3147. “又拿水给他洗脚” 表那里的洁净. 这从 “清洗的水”, 或用水清洗和 “脚” 的含义清楚可知: “清洗的水” 或用水清洗是指洁净, 如下文所述; “脚” 是指属世之物, 或也可说, 属世人中的事物 (参看2162节). 在代表性教会, 用水洗脚是一种礼仪, 由此表示洗去属世人的不洁之物. 属世人的不洁之物全都是那些属于我欲和物欲的事物. 这些不洁之物被洗去后, 良善与真理便流入进来, 因为唯独这些不洁之物阻碍良善与真理从主流入.

良善不断从主流入, 但当经由内在人或属灵人抵达外在人或属世人时, 它在那里要么被败坏, 要么被弹回, 要么被窒息. 不过, 属于我欲和物欲的事物被除去后, 良善便在那里被接受, 并结出果实, 因为此时人实践仁爱的行为. 这一事实从多种考虑可以看出来, 如当人处于不幸, 悲伤和疾病状态时, 属于外在人或属世人的事物只是沉寂下来, 这人随即开始虔诚地思考, 并意愿良善, 也开始尽可能地实践敬虔的行为. 不过, 一旦这种状态改变, 所有这些事也会改变.

在古教会, 各种 “洗” 是表示这些事的符号; 但在犹太教会, 它们则成了代表形式. 在古教会, 各种 “洗” 是有意义的符号; 而在犹太教会, 它们则成了代表形式. 这是因为古教会成员将仪式视为敬拜的某种外在行为, 他们并不认为自己通过这种清洗就能洁净, 而是相信通过洗去属世人的污秽才能洁净. 如前所述, 属世人的污秽就是属于我欲和物欲的事物. 而犹太教会成员则认为自己通过这种洗就能洁净, 既不知道, 也不想知道所指是内在的洁净.

“洗” 表示洗去那污秽, 这清楚可见于以赛亚书:

你们要洗濯, 自洁, 从我眼前除掉你们的恶行, 要止住作恶. (以赛亚书 1:16)

显然, 这里的 “洗濯” 表示使自己洁净, 除掉邪恶. 又:

主以审判之灵和清洗之灵, 将锡安女子的污秽洗去, 又将耶路撒冷的血从城当中涮净. (以赛亚书 4:3)

此处 “将锡安女子的污秽洗去, 又将耶路撒冷的血涮净” 表从恶与假中洁净. 耶利米书:

耶路撒冷啊, 你当洗去心中的恶, 使你可以得救. 恶念存在你里面要到几时呢? (耶利米书 4:14)

以西结书:

我用水洗你, 洗净你身上的血, 又用油抹你. (以西结书 16:9);

这论及耶路撒冷, 耶路撒冷在此表示古教会. “用水洗” 表洁除虚假, “洗净血” 表清除邪恶, “用油抹” 表那时充满良善. 诗篇:

求你洗净我的罪孽, 并洁除我的罪! 求你用牛膝草洁净我, 我就干净; 求你洗涤我, 我就比雪更白. (诗篇 51:2, 7)

此处 “洗涤” 明显表示从恶及其假中洁净.

这些就是代表性教会中 “洗” 所表示的事. 为了作代表, 当他们变得不洁, 并且需要洁净时, 该教会就要求人们洗皮肤, 手, 脚, 以及衣服. 所有这些都表示属于属世人的事. 同样为了作代表, 铜造的洗濯盆, 也就是说列王纪上 (7:23-39) 所提到的 “铜海和十个铜盆” 被安在圣殿的外面; 还有亚伦和他儿子用来洗濯的铜盆被放在会幕和坛的中间, 因而在会幕外面 (出埃及记 30:18, 19, 21); 它们也表示仅外在事物或属世之物需要被洁净. 除非它们被洁净, 也就是说, 属于我欲和物欲的事物被除去, 否则, 属于对主和对邻之爱的内在事物绝无可能流入进来, 如前所述.

