"当他们走近的时候，他看见城，就为之哭泣，说：'你们若是知道，就连你们自己，尤其是在你们这个时代，属于你们平安的事，也该知道！ '但现在它们却从你们的眼睛里藏起来了。"(路加福音19:41,42 ).

"'耶路撒冷的女儿们，不要为我哭泣，要为你们自己和你们的儿女哭泣...........因为他们若在绿林中行这些事，在枯木中又要作什么呢？"( 路加福音23:28,31).

耶稣为耶路撒冷流泪。 妇人为他而哭，他叫她们为自己和孩子们哭泣。 在胜利的时刻悲痛，在荒凉的时刻悲痛。

棕枝主日的故事是有讽刺意味的，因为在它的欢呼声中，笼罩着背叛、审判和受难的阴影。 愤怒的众人要求他被钉死在十字架上，难道这群愤怒的人，就是五天前称颂他为王的众人吗？ 为什么主明知必将发生的事情，却要凯旋而上？ 祂这样做是为了宣布祂，从神的善中得来的神性真理，将统治万物；给我们一幅图画，让我们看到祂的威严，将永远存在。 然后，客西马尼和髑髅地的事件让我们知道了这威严的性质----他的国度确实不属于这个世界。

我们可以想象一下棕树节的场景吗？ 众人在欢呼雀跃，欢呼雀跃，然后他们看到他们的王在哭泣。 这不是一个短暂的时刻，而是持续的哭泣，使福音书的作者听到了这一幕。 他们的呼喊声在看着祂的悲痛时，他们的呼喊声是否已经平息了，当祂向他们所住的城宣告灭亡的时候，他们是否感到惊奇呢？ "你们的仇敌必在你们周围筑起堤坝，包围你们，把你们四面围住，把你们和你们的儿女们都压在地上；他们不会在你们身上留下一块又一块的石头，因为你们不知道你们的时间，所以不知道你们要来的时候。" 然后，也许是随着他的骑行，欢呼声又恢复了，那些奇怪的话语也就忘记了。

还有另一个讽刺；因为百姓高呼说，和平来了。 "奉耶和华的名来的王有福了! 天上有平安，至高无上的荣耀！" 然而，当耶稣哭泣的时候，他对全城的人说："你们若是知道，就连你们自己，尤其是在你们这个时代，那些使你们得平安的事，也是你们所知道的。 但现在它们都被你们隐藏起来了。"

这宏伟的全景说的是每个人内心的世界。 正是在我们的心中，在道的属灵意义上，耶稣在我们的心目中，在我们的心目中，耶稣得胜了。 当我们看到他的真理的奇妙，感觉到他的大能胜过万物，我们就会赞美他。 棕枝主日的所有事件都告诉我们，当我们承认主，可见的神，通过我们里面的道来统治我们的心智。 这是个大喜乐的时刻。 就像棕枝主日的众人一样，我们感觉到这异象将扫除一切邪恶，主将很容易在我们里面作我们的王和神。

这样的幸福时光确实临到我们，我们可以在其中欢欣鼓舞，欢呼我们的主和王。 "在天上的平安，在最高的荣耀！" 平安是通过与我们所见的主联合而来。启示录解说369:9，11). 然而，主自己也知道，那些不知道平安的人必有争战。 这也是主在他的话语中警告我们的。 在主的时代的自然耶路撒冷，统治者们用虚假来破坏真理，他们给基督徒带来了许多的痛苦。 在我们心目中属灵的耶路撒冷，有一些虚假的价值观，会破坏平安。 在我们到了天堂之前，我们对主的异象和我们的自爱之间将有一场争战，而我们的自爱将滥用真理来使之发生。

所以，主在橄榄山上，在橄榄山上，当他俯视这城的时候，他就在那里哭泣。 祂的哭泣是怜悯的标志，因为祂为我们里面那些会伤害我们的、与我们的平安相对立的状态而悲伤。 (天国的秘密5480; 启示录解释365 [9]；参看： 365:11, 340). 然而，祂的悲痛是一种积极的力量，它是一种怜悯的力量，正在努力消除这些状态。 耶稣应许耶路撒冷将被彻底摧毁----连一块石头都不留。 诚然，自然的耶路撒冷被夷为平地，但这不是祂的意思。 祂应许我们----甚至在祂警告我们即将到来的争战时----祂必得胜，我们的耶路撒冷----我们作恶的借口---将不能成立。 它们将被祂的话语所毁灭。 (参看 阿卡纳-科尔斯蒂亚6588 [5]; 启示录解释365 [9]).

