The Bible

 

Matthew 6

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1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

   

Commentary

 

#106 Hide and Seek with God

By Jonathan S. Rose

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Apocalypse Explained #212

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212. Behold, I will make them to come, and worship at thy feet. That this signifies their state after death, that they will be excluded from heaven and are not to be admitted thereto is evident from the series of the things which precede and follow. The subject treated of in this verse is those who say that they are in truths, when nevertheless they are in falsities, because not in charity; of such it is said in the Word, that they will come to the door and knock, but will not be admitted. To come to the door and knock, is to worship at the feet. It is said, at thy feet, because heaven in its whole extent relates to one man; the highest or third heaven has reference to the head, the middle or second heaven to the body, and the ultimate or first heaven to the feet; therefore, to stand before the feet and worship is to be outside heaven, and to desire to be admitted, but in vain. (That the heavens in one whole have reference to one man, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 59-67; that there are three heavens, n. 29-40; and that the highest heaven forms the head, the middle the body, and the ultimate the feet, n. 65.) From these considerations it is evident why it is said of those who are out of heaven that they stand at the feet. The reason why they cannot be admitted is, that the whole heaven is formed according to the affections of good and truth, and is distinguished into societies according to the varieties of those affections. Those therefore who are not in charity, are not in any affection in which heaven is; for charity, or love towards the neighbour, is the affection of heaven; therefore those who are not in such affection can have no place in heaven, but are out of it, and such of them as have been in evils and thence in falsities are conjoined, according to their loves or affections, with those who are in the hells, and are cast down thither.

[2] That such a lot remains for those who are in faith alone, and not in charity, is predicted by the Lord in many passages in Matthew:

"Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire, for by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in the heavens. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied by thy name, and by thy name have cast out demons, and in thy name done many mighty works! And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Whosoever heareth my words and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock. And every one that heareth my words and doeth them not, shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand" (7:19-27).

In this passage those who are in faith from charity, and those who are in faith but not in charity are described; those who are in faith from charity, by the tree bearing good fruit, and by the house which was built upon a rock. Fruits in the Word also signify the works of charity, and a rock faith from charity. But those who are in faith separated from charity are meant by the tree not bearing good fruit, and by the house built upon the sand. Evil fruits also in the Word signify evil works, and sand, faith separated from charity. It is said of these, therefore, that they will say,

"Lord, Lord, open to us," but that they will receive for answer, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

[3] Similarly in Luke:

"Strive to enter through the strait gate; for many will seek to enter in, and will not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; but he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are; then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity" (13:24-27).

In this passage also those who are in faith and not in charity are treated of, of whom it is said that they would stand without and knock at the door, but that they would not be admitted. To eat and to drink in the presence of the Lord, and to be taught by Him in the streets, signifies to hear the Word and preachings from the Word, and to know the things of faith; but because such persons are not in charity, it is said to them, "I know you not whence ye are, depart from me;" for all are known by the Lord from love, and not from faith separated from love.

[4] Similar things are meant

By the five foolish virgins, who had not oil in their lamps, of whom it is also said, that they came, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us;" but He answered, "Verily I say unto you, I know you not " (Matthew 25:1-12).

By virgins in the Word are signified those who belong to the church; by lamps the things of faith; and by oil is signified the good of love. Hence by the five foolish virgins, who had no oil in their lamps, are signified those who are in faith and not in love. The same is also signified

By the goats on the left hand, to whom it is said by the Lord that He hungered and thirsted, and they did not give him to eat and to drink; that He was a stranger, and they took Him not in; that He was naked, and they clothed Him not; that He was sick and in prison, and they visited Him not (Matthew 25:41, 42, 43).

By the sheep at the right hand are there signified those who are in charity; by the goats, those who are in faith and not in charity. (That such are signified by goats, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 4769; and that those who are in charity are signified by sheep, n. 4169, 4809.)

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.