new [piece] that fills in takes away from the old, and the rip becomes worse.

22. And no one pours young wine into old bottles; otherwise the young wine tears the bottles, and the wine spills out, and the bottles will perish; but young wine is poured into new bottles.”

Jesus has already said that His purpose is to preach the gospel (Mark 1:38). As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). This is what Jesus is doing in this gospel.

The Hebrew word for “afflicted” in the passage from Isaiah is ענֲוִָי֗ם (anawim). It means humble, meek, and therefore, by extension, it means willing to receive instruction. In fulfillment of this scripture, the next episode finds Jesus eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners. These people were despised by the religious leaders; they wanted nothing to do with them. But Jesus saw them differently. He sat with them, ate with them, and drank with them. When the religious leaders saw this, they were deeply offended and said to Jesus’ disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with publicans and sinners?” (Mark 2:16). Overhearing their question, Jesus responds with these words, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mark 2:17). In other words, Jesus was not merely socializing. He was binding up the broken-hearted, proclaiming liberty, and opening prison doors to all who were imprisoned by false thoughts and evil desires. In brief, He was sharing the gospel.

In the eyes of the religious leaders, all of this was strange and unusual. According to their standards, sinners were to be avoided. They were to be regarded as despised outcasts — people with whom no one should associate. Jesus, however, was turning this upside down. Not only was He eating and drinking with them, as though at a wedding feast, but He was also saying that He was calling them to repentance. In those days, repentance was demonstrated through fasting, certainly not by eating and drinking. Confused by all of this, the religious leaders ask Jesus, “How is that the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not?” (Mark 2:18). Jesus responds with a question. He says, “Can the guests of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?” (Mark 2:19). He then adds, “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days” (Mark 2:20).

In referring to Himself as a “bridegroom,” Jesus is suggesting that He is “married” to each of us in the same way that God is married to His people. This is the “heavenly marriage” in which God, as the bridegroom and husband takes to Himself a “wife” whom He fills with His love and wisdom. This wedding and marriage is a joyous time, a time of feasting and celebration, not a time for fasting. But there will be times when we feel distant from God, times when we will hunger and thirst for His presence. These will, indeed, be times of “fasting” — times when we hunger not for food and drink, but rather for good and truth; it is a heavenly hunger for that which truly nourishes the soul. ¹

This was new. In eating and drinking with sinners, Jesus was picturing what it means to come into fellowship with God, receiving from Him the truths that can lead us to new life. Fasting from physical food and drink was the old way of demonstrating repentance; from now on, repentance would take place through examining oneself in the light of higher truth, acknowledging one’s sins, praying to the Lord for help in combating evil, and then, starting a new life.

Jesus, then, continues to describe what this new life will be like. “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment,” He says; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.” Jesus then adds, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins” (Mark 2:21-22).

Old wineskins are stiff and rigid. They have lost their suppleness and flexibility. When they are filled with wine which is still active and fermenting, they cannot expand along with the new wine. As a result, they burst, and the wine is lost. Similarly, Jesus came to proclaim a new understanding of spiritual law and a more interior understanding of spiritual life. But the religious leaders, who remain inflexible, are not able to receive the new wine that would lead to new life. They had become like hardened, dried-out wineskins that would burst under the pressure of new wine.

Similarly, they had become like worn-out garments that would not be able to withstand the pressure of a new cloth sewed onto it, for when the new cloth began to shrink, it would tear apart the old garment. The old way of viewing things — old wineskins and old garments — was to consider sinners unclean and unworthy of one’s company. To sit in their company, to speak with them, and perhaps even to share one’s faith with them, was considered highly inappropriate. But Jesus brought a new view, a new way of being, and a new way of understanding what it means to love God and one’s neighbor. He had come to preach the gospel, not to socialize with the religious elite; He had come to call sinners to repentance, not to support their evil ways. He had come to introduce everyone to a new way of life, beginning with repentance, and He was doing just that.

A practical application

As we consider the old wineskins that can no longer expand and the worn-out garments that can easily tear, we need to examine ourselves, asking, “In what ways have I become hard and inflexible? In what ways do my worn-out ideas need to be replaced by new visions of what is true? In what ways are my rigid attitudes unable to stretch with new ideas? In what ways can I expand my consciousness by learning new ways of being? These are important questions to consider as we sit at the table with Jesus and receive the new wine He offers.