祂因怜悯而哭泣，祂应许了哭泣的结局，因为 "祂温柔的怜悯胜过了祂的一切作为"。

在耶稣受难日的时候，肯定会有哭泣的理由。 想象一下这个场景。妇人在十字架后面哀叹。 耶稣一定是被鞭打得血流满面，被荆棘王冠所伤。 他被那些喜欢看人死的人包围着。 那些称他为仇人的人，都认为自己赢了。

他的追随者们都很绝望。 他们从来没有想到祂所培养的梦想会以这样的方式结束，也没有想到他们所爱的领袖会受到如此可怕的对待。 他们为他的苦难而感同身受。 他们为他哭泣。

然后，也许侮辱他的人群在他转向哀悼者的时候，被压制住了。 他用他无限的爱说话， "耶路撒冷的女儿们，不要为我哭泣，要为你们自己和你们的孩子们哭泣。" 他没有想到他即将到来的痛苦， 他为他所爱的人悲伤。 祂必得胜。 正是在他们身上，苦难才会降临。我们还有什么比这句话更清楚地描述我们的上帝来到世上的目标呢？ 祂来了，因为邪恶的人和邪恶的感情给祂的儿女带来了苦难。 祂来是为了在他们哭泣之后给他们喜乐，给他们安慰和希望，最后给他们一个肯定，那就是不应该再有死亡，也不应该有悲伤和哭泣。

当时的妇女确实面临着身体上的悲哀。当我们知道基督徒受迫害，想到有人因为敬拜他们的神而被杀，孩子被夺走，善良的人受到那些不懂怜悯的人的怜悯，真是令人心痛。 的确，主说的似乎是对的，如果他们不生孩子，不为自己的信仰受苦，那就更好了。 "因为确实有一天，他们会说：'贫瘠的人有福了，不曾生育的子宫，不曾哺育的乳房，有福了！'"

但是，主来到人间的真正原因是，在肉体的残忍中，有一个更大的伤害。 有很多人在这个世界上行走，他们不会想到要谋杀别人，但却经常喜欢夺走一些更珍贵的东西--他跟随主的能力。

这就是为什么主说这些话的原因："不要为我哭泣，要为你们自己和你们的儿女哭泣。 耶路撒冷的女儿们代表着全世界真诚的人对真理的温柔的爱。 他们的儿女是来自于对真理的爱的慈爱和信心。 这些都是邪恶的牺牲品，尤其是当它侵袭教会的时候。 这些都是引起内心哭泣的东西，是一种因沉默而更具有破坏性的心灵的悲哀。

"耶路撒冷的女儿们，"他叫他们。 我们对真理的纯洁的爱是与我们自私的理由一起成长起来的。 事实上，它是被自私的理由所统治，就像耶路撒冷的女儿们被腐败的教会所统治一样。 当那些妇女们试图脱离犹太教会的时候，她们被迫害。 当我们对真理的纯洁的爱试图引导我们跟随主的时候，我们的灵里就会遭受试探。 地狱升起，用我们曾经有过的所有自私和邪恶的快乐来诱惑我们，我们确实为自己哭泣。

你看，受苦的不是真理本身! "不要为我哭泣，"耶稣说。 真理是全能的。 是我们对真理的爱被试探了。 受苦的是我们的仁爱和我们的信仰--那爱的孩子--。

"因为他们会说，'贫瘠的人有福了，不孕不育的子宫和不育的乳房有福了'。"在我们看来，那些没有真理、没有理想的人不就是幸福的人吗？ 其实这是一个预言，在教会之外，重新找到教会的人，比起那些把生活中的虚伪带入争战的人，他们的日子会更容易。

在棕枝主日，当耶稣哭泣时，他说耶路撒冷要被毁灭。 正如我说过的，祂实际上是在应许我们里面的邪恶被毁灭。 在耶稣受难日，他也给出了同样的保证。 "然后他们要开始对山说："落在我们身上！"又要对山丘说："盖住我们！"这些看似严厉的话语是一种安慰，因为它们保证，当主的真理在我们里面得胜时，天国就会越来越近。 当那时候，那些诱惑我们的地狱将无法忍受天堂的存在，会把自己遮盖起来，躲起来。

