Chapter 1.

The Book of the Birth of Jesus Christ

1. The book of the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

The first words said in Matthew are “The book of the birth of Jesus Christ.” ¹ In the original Greek, the very first word of the New Testament is Βίβλος (Biblos). meaning “Book.” Let us pause to ask, “What is meant by the term ‘book’? What is the universal or “internal sense” of this word?”

In the literal sense, a book is a collection of printed pages, bound together, and enclosed between covers that serve to protect the contents. More figuratively, we sometimes speak about our “book of life”; it is the record of our lives, containing everything we have ever done, thought, felt, loved and intended. In brief, it is really our essential self, our fundamental nature. So the term book in scripture represents much more than a physical book; it stands for every moment of our lives, what we have thought, what we have felt, and especially what our true motives have been — in short, the entire, interior content of our life. In other words, “the book of our life” is our true nature. ²

So, we are about to read a book — not just any book — but a book about the inmost states of a person’s life; it’s a book about motives and intentions; it’s about someone’s true character. And in this case, as the first verse clearly states, it’s a book about Jesus Christ.

Taken literally, this book will tell us about the external facts of Jesus’ life: His ancestry, His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection. And as we read at a more spiritual level, we come to see that this book is about Jesus’ inner life — the revelation of His true character. This is the internal sense; it is the sense beyond and within the letter of scripture. It’s not just about external words and deeds; it’s about the thoughts and feelings within those words and deeds — the loving intentions that gave rise to everything that Jesus said and did.

As we study the internal sense of the events surrounding the life of Jesus, we begin to realize that the story of Jesus’ life parallels our own. We come to see that the gospel is not only a story about God’s coming to earth in the name and form of Jesus Christ; it is also a story about how God is “born” in each of us, “crucified” in each of us, and “rises again” in each of us. In other words, the gospels are not just about Jesus — although His story is crucially important; it’s about how God incarnates within each of us, how love and wisdom can take on flesh and blood within each of us, and how each of us can experience a new birth into spiritual life. It’s a wonderful, complex story not only about the temptations we must face, but also about the possibility of resurrections to new life in every moment.

In other words, the wonderful story about how God came to earth as Jesus Christ, was born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, performed miracles in Galilee, was crucified in Jerusalem and rose again is our story as well. It discloses the way God secretly fashions a new nature within each of us according to our willingness to live according to His will.

It should be noted, however, that spiritual development does not take place suddenly. It is a gradual process which takes place within every individual to the extent that a person strives to overcome tendencies towards self-will and self-absorption. Rather than being “reborn” in a moment, people who are regenerating are being born again and again as they enter ever higher levels of spiritual consciousness. These successive “births” are wondrously illustrated in the opening verses of Matthew where we read about the the “birth” or, as it is also translated, about the “generation” of Jesus Christ.

The term “generation,” spiritually seen, refers to the successive births of all things that are of love and faith. As we grow in our ability to receive God’s love, “Jesus” is being successively born in us; as we grow in our ability to receive God’s wisdom, “Christ” is being successively born in us. In brief, “the book of the generation of Jesus Christ,” refers to the miraculous way in which God generates new spiritual life in each of us. It is a book not only about Jesus and His gradual growth, but also about us. It’s a book about our gradual, sequential, perfectly ordered spiritual growth — a process called regeneration. ³

At first glance, the opening phrase, “The book of the birth of Jesus Christ,” seems to be nothing more than an introduction to a rather uneventful listing of Jesus’ ancestors in time. But seen more deeply, it is a summation of the spiritual history of humanity — the spiritual history of the human race up to the time of Jesus’ advent into the world. And at a deeper, more personal level, it is our own story, the story of our spiritual development. It is especially the story of our gradual opening to the advent of divine love and divine wisdom in our life, beginning with Jesus’ birth in us, and how His true nature gradually becomes our true nature until it can truly be said that we are “made in the image and likeness of God” (Genesis 1:26).

