IBhayibheli

 

Matthew 12

Funda

   

1 At that time Jesus went through the fields on the Sabbath day; and his disciples, being in need of food, were taking the heads of grain.

2 But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, See, your disciples do that which it is not right to do on the Sabbath.

3 But he said to them, Have you no knowledge of what David did when he had need of food, and those who were with him?

4 How he went into the house of God and took for food the holy bread which it was not right for him or for those who were with him to take, but only for the priests?

5 Or is it not said in the law, how the Sabbath is broken by the priests in the Temple and they do no wrong?

6 But I say to you that a greater thing than the Temple is here.

7 But if these words had been in your minds, My desire is for mercy and not for offerings, you would not have been judging those who have done no wrong.

8 For the Son of man is lord of the Sabbath.

9 And he went from there into their Synagogue:

10 And there was a man with a dead hand. And they put a question to him, saying, Is it right to make a man well on the Sabbath day? so that they might have something against him.

11 And he said to them, Which of you, having a sheep, if it gets into a hole on the Sabbath day, will not put out a helping hand and get it back?

12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! For this reason it is right to do good on the Sabbath day.

13 Then said he to the man, Put out your hand. And he Put it out, and it was made as well as the other.

14 But the Pharisees went out and made designs against him, how they might put him to death.

15 And Jesus, having knowledge of this, went away from there, and a great number went after him; and he made them all well,

16 Ordering them not to give people word of him:

17 So that what was said by Isaiah the prophet might come true,

18 See my servant, the man of my selection, my loved one in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit on him, and he will make my decision clear to the Gentiles.

19 His coming will not be with fighting or loud cries; and his voice will not be lifted up in the streets.

20 The crushed stem will not be broken by him; and the feebly burning light will he not put out, till he has made righteousness overcome all.

21 And in his name will the Gentiles put their hope.

22 Then they took to him one with an evil spirit, who was blind and had no power of talking: and he made him well so that he had the power of talking and seeing.

23 And all the people were surprised and said, Is not this the Son of David?

24 But the Pharisees, hearing of it, said, This man only sends evil spirits out of men by Beelzebub, the ruler of evil spirits.

25 And having knowledge of their thoughts he said to them, Every kingdom having division in itself is made waste, and every town or house having division in itself will come to destruction.

26 And if Satan sends out Satan, he makes war against himself; how then will he keep his kingdom?

27 And if I by Beelzebub send evil spirits out of men, by whom do your sons send them out? So let them be your judges.

28 But if I by the Spirit of God send out evil spirits, then is the kingdom of God come on you.

29 Or how may one go into a strong man's house and take his goods, if he does not first put cords round the strong man? and then he may take his goods.

30 Whoever is not with me is against me; and he who does not take part with me in getting people together, is driving them away.

31 So I say to you, Every sin and every evil word against God will have forgiveness; but for evil words against the Spirit there will be no forgiveness.

32 And whoever says a word against the Son of man, will have forgiveness; but whoever says a word against the Holy Spirit, will not have forgiveness in this life or in that which is to come.

33 Make the tree good, and its fruit good; or Make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for by its fruit you will get knowledge of the tree.

34 You offspring of snakes, how are you, being evil, able to say good things? because out of the heart's store come the words of the mouth.

35 The good man out of his good store gives good things; and the evil man out of his evil store gives evil things.

36 And I say to you that in the day when they are judged, men will have to give an account of every foolish word they have said.

37 For by your words will your righteousness be seen, and by your words you will be judged.

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees, hearing this, said to him, Master, we are looking for a sign from you.

39 But he, answering, said to them, An evil and false generation is looking for a sign; and no sign will be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah:

40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the great fish, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 The men of Nineveh will come up in the day of judging and give their decision against this generation: because they were turned from their sins at the preaching of Jonah; and now a greater than Jonah is here.

42 The queen of the South will come up in the day of judging and give her decision against this generation: for she came from the ends of the earth to give ear to the wisdom of Solomon; and now a greater than Solomon is here.

43 But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of a man, goes through dry places looking for rest, and getting it not.

44 Then he says, I will go back into my house from which I came out; and when he comes, he sees that there is no one in it, but that it has been made fair and clean.

45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits worse than himself, and they go in and make it their living-place: and the last condition of that man is worse than the first. Even so will it be with this evil generation.

46 While he was still talking to the people, his mother and his brothers came, desiring to have talk with him.

47 And one said to him, See, your mother and your brothers are outside, desiring to have talk with you.

48 But he in answer said to him who gave the news, Who is my mother and who are my brothers?

49 And he put out his hand to his disciples and said, See, my mother and my brothers!

50 For whoever does the pleasure of my Father in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.

   

Okususelwe Emisebenzini kaSwedenborg

 

The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine #171

Funda lesi Sigaba

  
Yiya esigabeni / 325  
  

171. Of Falsity.

There are innumerable kinds of falsity, namely, as many as there are evils, and evils and falsities are according to their origins, which are many (n. 1188, 1212, 4729, 4822, 7574). There is falsity from evil, or the falsity of evil; and there is evil from the falsity, or the evil of falsity; and falsity again from thence (n. 1679, 2243). From one falsity that is assumed as a principle, falsities flow in a long series (n. 1510-1511, 4717, 4721). There is falsity from the lusts of the love of self and of the world; and there is falsity from the fallacies of the senses (n. 1295, 4729). There are falsities of religion; and there are falsities of ignorance (n. 4729, 8318, 9258). There is falsity which contains good, and falsity which does not contain good (n. 2863, 9304, 10109, 10302). There is what is falsified (n. 7318-7319, 10648).