"因为他们若在绿林中行这些事，在干的时候又要怎样呢？" 听众们知道这句话的意思：如果当祂在他们中间的时候，他们拒绝了祂的真理，那么当对祂的存在和祂的神迹的记忆干涸了，他们又会怎样呢？ 从内在的意义上说，绿木是真理，从对真理的热爱中仍有生命力。 即使我们看到道的理想，也会在试探中挣扎。 但当那木头干枯了，当我们无法感受到真理的生命和力量时，斗争就会变得非常艰难。

在这两个画面中----祂在棕枝主日的哭泣，祂悲哀地警告妇女们为自己和孩子们哭泣，主是在预备我们为我们所信的事而战。祂是如何预备我们的呢？ 不仅仅是向我们保证即将到来的试炼，也是向我们保证，既然祂已经显明了祂的大能，就一定会得胜。 在真正的基督教的宗教中，有这样的奇迹，有这样的盼望，有这样的永恒的幸福。 然而，任何有价值的爱，在面对挑战之前，都不会有值得我们保留的。 必须有哭泣的时候：我们仁慈的主为我们的挣扎而哭泣，并从怜悯中给予我们力量；我们的梦想和希望在害怕失去时哭泣。 通过试炼，我们表达了我们对梦想的承诺，祂将我们交付给我们。

在他被捕前不到二十四小时，主又讲到了哭泣。 在最后的晚餐上，他说："我实在告诉你们，你们要哭泣，要哀叹，但世人要欢喜。" 但祂并没有止步于此"你们必忧伤，但你们的忧伤必转为喜乐。 妇人在生产的时候，有忧愁，因为她的时辰到了；但只要她生下孩子，就不再记念那苦恼，因为有一个人降生到世界上，就有喜乐。 所以你们现在有忧愁；但我必再见到你们，你们的心必欢喜，你们的喜乐没有人夺去。"

当他被钉在十字架上，又复活的时候，他们一定以为他的话已经应验了。 现在他们找到了没有人能够从他们身上夺走的喜乐。 也许当他们在逼迫者的手中受苦，在基督徒同胞中找到了喜乐，他们也是这样想的。 最后，当他们打了自己的私下争战，从他的大能中战胜了里面的仇敌，他们知道了他真正的意思。

"耶稣为城市哭泣" "为你们自己和你们的孩子哭泣" 我们对真理的爱将受到威胁，我们对真正的信仰和真正的慈善的希望也将受到威胁。 正是为了这个目的，祂来到世界上，骑着凯旋而来，喝下了被拒绝和明显的死亡之杯--能够将我们的忧伤转为喜乐。 因此，祂也可以说："在世上你们必有苦难；但你们要喜乐，我已经胜过了世界。"阿门。

(参考: 路加福音19:29-44, 23:24-38)

2162. 'Wash your feet' means that they were to take on something natural so that during the state He was then passing through His perception might be improved. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'feet' as natural things, and also in a like manner from the train of thought. That arcana lie concealed here becomes clear to a certain extent from the fact that Abraham besought the three men to take a little water and wash their feet, and to relax under a tree, even though he knew that it was the Lord or Jehovah; also from the fact that if it was not so such details would not have been mentioned.

[2] That 'feet' means natural things becomes clear from the representatives in the next life, and consequently from representatives derived from these that existed among the most ancient people and so occur in the Word. Celestial and spiritual things are represented by 'the head' and the parts of the head; by 'the breast' and the parts of the breast are represented rational concepts and aspects of these; by 'the feet and the parts of the feet are represented natural things and the different kinds of these. Consequently 'the sole' and 'the heel' of the foot mean the lowest natural things, regarding which see 259, while 'a shoe' means the lowest things of all, which are filthy, regarding which see 1748.

[3] Similar things are meant by the representations in the dreams and visions in the Prophets, such as the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar, the head of which was fine gold, the breast and arms were silver, the belly and thighs were bronze, the legs were iron, and the feet were partly iron and partly clay, Daniel 2:32-33. In this case 'the head' means celestial things, which are inmost and are 'gold', as shown in 113, 1551, 1552; 'the breast and arms' spiritual or rational things, which are 'silver', as shown in 1551; but 'the feet' means lower things, which are natural, the truths of which are meant by 'iron' and the goods by 'clay' or mud. As regards 'iron' meaning truth, see 425, 426, and 'clay' good, 1300, both of which in the present case are natural. These things come in the same order in the Lord's kingdom in heaven, and in the Church which is the Lord's kingdom on earth, and also in every individual who is a kingdom of the Lord.

