The Lord#16
16. The state of the church in relation to the Word, as represented by the prophets, was the meaning of their “carrying the iniquities and sins of the people.” This we can see from what is said about the prophet Isaiah, that he went naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a wonder (Isaiah 20:3). It says of Ezekiel that he was to take out his belongings to go into exile and cover his face so that he could not see the ground, and that this was to be a sign to the house of Israel; and he was also to say, “I am a sign for you” (Ezekiel 12:6, 11).
[2] It is abundantly clear from Ezekiel that this was carrying the people’s iniquities, when Ezekiel was commanded to lie on his left side for three hundred ninety days and on his right side for forty days against Jerusalem and to eat a cake of barley baked over cow dung. We read there,
Lie on your left side and place the iniquity of the house of Israel on it. According to the number of days that you lie on it you will carry their iniquity. I will give you years of their iniquity matching the number of days, three hundred ninety days, so that you carry the iniquity of the house of Israel. When you have finished them, you will lie a second time, but on your right side for forty days to carry the iniquity of the house of Judah. (Ezekiel 4:4-6)
[3] By carrying the iniquities of the house of Israel and the house of Judah in this way, the prophet did not take them away and thus atone for them, but simply represented them and made them clear. This we can see from what follows:
Thus says Jehovah: “The children of Israel will eat their bread defiled among the nations where I am going to send them. Behold, I am breaking the staff of bread in Jerusalem so that they will lack bread and water. They will all become desolate and waste away because of their iniquity.” (Ezekiel 4:13, 16-17)
[4] Similarly, when Ezekiel appeared in public and said, “Behold, I am a sign for you, ” he also said, “What I have done, [your leaders] will do” (Ezekiel 12:6, 11).
Much the same is meant, then, when it says of the Lord, “He bore our diseases and carried our sorrows. Jehovah made the iniquities of us all fall upon him. By means of his knowledge he justified many, because he himself carried their iniquities.” This is from Isaiah 53:4, 6, 11], where the whole chapter is about the Lord’s suffering.
[5] We can see from the details of the narrative of his suffering that he, as the greatest prophet, represented the state of the church in its relationship to the Word. For example, he was betrayed by Judas; he was seized and condemned by the chief priests and elders; they struck him with their fists; they struck his head with a stick; they put a crown of thorns on him; they divided his garments and cast lots on his tunic; they crucified him; they gave him vinegar to drink; they pierced his side; he was entombed; and on the third day he rose again [Matthew 26:14-16, 47-68; 27:1-61; 28:1-10; Mark 14:43-65; 15:15-37; 16:1-8; Luke 22:47-71; 23:26-56; 24:1-35; John 18:1-14; 19:1-30; 20:1-18].
[6] His being betrayed by Judas meant that this was being done by the Jewish people, who at that time were custodians of the Word, since Judas represented them. His being seized and condemned by the chief priests and elders meant that this was being done by the whole church. Their whipping him, spitting in his face, striking him with their fists, and striking his head with a stick meant that they were doing this kind of thing to the Word in regard to its divine truths, all of which are about the Lord. Their putting a crown of thorns on him meant that they falsified and contaminated these truths. Their dividing his garments and casting lots on his tunic meant that they destroyed the connectedness of all the truths of the Word-though not its spiritual meaning, which is symbolized by the tunic. Their crucifying him meant that they destroyed and profaned the whole Word. Their giving him vinegar to drink meant offering nothing but things that were distorted and false, which is why he did not drink it and then said, “It is finished.” Their piercing his side meant that they completely stifled everything true in the Word and everything good in it. His entombment meant his putting off any residual human nature from his mother. His rising again on the third day meant his glorification. Much the same is meant by the passages in the prophets and David where these events were foretold.
[7] That is why, after he had been whipped and led out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe the soldiers had put on him, he said, “Here is the one [the human]” (John 19:1-5). This was said because “a human being” means a church, since “the Son of Humanity” means what is true in the church, therefore the Word.
We can see from all this that his “carrying iniquities” means that he represented and offered an image of the sins that were being committed against the divine truths of the Word. And we will see in the following pages that the Lord endured and suffered these torments as the Son of Humanity and not as the Son of God. “The Son of Humanity” means the Lord as the Word.
Luke第23章:26-56
26
When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it after Jesus.
27
A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him.
28
But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
29
For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.'
30
Then they will begin to tell the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and tell the hills, 'Cover us.'
31
For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?"
32
There were also others, two criminals, led with him to be put to death.
33
When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
34
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.
35
The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!"
36
The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar,
37
and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"
38
An inscription was also written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
39
One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!"
40
But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Don't you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
41
And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."
42
He said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom."
43
Jesus said to him, "Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
44
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.
45
The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
46
Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" Having said this, he breathed his last.
47
When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous man."
48
All the multitudes that came together to see this, when they saw the things that were done, returned home beating their breasts.
49
All his acquaintances, and the women who followed with him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
50
Behold, a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man
51
(he had not consented to their counsel and deed), from Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was also waiting for the Kingdom of God:
52
this man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus' body.
53
He took it down, and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid.
54
It was the day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near.
55
The women, who had come with him out of Galilee, followed after, and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid.
56
They returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