Son of David, Son of Abraham

At first, Jesus Christ is not seen as God Incarnate. He is seen as any other person born on earth — a man among men, descended from human beings, and having a specific ancestry. We read that He is descended from David, who in turn is descended from Abraham (υἱοῦ Δαυὶδ υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ). But, as we shall see, a deeper look at this genealogy reveals that it is a record of how the human soul is gradually prepared for the birth of the Lord.

The genealogical table in Matthew includes fourteen generations from Abraham to David. This represents a succession of spiritual births in which we grow from early states of simple trust and obedient love (Abraham) into more developed states of understanding and truth (King David). But along with understanding and truth comes a forgetting of our earlier, simpler, more childlike states of trust and obedience. And so, there are fourteen more generations from David to the captivity in Babylon — a succession of births recording our gradual spiritual decline as the accumulation of hereditary evils increasingly overtake us and hold us captive.

This is spiritual “Babylon,” a state in which our primary concern is for ourselves, with little thought of loving others or serving God. At its worst, Babylon represents the desire to rule over others, and to control them. In brief, it is to deny others the right to make their own choices or to enjoy their own freedom. Instead, believing we know what is right for others, we make ourselves (either through direct rule, or more subtly through clever manipulation) their lord and master. Though it would be difficult to admit, whenever we do this, we have put ourselves in the place of God. ⁴

Our descent into total bondage to evil does not happen overnight; rather it comes about gradually as we rely more and more on ourselves and less and less on God. Finally, there are recorded fourteen more generations, during which time we fall into utter spiritual darkness. We begin to believe that we alone know the truth, and in doing so, we forget about God; we might even believe that God does not exist at all.

All would be lost if it were not for one thing. At first, we may hardly notice it at all, for it happens as inconspicuously as the birth of a child in a stable. It is a quiet occurrence without any particular grandeur, and yet it is the greatest, most significant moment in our lives. It is the birth of God in us; it begins as only a dim awareness that there is something holy, pure, and righteous in life, something that is both within us and beyond us. It is a dawning in the darkness; the one who called Himself “the light of the world” is about to be born in us. It is as if God is saying, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3).

The Genealogy

2. Abraham begot Isaac; and Isaac begot Jacob; and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers;

3. And Judah begot Perez and Zara of Tamar; and Perez begot Hesrom; and Hesrom begot Aram;

4. And Aram begot Aminadab; and Aminadab begot Naasson; and Naasson begot Salmon;

5. And Salmon begot Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begot Obed of Ruth; and Obed begot Jesse;

6. And Jesse begot David the king; and David the king begot Solomon of her [who had been the wife] of Uriah;

7. And Solomon begot Rehoboam; and Rehoboam begot Abijah; and Abijah begot Asa;

8. And Asa begot Jehoshaphat; and Jehoshaphat begot Joram; and Joram begot Uzziah;

9. And Uzziah begot Jotham; and Jotham begot Ahaz; and Ahaz begot Hezekiah;

10. And Hezekiah begot Manasseh; and Manasseh begot Amon; and Amon begot Josiah;

11. And Josiah begot Jechoniah and his brothers, at [the time] of the carrying away into Babylon;

12. And after the carrying away into Babylon, Jechoniah begot Salathiel; and Salathiel begot Zerubbabel;

13. And Zerubbabel begot Abiud; and Abiud begot Eliakim; and Eliakim begot Azor;

14. And Azor begot Zadok; and Zadok begot Achim; and Achim begot Eliud;

15. And Eliud begot Eleazar; and Eleazar begot Matthan; and Matthan begot Jacob;

16. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

17. Therefore all the generations from Abraham until David [are] fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon [are] fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon until the Christ [are] fourteen generations.

The first seventeen verses of Matthew record a succession of spiritual births. From one point of view, these spiritual births chronicle the development of the human race from first conception — creation itself — to the first coming of the Lord.

