'Soft raiment,' as in Matthew 11:9, represents the internal sense of the Word.
(References: Arcana Coelestia 9372)
Arcana Coelestia #9295
9295. That this second feast, which was called “the feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of works,” and also that “of the firstfruits of wheat,” likewise “the feast of weeks,” signifies the implantation of truth in good, is evident from its institution, concerning which in Moses:
Say unto the sons of Israel, When ye shall come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, ye shall bring the first sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest; and he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you; on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And in that day ye shall offer a he-lamb for a burnt-offering; also the meat-offering and the drink-offering. But ye shall not eat bread, or parched ear, or green, until this selfsame day. Then ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day in which ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering, seven entire Sabbaths shall there be; even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new gift to Jehovah. Ye shall offer out of your dwellings the bread of the wave-offering, it shall be baked leavened, as firstfruits to Jehovah. Ye shall offer besides the bread seven lambs, one young bullock, and two rams, for a burnt-offering, with their meat-offering, and their drink-offering (Leviticus 23:10-18; Deuteronomy 16:9-12).
[2] That each of these things has a signification cannot be known except from their internal sense. In this sense the “seeds which are sown in the field” denote the truths of faith which are implanted in good; by “the harvest” is signified their coming to maturity when goods are produced; for “wheat and barley,” denote goods, and “the spike,” or “ear” in which they are denotes truths thus adjoined to goods; the “sheaf” denotes a series and collection of such things, for truths are arranged as it were into bundles; “waving” denotes vivification, for truths are not living in man until they are in good; the priest who waved the sheaf, that is, who vivified the goods of truth, represented the Lord, because everything of life is from Him; this being done “on the morrow after the Sabbath” signified the holiness of the conjunction of good and truth; that before this they were not allowed to “eat bread, or the parched ear, or the green ear,” signified that the life of good and its appropriation are no sooner; “bread” denotes the good of love; the “parched ear,” the good of charity; the “green ear,” the good of truth; and “eating,” appropriation; that they were to “count seven Sabbaths unto the feast,” which was made on the “fiftieth day” therefrom, signified the complete implantation of truth in good even to the beginning of a new state; the “leavened bread” which was then offered, signified good not yet fully purified; the “waving” of it signified its vivification; the “burnt-offering of lambs, a young bullock, and rams, with the meat-offering and the drink-offering,” signified the worship of the Lord according to the quality of that good. These are the things which are signified by this feast and by the particulars of its celebration; from which it is evident that the second state of liberation from damnation, which is the state of the implantation of truth in good, was thereby signified.
[3] As this feast was called “the feast of the firstfruits of the harvest” it should be known what is signified in the Word by “the harvest.” The “field” in which is the harvest, in a broad sense signifies the whole human race, or the whole world; in a less broad sense it signifies the church; in a sense more restricted, the man of the church; and in a sense still more restricted, the good which is in the man of the church, for this receives the truths of faith, as a field receives seeds. From the signification of the “field” it is plain what is signified by the “harvest,” namely, that in the broadest sense it signifies the state of the whole human race in respect to the reception of good by means of truth; in a less broad sense, the state of the church in respect to the reception of the truths of faith in good; in a more restricted sense, the state of the man of the church in respect to this reception; and in a still more restricted sense, the state of good in respect to the reception of truth, thus the implantation of truth in good.
[4] From all this it can seen what is signified by “the harvest” in the following passages; as in Matthew:
He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the seed are the sons of the kingdom; the tares are the sons of the evil one; 1 the enemy that soweth them is the devil; but the harvest is the consummation of the age; and the reapers are the angels (Matthew 13:37-39);
“the good seed” denotes the truths of faith from the Lord; “the Son of man” denotes the Lord in respect to the truths of the church; “the world which is the field” denotes the whole human race; “the sons of the kingdom who are the seed” denote the truths of faith of the church; “the sons of the evil kingdom who are the tares” denote the falsities of faith of the church; “the devil who is the enemy and soweth them” denotes hell; “the consummation of the age which is the harvest” denotes the last state of the church in respect to the reception of, the truths of faith in good; “the angels who are the reapers” denote truths from the Lord. That such things are signified by the above words of the Lord, can be seen from their internal sense, as set forth in these explications. From the above words it is also manifest in what manner the Lord spoke when He was in the world, namely, by means of significatives, to the end that the Word might be not only for the world, but also for heaven.
