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Matthew 12

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1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath through the cornfields; and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears and to eat.

2 But the Pharisees, seeing [it], said to him, Behold, thy disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on sabbath.

3 But he said to them, Have ye not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him?

4 How he entered into the house of God, and ate the shewbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests only?

5 Or have ye not read in the law that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

6 But I say unto you, that there is here what is greater than the temple.

7 But if ye had known what is: I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 For the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath.

9 And, going away from thence, he came into their synagogue.

10 And behold, there was a man having his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? that they might accuse him.

11 But he said to them, What man shall there be of you who has one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and raise [it] up?

12 How much better then is a man than a sheep! So that it is lawful to do well on the sabbath.

13 Then he says to the man, Stretch out thy hand. And he stretched [it] out, and it was restored sound as the other.

14 But the Pharisees, having gone out, took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.

15 But Jesus knowing [it], withdrew thence, and great crowds followed him; and he healed them all:

16 and charged them strictly that they should not make him publicly known:

17 that that might be fulfilled which was spoken through Esaias the prophet, saying,

18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul has found its delight. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall shew forth judgment to the nations.

19 He shall not strive or cry out, nor shall any one hear his voice in the streets;

20 a bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, until he bring forth judgment unto victory;

21 and on his name shall [the] nations hope.

22 Then was brought to him one possessed by a demon, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so that the dumb [man] spake and saw.

23 And all the crowds were amazed and said, Is this [man] the Son of David?

24 But the Pharisees, having heard [it], said, This [man] does not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub, prince of demons.

25 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not subsist.

26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom subsist?

27 And if *I* cast out demons by Beelzebub, your sons, by whom do they cast [them] out? For this reason *they* shall be your judges.

28 But if *I* by [the] Spirit of God cast out demons, then indeed the kingdom of God is come upon you.

29 Or how can any one enter into the house of the strong [man] and plunder his goods, unless first he bind the strong [man]? and then he will plunder his house.

30 He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters.

31 For this reason I say unto you, Every sin and injurious speaking shall be forgiven to men, but speaking injuriously of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men.

32 And whosoever shall have spoken a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming [one].

33 Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt. For from the fruit the tree is known.

34 Offspring of vipers! how can ye speak good things, being wicked? For of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 The good man out of the good treasure brings forth good things; and the wicked man out of the wicked treasure brings forth wicked things.

36 But I say unto you, that every idle word which men shall say, they shall render an account of it in judgment-day:

37 for by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

38 Then answered him some of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, Teacher, we desire to see a sign from thee.

39 But he, answering, said to them, A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it save the sign of Jonas the prophet.

40 For even as Jonas was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, thus shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

41 Ninevites shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold, more than Jonas [is] here.

42 A queen of [the] south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, more than Solomon [is] here.

43 But when the unclean spirit has gone out of the man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and does not find [it].

44 Then he says, I will return to my house whence I came out; and having come, he finds [it] unoccupied, swept, and adorned.

45 Then he goes and takes with himself seven other spirits worse than himself, and entering in, they dwell there; and the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. Thus shall it be to this wicked generation also.

46 But while he was yet speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him.

47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren are standing without, seeking to speak to thee.

48 But he answering said to him that spoke to him, Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?

49 And, stretching out his hand to his disciples, he said, Behold my mother and my brethren;

50 for whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in [the] heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.

   

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Dumb

  

To be dumb, or unable to speak, as in Exodus 4:11 and Isaiah 35:6, signifies people who cannot confess the Lord because they are ignorant of the truth. (Arcana Coelestia 6988, Apocalypse Explained 455)

In Mark 9:25, this signifies one who does not want to perceive and understand truth. (Apocalypse Explained 556)

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Arcana Coelestia # 3862

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3862. In 3858 above it was shown that 'the twelve tribes' meant all things forming part of truth and good, or of faith and love. In this present paragraph, now that the sons of Jacob individually after whom the tribes were named are the subject, a second arcanum is to be brought to light, namely the meaning which each son carries. In heaven all celestial and spiritual warmth, or love and charity, is in its external form felt as the glow from the sun, and in heaven all celestial and spiritual light, or faith, is in its external form seen as the light from the sun. Also that celestial and spiritual warmth holds wisdom within itself, and the light from that source holds intelligence, and they do so because they flow from the Lord, who is the Sun of heaven, see 1053, 1521-1533, 1619-1632, 2441, 2495, 2776, 3138, 3167, 3190, 3195, 3222, 3223, 3338, 3339, 3341, 3413, 3485, 3636, 3643.

