The Bible

 

馬可福音 1

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1 神的兒子,耶穌基督福音的起頭。

2 正如先知以賽亞(有古卷無以賽亞三個字)書上記著:看哪,我要差遣我的使者在你前面,預備道路

3 在曠野有人聲喊著說:預備主的道,修直他的

4 照這話,約翰來了,在曠野施洗,傳悔改的洗禮,使罪得赦。

5 猶太全地和耶路撒冷的人都出去到約翰那裡,承認他們的罪,在約但河裡受他的洗。

6 約翰穿駱駝毛的衣服,腰束皮帶,吃的是蝗蟲、野蜜。

7 他傳道:有一位在我以後的,能力比我更大,我就是彎腰給他解鞋帶也是不配的。

8 我是用水給你們施洗,他卻要用聖靈給你們施洗。

9 那時,耶穌從加利利的拿撒勒來,在約但河裡受了約翰的洗。

10 他從水裡一上來,就看見開了,聖靈彷彿鴿子,降在他身上。

11 又有聲音從上來,說:你是我的愛子,我喜悅你。

12 聖靈就把耶穌催到曠野裡去。

13 他在曠野四十天,受撒但的試探,並與野獸同在一處,且有天使來伺候他。

14 約翰下監以後,耶穌來到加利利,宣傳神的福音

15 :日期滿了,神的國近了。你們當悔改,信福音

16 耶穌順著加利利的海邊走,看見西門和西門的兄弟安得烈在海裡撒網;他們本是打魚的。

17 耶穌對他們:來跟從我,我要叫你們得人如得魚一樣。

18 他們就立刻捨了網,跟從了他。

19 耶穌稍往前走,又見西庇太的兒子雅各和雅各的兄弟約翰在船上補網。

20 耶穌隨即招呼他們,他們就把父親西庇太和雇工人留在船上,跟從耶穌去了。

21 到了迦百農,耶穌就在安息日進了會堂教訓人。

22 眾人很希奇他的教訓;因為他教訓他們,正像有權柄的人,不像文士。

23 在會堂裡,有一個人被污附著。他喊叫說:

24 拿撒勒人耶穌,我們與你有甚麼相干?你我們麼?我知道你是誰,乃是神的聖者。

25 耶穌責備他:不要作聲!從這人身上出來罷。

26 叫那人抽了一陣瘋,大聲喊叫,就出來了。

27 眾人都驚訝,以致彼此對問:這是甚麼事?是個新道理阿!他用權柄吩咐污,連污也聽從了他。

28 耶穌的名聲就傳遍了加利利的四方。

29 他們一出會堂,就同著雅各、約翰,進了西門和安得烈的家。

30 西門的岳母正害熱病躺著,就有人告訴耶穌。

31 耶穌進前拉著他的手,扶他起來,熱就退了,他就服事他們。

32 天晚日落的時候,有人帶著一切害病的,和被鬼附的,來到耶穌跟前。

33 合城的人都聚集在前。

34 耶穌治好了許多害各樣病的人,又趕出許多鬼,不許鬼說話,因為鬼認識他。

35 次日早晨,天未亮的時候,耶穌起來,到曠野地方去,在那裡禱告

36 西門和同伴追了他去,

37 遇見了就對他:眾人都找你。

38 耶穌對他們我們可以往別處去,到鄰近的鄉村,我也好在那裡傳道,因為我是為這事出來的。

39 於是在加利利全地,進了會堂,傳道,趕鬼。

40 有一個長大痲瘋的求耶穌,向他跪下,:你若肯,必能叫我潔淨了。

41 耶穌動了慈心,就伸手摸他,:我肯,你潔淨了罷!

42 大痲瘋即時離開他,他就潔淨了。

43 耶穌嚴嚴的囑咐他,就打發他走,

44 對他:你要謹慎,甚麼話都不可告訴人,只要去把身體給祭司察看,又因為你潔淨了,獻上摩西所吩咐的禮物,對眾人作證據。

45 那人出去,倒說許多的話,把這件事傳揚開了,叫耶穌以後不得再明明的進城,只好在外邊曠野地方。人從各處都就了他

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #378

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378. "And have washed their robes." This symbolically means, who have cleansed their religious beliefs of the evils accompanying falsity.

Washing in the Word symbolizes a cleansing oneself of evils and falsities, and robes symbolize general truths (no. 328). General truths are concepts of goodness and truth drawn from the literal sense of the Word, in accordance with which these people have lived, so that they are religious beliefs. And because every matter of religion has relation to goodness and truth, therefore robes are mentioned twice - "have washed their robes" and "have made their robes white."

Robes or religious beliefs are cleansed only in the case of people who fight against evils and so reject falsities, who thus undergo temptations or trials, which are symbolically meant by "the great tribulation" (no. 377).

That to be washed means, symbolically, to be cleansed of evils and falsities, and so to be reformed and regenerated, can be seen from the following passages:

When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and rinsed away the blood of Jerusalem... by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of purification... (Isaiah 4:4)

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from My eyes. Cease to do evil... (Isaiah 1:16)

Wash your heart of its wickedness, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. (Jeremiah 4:14)

Wash me clean of my iniquity..., and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalms 51:2, 7)

...if you wash yourself with soda, and use much soap, your iniquity will still retain its spots. (Jeremiah 2:22)

If I wash myself with melted snow, and cleanse my hands with soap..., yet... my own clothes will abhor me. (Job 9:30-31)

Who... has washed his clothing in wine, and his vesture in the blood of grapes. (Genesis 49:11)

This is said of the celestial church, from which come people prompted by love toward the Lord, and in the highest sense it is said of the Lord Himself. Wine and the blood of grapes are spiritual and celestial Divine truth.

I washed you with water, and rinsed off your blood from upon you... (Ezekiel 16:9)

This is said of Jerusalem. Water is truth, and blood is an adulteration of truth.

[2] It can be seen from this what washing in the Israelite Church represented and thus symbolized. As, for example, that Aaron was to wash himself before he put on the vestments of his ministry (Leviticus 16:4, 24), and before he approached the altar to minister (Exodus 30:18-21; 40:30-31).

[3] It can be seen from this that among the children of Israel washing represented a spiritual washing, which is a cleansing from evils and falsities, and thus reformation and regeneration.

It is apparent also from the aforesaid what baptism by John in the Jordan symbolized (Matthew 3, Mark 1:4-13), and what the symbolic meaning of the following words by John regarding the Lord is, that He baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16, John 1:33), and regarding himself, that he baptized with water (John 1:26). The meaning is that the Lord washes or purifies a person by Divine truth and Divine goodness, and that John by his baptism represented this. For the Holy Spirit is Divine truth, the fire is Divine goodness, and the water is representative of these. For water symbolizes the truth in the Word, which becomes goodness by one's living in accordance with it (no. 50).

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.