But from another point of view, these first seventeen verses reveal the descent of the Divine through the heavens — the Infinite God of the universe taking on a finite human form. This “finition” of the Divine was absolutely necessary, for if God were indeed to come to earth, He would have to do so in a way that we could grasp and understand. If He were to manifest Himself in all His glory, no one could possibly bear His presence any more than one could bear the heat and light of the sun touching the earth. His Glory and divinity would have to be clothed in humility and humanity. The burning fire of the divine love and the blinding glory of the divine truth must be accommodated to our ability to receive. ⁵

The greatest example of this is how the literal stories of scripture — although they are accommodated to finite, human understanding — contain infinite levels of truth. In this way the Word of God serves as an external container of inner truth, just as the body functions as a container for the soul. The same can be said of Jesus Christ who was born of Mary. His human body, conceived in Mary’s womb, served as an external covering for the Infinite Love and Wisdom that were His very essence — His Divine Soul.

This was the only way that Jehovah God could come to earth and be with us. It was necessary that He take on a human body, along with its corrupted heredity — the heredity He received in Mary’s womb. This is quite different from the idea that Jesus was born “without sin,” or that His mother, Mary, was “exempt from original sin.” ⁶

The case is very much the opposite. In fact, God needed to be born in the womb of an ordinary woman — a woman with ordinary faults and failings. And He had to do so in an ordinary way — just as He is born in each of us when we are ready to receive Him. In fact it was absolutely necessary that Mary be a normal person, inclined to evils of every kind, just like anyone else. In this way Jesus could take on, through Mary, a corrupted human heredity. Through this external covering, He could be like one of us, making Himself both approachable and accessible.

But making Himself accessible to human beings was only part of the plan. By taking on human fallibility through Mary, He also made Himself accessible to evil spirits. Clothed in a human body, with all of its limitations and inherited corruptions, He could be approached and attacked by hellish influences — evil spirits from hell who desired nothing more than to destroy Him, both soul and body. ⁷

This process might be compared to a “sting operation” in which Jesus made Himself potentially susceptible to evil — something altogether impossible if He had remained fully Divine. In taking on a body from Mary, along with its inclinations to evil, Jesus was able to “draw out” the evil spirits who openly attacked Him. Through successive combats of this nature, He gradually subjugated the hells and glorified His humanity.

When we read of Jesus’ life on earth in the literal narrative, we see little of this inner struggle, or what Swedenborg calls His “combats against the hells.” But a careful reading of the internal sense will show us in what way, and to what degree, God fought for us (in Jesus) — not just on the cross, but throughout His entire life on earth.

The Power of Adoption

18. And the birth of Jesus Christ was in this way: His mother Mary, being betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, was found with child from the Holy Spirit.

19. And Joseph her husband, being just, and not willing to expose her to public infamy, intended to send her away privately.

20. And while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, fear not to take to thee Mary thy wife, for that which is begotten in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins.”

22. And all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was declared by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

23. “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is, being translated, God with us.”

24. And Joseph, being awakened from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had directed him, and took to him his wife,

25. And knew her not, until she brought forth her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus.

As we have seen, verses one through seventeen record the developmental process by which the human soul is prepared for the birth of Jesus Christ. Next, in verses eighteen through twenty-five, the birth process itself is recorded, from conception to delivery. The language of the letter could not be more specific: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows.” Then comes this key statement: “After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit” (1:18)

It is marvelous how clearly this is stated in the literal sense of the Word. That which is born of Mary has no mortal father; rather, this Child is born of the Holy Spirit. Initially, Joseph is “minded to put her away secretly.” This is because Joseph knows that he is not the father of this child. In other words, Jesus does not have a human father — nor does He need one. That’s because the Father is in Him as His very soul. ⁸ It is quite clear, then, that Jesus is not the son of Joseph.” Jesus is born of “the Holy Spirit” — the Spirit of God descending to earth to take on human form. ⁹

The child conceived within Mary’s womb is not Joseph’s child, and Joseph knows it. And yet, even while Joseph struggles within himself, he is comforted by an angel who says “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to yourself Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (1:20-21).

