Bible

 

Matthaeus 16

Studie

   

1 Da traten die Pharisäer und Sadduzäer zu ihm, die versuchten ihn und forderten, daß er sie ein Zeichen vom Himmel sehen ließe.

2 Aber er antwortete und sprach: Des Abends sprechet ihr: Es wird ein schöner Tag werden, denn der Himmel ist rot;

3 und des Morgens sprechet ihr: Es wird heute Ungewitter sein, denn der Himmel ist rot und trübe. Ihr Heuchler! Des Himmels Gestalt könnet ihr urteilen; könnet ihr denn nicht auch die Zeichen dieser Zeit urteilen?

4 Diese böse und ehebrecherische Art sucht ein Zeichen, und soll ihr kein Zeichen gegeben werden denn das Zeichen des Propheten Jona. Und er ließ sie und ging davon.

5 Und da seine Jünger waren hinübergefahren, hatten sie vergessen, Brot mit sich zu nehmen.

6 Jesus aber sprach zu ihnen: Sehet zu und hütet euch vor dem Sauerteig der Pharisäer und Sadduzäer!

7 Da dachten sie bei sich selbst und sprachen: Das wird's sein, daß wir nicht haben Brot mit uns genommen.

8 Da das Jesus vernahm, sprach er zu ihnen: Ihr Kleingläubigen, was bekümmert ihr euch doch, daß ihr nicht habt Brot mit euch genommen?

9 Vernehmet ihr noch nichts? Gedenket ihr nicht an die fünf Brote unter die Fünftausend und wieviel Körbe ihr da aufhubet?

10 Auch nicht an die sieben Brote unter die Viertausend, und wieviel Körbe ihr da aufhubet?

11 Wie verstehet ihr denn nicht, daß ich euch nicht sage vom Brot, wenn ich sage: Hütet euch vor dem Sauerteige der Pharisäer und Sadduzäer?

12 Da verstunden sie, daß er nicht gesagt hatte, daß sie sich hüten sollten vor dem Sauerteige des Brots, sondern vor der Lehre der Pharisäer und Sadduzäer.

13 Da kam Jesus in die Gegend der Stadt Cäsarea Philippi und fragte seine Jünger und sprach: Wer sagen die Leute, daß des Menschen Sohn sei?

14 Sie sprachen: Etliche sagen, du seiest Johannes der Täufer; die andern, du seiest Elia; etliche, du seiest Jeremia oder der Propheten einer.

15 Er sprach zu ihnen: Wer sagt denn ihr, daß ich sei?

16 Da antwortete Simon Petrus und sprach: Du bist Christus, des lebendigen Gottes Sohn.

17 Und Jesus antwortete und sprach zu ihm: Selig bist du, Simon, Jonas Sohn; denn Fleisch und Blut hat dir das nicht offenbart, sondern mein Vater im Himmel.

18 Und ich sage dir auch: Du bist Petrus, und auf diesen Felsen will ich bauen meine Gemeinde, und die Pforten der Hölle sollen sie nicht überwältigen.

19 Und will dir des Himmelreichs Schlüssel geben. Alles, was du auf Erden binden wirst, soll auch im Himmel gebunden sein, und alles, was du auf Erden lösen wirst, soll auch im Himmel los sein.

20 Da verbot er seinen Jüngern, daß sie niemand sagen sollten, daß er Jesus, der Christ, wäre.

21 Von der Zeit an fing Jesus an und zeigte seinen Jüngern, wie er müßte hin gen Jerusalem gehen und viel leiden von den Ältesten und Hohenpriestern und Schriftgelehrten und getötet werden und am dritten Tage auferstehen.

22 Und Petrus nahm ihn zu sich, fuhr ihn an und sprach: HERR, schone dein selbst; das widerfahre dir nur nicht!

23 Aber er wandte sich um und sprach zu Petrus: Heb dich, Satan, von mir! Du bist mir ärgerlich; denn du meinest nicht, was göttlich, sondern was menschlich ist.

24 Da sprach Jesus zu seinen Jüngern: Will mir jemand nachfolgen, der verleugne sich selbst und nehme sein Kreuz auf sich und folge mir.