The Lord of the Sabbath

23. And it came to pass, that He went through the grain on the Sabbaths; and His disciples began to make [their] way, plucking the ears [of grain].

24. And the Pharisees said to Him, “Behold, why are they doing on the Sabbaths what is not permitted?”

25. And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he had need and hungered, he and they that were with him,

26. How he entered into the house of God in [the time] of Abiathar the chief priest, and ate the bread [which was] set out, which is not permitted to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those that were with him?”

27. And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

28. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.”

Jesus has been showing how old traditions must yield to a new way of understanding religious faith and religious life. According to the Hebrew scriptures, it was forbidden to touch a person with a skin disease (Leviticus 5:3), and yet Jesus not only touched a leper but healed him. According to the Hebrew scriptures, repentance from sin should take place through various forms of self-denial, called “afflicting one’s soul,” fasting being the most common form of repentance (Leviticus 23:26-29). For Jesus, however, repentance begins with learning the truth and then striving to live according to it. This was the new wine (truth) that could not be put into old wineskins; it was the new cloth (good) that could not be sewn onto old garments.

In the next episode, Jesus deals with another tradition that needed to be understood differently. It was the Sabbath day, and as He went through the grain fields, His disciples began to pick ears of corn. When the religious leaders saw this, they said to Jesus, “Why are they doing on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful?” (Mark 2:24). According to the religious leaders, any kind of work on the Sabbath was considered unlawful. While the Hebrew scriptures forbade activities such as kindling a fire on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:3) or carrying a heavy burden on the Sabbath (Jeremiah 17:21), the religious leaders went even further, devising intricate rules for further defining what these things meant. Rather than see the spiritual meaning behind these laws (for example, “do not kindle a fire” means “do not start to get angry” and “do not carry a burden” means “do not carry a grudge”), these laws were interpreted literally. People were not allowed to cook meals (because that would require “kindling a fire”) or even lift a child (because that would be “carrying a burden”).

So, when Jesus permitted His disciples to pluck ears of corn on the Sabbath day, the religious leaders accused Him of violating the Sabbath commandment. Jesus responds by saying that even David ate the showbread in the temple and shared it with others. In other words, Jesus is saying that there are times when the law of charity — feeding the hungry — must prevail over religious tradition. “The Sabbath was made for man,” says Jesus. “Not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

In allowing His disciples to pluck and eat grain on the Sabbath, Jesus demonstrates that it is possible to be flexible and yielding without violating the spirit of the Sabbath commandment. “The Sabbath was made for man,” says Jesus. The commandments are given to open us to the fullness of life. “Not man for the Sabbath.” The commandments should not be seen as regulations that limit our freedom, but rather as God’s prescription for happiness. If we take the medicine as recommended, we acknowledge the wisdom of the Divine Physician. As Jesus had just said in the previous episode, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

When truth comes into our life, it comes as a great light revealing hidden evils we have not been willing to face or never knew we had. But it also comes as a light which leads us to a new vision of the heavenly kingdom. Such a new vision involves a completely new way of regarding the Sabbath. This new vision is like new wine that cannot be poured into old, stiff wineskins, and like new cloth that cannot be sewn onto old fraying garments.

In this regard, one of the many blessings that Jesus brought to earth was a new way of regarding the Sabbath. On one level Jesus was teaching that strict adherence to Sabbath law was not necessarily a virtue. However, at a more interior level, He was teaching that plucking corn represents a state of spiritual hunger for the divine truth. This “spiritual hunger” represents a true Sabbath state, for the Sabbath day should be reserved as a day of instruction in holy things — a day for spiritual nourishment, a time to listen to the gospel and learn about what is holy. Like the publicans and sinners who sat at the table eating and drinking with Jesus, we are called to do the same. As it is written, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). ²

As this chapter draws to a close, Jesus makes a powerful statement about His divinity. “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath,” He says. As we have seen, this gospel begins with the bold proclamation that Jesus is “the Son of God.” And here, at the end of the second chapter, Jesus refers to Himself as “Lord of the Sabbath” — a powerful and provocative claim. It is especially provocative when we realize that such a claim would be deeply offensive to the religious leaders. They would, in fact, regard it as blasphemy, since they knew that only God Himself could be called “Lord of the Sabbath.”

