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.

9315. 'When My angel goes before you' means a life in keeping with the Lord's commandments. This is clear from the meaning of 'going before you' - when it refers to the Lord, who is 'the angel of Jehovah' here - as teaching the commandments of faith and life, and therefore also a life in keeping with those commandments, ('going' and 'travelling on' mean living, see 1293, 3335, 4882, 5493, 5605, 8417, 8420, 8557, 8559); and from the meaning of 'the angel of Jehovah' as the Lord's Divine Human, dealt with above in 9303, 9306. The reason why the Lord's Divine Human is meant by 'the angel' is that the numerous angels who appeared in times before the Lord's Coming into the world were Jehovah Himself in human form, that is, in that of an angel. This is plainly evident from the fact that angels who appeared were called Jehovah, such as those who appeared to Abraham and are spoken of in Genesis 18. The fact that they were called Jehovah may be seen in verses 1, 13, 14, 17, 20, 26, 33, of that chapter, as was the one who appeared to Gideon and is spoken of in Judges 6. The fact that this angel too was called Jehovah may be seen in verses 12, 14, 16, 22-24, of that chapter. The same may be seen in other places besides these. Jehovah Himself in human form, or what amounts to the same thing, in that of an angel, was the Lord.

[2] His Divine Human appeared in those times as an angel, of whom the Lord Himself speaks in John,

Jesus said, Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and saw it and was glad. Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am. John 8:56, 58.

And in the same gospel,

Father, glorify Me in Your Own Self with the glory I had with You before the world was. John 17:5.

Jehovah could not have appeared in any other way, as is again clear from the Lord's words, in John,

You have never heard the Father's voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.

And in the same gospel,

No one has seen the Father except Him who is with God, ¹ He has seen the Father. John 6:46.

From all this one may see what is meant by 'the Lord from eternity'.

[3] The reason why the Lord was pleased to be born as Man (Homo) was in order that He might in reality take on a Humanity and make it Divine, to save the human race. Know therefore that the Lord is Jehovah Himself or the Father in human form, as yet again the Lord Himself teaches in John,

I and the Father are one. John 10:30.

In the same gospel,

Jesus said, From now on you know and have seen the Father. He who has seen Me has seen the Father. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me. John 14:7, 9, 11.

And in the same gospel,

All Mine are Yours, and all Yours are Mine. John 17:10.

[4] This great mystery is described in John in the following words,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father. Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:1-3, 14, 18.

'The Word' is Divine Truth which has been revealed to mankind; and since it could not have been revealed except by Jehovah as Man, that is, except by Jehovah in human form, thus by the Lord, it says, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God'. It is well known in the Church that 'the Word' is used to mean the Lord, for it is explicitly stated, 'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father'. The fact that Divine Truth could not have been revealed to mankind except by Jehovah in human form is also clearly stated, 'Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known'.

[5] From all this it is evident that the Lord from eternity was Jehovah or the Father in human form, but not yet so in earthly flesh, for an angel does not have such flesh. And since Jehovah or the Father wished to take on everything human in order to save the human race, He also took flesh. This is why it says, The Word was God, and the Word became flesh, and in Luke,

See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see Me have. Luke 24:39.

By this the Lord taught that He was no longer Jehovah under the form of an angel but that He was Jehovah as Man. This is also what the following words spoken by the Lord serve to mean,

I came out from the Father and have come into the world; again I am leaving the world and going off to the Father. John 16:28.

The Lord made His Human Divine when He was in the world, see 1616, 1725, 1813, 1921, 2025, 2026, 2033, 2034, 2083, 2523, 2751, 2798, 3038, 3043, 3212, 3241, 3318 (end), 3637, 3737, 4065, 4180, 4211, 4237, 4286, 4585, 4687, 4692, 4724, 4738, 4766, 5005, 5045, 5078, 5110, 5256, 6373, 6700, 6716, 6849, 6864, 6872, 7014, 7211, 7499, 8547, 8864, 8865, 8878.

And everything human received from the mother was cast out, till at length He was not Mary's son, 2159, 2649, 2776, 4963, 5157, and especially 3704, 4727, 9303, 9306, as well as the things shown regarding these matters in the places referred to in 9194, 9199.

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