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马太福音 16

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1 法利赛人和撒都该人来试探耶稣,请他从上显个神迹给他们看。

2 耶稣回答:晚上发红,你们就必要晴。

3 早晨发红,又发黑,你们就说:今日必有风雨。你们知道分辨上的气色,倒不能分辨这时候的神迹。

4 一个邪恶淫乱的世代求神迹,除了约拿的神迹以外,再没有神迹给他看。耶稣就离开他们去了。

5 门徒渡到那边去,忘了带饼。

6 耶稣对他们:你们要谨慎,防备法利赛人和撒都该人的

7 门徒彼此议论说:这是因为我们没有带饼罢。

8 耶稣看出来,就:你们这小信的人,为甚麽因为没有饼彼此议论呢?

9 你们还不明白麽?不记得那五个饼分给五千人、又收拾了多少篮子的零碎麽?

10 也不记得那七个饼分给四千人、又收拾了多少筐子的零碎麽?

11 我对你们:要防备法利赛人和撒都该人的,这话不是指着饼的,你们怎麽不明白呢?

12 门徒这才晓得他的不是叫他们防备饼的,乃是防备法利赛人和撒都该人的教训。

13 耶稣到了该撒利亚腓立比的境内,就问门徒:人我(有古卷没有我字)人子是谁?

14 他们:有人是施洗的约翰;有人是以利亚;又有人是耶利米或是先知里的一位。

15 耶稣:你们我是谁?

16 西门彼得回答:你是基督,是永生神的儿子。

17 耶稣对他:西门巴约拿,你是有福的!因为这不是属血肉的指示你的,乃是我在上的父指示的。

18 我还告诉你,你是彼得,我要把我的教会建造在这磐石上;阴间的权柄(权柄:原文是门),不能胜过他。

19 我要把国的钥匙给你,凡你在地上所捆绑的,在上也要捆绑;凡你在地上所释放的,在上也要释放。

20 当下,耶稣嘱咐门徒,不可对人他是基督

21 从此,耶稣才指示门徒,他必须上耶路撒冷去,受长老、祭司长、文士许多的苦,并且被杀,第复活

22 彼得就拉着他,劝他:主阿,万不可如此!这事必不临到你身上。

23 耶稣过来,对彼得撒但,退我後边去罢!你是绊我脚的;因为你不体贴神的意思,只体贴人的意思。

24 於是耶稣对门徒:若有人要跟从我,就当舍己,背起他的十字架跟从我。

25 因为,凡要自己生命(生命:或作灵魂;下同)的,必丧掉生命;凡为我丧掉生命的,必得着生命。

26 人若赚得全世界,赔上自己的生命,有甚麽益处呢?人还能拿甚麽换生命呢?

27 人子要在他父的荣耀里,同着众使者降临;那时候,他要照各人的行为报应各人。

28 我实在告诉你们,站在这里的,有人在没尝死味以前必看见人子降临在他的国里。

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 6344

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6344. 'And the beginning of my strength' means that through that faith comes the initial power which truth possesses. This is clear from the meaning of 'the beginning of strength' as initial power; and since 'strength' is used with reference to truth, the initial power that truth possesses is what is meant. A similar usage occurs in Isaiah,

Jehovah imparts might to the weary, and to him who has no strength He gives greater power. Isaiah 40:29.

Here 'might' is used with reference to good and 'strength' to truth, 'power' with reference to both.

A brief statement will be made about how one should understand the explanation that through faith comes the power which good possesses, and the initial power which truth possesses, meant by 'Reuben my firstborn, you are my might and the beginning of my strength'. In the spiritual world all power comes from good through truth; without good truth has no power at all. For truth is so to speak the body, and good so to speak the soul of that body, and to accomplish anything the soul must act through the body. From this it is evident that truth without good has no power at all, even as the body without the soul has none at all. A body without its soul is a corpse; so too is truth without good.

[2] As soon as good effects the birth of faith that is composed of truth, power reveals itself in truth. This power is what is called the initial power that truth possesses through faith and is what is meant by 'the beginning of strength', as in other places in the Word where the condition of the firstborn is referred to, for example in David,

He smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the beginning of strength in the tents of Ham. Psalms 78:51.

And in another place,

He smote all the firstborn in their land, the beginning of all their strength. Psalms 105:36.

Also in Deuteronomy,

He must acknowledge the firstborn son of her that is hated, to give him two parts of all that will be found for him, in that he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the first born is his. Deuteronomy 21:17.

[3] The genuine meaning of 'the firstborn' is the good of charity, though the apparent meaning is the truth of faith, 3325, 4925, 4926, 4928, 4930. And because both that good and this truth are the fundamental qualities of the Church, the ancients spoke of the firstborn as his 'father's might and the beginning of his strength'. The fact that those fundamental qualities were meant by 'the firstborn' is quite evident from the considerations that everything which was a firstborn was Jehovah's or the Lord's and that the tribe of Levi was taken instead of all the firstborn and became the priesthood.

[4] Scarcely anyone in the world can know what the power possessed by truth coming from good is; but it is known to those in the next life, and so can be known through revelation from there. People in possession of truth that comes from good, that is, of faith derived from charity, possess power that comes through truth from good. All angels possess that power, which also is why in the Word angels are called 'powers'. For they have the power to restrain evil spirits; even one angel can restrain a thousand together. Their power they use most especially among men; sometimes they protect a person from numerous hells, in thousands of ways.

[5] This power that angels possess comes to them through the truth of faith derived from the good of charity. But because the faith they have comes from the Lord, the Lord alone is the power that resides with them. This power which comes from the Lord through faith is meant by the Lord's words to Peter,

On this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:18-19.

These words were addressed to Peter because he represented faith, see Preface to Genesis 22, as well as 3750, 4738, 6000, 6073 (end). Also wherever 'rock', 1 as Peter is called here, occurs in the Word, faith is meant in its internal sense, and the Lord in respect of faith in its highest sense.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. Reading petram (rock), which Swedenborg has in his rough draft, for Petrum (Peter).

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.