[4] It is similar with the vision which Daniel himself saw, of which the following is said,

I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a man clothed in linen whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz and whose body was like tarshish, ¹ and whose face was like the appearance of lightning, and whose eyes were like fiery torches, and whose arms and feet like the shine of burnished bronze. Daniel 10:5-6.

Specifically these words mean the interiors of the Word as to goods and truths. 'The arms and feet' are its interiors, which constitute the sense of the letter, for natural things occur there, since natural things are the source from which the exteriors of the Word are drawn. What further is meant by each of these parts, namely the loins, body, face, eyes, and many others in man, becomes clear from the representatives in the next life, which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be spoken of when the Grand Man - which is the Lord's heaven - and the representatives that originate in heaven but occur in the world of spirits are dealt with.

[5] That which one reads about Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders seeing the God of Israel, under whose feet there was so to speak a paved work of sapphire stone, like the substance of the sky for pureness, Exodus 24:9-10, means that they saw, represented in natural things, merely the external features of the Church, and also the literal sense of the Word, in which too, as has been stated, external things are represented by natural things. And these external things are 'the feet' under which there is so to speak 'a paved work of sapphire stone, like the substance of the sky itself'. It is clear that it was the Lord whom they saw, though only in those lower or natural things, since He is called 'the God of Israel', whom all things of the Church represented and whom all things of the Word in the internal sense meant. For the Lord is presented visually in accordance with the things that are meant at the time. When, for example, in John, He was seen as a Man on a white horse, the Word was in this case meant by Him, as is explicitly stated in Revelation 19:11, 13.

[6] The living creatures seen by Ezekiel, which were cherubs, are described as regards celestial and spiritual things by their faces and wings, and also many other things. But as regards natural things they are described as follows, by their feet, a straight foot, and the soles of their feet being like the sole of a calf's foot, and sparkling like the shine of burnished bronze, Ezekiel 1:7. The reason their feet, that is, natural things, are said to have sparkled like burnished bronze is that 'bronze' means natural good, dealt with in 425, 1551. It was similar when the Lord appeared to John as the Son of Man: His eyes were like a flame of fire and His feet were like burnished bronze, Revelation 1:14-15; 2:18.

[7] That 'feet' means natural things is further evident from the following places: In John, who saw,

A mighty angel coming down out of heaven, wrapped in a cloud, and a rainbow around his head, his face was like the sun and his feet like pillars of fire. In his hand he had a little book opened, and he set his right foot on the sea and his left on the land. Revelation 10:1-2.

This angel in a similar way means the Word. The nature of the Word in the internal sense is meant by 'the rainbow around his head' and by 'his face being like the sun'; but the external sense, or sense of the letter, is meant by his 'feet'. 'The sea' is natural truths, 'the land' natural goods, from which it is clear what is meant by his setting his right foot on the sea and his left on the land.

[8] Reference is made in various places in the Word to 'a footstool', but no one knows what is meant by this in the internal sense; as in Isaiah,

Jehovah said, The heavens are My throne and the earth My footstool. Where is this house which you are going to build for Me and where is this place of My rest? Isaiah 66:1.

'The heavens' means the celestial and spiritual things, and so the inmost things, both of the Lord's kingdom in heaven and of the Lord's kingdom on earth, which is the Church. Also meant by 'the heavens' are those same things as they exist with every individual who is a kingdom of the Lord or a Church. Thus 'the heavens' also means the celestial and spiritual things regarded in themselves which are matters of love and charity and of faith that springs from these, and so means all things that belong to internal worship and similarly all things that belong to the internal sense of the Word. These things are meant by 'the heavens' and are called 'the Lord's throne', but by 'the earth' are meant all lower things corresponding to those meant by 'the heavens'. By 'the earth' lower rational and natural things are meant, which from correspondence are likewise referred to as celestial and spiritual things, such as those that exist in the lower heavens and also in the Church, and those things which belong to external worship and also those present in the literal sense of the Word. In short, all things that stem from internal things and manifest themselves in external are, being natural things, called 'the earth' and 'the Lord's footstool'. What heaven and earth mean in the internal sense of the Word, see also 82, 1733. What the new heaven and new earth mean, see 2117, 2118 (end). And that man is a miniature heaven, see 911, 978, 1900.

[9] Similarly in Jeremiah,

In His anger the Lord covers the daughter of Zion with a cloud, He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendour of Israel, and has not remembered His footstool on the day of His anger. Lamentations 2:1.

Also in David,

Exalt Jehovah our God, and bow down at His footstool. Holy is He! Psalms 99:5.