[5] In Revelation:
An angel came out from the temple, crying with a great voice to him that sat on the cloud, Put forth thy sickle, and reap; because the hour is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is dried up. And he that sat on the cloud put forth his sickle into the earth; and the earth was reaped (Revelation 14:15-16);
here also “the harvest” denotes the last state of the church in respect to the reception of the truths of faith in good.
In Joel:
The priests, the ministers of Jehovah, have mourned; the field is laid waste, the land hath mourned because the grain hath been laid waste, the must is dried up, the oil languisheth. The husbandmen are ashamed, the vine-dressers have howled over the wheat and over the barley; and because the harvest of the field hath perished (Joel 1:9-11).
The vastation of the church in respect to the truths of faith and the goods of charity is here described by such things as belong to the field, the vineyard, and the oliveyard; the church itself is “the field;” and its last state, which was called by the Lord “the consummation of the age,” is “the harvest.”
[6] In the same:
Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get you down, for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great (Joel 3:13);
here also by “the harvest” is signified the consummation of the age, or the last state of the devastated church.
In Jeremiah:
Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest (Jeremiah 50:16).
The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing-floor; it is time to thresh her; yet a little while, and the time of harvest cometh (Jeremiah 51:33);
“the time of harvest” denotes the last state of the church.
[7] In Isaiah:
Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth anyone enter; the inhabitants of the isle are silent; the merchants of Zidon that pass over the sea have replenished thee; and through many waters the seed of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile, was her increase; that she should be the mart of nations (Isaiah 23:1-3).
The holy things of the church which are here described cannot be known to anyone except from the internal sense. Everyone knows that the holy things of heaven and of the church are everywhere in the Word, and that from this the Word is holy. In the sense of the letter the subject here treated of is the merchandise of Tyre and Zidon, which apart from the interior holy sense are not holy. But what they signify in this sense is clear when they are unfolded. “The ships of Tarshish” denote the doctrinal things of truth and good; “Tyre and Zidon” denote the knowledges of good and truth; there being “no house, nor anyone entering in,” denotes that there is no longer any good in which truth can be implanted; “the inhabitants of the isle who are silent” denote more remote goods; “the seed of Shihor” denotes memory-truth; “the harvest of the Nile her increase” denotes the derivative good outside the church.
Footnotes:
1. That is, of the evil kingdom. See below. [REVISER.]
Matthew 9
1
He entered into a boat, and crossed over, and came into his own city.
2
Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a bed. Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, cheer up! Your sins are forgiven you."
3
Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man blasphemes."
4
Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5
For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven;' or to say, 'Get up, and walk?'
6
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." (then he said to the paralytic), "Get up, and take up your mat, and go up to your house."
7
He arose and departed to his house.
8
But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
9
As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, "Follow me." He got up and followed him.
10
It happened as he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.
11
When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
12
When Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.
13
But you go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
14
Then John's disciples came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don't fast?"
15
Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16
No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made.
17
Neither do people put new wine into old wineskins, or else the skins would burst, and the wine be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."
18
While he told these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
19
Jesus got up and followed him, as did his disciples.
20
Behold, a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment;
21
for she said within herself, "If I just touch his garment, I will be made well."
22
But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, "Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.
23
When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd in noisy disorder,
24
he said to them, "Make room, because the girl isn't dead, but sleeping." They were ridiculing him.
25
But when the crowd was put out, he entered in, took her by the hand, and the girl arose.
26
The report of this went out into all that land.
27
As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, "Have mercy on us, son of David!"
28
When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They told him, "Yes, Lord."
29
Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you."
30
Their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, "See that no one knows about this."
31
But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land.
32
As they went out, behold, a mute man who was demon possessed was brought to him.
33
When the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The multitudes marveled, saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!"
34
But the Pharisees said, "By the prince of the demons, he casts out demons."
35
Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
36
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd.
37
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
38
Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest."
