Arcana Coelestia #54
54. Male and female He created them. What 'male and female' is used to mean in the internal sense was very well known in the Most Ancient Church, but when among later generations the interior sense of the Word was lost, so too was this particular arcanum. Marriages gave them their highest forms of happiness and delight; and they used to liken to a marriage anything that could be likened to it, in order that from it they might feel the happiness of marriage. And because they were internal men they took delight solely in internal things. As to external things, they did no more with them than take them in with their eyes, but their thoughts involved what those things represented - so much so that external things meant nothing to them except insofar as they could reflect internal things in them, and in those internal things reflect celestial things, and in so doing reflect the Lord, who was to them everything. Consequently they reflected the heavenly marriage in those things, which, they perceived, was the source of the happiness in their own marriages. For this reason they called the understanding in the spiritual man Male and the will Female, and when the two acted as one, they called it Marriage. From that Church sprang the common usage of referring to the Church itself, because of its affection for good, as 'a daughter', and also 'a virgin' - as in Virgin of Zion, Virgin of Jerusalem - and 'a wife' as well. On these matters however see verse 23 of the next chapter, and Chapter 3:15.
Matthew 4
1
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2
When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.
3
The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
4
But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"
5
Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6
and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will put his angels in charge of you.' and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don't dash your foot against a stone.'"
7
Jesus said to him, "Again, it is written, 'You shall not test the Lord, your God.'"
8
Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.
9
He said to him, "I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me."
10
Then Jesus said to him, "Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.'"
11
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.
12
Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee.
13
Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
15
"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,
16
the people who sat in darkness saw a great light, to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, to them light has dawned."
17
From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, "Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."
18
Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19
He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men."
20
They immediately left their nets and followed him.
21
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them.
22
They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.
23
Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
24
The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them.
25
Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