Elsewhere in the same author,

We will enter His dwelling-places, we will bow down at His footstool. Psalms 132:7.

People in the representative Church - and thus the Jews - imagined that God's house and the temple were His footstool. They did not know that by the Lord's house and the temple was meant external representative worship. What the internal features of the Church were, meant by 'heaven' or God's throne, they had no knowledge at all.

[10] In the same author,

Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand till I make your enemies a stool for your feet. Psalms 110:1; Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-43.

Here 'footstool' in a similar way means natural things - both sensory impressions and factual knowledge, and man's rational ideas formed from these - which are called 'enemies' when worship is perverted by them (which is done from the literal sense of the Word). As a result worship exists solely in things that are external, and no internal worship - or rather only internal worship that is defiled - exists, concerning which see 1094, 1175, 1182. When these have became perverted and defiled in this manner they are called 'enemies'; but because, regarded in themselves, they have reference to internal worship, when this is restored, they become - both the things that belong to external worship and those that belong to the sense of the letter of the Word - 'a footstool', as stated already.

[11] In Isaiah,

The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the fir, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious. Isaiah 60:13.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom and Church, the celestial-spiritual things of which are meant by 'the glory of Lebanon', that is, cedar trees, but the celestial-natural things of it by 'the fir, the pine, and the box', as also in other places in the Word. Thus it is the external aspects of worship that are referred to when it is said that 'I will make the place of My feet glorious'; and this cannot he made glorious by the fir, the pine, and the box, but by the things meant by these.

[12] That 'feet' means these things is also clear from the representatives in the Jewish Church, for example, by the requirement that Aaron and his sons were to wash their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle, Exodus 30:19-20; 40:31-32. No one is able to see that arcana were represented by this, for what is such washing of the hands and feet but some external act which does not do anything at all if the internal is not pure and clean? Nor can the internal be made pure and clean by such a washing. But because all the forms of ritual of that Church meant internal things that are celestial and spiritual, so it was with this form; that is to say, it meant the cleanliness of external worship, which is clean when internal worship is present within it. This explains why their lavers were made of bronze, and also the large laver which was called 'the bronze sea', together with the ten smaller ones made of bronze around Solomon's temple, 1 Kings 7:23, 38. They were made of bronze because 'bronze' represented good present in external worship, which is the same as natural good. Regarding this meaning of bronze, see 425, 1551.

[13] Similarly representative was the prohibition that no man among Aaron's descendants who had a broken foot or a broken hand should draw near to offer fire-offerings to Jehovah, Leviticus 21:19, 21. 'Broken feet and hands' represented those people whose external worship was perverted.

[14] That 'feet' means natural things is also evident from various other places in the Prophets, as in these prophetical utterances in Moses,

Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be acceptable among his brothers, and dipping his foot in oil. Your shoes will be iron and bronze. Deuteronomy 33:24-25.

These words will not be understood by anybody unless he knows what the meaning of oil, foot, iron, bronze, and shoe are in the internal sense. 'Foot' is the natural; 'shoe' the still lower natural, such as that which is connected with the senses and the body, see 1748; 'oil' is the celestial, 886; 'iron' natural truth, 425, 426; and 'bronze' natural good, 425, 1551. From these places it is evident what these words embody.

[15] In Nahum,

The way of Jehovah is in storm and tempest, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. Nahum 1:3.

Here 'the dust of the feet' means the natural and bodily things with man which give rise to clouds. The same is also meant by these words in David,

Jehovah bowed the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under His feet. Psalms 18:9.

[16] When goods and truths of faith are perverted by natural light, as people call it, it is described in the Word as the feet and hoofs of a beast which trouble waters and trample on food, as in Ezekiel,

You have come forth into the rivers, and have troubled the waters with your feet and trampled their rivers. I will destroy all its beasts from over many waters, and the foot of man will not trouble them any longer, nor will the hoofs of beast. Ezekiel 32:2, 13.

This refers to Egypt, which meant forms of knowledge, as shown in 1164, 1165, 1462. Thus by 'feet and hoofs which trouble the rivers and water' are meant facts gained from sensory and from natural things, on the basis of which people reason about the arcana of faith and do not believe anything until they grasp it by this method. This amounts to not believing at all, for the more such people go on reasoning, the less believing they are; see what is said in 128-130, 215, 232, 233, 1072, 1385. From all these quotations it is now evident that 'feet' in the Word means natural things. But what further meaning 'feet' may have is evident from the context in which the expression occurs.

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