Like all human beings, Joseph is naturally inclined to love his own offspring best, just as we tend to love our own ideas more than the ideas that are generated by others. In the corporate world, the phrase “not invented here” refers to the idea that we prefer to buy the products that our own company produces, rather than the products of a competitor. Similarly, the ego tends to be proud of its own ideas, even as parents take more pride in the accomplishments of their own offspring than in the achievements of other children.

But Joseph “being a just man” realizes that there is more going on than his own ego concerns. At this point, he represents a quality in us that can awaken to spiritual reality: “Being awakened from sleep,” Joseph does exactly what the angel of the Lord commands (1:24). This is a picture of how we gradually come to see that our highest thoughts and most tender feelings are not from us (“not invented here”), that they are not the result of our clever understanding, nor are they the product of our sympathetic nature. In other words, our highest thoughts and tenderest feelings are not our offspring; rather, they are gifts and blessings that come to us, and are given to us, so that we may adopt them as our own. This is sometimes referred to as “grace,” a gift that is freely bestowed upon us without our doing anything to earn it or deserve it.

Whenever we are “awakened from sleep,” like Joseph, we begin to see that the truth we have been given and the compassion we feel are always miraculous births — and that God is the true Father. The “Holy Spirit” has come upon us; all we have to do is adopt these noble thoughts and benevolent emotions — as Joseph did — as if they are our own. ¹⁰

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4286. 'And he said, Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel' means the Divine celestial-spiritual at this point, for 'Israel' is the celestial-spiritual man within the natural, and so is the natural man, whereas the celestial[- spiritual] man proper - that is, the rational man - is 'Joseph'. This becomes clear from what is said below about Jacob and Israel, and also about Joseph, for one must begin here by stating what the celestial-spiritual is. At the present day within the Church the existence of the spiritual man and the natural man, or the internal man and the external, is indeed well known; but as to what the spiritual or internal man may be, this is not as yet so well known. Still less is it known what the celestial man is and the fact that this is distinct and separate from the spiritual man. And as this is not known it is impossible to know what the celestial-spiritual man is, meant here by 'Israel', and therefore a brief statement about it must be made.

[2] It is well known that there are three heavens - the inmost heaven, the middle heaven, and the ultimate heaven, or what amounts to the same, the third, second, and first heavens. The inmost or third heaven is celestial, the angels there being called celestial because they are governed by love to the Lord and as a consequence are the ones most closely linked to the Lord. And that being so they excel all other angels in wisdom. They are innocent and are for that reason called embodiments of innocence and wisdom. These angels are divided into internal and external, the internal being more celestial than the external. The middle or second heaven is spiritual, the angels there being called spiritual because they are governed by charity towards the neighbour, that is, by mutual love, the nature of which is such that one angel loves another more than himself. And because their nature is such, intelligence is present within them and for that reason they are called embodiments of intelligence. These angels too are divided into internal and external, the internal being more spiritual than the external. But the ultimate or first heaven is also celestial and spiritual, though not in the same degree as the previous ones; for the natural is closely associated with them, and so for that reason they are called celestial-natural and spiritual-natural. They too are governed by mutual love, but they do not love others more than themselves, only as themselves. What governs them is an affection for good and a knowledge of truth. They also are divided into internal and external.

