6
וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֶל־שָׂרַי הִנֵּה שִׁפְחָתֵךְ בְּיָדֵךְ עֲשִׂי־לָהּ הַטֹּוב בְּעֵינָיִךְ וַתְּעַנֶּהָ שָׂרַי וַתִּבְרַח מִפָּנֶיהָ׃
Bereshit 16:6
Arcana Coelestia #1940
1940. In multiplying I will multiply thy seed. That this signifies the fruitfulness of the rational man when it submits itself to the sovereign control of the interior man when this is adjoined to good, is evident from the signification of “seed,” as being love and faith (spoken of before, n. 1025, 1447, 1610), but in the present case by “multiplying seed” is signified the fruitfulness of the celestial things of love in the rational, when the rational has submitted itself to interior or Divine truth. “Multiplication” is predicated of truth, and “fruitfulness” of good, as may be seen from what has already been said and shown (n. 43, 55, 913, 983). But as the Lord is here treated of, “multiplying” signifies becoming fruitful, because all the truth in His rational was made good, and thereby Divine, as is here declared concerning Him. It is otherwise in man, whose rational is formed by the Lord from truth or the affection of truth. This affection is his good, from which he acts.
[2] How the case is with man’s rational in regard to multiplication and fruitfulness cannot be understood unless we know how the case is with influx, of which it may be said in a general way that in everyone there is an internal man, a rational man which is intermediate, and an external man, as before said. It is the internal man that is his inmost from which he is man, and by which he is distinguished from brute animals, which have not such an inmost; and it is as it were the door or entrance for the Lord, that is, for what is celestial and spiritual from the Lord, into man. What is going on there cannot be comprehended by the man, because it is above all his rational, from which he thinks. That rational which appears as man’s own is subject to this inmost, or to this internal man, and into this rational through the internal man there inflow from the Lord the heavenly things of love and of faith, and through this rational they inflow into the memory-knowledges that are in the external man; but the things that inflow are received in accordance with the state of each person.
[3] Now unless the rational submits itself to the Lord’s goods and truths, it either suffocates, or rejects, or perverts the things that flow in; and this is still more the case when they flow into the sensuous knowledges of the memory. This is what is meant by seed falling on a highway, or upon a rocky place, or among thorns, as the Lord teaches (Matthew 13:3-7; Mark 4:3-7; Luke 8:5-7). But when the rational submits itself and believes the Lord, that is, His Word, the rational is then like good ground or earth, into which the seed falls and bears much fruit.
Mark 3
1
He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had his hand withered.
2
They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him.
3
He said to the man who had his hand withered, "Stand up."
4
He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?" But they were silent.
5
When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other.
6
The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
7
Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples, and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea,
8
from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon. A great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came to him.
9
He spoke to his disciples that a little boat should stay near him because of the crowd, so that they wouldn't press on him.
10
For he had healed many, so that as many as had diseases pressed on him that they might touch him.
11
The unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, "You are the Son of God!"
12
He sternly warned them that they should not make him known.
13
He went up into the mountain, and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him.
14
He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach,
15
and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:
16
Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter;
17
James the son of Zebedee; John, the brother of James, and he surnamed them Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder;
18
Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot;
19
and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. He came into a house.
20
The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21
When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him: for they said, "He is insane."
22
The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul," and, "By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons."
23
He summoned them, and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?
24
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25
If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26
If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can't stand, but has an end.
27
But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder, unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house.
28
Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme;
29
but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"
30
--because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."
31
His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.
32
A multitude was sitting around him, and they told him, "Behold, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside looking for you."
33
He answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?"
34
Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, "Behold, my mother and my brothers!
35
For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother."