Nevertheless, Jesus is making that claim about Himself, and it is only the second chapter of Mark. Things are moving quickly. In fact, in the very next episode, Jesus will demonstrate yet another way that He is, indeed, Lord of the Sabbath.

Footnotes:

619. But in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey, signifies outwardly delightful. This is evident from the signification of "mouth," as being what is exterior; for this treats of the little book and eating it up, and "the little book" signifies the Word, and "eating it up" signifies perception and exploration; thence "the mouth," which first receives, means the external of the Word. It is evident also from the signification of "sweet as honey," as being the delight of natural good. The external of the Word was "sweet as honey," that is, thus delightful, because the external of the Word is such that it can be applied to any love whatever, or to any principle derived therefrom; and these can be confirmed by it. The external of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, is such because many things in it are written in accordance with the appearances presented to the natural man, and many appearances, when not interiorly understood, are fallacies, like the fallacies of the senses. Those, therefore, who love to live for the body and for the world, by means of these appearances draw over the external of the Word to confirm evils of life and falsities of faith.

[2] This was done especially by the sons of Jacob, who applied all things of the Word to themselves, and from the sense of the letter they held the belief, and also maintain it to this day, that they were chosen in preference to others, and therefore were a holy nation; that their Jerusalem, the temple there, the ark, the altar, the sacrifices, with innumerable other things, were holy of themselves; they did not know, and did not wish to know, that the holiness of all those things proceeded solely from this, that they represented things Divine proceeding from the Lord that are called celestial and spiritual, and are the holy things of heaven and the church, and that to think that these are holy of themselves, and not because of the Divine things they represent, would be to falsify and adulterate the Word by applying it to themselves and to their own loves. It was similar with their belief respecting the Messiah, that he would be king of the world, and would raise them above all other nations and peoples throughout the globe; not to mention other things which they gathered from the mere sense of the letter of the Word, which to them were sweet as honey in the mouth. This is why the things in the spiritual sense of the Word are undelightful, for in that sense are the truths themselves which are not according to appearances; as that the Jewish nation itself was not holy, but worse than every other nation, consequently that it was not chosen; that the city of Jerusalem merely signifies the Lord's church and doctrine respecting Him and the holy things of heaven and the church; and that the temple, the ark, the altar, and the sacrifices represented the Lord and the holy things that proceed from Him, and that for this and no other reason were they holy. These are truths that are stored up inwardly in the sense of the letter of the Word, that is, in its internal spiritual sense; and these truths they deny, because, as was said, they have falsified and adulterated the Word in the sense of the letter; and these things therefore are undelightful to them, like foods that are bitter in the belly.

[3] It is said that the little book was "in the mouth sweet as honey," because "honey" signifies the delight of natural good; that "honey" signifies that delight can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:

It was said to the prophet, Open wide thy mouth and eat that I give thee. And I saw and behold, a hand was put forth unto me, and lo, the roll of a book was therein; and when he had spread it before me it was written in front and behind, and written thereon were dirges, moaning, and woe. Then he said unto me, Son of man, eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. Then he said unto me, Feed thy belly and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee; and when I ate it, it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said, Go to the house of Israel and speak my words unto them (Ezekiel 2:8-10; 3:1-4).

These things involve things altogether similar to those in Revelation. The command to the prophet Ezekiel "to eat the roll of the book" involves something similar as the command to John "to eat the little book," namely, to explore how the Divine truth which is in the Word is yet received, perceived, and appropriated by those who are of the church; for the prophet Ezekiel and John represent the doctrine of truth and the Word, therefore the exploration was made with them. It was made by eating a book, because "to eat" signifies to perceive and thus to appropriate, as has been shown above; and when this has been ascertained, namely, how the Word was still perceived, it is said to the prophet Ezekiel that "he should go to the house of Israel and speak to them the words of God;" also to the prophet John that "he must prophesy," that is, still teach the Word in the church; and this because the book was perceived to be "in his mouth sweet as honey," that is, because the Word in the sense of the letter is still delightful, but for the reason that this sense can be applied to any principles of falsity and to any loves of evil, and can thus serve them in confirming the delights of the natural life separated from the delights of the spiritual life; and when these are separated they become mere delights of the loves of the body and of the world whence are principles of falsity from fallacies.

[4] In Isaiah:

A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name God-with-us. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to reject the evil and to choose the good (Isaiah 7:14, 15).