[3] But what the celestial-spiritual is must also be stated briefly. The term celestial-spiritual applies to those who have been called spiritual immediately above and who are in the middle or second heaven. They are given the name celestial because of their mutual love, and spiritual because of their intelligence arising out of this. The internal members of that heaven are represented by Joseph, and also in the Word are actually called 'Joseph', whereas its external members are represented by Israel, and also in the Word are actually called 'Israel'. The former, namely the internal members who are called Joseph, partake of the rational, whereas the external members who are called Israel partake of the natural, for they are half-way between the rational and the natural. These are the reasons why it has been said that 'Israel' is the celestial-spiritual man within the natural man, and so is the natural man, and that 'Joseph' is the celestial-spiritual man proper, which is the rational man. For in the universal sense all good which flows from love and charity is called celestial, and all truth which derives from this and constitutes faith and intelligence is referred to as spiritual.

[4] These things have been stated so that people may know what is meant by 'Israel'. But by 'Israel' the Lord's Divine celestial-spiritual is meant in the highest sense, whereas the Lord's spiritual kingdom in heaven and on earth is meant in the internal sense. The Lord's spiritual kingdom on earth is the Church, which is called the spiritual Church. And as 'Israel' means the Lord's spiritual kingdom, 'Israel' also means the spiritual man, for the Lord's kingdom exists within all who are spiritual, since each is heaven and also the Church in the smallest form these can take, 4279. As for Jacob, in the highest sense he represents the Lord's natural, both His celestial-natural and His spiritual-natural, and in the internal sense the Lord's kingdom as it exists in the ultimate or first heaven, and so also the corresponding area of the Church. Good within the natural is that which is called celestial here, and truth within it that which is called spiritual. From all this one may see what 'Israel' and 'Jacob' mean in the Word, and also why Jacob received the name Israel.

[5] But these ideas that have been stated will inevitably seem obscure, the chief reason being that few people know what the spiritual man is, and scarcely any what the celestial man is, or consequently that there is any difference between the spiritual man and the celestial man. The reason why they do not know is that no clear difference is perceived between good which is the good of love and charity, and truth which is the truth of faith. And the reason why these are not perceived is that genuine charity does not exist any longer. When something is non-existent no perception of it is possible. And a further reason why they are not perceived is that people do not bother very much about the things that have to do with the life after death, and so about those to do with heaven, but much about things to do with life in the body, and so with things which belong to the world. If people did bother about the things that have to do with the life after death, and so about those which have to do with heaven, they would easily grasp all that has been mentioned above, for that which a person loves he absorbs and grasps with ease, but that which he does not love with difficulty.

[6] The fact that 'Jacob' has one meaning and 'Israel' another is quite evident from the Word, for in its historical sections, and in the prophetical ones too, Jacob is used at one point, Israel at another; and sometimes the two names occur in the same verse. From this it becomes clear that there is an internal sense to the Word, and that without that sense this matter could in no way be known. The use of Jacob at one point, Israel at another is clear from the following,

Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph was a son of seventeen years. And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons. Genesis 37:1-3.

Here Jacob is first called 'Jacob' and immediately after that 'Israel' - Israel being used when Joseph is referred to. Elsewhere,

Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt; Jacob said to his sons . . . And the sons of Israel came to buy in the midst of others who came. Genesis 42:1, 5.

And after this,

They went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father. When they told him all Joseph's words which he had spoken to them the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel said, Enough; Joseph my son is still alive. Genesis 45:25, 27-28.

Then,

And Israel set out and all that he had. God spoke to Israel in visions in the night and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Behold, here I am. And Jacob rose up from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried away ¹ Jacob their father. Genesis 46:1-2, 5.

And in the same chapter,

These are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Genesis 46:8.

Further on,

Joseph brought in Jacob his father and placed him before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob . . . and Jacob said to Pharaoh . . . Genesis 47:7-10.

And in the same chapter,

And Israel dwelt in the land of Goshen. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. And Israel's days drew near when he must die; he called his son Joseph. Genesis 47:27-29.

Yet again,

And someone reported to Jacob and said, Behold, your son Joseph has come to you, and Israel found some strength in himself and sat up on his bed. And Jacob said to Joseph, God Shaddai appeared to me in Luz. Genesis 48:2-3.