为了更好地理解这些事, 也就是说, 外在事物需要被洁净, 以善行, 或也可说如今被称作信的果子的仁之良善为例来说明. 这些都是外在事物, 因为它们是仁爱的行为. 若不除去那些属于我欲和物欲的事物, 善行就是恶行. 在除去这些事物之前所做的行为表面上看似良善, 内里其实是邪恶. 因为所做的这些行为要么为名, 要么为利, 要么为个人的荣耀, 要么为回报. 相应地, 它们或是邀功的, 或是虚伪的, 因为属于我欲和物欲的事物使这些行为变得如此. 不过, 一旦除去这些恶, 这些行为就变成良善, 并且是仁之良善. 也就是说, 它们无关自我, 这个世界, 名声或回报, 因而不是邀功或虚伪的. 在这种情况下, 属天之爱和属灵之爱便从主流入这些行为, 并使它们变成行为上的爱与仁. 与此同时, 主还通过这些爱洁净属世人或外在人, 将其整理成序, 以便人相应地接受所流入的属天和属灵之物.

这从主给门徒洗脚时所教导的话非常清楚地看出来. 如我们在约翰福音中读到:

然后, 祂挨到西门彼得, 彼得对他说, 主啊, 你洗我的脚吗? 耶稣回答他说, 我所做的, 你如今不知道, 后来必明白. 彼得对祂说, 你永不可洗我的脚! 耶稣回答他说, 我若不洗你, 你就与我无分了. 西门彼得对祂说, 主啊, 不单我的脚, 还有手和头呢! 耶稣对他说, 凡洗过澡的人, 只要把脚一洗, 全身就干净了; 你们是乾净的, 然而不都是乾净的. (约翰福音 13:4-17)

“凡洗过澡的人, 只要把脚一洗, 全身就干净了” 表凡已被改造的人只需洁净属世之物, 也就是说, 将恶与假从他们身上除去. 这时, 一切事物就都被来自主的属灵之物的流注整理成序了. 此外, “洗脚” 是一种仁爱行为, 意味着人不应老想着别人的邪恶; “洗脚” 还是一种谦卑行为, 意味着洁除别人身上如同身体污秽那样的邪恶. 这也可从主的话明显看出来 (约翰福音 13:12-17; 路加福音 7:37, 38, 44, 46; 约翰福音 11:2; 撒母耳记上 25:41).

谁都能看出, 洗自己不是洁除人的恶与假, 只是洗去附着在人身上的脏东西. 然而, 由于洗礼是教会所规定的仪式之一, 故可知, 它含有某种特定概念, 即属灵的洗礼, 也就是洁除内在附着于人身上的污秽. 因此, 凡教会中知道这些事, 并思想心的洁净, 也就是从属世人中除去我欲和物欲的邪恶, 竭尽全力去实现的人会按照规定奉行作为外在敬拜的洗礼仪式. 但在那些不知道, 也不想知道这些事, 反以为仅洗衣, 洗皮肤, 手和脚这样的仪式就会洁净他们, 并且只要做了这些事, 他们就可以继续过着贪婪, 仇恨, 报复, 无情, 残忍 (所有这些都是属灵的污秽) 的生活之人当中, 举行仪式就是进行偶像崇拜. 尽管如此, 他们仍能通过这种仪式去作代表, 并通过代表去展现教会的某种事物, 从而在主到来之前, 天堂与人类能有某种结合. 然而, 这种结合具有这样的特点: 天堂对教会中人影响很小, 或根本没有任何影响.

