The Bible

 

Luke 18

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1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.

21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.

22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.

24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?

27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.

29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,

30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.

32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:

33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #7933

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7933. As He hath spoken. That this signifies according to the promise in the Word, is evident from the signification of “speaking,” when said by the Lord about heaven, to which those were to come who were of the spiritual church, as being the promise in the Word. For the internal sense of the Word, both in the books of Moses and in the Prophets, treats of the liberation of those who before the Lord’s coming had been detained in the lower earth and infested by the evil, and their elevation into heaven; and they are there meant by “the sons of Israel.” This promise is what is here signified by the words “as Jehovah hath spoken.”

[2] The Lord’s saying in various places that in Him are to be consummated and have been consummated all things contained in the Scriptures, involves what is contained in the internal sense of the Word, for this treats of the Lord’s kingdom only, and in the supreme sense, of the Lord Himself, as in Luke:

Jesus said to the disciples, These are the words which I spoke unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled which have been written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me. Then opened He their mind that they might understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:44-45).

Behold we go up to Jerusalem, where all things shall be accomplished that have been written by the prophets concerning the Son of man (Luke 18:31).

Think ye not that I came to destroy the law and the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil. Verily I say to you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one little horn shall in no wise pass away in the law, till all things be done (Matthew 5:17-18).

[3] These things, and what the Lord says elsewhere about the fulfilling of the Law or the Scripture, involve in the internal sense, as said, those things which had been foretold about Him. In this sense, each and all things, down to every jot, or to every least point, treat of the Lord; and therefore it is said that “one jot or one little horn shall in no wise pass away in the law till all things be done.” And in Luke:

It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than for one point of the law to fail (Luke 16:17).

He who does not know that all the details, down to the least of all, in the internal sense treat of the Lord and of His kingdom, and that from this the Word is most holy, cannot possibly comprehend what this means; that “not one point shall fail nor one jot or little horn pass away,” and that “it is easier for heaven and earth to pass.” For those things which stand forth in the external sense do not seem of such great moment; but the internal text contains so much that not even a syllable could be omitted without an interruption of the series.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.