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Matteo 4

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1 Allora Gesù fu condotto dallo Spirito su nel deserto, per esser tentato dal diavolo.

2 E dopo che ebbe digiunato quaranta giorni e quaranta notti, alla fine ebbe fame.

3 E il tentatore, accostatosi, gli disse: Se tu sei Figliuol di Dio, di’ che queste pietre divengan pani.

4 Ma egli rispondendo disse: Sta scritto: Non di pane soltanto vivrà l’uomo, ma d’ogni parola che procede dalla bocca di Dio.

5 Allora il diavolo lo menò seco nella santa città e lo pose sul pinnacolo del tempio,

6 e gli disse: Se tu sei Figliuol di Dio, gettati giù; poiché sta scritto: Egli darà ordine di suoi angeli intorno a te, ed essi ti porteranno sulle loro mani, che talora tu non urti col piede contro una pietra.

7 Gesù gli disse: Egli è altresì scritto: Non tentare il Signore Iddio tuo.

8 Di nuovo il diavolo lo menò seco sopra un monte altissimo, e gli mostrò tutti i regni del mondo e la lor gloria, e gli disse:

9 Tutte queste cose io te le darò, se, prostrandoti, tu mi adori.

10 Allora Gesù gli disse: Va’, Satana, poiché sta scritto: Adora il Signore Iddio tuo, ed a lui solo rendi il culto.

11 Allora il diavolo lo lasciò; ed ecco degli angeli vennero a lui e lo servivano.

12 Or Gesù, avendo udito che Giovanni era stato messo in prigione, si ritirò in Galilea.

13 E, lasciata Nazaret, venne ad abitare in Capernaum, città sul mare, ai confini di Zabulon e di Neftali,

14 affinché si adempiesse quello ch’era stato detto dal profeta Isaia:

15 Il paese di Zabulon e il paese di Neftali, sulla via del mare, al di là del Giordano, la Galilea dei Gentili,

16 il popolo che giaceva nelle tenebre, ha veduto una gran luce; su quelli che giacevano nella contrada e nell’ombra della morte, una luce s’è levata.

17 Da quel tempo Gesù cominciò a predicare e a dire: Ravvedetevi, perché il regno de’ cieli è vicino.

18 Or passeggiando lungo il mare della Galilea, egli vide due fratelli, Simone detto Pietro, e Andrea suo fratello, i quali gettavano la rete in mare; poiché erano pescatori.

19 E disse loro: Venite dietro a me, e vi farò pescatori d’uomini.

20 Ed essi, lasciate prontamente le reti, lo seguirono.

21 E passato più oltre, vide due altri fratelli, Giacomo di Zebedeo e Giovanni, suo fratello, i quali nella barca, con Zebedeo loro padre, rassettavano le reti; e li chiamò.

22 Ed essi, lasciata subito la barca e il padre loro, lo seguirono.

23 E Gesù andava attorno per tutta la Galilea, insegnando nelle loro sinagoghe e predicando l’evangelo del Regno, sanando ogni malattia ed ogni infermità fra il popolo.

24 E la sua fama si sparse per tutta la Siria; e gli recarono tutti i malati colpiti da varie infermità e da vari dolori, indemoniati, lunatici, paralitici; ed ei li guarì.

25 E grandi folle lo seguirono dalla Galilea e dalla Decapoli e da Gerusalemme e dalla Giudea e d’oltre il Giordano.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 8223

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8223. 'And let the waters return onto the Egyptians' means that the falsities arising from evil would flow back onto and surround those steeped in falsities arising from evil. This is clear from the meaning of 'the waters' as falsities, dealt with in 6346, 7307, 8137, 8138, so that 'let the waters return' means falsity flowing back or recoiling on them, at this point surrounding them too, since they were surrounded by the waters of the Sea Suph, which are the falsities arising from evil of those belonging to the Church who have championed faith separated from charity and led a life of evil; and from the meaning of 'the Egyptians' as those steeped in falsities arising from evil, dealt with very often. For what this implies when it is said that the falsities would flow back or recoil on those whose aim was to pour them out onto those governed by truth and good, who are represented by 'the children of Israel', see above in 8214. There it is shown that the evil which they aim in the direction of others recoils on themselves, and that this has its origin in the following law of God's order, You are not to do to another anything except that which you wish others to do to you. Matthew 7:12. This law, which is unchanging and everlasting in the spiritual world, is the source of the laws of retaliation that were laid down in the representative Church, that is to say, the following laws in Moses,

If harm should come about you shall give soul for soul, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, blow for blow. Exodus 21:23-24,

In the same author,

If a man disfigures his neighbour, it shall be done to him as he has done - fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has disfigured the person, so it shall be done to him. Leviticus 24:19-20.

In the same author,

If a lying witness replies with a lie against his brother, you shall do to him as he has thought to do to his brother. Deuteronomy 19:18-19.

From these quotations it is plainly evident that these laws have their origin in the universal law that is unchanging and perpetual in the spiritual world, that is to say, the law that you are not to do to others anything except that which you wish others to do to you. This shows clearly how to understand the idea that the falsities arising from evil which people aim to inflict on others flow back or recoil on themselves.

[2] But the situation with that law in the next life is in addition such that when some like or retaliatory action carried out is evil it is inflicted by the evil, and never by the good; that is, it comes from hell and never from heaven. For hell or the evil there have an unending desire to do evil to others; that is altogether the delight of their life. They perform evil therefore the moment they are allowed to; and they do not care whom they do it to. They do not care whether the person is bad or good, companion or foe. And since it accords with a law of order that the evil which people aim in the direction of others recoils on themselves, they rush in to do it when this law allows it. The evil in hell behave in this way, the good in heaven never do. The latter desire constantly to do good to others, for that is the delight of their life, and therefore the moment the opportunity exists they do good both to enemies and to friends. Nor indeed do they resist evil, for the laws of order defend and protect what is good and true. This is why the Lord says,

You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, Evil is not to be resisted. You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:38-39, 43-45.

[3] It is a frequent occurrence in the next life for the evil to be severely punished when they wish to inflict evil on the good, and for the evil which they aim at others to recoil on themselves. Such an occurrence has the appearance of being an act of revenge on the part of the good. But it is not an act of revenge; nor are the good responsible for what happens but evil people who are allowed the opportunity by the law of order so to act. Indeed the good do not wish them any harm, but they cannot take away from them the misery of punishment because they are held intent on good, exactly like a judge when he sees a wrong-doer being punished or like a father when he sees his son being punished by his teacher. The evil who carry out punishment act from an inordinate desire to do ill, whereas the good act from a fondness for doing good. From all this one may see what should be understood by the Lord's words in Matthew, quoted above, about loving one's enemy, and about the law of retaliation, which the Lord did not set aside but opened out; that is to say, He explained that those governed by heavenly love should take no delight in any act of retaliation or revenge but in doing good. His words should also be taken to mean that the actual law of order which protects good achieves this of itself by means of those who are evil.

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