That this was said of the Lord is proved in Matthew (Matthew 1:23). Anyone can see that "butter and honey" do not mean here butter and honey, but something Divine corresponding to them, for it is added, "that He may know to reject the evil and to choose the good," and that is not known by eating butter and honey; but "butter" signifies the delight of spiritual good, and "honey" the delight of natural good, consequently the two signify the Lord's Divine spiritual and Divine natural, and thus His Human, interior and exterior. That the Lord's Human is meant can be seen from its being said that "a virgin shall conceive and bear a son;" and that it is Divine from its being said, "and shall call His name God-with-us," "to call a name" signifying the quality of a thing, here what the Divine is, for He was to be called "God-with-us."

[5] "Butter and honey" also signify the delight of spiritual and natural good in these words in the same chapter:

Butter and honey shall everyone eat that remains in the land (verse 22).

"That remains" mean those that are inwardly and also outwardly good from the Lord, consequently who receive the good proceeding from the Lord in truths; the blessedness therefrom of the internal or spiritual man, and also of the external or natural man, is signified by "butter and honey."

[6] In Job:

He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him. He shall not see the streams, the flowings of the brooks of honey and butter (Job 20:16, 17).

This is said of hypocrites who talk well and smoothly about God, about the neighbor, and about heaven and the church, and yet think altogether otherwise; and because they cunningly contrive by these means to captivate minds, although in heart they cherish what is infernal, it is said, "He shall suck the poison of asps, the viper's tongue shall slay him." That such have no delight in natural good or spiritual good is meant by "He shall not see the streams, the flowings of the brooks of honey and butter," "streams" meaning the things of intelligence, and "the flowings of the brooks of honey and butter," the things therefrom that are of affection and love, which are the very delights of heavenly life. Every delight of life that abides to eternity is a delight of spiritual good and truth, and from that a delight of natural good and truth; but hypocritical delight is a natural delight separate from spiritual delight, and this delight is turned in the other life into what is direfully infernal. Evidently "butter and honey" do not mean here butter and honey, for where, in the world, can there be found "flowings of brooks of honey and butter"?

[7] "Milk and honey" have a similar signification as "butter and honey;" and as "milk" signifies the delight of spiritual good, and "honey" the delight of natural good, and these delights are with those who are of the Lord's church, therefore the land of Canaan, which signifies the church, was called:

A land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8, 17; Leviticus 20:24; Numbers 13:27; 14:8; Deuteronomy 6:3; 11:9; 26:9, 15; 27:3; 31:20; Joshua 5:6; Jeremiah 11:5; 32:22; Ezekiel 20:6).

That in the Word "the land of Canaan" means the church has been shown above (n. 29, 304, 431); and the church is with those only who are in spiritual good and at the same time in natural good; in such the church is formed by the Lord; for the church is in man and not outside of him, consequently is not with those with whom these goods are not. These goods with their delights are signified by "milk and honey."

[8] There was also much honey in the land of Canaan at that time, because at that time the church of the Lord was there, as can be seen from the first book of Samuel, where it is said:

That they came into the forest, where there was honey upon the face of the ground, and there was a stream of honey, and Jonathan's eyes were opened by tasting the honey (1 Samuel 14:25-27, 29).

"Jonathan's eyes were opened by tasting the honey" because "honey" corresponds to natural good and its delight, and this good gives intelligence and enlightens, from which Jonathan knew that he had done evil; as we read in Isaiah, "He shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to reject the evil and to choose the good." For at that time correspondences exhibited their effects outwardly, since all things of the Israelitish Church consisted of correspondences, which represented and signified things celestial and spiritual.

[9] Again, "oil and honey" have a similar signification as "butter and honey" in the following passages. In Moses:

He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, and fed him with the produce of the fields; he made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock (Deuteronomy 32:13).

This is in the song of Moses, which treats of the church in its beginning, and afterward in its progress, and finally in its end. Those that constituted the Ancient Church are described by these words, not those however who constituted the Israelitish Church, for these were evil from the beginning even to the end, as can be seen from their fathers in Egypt, and afterwards in the wilderness; but the Ancient Church, the men of which are meant by "their fathers," was that which the Lord "made to ride on the high places of the earth, and fed with the produce of the fields." That to these the good of natural love and the good of spiritual love with their delights were given by means of truths, from which they had their intelligence and according to which they lived, is signified by "he made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock," "honey" signifying the delight of natural love, "oil," the delight of spiritual love, and "the cliff" and "the flint of the rock," truth from the Lord. (That "oil" signifies the good of love and charity, may be seen above, n. 375; and that "cliffs" and "rocks" signify truth from the Lord, n. 411, 443)

[10] In David:

I fed ¹ them with the fat of wheat, and with honey out of the rock I satisfied them (Psalms 81:16).

