The Bible

 

Matthew 17:24-27 : The Temple Tax

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24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?

25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Commentary

 

Incorporating the New

By Todd Beiswenger


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There's an old saying that says, "When the student is ready the master will appear." The idea is that the student must incorporate everything they've already been taught into their life before the next master will come to teach them the next steps. We see something similar in the Word, where Jesus opens the eyes of Peter, James and John to a new spiritual reality, but now they have a difficult time trying to synthesize what they've just been taught with everything they've always believed. (note - Todd offers his apologies for an error; where he mistakenly says in this audio that the "spiritual serves the natural"... he meant to say, "natural serves the spiritual.")

(References: Apocalypse Explained 64, 405; Arcana Coelestia 6394; Matthew 17:14-20, 17:24-27)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #657

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657. And they of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations shall see.- That this signifies with all who are in falsities and evils of religion, of doctrine, and of life, is evident from the signification of seeing, as denoting to know, to perceive, and to understand; and from the signification of peoples and tribes as denoting those who are in falsities of doctrine and of religion; for by peoples, in the Word, are meant all those who are in truths or in falsities, whether they are of the church or of some religion out of the church (see 175, 331, 625), and by tribes, in the Word, are meant all those who are in truths or in falsities of doctrine, for tribes denote all truths and falsities of doctrine (see above, n. 330, 430, 431, 454), from which it is evident that peoples and tribes signify all those who are in truths or falsities of religion and of doctrine, in this case those who are in falsities, because it is said that they shall see the bodies of the witnesses three days and a half, and shall not suffer them to be placed in sepulchres; and from the signification of tongues and nations as denoting those who are in evils of doctrine and of life, for by tongues are signified goods or evils of doctrine, and thus of religion (see above, n. 330, 455, 625); and by nations are signified goods or evils of life (see also above, n. 175, 331, 625); from which it is evident that tongues and nations signify all those who are in goods or evils of doctrine and of life, in this case those who are in evils, because it is said of them that they shall see the bodies of the witnesses upon the street of the great city, and shall not suffer them to be put in sepulchres.

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