10655. The feast of unleavened things shalt thou keep. That this signifies the worship of the Lord and thanksgiving on account of liberation from evil and from the falsities of evil, is evident from the signification of a “feast,” as being worship and thanksgiving (see n. 7093, 9286, 9287); and from the signification of “unleavened things,” as being things purified from evil and from the falsities of evil (see n. 9992); consequently by “the feast of unleavened things” is signified worship and thanksgiving on account of liberation from evil and from the falsities of evil. (That this was signified by this feast, (9286-9292) see n. 9286-9292).
[2] As regards this feast, be it known that it properly signifies the glorification of the Lord’s Human, thus the remembrance of this and thanksgiving on account of it, for by means of this glorification and the subjugation of the hells by the Lord, man has liberation from evils and salvation. For the Lord glorified His Human by combats against the hells and at the same time by continual victories over them. The last combat and victory was on the cross; wherefore He then fully glorified Himself, as He also teaches in John:
After Judas had gone out, Jesus said, Now hath the Son of man been glorified, and God hath been glorified in Him. If God hath been glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him (John 13:31-32).
Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee. Now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with [apud] Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was (John 17:1, 5).
Ought not Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into His glory? (Luke 24:26).
“To glorify the Son of man” denotes to make the Human Divine. It is evident that these things were said concerning His passion of the cross.
[3] That by this last combat, which was the passion of the cross, He fully subjugated the hells, the Lord also teaches in John:
Jesus said, The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified. Now is My soul troubled. And He said, Father, glorify Thy name; and there went forth a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified, and will glorify again. And Jesus said, Now is the judgement of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. This He said, signifying by what manner of death He should die (John 12:23, 27-28, 31-33).
Hell in the whole complex is what is called “the prince of the world,” and “the devil.” From all this it is evident that by the passion of the cross the Lord not only conquered and subjugated the hells, but also fully glorified His Human. From this comes salvation to the human race. For the sake of this also the Lord came into the world, as He likewise teaches in John 12:27. It was for the remembrance of this that the feast of unleavened things or of the passover was primarily instituted, and therefore at this feast He rose again.
[4] That it was also for the sake of liberation from evil and from the falsities of evil, is because all liberation from evil is by means of the subjugation of the hells by the Lord, and by means of the glorification of His Human; and without these there is none. For man is directed by the Lord by means of spirits from hell, and by means of angels out of heaven; and therefore unless the hells had been completely subjugated, and unless the Human of the Lord had been completely united to the Divine Itself, and thus also made Divine, no man could possibly have been liberated from hell and saved, for the hells would always have prevailed, because man has become such that from himself he thinks nothing else than what belongs to hell. From this it is evident whence it is that by the same feast is signified worship and thanksgiving on account of liberation from evil and from the falsities of evil.