These paragraphs show that all good is a product of the warmth which flows from the Lord as the Sun, and that all truth is a product of the light from that source. They also show that all affections which go with love or good are variations of that celestial and spiritual warmth flowing from the Lord, and that this is the origin of changes of state. They show too that all thoughts which go with truth or faith are variations of that celestial and spiritual light which flows from the Lord, and that this is the origin of intelligence. All angels in heaven are bathed in that warmth and light. Their affections and thoughts have no other source, nor are they anything else. This is evident from the different forms of communication employed by the angels, in that because those forms of communication have their origin in heavenly warmth and light, they consist of variations and modifications of heavenly light containing heavenly warmth, and are therefore indescribable and so varying and complete as to be quite beyond one's comprehension, 3342, 3344, 3345.

[2] So that these things might be manifested in a representative way in the world names were given to each of the sons of Jacob which meant the universal divisions of good and truth, or of love and faith, and so the universal manifestations of variation in celestial and spiritual warmth and of variation in light from that source. What determines the intensity of the flame and the brightness from it is the actual order of those universal manifestations. When love comes first in such order, everything which follows within genuine order from that love is flaming, but when faith comes first everything which follows within genuine order is full of light, yet with all the differences that the things which follow entail. If however they do not follow according to genuine order everything is obscure, and in ever differing ways. But this order and resulting differences will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed later on. This then is how the Lord gave answers by means of the Urim and Thummim and how according to the state of the actual thing in question they received answers by means of lights and their flashes from the precious and transparent stones on which the names of the twelve tribes had been inscribed. For as has been stated, inscribed on the names were the universal divisions of love and faith which exist in the Lord's kingdom and so the universal manifestations of flame and light by which those divisions of love and faith are represented in heaven.

[3] First therefore let evidence from the Word be presented to confirm that the order of the names in which the tribes are mentioned varies in the Word, and that each variation of their order is determined by the particular state of the subject under discussion there. And from such evidence one may see that the answers from the Lord given by means of the Urim and Thummim were radiations of light determined by the particular states of the thing - such variations being due to the order of all that was involved. For the entire light of heaven is made to vary by the different states which that thing passes through, and those states are made to vary by the order in which good and truth come. But which aspect of truth or good is meant by each name will be evident from the explanation that is being given. That is to say, Reuben means faith from the Lord; Simeon faith possessed by the will which is received from the Lord; Levi spiritual love, which is charity; Judah the Divinity of love, and the Lord's heavenly kingdom. What the other eight mean will be stated in the next chapter. Described here is the order in which they were born, which was as follows: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin - see verses 32-35 of the present chapter, and then Genesis 30:6, 8, 11, 13, 18, 20, 24; 35:18. This order is determined by the state of the subject that is being dealt with at this point, which is that of the regeneration of man, for this starts with the truth of faith, meant by 'Reuben', progresses from this towards the willing of truth, meant by 'Simeon', and from this to charity, meant by 'Levi', and so on to the Lord, who is meant in the highest sense by 'Judah'. The progression of spiritual conception and birth, or regeneration, from what is external to what is internal has been stated immediately above in 3860; that is, the progression is from the truth of faith to the good of love.

[4] Before Jacob came to Isaac his father in Mamre, or Kiriath Arba, his sons are mentioned in Genesis 35:23-26 in the following order: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher. In this case those by Leah and Rachel come first, and those by the servant-girls last, this being determined by the state of the subject dealt with at that point. They are listed in yet another order when they travelled and came into Egypt, in Genesis 46:9-19; in another when before his death they were blessed by Jacob, who by then was Israel, in Genesis 49:3-27; and in another again when blessed by Moses, in Deuteronomy 33:6-24. And when they encamped around the Tent of Meeting they did so in the following order: To the east Judah, Issachar, Zebulun; to the south Reuben, Simeon, Gad; to the west Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin; to the north Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Numbers 2:1-end. In what order they stood on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, or on Mount Ebal to curse them, see Deuteronomy 27:12-13. When the princes chosen from each tribe were sent to spy out the land they are listed in Numbers 13:4-16 in the following order: Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun, Joseph or Manasseh, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Gad. But there is a different order to the princes who were to divide the land for inheritance, Numbers 34:19-29. In what order the lot fell when it was cast, at the time that the land was divided for inheritance, see Chapters 13 - 19 of Joshua.

