Explaining the Inner Meaning of John 7

Verse 7:1. That the Lord has more delight in instructing the Gentiles, who are in the good of ignorance, than in instructing those of the perverted church, who are principled in self-love, because the love of the latter is opposed to his love.

Verse 7:2. For the Lord is always seeking the implantation of good in truth, and thus liberation of the church from evil.

Verses 7:3, 4. Nevertheless he is tempted by the affections of the natural man to make an external display of his omnipotence, by which both they who are of the church, and they who are not of the church, might be led to acknowledge him.

Verses 7:5, 6. But this suggestion is not influenced by divine truth, which teaches, that the state of the Lord, when he was in the world, differed from that of natural men, because he was always advancing, as to his humanity, towards union with the divine good in himself, whereas natural men are in the present possession of their good.

Verse 7:7. And therefore natural men are not sensible of opposition from the powers of evil, whereas the Lord, as to his humanity, felt the whole weight of that opposition, in consequence of making those powers manifest.

Verses 7:8, 9. On which account natural men are enjoined the use of representative worship, but not so the Lord, since the glorification of his humanity is the end of all representations, and therefore he remains with those who receive him according to that end.

Verse 7:10. At the same time he interiorly is in the good of that representative worship, which relates to the implantation of good in truth, and thus to the glorification of his humanity, but not exteriorly.

Verses 7:11, 12, 13. By which means he excites enquiry in the church concerning himself, which enquiry leads some to justify him, and some to condemn him, yet all are afraid to speak their sentiments, being over-awed by public opinion.

Verse 7:14. That from divine good, and consequent elevation into the light of divine truth, the Lord gives instruction.

Verse 7:15. The interior source of which instruction cannot be apprehended by the natural man.

Verse 7:16. Until he is taught, that the truth proceeding from the Lord's humanity is not of the humanity only, but of the divine good dwelling in it, and one with it.

Verse 7:17. And that therefore all, who live in conformity with that good, will be instructed as to the origin of truth.

Verse 7:18. Since self-love always gives birth to false principles, whilst divine and heavenly love gives birth to principles of truth and justice.

Verses 7:19, 20. Hence comes the Divine Word, which still is not obeyed, and therefore the Lord in his Divine Humanity is rejected, and his operation imputed to infernal agency, whilst they who reject him are not aware of the crime which they are committing.

Verses 7:21, 22, 23. Therefore they are taught, that since the Lord in his Divine Humanity had manifested, by their own confession, an operation more than human; and since on this account the Word, both in the Israelitish church, and in the ancient church, required purification from unclean loves, which requirement they fulfilled, as to its external representation, therefore out of regard to the Word, they ought not to oppose that humanity in its purpose of communicating spiritual life, which was represented by the Sabbath.

Verse 7:24. Neither ought they to form their judgement from truth alone, but from truth in conjunction with its good.

Verses 7:25, 26. That the opposition of the perverted church to the Lord in his Divine Humanity, was known to those who were principled in the doctrine of truth, and who thus, seeing the power of the divine truth over its adversaries, are led to enquire how far they, who are principled in knowledges, believe in that humanity.

Verse 7:27. Yet they are perplexed about the origin of that humanity, because they could not discern his divinity.

Verse 7:28. Therefore they are taught that the humanity was known, and also its origin, since it is not self-derived, but from the invisible and unknown divinity.

Verse 7:29. Yet the humanity knows the divinity, because it proceeds from the divinity.

Verse 7:30. That this doctrine excites violent opposition in will, but not in act, being restrained for the present by the Lord's divine providence.

Verse 7:31. Nevertheless, with those who are principled in truth, it excites faith in the Lord's humanity, the operation of which humanity is exalted by them above every other operation.

Verses 7:32, 33, 34. But this faith so excited tends only to increase the spirit of opposition amongst those of the perverted church, who are principled in self-love, and therefore they are taught, that the Lord's humanity will certainly be united with his divinity, on which occasion he cannot be approached by those who merely speculate about him, because they are destitute of the love and life in which he dwells.

Verses 7:35, 36. Still they who are principled in self-love are not able to comprehend what is meant by the union of the Lord's humanity with his divinity.

Verses 7:37, 38, 39. Therefore they are further instructed, that if they are desirous of attaining the knowledge of truth, they must receive from the Lord in his Divine Humanity the truths of doctrine and their faith, since hence comes spiritual intelligence of divine truth from the Lord, inasmuch as to impart such intelligence is the great purpose of the glorification of the Lord's humanity.

Verse 39, latter part. For spiritual intelligence of divine truth cannot be given but from divinity and humanity united in the one divine person of the Lord.