The quality of the falsity of evil (n. 6359, 7272, 9304, 10302). The quality of the evil of falsity (n. 2408, 4818, 7272, 8265, 8279). The falsities from evil appear like mists, and impure waters over the hells (n. 8138, 8146, 8210). Such waters signify falsities (n. 739, 790[1-4], 7307). They who are in hell speak falsities from evil (n. 1695, 7351-7352, 7357, 7392, 7699). They who are in evil cannot do otherwise than think what is false when they think from themselves (n. 7437).

There are falsities of religion which agree with good, and falsities which disagree (n. 9258). Falsities of religion, if they do not disagree with good, do not produce evil but with those who are in evil of life (n. 8318). Falsities of religion are not imputed to those who are in good, but to those who are in evil (n. 8051, 8149). Every falsity may be confirmed, and then it appears like truth (n. 5033, 6865, 8521, 8780). Care should be taken lest falsities of religion be confirmed, since the persuasion of falsity principally arises from thence (n. 845, 8780). How hurtful the persuasion of falsity is (n. 794, 806, 5096, 7686). A persuasion of falsity is perpetually exciting such things as confirm falsities (n. 1510-1511, 2477). They who are in the persuasion of falsity are interiorly bound (n. 5096). In the other life, they who are in a strong persuasion of falsity, when they approach others, close up their rational, and as it were suffocate it (n. 3895, 5128).

Truths which are not genuine, and also falsities, may be consociated with genuine truths; but falsities which contain good, and not falsities in which is evil (n. 3470-3471, 4551-4552, 7344, 8149, 9298). Falsities which contain good are received by the Lord as truths (n. 4736, 8149). The good which has its quality from falsity is accepted by the Lord, if there is ignorance, and therein is innocence and a good end (n. 7887).

Evil falsifies truth, because it draws aside and applies truth to evil (n. 8094, 8149). Truth is said to be falsified, when it is applied to evil by confirmations (n. 8602). Falsified truth is contrary to truth and good (n. 8602). For further particulars respecting the falsification of truth (see n. 7318-7319, 10648).

  
Yiya esigabeni / 325  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.

Okususelwe Emisebenzini kaSwedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #4721

Funda lesi Sigaba

  
Yiya esigabeni / 10837  
  

4721. 'And Joseph went to his brothers, and found them in Dothan' means that they were steeped in the specific details belonging to false assumptions. This is clear from the representation of 'Joseph' as the Lord as regards Divine Truth, dealt with in 4669; from the representation of 'his brothers' as the Church which turns aside from charity to faith, and at length to faith separated from charity, dealt with in 4665, 4671, 4679, 4680, 4690; and from the meaning of 'Dothan' as the specific details belonging to false assumptions' deals with immediately above in 4720. From this it is evident that the words used here mean that he found them steeped in the specific details belonging to false assumptions.

[2] So that anyone can know what 'specific details belonging to false assumptions' is used to mean, let some of the ideas taught by the Church making and acknowledging faith alone as its basic assumption serve to illustrate that phrase. That is to say, the ideas that a person is justified by faith alone; that in this case all sins are wiped away from him; that by faith alone he is saved even in the last hour of his life; that salvation is simply being admitted by grace into heaven; that even young children are saved through faith; that because they do not possess that faith gentiles are not saved; besides many other ideas that are taught. These ideas and others like them are the specific details belonging to the basic assumption made regarding faith alone. But if the Church were to make and acknowledge the life of faith as its basic assumption it would acknowledge charity towards the neighbour and love to the Lord, and consequently the works of charity and love. Then all those specific details that have just been mentioned would fall to the ground. Instead of justification the Church would acknowledge regeneration, of which the Lord speaks in John,

Unless anyone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3.

It would also acknowledge that regeneration is effected by means of the life of faith, not by faith separated from charity. It would not acknowledge that all sins are in that case wiped away from a person, but that in the Lord's mercy he is withheld from them and maintained in good and from this in truth; so the Church would acknowledge that all good originates in the Lord and all evil in oneself. Nor would it acknowledge that a person is saved through faith even in the last hour of his life but through his life of faith which awaits his arrival [in heaven]. It would not acknowledge either that salvation is simply being admitted by grace into heaven, for heaven is refused to none by the Lord, but that if his life is not the kind that enables him to exist together with angels he is impelled to flee from it, 4674. Nor would the Church acknowledge that young children are saved through faith, but that in the next life they are taught about the good deeds of charity and about the truths of faith by the Lord and in this way are accepted into heaven, 2289-2308. Nor also would it acknowledge that because they do not possess faith gentiles are not saved, but that the life they have led awaits their arrival in heaven, and that those who have led charitable lives with one another are taught about the good deeds of faith and are equally accepted in heaven. Those who lead a good life also desire the same and believe in it, see 2589-2604. And so on with many other specific ideas.

[3] The Church which makes and acknowledges faith alone as its basic assumption cannot possibly know what charity is, not even what the neighbour is, and so cannot know what heaven is. It will be astonished whenever anyone says that the happiness of the life after death and the joy in heaven consist in the Divine which flows into desiring and doing for others that which is good, and that the happiness resulting from this, and the bliss, surpass one's entire ability to perceive them. It will be astonished to learn that the reception of that influx from the Divine is by no means possible with anyone who has not been leading the life of faith, that is, with whom the good of charity has not been present. That the life of faith is what saves a person is also explicitly taught by the Lord in Matthew 25:31-end. The same teaching is found in many other places, and that too is why the Creed, called the Athanasian, states towards the end of it,

Everyone will give an account of his works: he who has done well will go into eternal life, but he who has done wickedly into eternal fire.

  
Yiya esigabeni / 10837  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.