25 Denn wer sein Leben erhalten will, der wird's verlieren; wer aber sein Leben verlieret um meinetwillen, der wird's finden.

26 Was hülfe es dem Menschen, so er die ganze Welt gewönne und nähme doch Schaden an seiner Seele? Oder was kann der Mensch geben, damit er seine Seele wieder löse?

27 Denn es wird je geschehen, daß des Menschen Sohn komme in der HERRLIchkeit seines Vaters mit seinen Engeln; und alsdann wird er einem jeglichen vergelten nach seinen Werken.

28 Wahrlich, ich sage euch, es stehen etliche hier, die nicht schmecken werden den Tod, bis daß sie des Menschen Sohn kommen sehen in seinem Reich.

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 8159

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 10837  
  

8159. 'And Pharaoh drew near' means an oppressive influx from there of falsity arising from evil. This is clear from the representation of 'Pharaoh' as those steeped in falsities arising from evil, dealt with in 8132, 8135, 8146, 8148; and from the meaning of 'drawing near' as influx. The internal sense deals with the first temptation of those who have been delivered, and all temptation comes about through influx from the hells. For spirits from there stir up and bring out all the wicked deeds a person has performed and wicked thoughts he has entertained, and they use these to incriminate him and condemn him. As a result he suffers pangs of conscience, and anxiety fills his mind. These feelings are brought about by an influx from the hells, in particular from the hell that is represented by the Sea Suph. From all this one may see that in the spiritual sense, which is dealing with temptations, 'drawing near' means influx.

[2] Since the verses which immediately follow deal with the first temptation of those belonging to the spiritual Church, it should be realized that those people could not undergo temptations until after the Lord had glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, and was present among them in this glorified Human. If they had undergone them before then they would have given way; for those belonging to the spiritual Church were saved solely by the Lord's Divine Human. The temptations of those belonging to the spiritual Church, which they were to undergo after the Lord had come into the world, when He would be able to fight from the Divine Human for them against the hells, are meant by the following words in Malachi,

Suddenly there will come to His temple the Lord whom you seek, and the angel of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, said Jehovah Zebaoth. Who can endure the day of His Coming, and who will stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold, and like silver, in order that they may bring to Jehovah a minchah in righteousness. Then the minchah of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to Jehovah, as in the days of eternity, and as in former years. Malachi 3:1-4.

This plainly refers to the Lord's Coming. 'The sons of Levi' here are members of the spiritual Church, for 'Levi' means charity or spiritual good, 3875, 4497, 4502, 4503. 'A refiner's fire' is temptation, the means of purification, which 'purifying and purging them like gold and silver' is used to mean. 'The minchah' they will bring to Jehovah is faith and charity; and 'the days of eternity' and 'former years' are the Ancient Churches and states of worship of the Lord in those times.

[3] As regards the nature of temptations, it is as has been stated above in 8131, that the hells fight against a person and the Lord for a person. Any falsity that the hells introduce is met with a response from the Divine. The falsities which come from hell are thrust into and enter the external or natural man, but the response from the Divine enters the internal or spiritual man. The person is less conscious of this response which comes from the Divine than he is of those falsities. It does not touch his individual thoughts, only his general awareness, yet in such a way that he scarcely comes to be conscious of it except as hope and consequent comfort, which however hold within them countless blessings that the person has no knowledge of. These are such that they are suited to his affection or love, especially his affection for or love of truth and goodness, which form his conscience.

[4] These things have been stated to let it be known that the life of the children of Israel in the wilderness describes the temptations, in the sequence in which they occurred, that were undergone by those who belonged to the Lord's spiritual Church and were delivered. The reason why they underwent the temptations was in order that they might be prepared further for heaven. For through temptations, through them as the one and only means, forms of good and truths are corroborated and joined together. Through them charity becomes the charity that goes with faith, and faith becomes the faith that goes with charity. The fact that those who belong to the Church must undergo temptations is what one should understand by the following things the Lord said, in Matthew,

Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. Matthew 10:38-39; Mark 8:31 end.

In the same gospel,

He said to His disciples, If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24-25; Luke 9:23-24.

In Luke,

Whoever does not carry his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27.

In Mark,

Jesus said to the rich [young ruler], Come, follow Me, taking up the cross. Mark 10:21.