Verses 7:40, 41, 42, 43. That in consequence of this instruction, they, who are principled in truth, are led to acknowledge the Lord's humanity as the all of doctrine, and the all of truth, whilst others are perplexed about the divine origin of that humanity as taught in the Word.

Verse 7:44. Hence inclination is inwardly cherished to do violence to that humanity, but the power to do it is checked.

Verses 7:45, 46. And on enquiry how, it was checked, it is discovered, that the truth proceeding from that humanity was more than human, so that the simple could not resist it.

Verses 7:47, 48, 49. Therefore they, who are blinded by self-love, and who fancy themselves qualified by their superior learning to decide on what is true, or otherwise, condemn the simple as ignorant of the truth.

Verse 50, 51. Yet their own learning suggests the consideration that no one ought to be condemned, until it be first known whether he be guilty, and what his guilt is.

Verses 7:52, 53. But this consideration is over-ruled, as not applicable to the Lord's humanity and the doctrine which he taught, since no teacher of truth can be born out of the church, therefore all abide in their own ruling love and persuasions.

8864. 'I am Jehovah your God' means the Lord in respect of the Divine Human reigning universally, in every single aspect of goodness and truth. This is clear from the consideration that in the Word no one other than the Lord is meant by 'Jehovah', 1343, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 3448, 5663, 6280, 6281, 6303, 8274, or likewise by 'Jehovah Zebaoth', 'the Lord Jehovih', and 'Jehovah God', 2921, 3023, 3448, 6303; and from the consideration that the Lord is called 'Jehovah' by virtue of the Divine Good, which is the Divine Being (Esse), and 'God' by virtue of Divine Truth, which is the Divine Coming-into-being (Existere), 6905, and also 709, 732, 1096, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921 (end), 4402. The reason why the Lord's Divine Human is what 'Jehovah God' is used to mean here is that the Lord in respect of that Divine Human is meant in the Word both by 'Jehovah' and by 'God'. Divine Good, which He is also in respect of the Human is meant by 'Jehovah', while Divine Truth, which He is because it goes forth from Him, is meant by 'God'.

[2] The reason why the Lord's Divine Human is meant by 'Jehovah God' is that the Divine Itself which is within the Lord cannot be seen in heaven or even perceived, thus cannot be received in faith and love; only the Divine Human can. The truth that the Divine Itself cannot be communicated to angels in heaven, still less to people on earth, except through the Divine Human is well known in the Churches from the Lord's words in the Gospels, where He says that He is the Door; that He is the Mediator; that nobody can come to the Father except through Him; that no one except Himself knows the Father; and that no one has seen the Father, not even some shape He might take. From all this it is evident that it is the Lord who is meant here by 'Jehovah God'. It is also well known that He is also the one who has redeemed the human race and delivered them from hell.

This truth is meant by the words that follow, by 'I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves'. From all this it is now evident that Jehovah God, who spoke from Mount Sinai, is the Lord in respect of the Divine Human.

[3] The reason why this is the first truth to be stated by the Lord from Mount Sinai is that it must be present, reigning universally in each and every truth that follows. For what is stated first must be held in mind and must be seen to reside universally in everything that follows. What 'universally reigning' describes will be seen below. The truths which were stated by the Lord are all of this nature. That is to say, truths stated first must reign in those stated next and incorporate them; these in turn must reign in and incorporate those after that, and so on sequentially. In the present chapter the truths stated next are the Ten Commandments, which are inward truths, and after these the statutes, which are outward truths. The latter and the former must have the Lord - His Divine Human - reigning within them, for they spring from Himself, and are Himself. For, to be sure, truths which are truths all emanate from Him; and the things which emanate from Him are Himself. The truth that the Lord's Divine Human is what must reign in every single part of faith is also well known in the Churches; for they teach that there is no salvation without the Lord, and that all the truth and good of faith comes from Him. Thus since He is the source of faith He is the faith present with a person; and if He is the faith He is also all the truth contained in teachings about faith that are drawn from the Word. This also is the reason why the Lord is called 'the Word'.

[4] The truth that what comes first must reign in what comes next, and so on sequentially, as stated above, is clear from the individual parts of the things spoken by the Lord, in particular from His prayer called the Lord's Prayer. All its parts follow one another in such a sequence that they constitute a pillar so to speak, widening from the top down to the base and holding inside itself the things that appear earlier in the sequence. What is first there is inmost, and what comes after in sequence adds itself gradually to the inmost and in that way grows wider. What is inmost then reigns in all the surrounding parts; it reigns universally, that is, in every detail, for it is essential to the existence of them all.