[5] When the boundaries of the new or holy land which the tribes were to inherit are referred to in Ezekiel the tribes are mentioned in the following order: Dan, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, Judah, Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad. All are described from the corner pointing east to the corner pointing to the sea or west, except Gad which was situated at the south corner pointing towards the south, Ezekiel 48:1-7, 23-26. And where the gates of the new or holy city are referred to they are mentioned in the following order: Facing north the three gates of Reuben, Judah, and Levi; facing east the three gates of Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan; facing south the three gates of Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun; facing west the three gates of Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, Ezekiel 48:31-34. For the order of those sealed, twelve thousand from each tribe, see Revelation 7:5-8. In all these places the listing of the tribes depends completely on the state of the subject dealt with, to which the order corresponds. That particular state is evident from what comes before and after.

[6] The order of the precious stones in the Urim and Thummim is mentioned and described in the Word, but which tribes individual stones corresponded to is not mentioned. For those stones represented all things belonging to the light shed by heavenly flame, that is, all aspects of truth originating in good, or of faith originating in charity. And because they represented these things heavenly light itself shone through them in a miraculous way in accordance with the state of the subject concerning which a question was asked and an answer was given. Flashing and bright light stood for a positive answer concerning good and truth, which light was accompanied by variations of the stones' colours according with the differences of the state of good and truth, as in heaven where all celestial and spiritual things are expressed by means of lights and their differences, and in a way beyond description and completely incomprehensible to man. For as has been shown frequently, heavenly light includes life from the Lord, and so includes wisdom and intelligence. Consequently the differences in light include everything that constitutes the life, that is, everything that constitutes wisdom and intelligence, while the differences in flaming, flashing, and shining include everything that constitutes the life of good and the life of truth received from good, that is, of love to the Lord and of faith derived from that love. Such then were the Urim and Thummim which were on the breastplate of the ephod and were over Aaron's heart. The nature of them is also evident from the fact that the terms Urim and Thummim mean lights and perfections, and that the breastplate in which they were set is called the breastplate of judgement, because judgement consists in intelligence and wisdom, 2235. The reason it was worn over Aaron's heart was that 'the heart' means Divine love, see 3635 and the section at the end of the present chapter. For this reason also those precious stones were placed in settings of gold, for 'gold' in the internal sense means good which is an attribute of love, 113, 1551, 1552, and 'precious stone' truth which shines through from good, 114.

[7] The Urim and Thummim are spoken of in Moses as follows,

You shall make the breastplate of judgement, the work of designing, like the work of the ephod you shall make it; out of gold, violet, and purple, and twice-dyed scarlet, and of fine-twined linen you shall make it. It shall be square when doubled. And you shall set within it stone-settings, four rows of stones shall there be. There shall be sockets of gold in their settings. And the stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names. The engravings of a signet, each one according to its name, there shall be for the twelve tribes. Exodus 28:15-21; 39:8-14.

Which stones had to be set in each row is also specified in those chapters. And further,

The breastplate shall not come away from the ephod. And Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgement over his heart when he goes into the holy place, for a remembrance before Jehovah continually. And you shall put into the breastplate of judgement the Urim and Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before Jehovah. And Aaron shall bear the judgement of the sons of Israel over his heart before Jehovah continually. Exodus 28:28-30; Leviticus 8:7-8.

The fact that Jehovah or the Lord was inquired of and gave answers by means of the Urim is seen in Moses,

Jehovah said to Moses, Take Joshua the son of Nun. You shall place some of your glory on him, so that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, and he shall inquire for him in the judgement of the Urim before Jehovah. Numbers 27:18, 20-21.

And in Samuel,

Saul inquired of Jehovah, but Jehovah did not answer him by dreams, or by the Urim, or by prophets. 1 Samuel 28:6.

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