犹太人和以色列人是这样: 他们根本不思想内在人, 也不愿了解有关它的任何情况, 因此对关系到死后生命的属天和属灵之物一无所知. 为防止与天堂, 因而与主的一切联系终止, 他们与表示内在事物的外在仪式牢牢绑在一起. 一般来说, 他们的被掳和灾祸都是为了外在仪式因代表的缘故而被严格执行. 正因如此, 摩西要用水洗亚伦和他儿子, 好让他们成圣 (出埃及记 29:4; 40:12; 利未记 8:6). 亚伦和他儿子在进入会幕, 或就近供职的祭坛之前, 要洗水洗脚, 免得死亡; 并且这要作他们永远的定例 (出埃及记 30:18-21; 40:30-31). 穿圣服之前, 亚伦要洗身 (利未记 16:4, 24). 要用除罪水弹在利未人身上, 以洁净他们; 他们要用剃头刀刮全身, 洗衣, 从而洁净自己 (民数记 8:6-7). 凡吃动物尸体, 哪怕是洁净动物, 或被撕裂的尸体之人, 都要用水洗衣洗澡, 若不洗自己洗澡, 他必担当自己的罪孽 (利未记 17:15-16). 凡摸了患漏症人的床, 或坐那人所坐之物的, 凡摸那人身体的, 要用水洗衣洗澡, 并且必不洁净到晚上 (利未记 15:5-7, 10-12等). 那放羊归与阿撒泻勒的人要洗身 (利未记 16:26). 求洁净的麻风病人要洗衣, 剃去毛发, 用水洗澡, 就洁净了 (利未记 14:8, 9). 甚至不洁之人所摸的器皿本身也变得不洁, 要放在水中, 并且必不洁净到晚上 (利未记 11:32). 从所有这些律法可以看出, 没有人通过洗礼的仪式而洁净内在事物, 这种人只是因上述原因而代表灵性上纯洁或洁净的人. 主在马太福音 (15:1-20) 和马可福音 (7:1-23) 非常明确地教导了这一点.

4302. 'And he was limping on his thigh' means that truths were not yet arranged into such an order that together with good they could all enter celestial-spiritual good. This is clear from the meaning of 'limping' as possessing good which does not as yet contain genuine truths but does contain general truths into which genuine ones can be instilled and which are such as do not disagree with genuine ones, dealt with below. In the highest sense, however, in which the Lord is the subject, 'limping on the thigh' means that truths were not yet arranged into such an order that with good they could all enter celestial-spiritual good - 'the thigh' meaning celestial-spiritual good, see above in 4277, 4278.

[2] As regards the order which truths must possess when they enter good, in this case celestial-spiritual good, no intelligible explanation of it is possible, for one needs to know before that what order is, and then what kind of order goes with truths, also what celestial-spiritual good is and then how these truths enter by way of good into that celestial-spiritual good. Even if these matters were described they would not be understood except by those who see with heavenly perception; nothing at all would be understood by those who see with merely natural perception. For those who see with heavenly perception dwell in the light of heaven which comes from the Lord, a light that holds intelligence and wisdom within it. But those who dwell in natural light do not possess any intelligence or wisdom except insofar as the light of heaven flows into that natural light and uses it in such a way that things belonging to heaven may be seen - as in a mirror or in some representative image - within things belonging to natural light. For natural light does not render any spiritual truth visible unless the light of heaven is flowing into it.

[3] This alone can be said regarding the order in which truths must exist to enable them to enter good. As with goods, all truths - not only the general ones but also the particular, and indeed the most specific - must in heaven have been arranged into that order so that one truth relates to another within a form like that in which the members, organs, and viscera of the human body relate to one another. That is, their uses relate to one another in general, also in particular, as well as most specifically, and act so as to be a single whole. From this - that is to say, from the order in which truths and goods exist - heaven itself is called the Grand Man. Its actual life comes from the Lord, who from Himself arranges every single thing into such order. Consequently heaven is a likeness and image of the Lord. When therefore truths have been arranged into an order like that into which heaven is arranged they exist in heavenly order and are able to enter good. Truths and goods exist in such order with every angel, and they are also being arranged into such order with every person who is being regenerated. In short, the order of heaven consists in the proper arrangement of truths that are the truths of faith within goods that are those of charity towards the neighbour, and the arrangement of these goods within the good that is the good of love to the Lord.

[4] The fact that 'limping' means possessing good which does not as yet contain genuine truths but does nevertheless contain general truths into which genuine ones can be instilled, and which are the kind that do not disagree with genuine truths; and thus the fact that 'the lame' are those who do possess good though not genuine good because they are without knowledge of truth - good such as gentiles possess who lead charitable lives with one another - becomes clear from those places in the Word where the lame and those who limp are mentioned in the good sense, as in Isaiah,

The eyes of the blind will be opened. and the ears of the deaf will be opened; then will the lame man leap like a hart, and the dumb man sing with his tongue. Isaiah 35:5-6.

