Arcana Coelestia # 2701
2701. 'God opened her eyes' means intelligence. This is clear from the meaning of 'opening' - and that it is God who did so - and also from [the meaning] of 'the eyes', as conferring intelligence; for 'the eyes' means the understanding, see 212, as also does 'sight' or 'seeing', 2150, 2325. The expression 'God opens the eyes' is used when He opens interior sight or the understanding, which opening is accomplished by means of an influx into the rational part of the person's mind, or rather into the spiritual part of his rational. The route taken by this influx is the soul, that is, the internal route, of which the person himself is not aware. This influx is his state of enlightenment in which the truths he hears or reads about are confirmed for him by a kind of perception existing within, in the understanding part of his mind. The person himself believes that this enlightenment is innate within himself and that it springs from his own power of understanding; but in this he is very much mistaken. This enlightenment consists in an influx from the Lord by way of heaven into that person's dim, mistaken, and specious sight of things, and by means of the good there causes the things which he believes to become imitations of truth. Only those who are spiritual however are blessed with enlightenment in spiritual matters of faith; and this is the meaning of the expression 'God opens the eyes'.
[2] The reason why 'the eye' means the understanding is that the sight belonging to the body corresponds to that belonging to its spirit, which is the understanding. And because it has this correspondence 'the eye' in the Word, in almost every place where it is mentioned, means the understanding, even where people believe something other is meant, as where the Lord says in Matthew,
The lamp of the body is the eye. If the eye is sound, the whole body is full of light. If the eye has been evil the whole body has been made full of darkness. If therefore the light is darkness, how great is the darkness! Matthew 6:22-23; Luke 11:34.
Here 'the eye' is the understanding, the spiritual constituent of which is faith, as also is shown by the explanation added here - 'if therefore the light is darkness, how great is the darkness!' Similarly in the same gospel,
If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. Matthew 5:29; 18:9.
'The left eye' is the understanding part of the mind, whereas 'the right eye' is its affection. The command to pluck out the right eye means that if it causes one to stumble one's affection must be disciplined.
[3] In the same gospel,
Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Matthew 13:16.
And in Luke, Jesus said to the disciples, Blessed are the eyes which see what you see. Luke 10:23.
Here 'the eyes which see' means intelligence and faith, for it was not the mere fact that they saw the Lord and also His miracles and works that caused any one of the disciples to be blessed but the fact that they could grasp things with their understandings and had faith, meant by 'seeing with the eyes', and that they were obedient, meant by 'hearing with the ears'. As regards 'seeing with the eyes' meaning to see with the understanding and also to have faith, see 897, 2325. For the understanding is the spiritual complement of sight, and faith the spiritual complement of the understanding. The sight of the eye is received from the light of the world, the sight of the understanding from the light of heaven flowing into things which belong to the light of the world; but the sight of faith is received from the light of heaven. This is the origin of such phrases as seeing with the understanding and seeing with faith. 'Hearing with the ear' means being obedient, see 2542.
[4] In Mark,
Jesus said to the disciples, Do you not yet know nor understand? Do you still have your heart hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? Mark 8:17-18.
Here it is evident that 'having eyes but not seeing' means not wishing to understand and not believing. In Luke,
Jesus said of the city, Would that you knew the things that make for your peace! But such is hidden from your eyes. Luke 19:41-42.
And in Mark,
By the Lord has this been done, and it is marvellous in our eyes. Mark 12:11.
Here 'hidden from the eyes' and 'marvellous in the eyes' mean to be so to the understanding, as is well known to everyone from the meaning of 'the eyes' even in everyday speech.
Mark 7
1
Then the Pharisees, and some of the scribes gathered together to him, having come from Jerusalem.
2
Now when they saw some of his disciples eating bread with defiled, that is, unwashed, hands, they found fault.
3
(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, don't eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders.
4
They don't eat when they come from the marketplace, unless they bathe themselves, and there are many other things, which they have received to hold to: washings of cups, pitchers, bronze vessels, and couches.)
5
The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why don't your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands?"
6
He answered them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7
But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'
8
"For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things."
9
He said to them, "Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
10
For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother;' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.'
11
But you say, 'If a man tells his father or his mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban, that is to say, given to God;"'
12
then you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother,
13
making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this."
14
He called all the multitude to himself, and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand.
15
There is nothing from outside of the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man.
16
If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"
17
When he had entered into a house away from the multitude, his disciples asked him about the parable.
18
He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also? Don't you perceive that whatever goes into the man from outside can't defile him,
19
because it doesn't go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, thus purifying all foods?"
20
He said, "That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man.
21
For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts,
22
covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness.
23
All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."
24
From there he arose, and went away into the borders of Tyre and Sidon. He entered into a house, and didn't want anyone to know it, but he couldn't escape notice.
25
For a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of him, came and fell down at his feet.
26
Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. She begged him that he would cast the demon out of her daughter.
27
But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
28
But she answered him, "Yes, Lord. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."
29
He said to her, "For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter."
30
She went away to her house, and found the child having been laid on the bed, with the demon gone out.
31
Again he departed from the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and came to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the region of Decapolis.
32
They brought to him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. They begged him to lay his hand on him.
33
He took him aside from the multitude, privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue.
34
Looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" that is, "Be opened!"
35
Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was released, and he spoke clearly.
36
He commanded them that they should tell no one, but the more he commanded them, so much the more widely they proclaimed it.
37
They were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear, and the mute speak!"
