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Matthew 3

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1 Now in those days comes John the baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

2 and saying, Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh.

3 For this is he who has been spoken of through Esaias the prophet, saying, Voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of [the] Lord, make straight his paths.

4 And John himself had his garment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his nourishment was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the country round the Jordan,

6 and were baptised by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Offspring of vipers, who has forewarned you to flee from the coming wrath?

8 Produce therefore fruit worthy of repentance.

9 And do not think to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for [our] father; for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

10 And already the axe is applied to the root of the trees; every tree therefore not producing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

11 *I* indeed baptise you with water to repentance, but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not fit to bear; *he* shall baptise you with [the] Holy Spirit and fire;

12 whose winnowing fan [is] in his hand, and he shall thoroughly purge his threshing-floor, and shall gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

13 Then comes Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptised of him;

14 but John urgently forbad him, saying, *I* have need to be baptised of thee; and comest *thou* to me?

15 But Jesus answering said to him, Suffer [it] now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffers him.

16 And Jesus, having been baptised, went up straightway from the water, and lo, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him:

17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 5619

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5619. 'And cause a gift to go down to the man' means to obtain favour. This is clear from the meaning of 'taking a gift to the man' - 'the man' being Joseph, who is called the lord of the land - as to obtain favour. It was customary in the representative Ancient Church, and so in the Jewish Church, when people went to the judges, and at a later time to the kings or priests, to present them with a gift; indeed the people were commanded to do this. The reason for the custom was that the gifts people presented to those men represented the kinds of things mankind possessed that ought to be offered to the Lord when any approach is made to Him. Such gifts are ones that a person offers in freedom and therefore ones that come truly from himself. For his freedom resides in what comes from his heart; and what comes from his heart comes from his will. Also what comes from his will comes from a desire arising out of his love; and a desire arising out of his love constitutes his freedom, thus what is truly his own, 1947, 2870-2893, 3158. Such should be the origin of any gift made by man to the Lord when making any approach to Him. This kind of gift was represented by the gifts mentioned above, for 'kings' represented the Lord as regards Divine Truth, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4581, 4966, 5044, while 'priests' represented Him as regards Divine Good, 1728, 2015(end), 3670. Those gifts also served as introductions, see 4262, which were made to obtain favour.

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

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Arcana Coelestia # 4582

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4582. 'And poured oil onto it' means the Divine Good of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'oil' as the Divine Good of love, dealt with in 886, 3728. In the internal sense 'setting up a stone pillar, pouring out a drink-offering onto it, and pouring oil onto it' describes the process of progression from truth, as this exists in the ultimate degree, to truth and good that are more interior, and at length to the good of love. For 'a stone pillar' means truth as this exists in the ultimate degree of order, 4580; 'a drink-offering' means truth and good that are more interior, 4581; but 'oil' means the good of love. This was the nature of the process by which the Lord progressed when making Divine His Human; it is also the nature of the process by which man progresses when, through regeneration, the Lord makes him heaven-like.

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