"The fat of wheat" signifies the delight of spiritual good, and "honey out of the rock," the delight of natural good through truths from the Lord (as above). It is to be known that natural good is not good unless there is also spiritual good; for all good flows in through the spiritual man or mind into the natural man or mind, and so far as the natural man or mind receives the good of the spiritual man or mind so far man receives good; that there may be good there must be both, or the two sides, consequently natural good separated from spiritual good is in itself evil, although by man it is still perceived as good. Since there must be both, it is said in the passages cited and yet to be cited, "butter and honey," "milk and honey;" "fat and honey," as also "oil and honey;" and "butter," "milk," "fat," and "oil" signify the good of spiritual love, and "honey" the good of natural love, together with their delights.

[11] In Ezekiel:

Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy garments were fine linen and silk and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, honey, and oil, whence thou didst become exceeding beautiful, and didst prosper even to a kingdom. But my bread which I gave thee, and the fine flour and oil and honey with which I fed thee, thou didst set before idols as an odor of rest (Ezekiel 16:13, 19).

This is said about Jerusalem, which signifies the church, first the Ancient Church, and afterwards the Israelitish Church. Of the Ancient Church it is said "she was decked with gold and silver," which signifies the love of good and truth that the men of that Church had; "the garments of fine linen, silk, and broidered work," signify the knowledges of celestial, spiritual, and natural truth, "fine linen" signifying truth from a celestial origin, "silk" truth from a spiritual origin, and "broidered work" truth from a natural origin, which is called knowledge [scientificum]. "She ate fine flour, honey and oil," signifies the perception of natural and spiritual truth and good, and their appropriation, "to eat" signifying to be appropriated, "fine flour" truth, "honey" natural good, and "oil" spiritual good, which were appropriated to them by a life according to the truths above mentioned. "She became exceeding beautiful and prospered even to a kingdom" signifies to become intelligent and wise so as to constitute a church, "beauty" signifying intelligence and wisdom, and a "kingdom" the church. But of the Israelitish Church, which was merely in externals without internals, whence the men of that church were idolatrous, it is said that "they set the fine flour, honey, and oil before the images of a male, or idols, as an odor of rest," that is, they perverted the truths and goods of the church into falsities and evils, and thus profaned them.

[12] In the same:

Judah and the land of Israel were thy merchants in the wheats of Minnith and Pannag, and honey and oil and balsam they gave for thy merchandise (Ezekiel 27:17).

This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good; so, too, "Tyre" signifies the knowledges of truth and good themselves belonging to the church; "oil and honey" have a similar signification as above. What is meant here in the spiritual sense by "Judah and the land of Israel," by "the wheats of Minnith and Pannag," and by "balsam," also by "the merchandise of Tyre," may be seen explained above n. 433.

[13] In Moses:

A land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths going forth from the valley and mountain; a land of wheat and barley, and of vine and fig-tree and pomegranate; and of olive oil and honey (Deuteronomy 8:7, 8).

This is said of the land of Canaan, which means the church which is in celestial, spiritual, and natural good, and in truths therefrom; but the contents of this verse are explained above (n. 374, 403), showing that "oil and honey" here signify the good of love in the internal or spiritual man and in the external or natural man.

[14] In David:

The judgments of Jehovah are truth, they are righteous altogether; more desirable than gold and than much fine gold; and sweeter than honey and the dropping of honeycombs (Psalms 19:9, 10).

In the same:

I have not departed from Thy judgment; for Thou hast instructed me. How sweet are Thy words to my palate, more than honey to my mouth (Psalms 119:102, 103).