And in Matthew,

Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. Matthew 10:34.

[5] But it should be recognized that in temptations a person does not do the fighting; the Lord alone does it for the person, though the appearance is that it is done by the person. And when the Lord does the fighting for a person, the person is in all things victorious. At the present day few are allowed to experience temptations because they do not live as faith requires and do not therefore possess a conscience composed of truth; and anyone without a conscience composed of truth as a result of leading a good life goes under, and then his latter state is worse than his former.

  
/ 10837  
  

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

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 8148

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 10837  
  

8148. 'And he took six hundred chosen chariots' means each and every doctrinal teaching that upholds falsity belonging to separated faith, in their own order. This is clear from the meaning of the number 'six hundred' as each and every aspect of the truth and good of faith taken all together, and so in the contrary sense as each and every aspect of the falsity and evil of faith separated from charity (this meaning of 'six hundred' may become clear from what has been shown regarding the number 'six hundred thousand' in 7973); and from the meaning of 'chariots' as doctrinal teachings upholding faith, in this instance separated faith, dealt with just above in 8146. 'Chosen chariots' means the chief doctrinal teachings that uphold that faith, to which all other teachings are subordinate. Those that are subordinate to them or serve them are meant by 'the chariots of Egypt', referred to immediately after the six hundred chosen ones.

[2] It should be recognized that these falsities - the ones that are meant here by Pharaoh, his army and people, and also his chariots, horses, and horsemen - are chiefly falsities present with people whose faith is no more than persuasion, that is, people who persuade themselves that the teachings of the Church they are in are true and who nevertheless lead a life of evil. This kind of faith, unlike saving faith, goes together with evil in life, because it is a faith in which people persuade themselves that everything the Church teaches is true, yet do so not for the sake of truth, or for the sake of life, or even for the sake of salvation (since they have scarcely any belief in this), only for their own advantage, that is, to acquire important positions and wealth, and reputation because of these. It is to gain such advantages that they imbibe religious teachings. Thus they do not learn them to the end that they may be of service to the Church and the salvation of souls, but to themselves and their dependents. Therefore it makes no difference to them whether those teachings are true or false. They do not care which they are, much less do they bother to find out; for they have no affection for truth because it is the truth. They endorse those teachings regardless of the character of them; and when they have endorsed them they tell themselves that they are true, without stopping to think that falsities can be endorsed just as much as truths, 4741, 5033, 6865, 7012, 7680, 7950.

[3] This is how faith that is no more than persuasion arises. And since it does not see the neighbour and the good of the neighbour, or therefore the Lord, as the end in view, only self and the world, that is, important positions and material gain, that kind of faith is linked to evil in life, and not to good in life. For faith, when linked to this good, is saving faith. This kind of faith is imparted by the Lord, but the other has its origin in people themselves. Faith imparted by the Lord remains forever, the other kind melts away in the next life. It even melts away in the world if they can gain nothing by it. As long as they can gain anything they fight for it as if for heaven itself, though in fact they do so not for that faith but for themselves. For the things that belong to faith, which are religious teachings, are for those people simply the means to an end, which is high position and wealth. People in the world with this type of faith are scarcely distinguishable from those possessing saving faith, since they speak and proclaim in favour of religious teachings with an ardour that seemingly belongs to true zeal, but is an ardour fired by selfish and worldly love.

[4] These are the people who are meant in particular by 'Pharaoh' and 'the Egyptians', who in the next life undergo vastation of that kind of faith. When that vastation is completed they are steeped in utter falsities arising from evil, for falsities now burst out of evil. Falsities do so because all evil has falsity present with it, since the two have been joined together. Those falsities make their appearance when such people are left exposed to the evil in their life. That evil is then like fire, and the falsities are like the light coming from a fire. This kind of evil, and the falsity arising from it, is altogether different from other kinds of evil and derivative falsities. It is more loathsome than all the rest, because it is contrary to the forms of good and the truths of faith, and that kind of evil consequently holds profanation within it. Profanation consists in acknowledging truth and good and yet living contrary to them, 593, 1008, 1010, 1059, 2051, 3398, 3898, 4289, 4601, 6959, 6963, 6971.

  
/ 10837  
  

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