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Luke 2:8-20 : The Shepherds Visit Jesus in Bethlehem

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8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

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Shepherds in the Fields

Par Junchol Lee

The Annunciation to the Shepherds, By Henry Ossawa Tanner - http://www.artnet.de/artist/16406/henry-ossawa-tanner.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4864375


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One of the most significant events, if not THE most significant event, in human history is the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Savior of humanity. Christ's birth had been prophesied by many, but it was Isaiah who gave us the fullest and most detailed description of the Messiah's coming. It is notable that besides Mary and Joseph, shepherds were the only individuals allowed to visit Jesus on the night of his birth. Why only shepherds? What is the spiritual significance of the shepherds? We will explore this question.

(références: Isaiah 46:3)

Des oeuvres de Swedenborg

 

Apocalypse Explained #80

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80. Saying to me, Fear not. That this signifies renewal, is evident from the series of things in the internal sense. For John lay as dead, and the Lord, appearing as the Son of man, laid His right hand upon him, and said to him, Fear not. His lying as dead signified a failing of his own life; the Lord's laying His right hand upon him, signified life from Him; hence His saying to him, Fear not, signified renewal; for all who come suddenly from their own life into a life which is in some degree spiritual, are at first afraid, but are renewed by the Lord. This renewal is effected by the Divine presence, and the fear on that account, being accommodated to reception.

The Lord is indeed present with all in the universe, but nearer and more remotely, according to the reception of good by means of truths with them from Him. For it is good in which the Lord is present with angels, spirits, and men. Hence, according to the quantity and quality of good which they possess from the Lord is the degree and quality of His presence with them; if the presence is in excess, it causes anguish and tremor, whereas by accommodation to the state of reception, it produces renewal, as is also evident from what has just been said and shown above (n. 78). This renewal is signified by "Fear not" also in other places, where it is said by the Lord, or by the angel of the Lord, "Fear not," as in Daniel 10:12; 19; Luke 1:12, 13; 2:8, 9, 10 Matthew 28:5, 9, 10.

The renewal, which is caused by accommodation to reception, appears in the spiritual world, when it is presented visibly, as a cloud; such clouds encompass as with a veil all the societies there, and are more dense or attenuated, according to the state of reception. That the angels also are veiled with a thin correspondent cloud, lest they should be hurt by a nearer influx of the Divine of the Lord, may be seen n. 6849. (What clouds in the spiritual world are, and hence what they signify in the spiritual sense, may be seen above, n. 36.)

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.