"Judgments" signify the truths and goods of worship, therefore it is said "the judgments of Jehovah are truth, they are righteous altogether;" "righteous" signifies the good of life and worship therefrom; and as good is also signified by "gold" and "fine gold," it is said that "they are more desirable than gold and than much fine gold," "gold" meaning celestial good, "fine gold" spiritual good, and "desirable" means what belongs to affection and love. Since the goods by which a man is affected are delightful it is said that they are "sweeter than honey and the dropping of honeycombs," and that "the words of Jehovah are sweet to the palate, more than honey to the mouth," "sweet" signifying what is delightful, "honey" natural good, and "the dropping of honeycombs" natural truth. And because "honey" means natural good, and the "mouth" signifies what is external, it is said "more than honey to my mouth," as in Revelation, that "the little book was sweet as honey in the mouth."

[15] In Luke:

Jesus said to the disciples, who believed that they saw a spirit, See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; feel of Me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me having. Then He said to them, Have ye here anything to eat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb. And He took it and did eat it before them (Luke 24:39, 41-43).

From the series of these words regarded in the spiritual sense it is very evident that "honeycomb" and "honey" signify natural good, for the Lord disclosed to His disciples that He had glorified or made Divine His whole Human, even to its natural and sensual; this is signified by "hands and feet" and by "flesh and bones," which they saw and felt, "hands and feet" signifying the ultimate of man which is called the natural, "flesh" its good, and "bones" its truth; for all things that are in the human body correspond to spiritual things, the "flesh" corresponding to the good of the natural man, and the "bones" to its truths. (On this correspondence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 87-102.) And this the Lord confirmed by eating before the disciples of the broiled fish and honeycomb; "the broiled fish" signifying the truth of good of the natural and sensual man, and "the honeycomb," the good of the truth of the same. The Lord, therefore, by letting them feel of Him, showed and confirmed that His whole Human, even to its ultimates, was glorified, that is, made Divine; and this He showed, too, by the eating, in that "He ate before them a piece of broiled fish and of a honeycomb."

[16] As "honey" signifies the good of the natural man, so also:

John the Baptist had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6).

For John the Baptist represented something similar as Elijah; wherefore it is also said that "Elijah should come," by whom John is meant. Elijah represented the Lord in relation to the Word, or the Word from the Lord; John had a similar representation; and as the Word teaches that the Messiah or the Lord was about to come, John was sent before to preach respecting the Lord's coming, according to the predictions in the Word. And as John represented the Word, therefore he represented the ultimates of the Word, which are natural, by his raiment and also by his food, namely, by his raiment of camel's hair and the leathern girdle about his loins; "camel's hair" signifying the ultimates of the natural man, such as are the exterior things of the Word, and "the leathern girdle about the loins," the external bond and connection of these with the interior things of the Word, which are spiritual. "Locust and wild honey" have a like signification, "locust" signifying the truth of the natural man, and "wild honey" its good. It is the same whether you say the truth and good of the natural man or natural truth and good, such as the Word is in its ultimate sense, which is called the sense of the letter or the natural sense, for this was what John represented by his raiment and food.

[17] That:

No leaven and no honey were to be offered in the offerings made by fire to Jehovah (Leviticus 2:11);

because "leaven" signifies the falsity of the natural man, and "honey" the delight of good of the natural man, and in the contrary sense the delight of its evil; this is also like leaven when it is mixed with such things as signify things interiorly holy, for natural delight draws its own from the delights of the love of self and of the world; and as the Israelitish nation was in such delights more than other nations, therefore they were forbidden to use honey in their sacrifices. (On the signification of "honey," as meaning the delight of the good of the natural man, see Arcana Coelestia 5650, 6857, 8056, 10137, 10530)

[18] That:

When Samson had rent the young lion he found in its carcass a swarm of bees and honey, when he was about to take a wife from the Philistine nation (Judges 14:8);

signified the dissipation of faith separated from charity, which the Philistine nation represented; for this reason the Philistines were called "uncircumcised," and this term signified that they were without spiritual love and charity and only in natural love, which is the love of self and of the world. Because such a faith destroys the good of charity it was represented by a young lion that attacked Samson with intent to tear him in pieces, but as Samson was a Nazirite, and by his Naziriteship represented the Lord in respect to His ultimate natural, he rent the lion, and afterwards found in its carcass "a swarm of bees and honey," and this signifies that when such faith has been dissipated, the good of charity succeeds in its place. The other things related of Samson in the book of Judges have a like signification; for there is nothing written in the Word that does not represent and signify such things as belong to heaven and the church, and these can be known only by a knowledge of correspondences, and thus from the spiritual sense of the Word.

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