In Jeremiah,

Behold, I am bringing them from the north land, and I will gather them from the extremities of the earth, among them the blind one and the lame, the woman who is with child and her who is giving birth, together. Jeremiah 31-8.

In Micah,

On that day, said Jehovah, I will bring together her who limps and will gather her who has been driven away. And I will make her who limps into the remnant, and her who was driven away into a numerous nation; and Jehovah will reign over them in Mount Zion, from now on and for ever. Micah 4:6-7.

In Zephaniah,

At that time I will save her who limps and will gather her who has been driven away, and I will make them a praise and a name. Zephaniah 3:19.

Anyone can see that in these places 'the lame' and 'her who limps' does not mean the lame or one who limps; for it is said of them that they will leap, be gathered together, be made into the remnant, and be saved. But it is evident that people who are governed by good and less so by truths are meant, as upright gentiles are and also those like them within the Church.

[5] Such persons are also meant by 'the lame' to whom the Lord refers in Luke,

Jesus said, When you give a feast invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, and you will be blessed. Luke 14:13-14.

And in the same gospel,

The householder said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor, and the maimed, and the lame, and the blind. Luke 14:21.

The Ancient Church distinguished the neighbour or neighbours to whom they were to perform charitable works into different categories. Some they called the maimed, others the lame, some the blind, and others the deaf, by which they meant those who were spiritually such. Some they also called the hungry, the thirsty, strangers, the naked, the sick, or prisoners, as in Matthew 25:35-36, and likewise widows, orphans, the needy, the poor, and the wretched, by whom they meant none others than those who were such so far as truth and good were concerned, who were to be furnished with whatever was appropriate to their needs, led into 'the way', and thereby receive counsel regarding their souls. But because at the present day charity does not constitute the Church but faith, what those categories of people are used to mean in the Word is totally unknown. Yet it is evident to everyone that it is not an inviting of the maimed, the lame, and the blind to a feast that is meant, nor that the householder commanded such persons to be brought in, but that those who are like this spiritually are meant. It is also evident to them that every single utterance of the Lord contains what is Divine, and so has a celestial and a spiritual sense.

[6] The Lord's words in Mark have a similar meaning,

If your foot causes you to stumble cut it off, it is better for you to enter into life lame than having two feet to be cast into the Gehenna of fire, into the unquenchable fire. Mark 9:45; Matthew 18:8.

A foot which has to be cut off if it causes stumbling means the natural which constantly sets itself against the spiritual and has to be destroyed if it is trying to crush truths, and so means that because of the disagreement and contrary-mindedness of the natural man it is preferable to be governed by simple good even though there is a denial of truth. This is what 'entering into life lame' means. As regards 'the foot' meaning the natural, see 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280.

[7] 'The lame' also means in the Word those who possess no good at all and consequently no truth, as in Isaiah,

Then the prey will be divided; the prey multiplying, those who limp will take the prey. Isaiah 33:23.

In David,

When I am limping they are glad and are gathered together; the lame whom I do not know are gathered together against me. Psalms 35:15.

Such persons being meant by 'the lame' it was also forbidden to sacrifice anything that was lame, Deuteronomy 15:21-22; Malachi 1:8, 13. Also, no lame person belonging to the seed of Aaron could serve in the priesthood, Leviticus 21:18. As with the lame likewise with the blind, for 'the blind' in the good sense means people who have no knowledge of truth, and in the contrary sense those who are subject to falsities, 2383.

[8] In the original language one word is used to express a person who is lame, another a person who limps. In the proper sense one who is lame means people who are governed by natural good into which spiritual truths are unable to flow owing to the outward natural appearances and the delusions of the senses, while in the contrary sense one who is lame means those who are not governed by any natural good but by evil, which totally blocks the inflow of spiritual truth. One who limps however means in the proper sense those who are governed by natural good into which general truths are allowed to enter but not particular and specific truths owing to lack of knowledge, whereas in the contrary sense one who limps means those who are subject to evil and so do not even allow general truths to enter in.