The name Israel is again used in the same chapter in verses 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 20-21. And finally,

Jacob called his sons and said, Gather together, and hear, O sons of Jacob; and hearken to Israel your father. And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons . . . Genesis 49:1-2, 33.

From all these places it becomes clear that Jacob is called Jacob at one point, Israel at another, thus that Jacob has one meaning, Israel another, that is, one thing is meant when he is called Jacob, another when he is called Israel. They also make it quite clear that this arcanum can in no way be known except from the internal sense.

[7] What 'Jacob' means however, and what 'Israel', has been stated above. In general 'Jacob' in the Word means the external aspect of the Church and 'Israel' the internal, for every Church has an external aspect and it has an internal one, that is, it is internal and also external. And because that which constitutes the Church is meant by 'Jacob' and by 'Israel' and because the Church in its entirety originates in the Lord, both Jacob and Israel therefore mean the Lord in the highest sense - 'Jacob' the Lord's Divine natural, 'Israel' His Divine spiritual. Consequently the external aspect of the Lord's kingdom and of His Church is meant by 'Jacob' and the internal by 'Israel', as becomes additionally clear from the following places in which again each name is used in its own sense. In the prophecy uttered by Jacob, who by then was Israel,

By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel. Genesis 49:24.

In Isaiah,

Hear, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Fear not, O My servant Jacob, and Jeshurun whom I have chosen. I will pour out My spirit upon your seed, and My blessing upon your sons. This one will say, I am Jehovah's, and another will call himself by the name of Jacob: and he will write with his hand, Jehovah's, and surname himself by the name of Israel. Isaiah 44:1-3, 5.

Here 'Jacob' and 'Israel' plainly stand for the Lord, while Jacob or Israel's 'seed' and 'sons' stand for those whose faith is in Him. In Balaam's prophecy in Moses,

Who will count the dust of Jacob, and its number together with a fourth part of Israel? Numbers 23:10.

And again,

There is no divination against Jacob, nor enchantments against Israel. At that time it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, What has God done? Numbers 23:23.

Further still,

How fine are your tabernacles, O Jacob; your dwelling-places, O Israel. Numbers 24:5.

And again,

A star will arise out of Jacob, and a sceptre out of Israel. Numbers 24:17.

In Isaiah,

My glory will I not give to another. Hearken to me, O Jacob, and O Israel whom I called: I am the same; I am the first; I am also the last. Isaiah 48:11-12.

In the same prophet,

Those who are to come Jacob will cause to take root. Israel will blossom and flower, and the face of the earth will be filled with produce. Isaiah 27:6.

In Jeremiah,

Do not fear, O My servant Jacob, and do not be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I have saved you from afar. Jeremiah 30:9-10.

In Micah,

I will surely gather Jacob, all of you, I will surely assemble the remnant of Israel, I will put them together, like the sheep of Bozrah. Micah 2:12.

[8] The reason why Jacob received the name Israel is clear from the actual words used when he was given it, which are these,

Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for as a prince you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed.

Israel in the original language means 'one contending as a prince with God', and these words mean in the internal sense that he overcame in the conflicts that accompany temptations; for it was through temptations and the conflicts which take place in temptations ² that the Lord made His Human Divine, 1737, 1813, and elsewhere. And it is temptations and victories in temptations that make the spiritual man. This is why Jacob first received the name Israel after his wrestling - 'wrestling' meaning to undergo temptation, see 4274. It is well known that the Church, or the member of the Christian Church, calls itself Israel, but no one in the Church is an Israel except the one who has become a spiritual man through temptations. The name itself also implies the same. A subsequent confirmation of the fact that Jacob was to be called Israel was also given to him, as is clear from the following words further on,

And God appeared again to Jacob when coming from Paddan Aram, and blessed him; and God said to him, Your name is Jacob; your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel will be your name. And He called his name Israel. Genesis 35:9-10.

The reason for this confirmation will be discussed below.

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