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ο δε εφη ου μηποτε συλλεγοντες τα ζιζανια εκριζωσητε αμα αυτοις τον σιτον
Arcana Coelestia # 7770
7770. 'And let them ask, a man from his companion and a woman from her companion, vessels of silver and vessels of gold' means that factual knowledge of truth and of good must be removed from the evil who have belonged to the Church and be assigned to the good who belong to it. This is clear from the meaning of 'vessels of silver and vessels of gold' as factual knowledge of truth and of good, 'silver' being truth and 'gold' good, see 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658, 6112, and 'vessels' factual knowledge, 3068, 3079. That knowledge is referred to as vessels of truth and good because it contains them. The assumption is made that the facts which people know about truth or about good are the truths of faith themselves or the forms of the good of faith themselves. But they are not. Affections for truth and good are what compose faith; those affections flow into known facts, which are the appropriate vessels for them. Asking them from the Egyptians is, it is self-evident, taking them away and assigning them to oneself. This is why previously in Chapter 3:22 it says that they were to plunder the Egyptians, and subsequently in Chapter 12:36 that they despoiled them. The reason why it says that 'a man was to ask from his companion and a woman from her companion' is that 'a man' has reference to and also means truth and 'a woman' has reference to and also means good.
[2] The implications of all this may be seen at the explanation of Exodus 3:21-22 in 6914, 6917. That explanation shows that the factual knowledge itself of truth and of good which have been in the possession of those belonging to the Church who have been acquainted with the arcana of faith and yet have led a life of evil are transferred to those who belong to the spiritual Church. How the transfer is effected, see 6914. These things are meant by the Lord's words in Matthew,
The Lord said to him who went away and hid the talent in the earth, Take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents, for to everyone who has, it will be given, so that he may have in abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Cast the useless servant into outer darkness. Matthew 25:25, 28-30; Luke 19:24-26.
And similar words in the same gospel,
To him who has, it will be given, so that he may have abundantly; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:24-25.
[3] The reason for the transfer is that the knowledge or cognitions of goodness and truth which the evil possess are applied to evil purposes, whereas the cognitions of goodness and truth that the good possess are applied to good purposes. The cognitions are the same, but the purposes to which any one person applies them gives them their specific character. Such cognitions may be compared to worldly wealth, which one person devotes to good purposes, and another to bad ones, so that the character of any one person's wealth depends on the purposes to which he devotes it. This also shows that the same cognitions, like the same wealth, which the evil have possessed can pass into the possession of the good and serve good purposes. From all this one may now recognize what is represented when it says that the children of Israel were commanded to ask from the Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and in so doing to despoil and plunder them. Such a despoilment or plundering would never have been commanded by Jehovah if such things had not been represented in the spiritual world.
[4] Things like these are what are meant in Isaiah,
At length the merchandise of Tyre and its harlot's wages will be holy to Jehovah, it will not be hoarded or held back; but its merchandise will be for those that dwell before Jehovah to eat to their satiety, and for him who covers himself with what is ancient. Isaiah 23:18.
This refers to 'Tyre', which means cognitions of goodness and truth, 1201. 'Merchandise' and 'harlot's wages' are cognitions applied to evil purposes. Their being given to the good who will apply them to good purposes is meant by 'its merchandise will be for those that dwell before Jehovah to eat to satiety, [and] for him who covers himself with what is ancient'.
[5] Also in Micah,
Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze, in order that you may crush many peoples. And I devoted their gain to Jehovah, and their riches to the Lord of the whole earth. Micah 4:13.
'Crushing many peoples' stands for devastating them. 'The gain' which was devoted to Jehovah and the Lord of the whole earth is cognitions of truth and goodness. Something similar is implied in 2 Samuel 8:11-12, where it says that David consecrated to Jehovah the silver and gold which he had taken from the nations he had subdued, from the Syrians, from Moab, from the children of Ammon, from the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadad Ezer; and in 1 Kings 7:51, that Solomon put among the treasures of Jehovah's house the things consecrated by his father.
Luke 19
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He entered and was passing through Jericho.
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There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
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He was trying to see who Jesus was, and couldn't because of the crowd, because he was short.
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He ran on ahead, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.
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When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house."
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He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully.
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When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, "He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner."
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Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much."
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Jesus said to him, "Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.
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For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost."
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As they heard these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the Kingdom of God would be revealed immediately.
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He said therefore, "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
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He called ten servants of his, and gave them ten mina coins, and told them, 'Conduct business until I come.'
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But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, 'We don't want this man to reign over us.'
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"It happened when he had come back again, having received the kingdom, that he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by conducting business.
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The first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.'
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"He said to him, 'Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.'
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"The second came, saying, 'Your mina, Lord, has made five minas.'
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"So he said to him, 'And you are to be over five cities.'
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Another came, saying, 'Lord, behold, your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief,
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for I feared you, because you are an exacting man. You take up that which you didn't lay down, and reap that which you didn't sow.'
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"He said to him, 'Out of your own mouth will I judge you, you wicked servant! You knew that I am an exacting man, taking up that which I didn't lay down, and reaping that which I didn't sow.
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Then why didn't you deposit my money in the bank, and at my coming, I might have earned interest on it?'
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He said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina away from him, and give it to him who has the ten minas.'
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"They said to him, 'Lord, he has ten minas!'
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'For I tell you that to everyone who has, will more be given; but from him who doesn't have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.
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But bring those enemies of mine who didn't want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me.'"
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Having said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
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It happened, when he drew near to Bethsphage and Bethany, at the mountain that is called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples,
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saying, "Go your way into the village on the other side, in which, as you enter, you will find a colt tied, whereon no man ever yet sat. Untie it, and bring it.
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If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say to him: 'The Lord needs it.'"
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Those who were sent went away, and found things just as he had told them.
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As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?"
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They said, "The Lord needs it."
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They brought it to Jesus. They threw their cloaks on the colt, and set Jesus on them.
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As he went, they spread their cloaks in the way.
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As he was now getting near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen,
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saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!"
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Some of the Pharisees from the multitude said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
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He answered them, "I tell you that if these were silent, the stones would cry out."
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When he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it,
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saying, "If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace! But now, they are hidden from your eyes.
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For the days will come on you, when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, surround you, hem you in on every side,
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and will dash you and your children within you to the ground. They will not leave in you one stone on another, because you didn't know the time of your visitation."
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He entered into the temple, and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it,
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saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of robbers'!"
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He was teaching daily in the temple, but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people sought to destroy him.
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They couldn't find what they might do, for all the people hung on to every word that he said.
