Arcana Coelestia #8495
8495. A Sabbath holy to Jehovah is the morrow. That this signifies the conjunction of good and truth to eternity, is evident from the signification of “the Sabbath,” as being the conjunction of good and truth (of which below); and from the signification of “the morrow,” as being to eternity (see n. 3998). He who does not know what the Sabbath represented, and thus what it signified, cannot know why it was accounted the most holy of all things. But the reason why it was accounted most holy was that in the supreme sense it represented the union of the Divine and the Divine Human in the Lord; and in the relative sense the conjunction of the Divine Human of the Lord with the human race. Consequently the Sabbath was most holy. And because it represented these things, it also represented heaven in respect to the conjunction of good and truth, which conjunction is called “the heavenly marriage.” And as the conjunction of good and truth is effected by the Lord alone, and nothing of it by man, and as it is effected in a state of peace, therefore it was most severely forbidden that man should then do any work, insomuch that the soul which did this was to be cut off, as we read in Moses:
Ye shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy to you; he that profaneth it, dying shall die; for whosoever doeth work therein, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of his people (Exodus 31:14).
Therefore one was stoned who merely picked up sticks on that day (Numbers 15:32-36). Therefore also the commandment concerning the Sabbath is the third commandment in the Decalogue, immediately following the two concerning the holy worship of Jehovah (Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12). And therefore the Sabbath is called “an eternal covenant” (Exodus 31:16), for by “covenant” is signified conjunction (n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804).
[2] From all this it can now be seen what is meant in the internal sense by the things said in the following passages about the Sabbath; as in Isaiah:
Blessed is the man who keepeth the Sabbath, that he profane it not; thus said Jehovah to the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose that in which I delight, and take hold of My covenant, I will give them in My house and within My walls a place and a name, better than sons and daughters; I will give them an eternal name, that shall not be cut off; whosoever keepeth the Sabbath that he profane it not, and whoso taketh hold of My covenant, them will I bring in upon the mountain of My holiness, and I will cheer them in My house of prayer (56:2-7);
from all this it is evident that by “those who keep the Sabbath holy” are meant those who are in conjunction with the Lord. That they shall be in heaven is signified by “a place and a name better than sons and daughters being given them in the house of Jehovah, an eternal name that shall not be cut off,” and by their being “brought in upon the mountain of holiness.”
[3] In the same:
If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, not doing thy wills on the day of My holiness, but shalt call the Sabbath delights, holy to Jehovah, honorable; and shalt honor it, so that thou do not then thy ways, nor find thy desire, or speak a word, then shalt thou be delighted upon Jehovah, and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob (58:13-14);
here it is very plain what was represented by “not doing any work on the Sabbath day,” namely, that they should not do anything from their own, but from the Lord; for the angelic state in heaven is that they will and do nothing from themselves, or from their own, and do not even think and speak therefrom: their conjunction with the Lord consists in this. Their own from which they are not to act, is signified by their “not doing their own wills, nor doing their own ways, nor finding their own desire, nor speaking a word.” This state with the angels is the heavenly state itself; and when they are in it, they have peace and rest, and the Lord also has rest; for when they have been conjoined with Him, they labor no more, because they are then in the Lord. These things are signified by the words, thus shalt thou call the Sabbath the holy delights of Jehovah, and they shall be delighted upon Jehovah.” The Lord’s rest is signified by His resting on the seventh day after the six days’ creation (Genesis 2:2).
[4] Like things are understood by these words in Jeremiah:
If hearing ye shall hear Me, that ye bring not in a burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and that ye hallow the Sabbath day, so that ye do not any work therein, then shall there enter through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariot and on horses, they and their princes, the man of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited to eternity (17:24-25);
by “work on the Sabbath” is signified everything that is from our own; the state of those who are not led by their own, but by the Lord, is described by there “entering through the gates of the city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariot and on horses;” by “kings” are signified the truths of faith; by “princes,” the primary things thereof; by “sitting upon the throne of David,” that these are from the Lord; by “the chariot and horses,” the doctrinal and intellectual things of faith. Be it known that all things which come from the man’s own are evil, and that all things which come from the Lord are good. (That with those who are led by the Lord all things flow in, down to the least thing of life both of intellect and of will, thus down to each and all things of faith and of charity, see what has been abundantly shown from experience, n. 2886-2888, 6053-6058, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6598-6626, 6982, 6985, 6996, 7004, 7055, 7056, 7058, 7147, 7270)
[5] That the Sabbath was representative of the conjunction of the Lord with the human race, is evident in Ezekiel:
I gave them My Sabbaths that they might be for a sign between Me and them, to acknowledge that I Jehovah do sanctify them (20:12; also Exodus 31:13).
Therefore also it was forbidden to kindle a fire on the Sabbath day (Exodus 35:3), because by “fire” was signified everything that is of life; and by “kindling a fire,” that which is of life from man’s own. From all that has been said it is plain that the Lord is “the Lord of the Sabbath,” according to His words in Matthew 12:1-8; and it may be seen why many cures were performed by the Lord on the Sabbath days (Matthew 12:10-13; Mark 3:1-8; Luke 6:6-11; 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 5:9-18; 7:22-23; 9:14, 16); for the diseases of which they were healed by the Lord involved spiritual diseases, which are from evil (see n. 7337, 8364).
Matthew 13
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On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside.
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Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach.
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He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "Behold, a farmer went out to sow.
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As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them.
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Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn't have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth.
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When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away.
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Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them.
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Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.
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He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
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The disciples came, and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"
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He answered them, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.
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For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever doesn't have, from him will be taken away even that which he has.
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Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don't see, and hearing, they don't hear, neither do they understand.
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In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, 'By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive:
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for this people's heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and should turn again; and I would heal them.'
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"But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
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For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn't see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn't hear them.
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"Hear, then, the parable of the farmer.
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When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside.
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What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it;
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yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
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What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
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What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty."
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He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,
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but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds also among the wheat, and went away.
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But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then the darnel weeds appeared also.
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The servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did this darnel come from?'
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"He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and gather them up?'
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"But he said, 'No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them.
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Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
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He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;
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which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches."
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He spoke another parable to them. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened."
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Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn't speak to them,
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that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world."
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Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field."
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He answered them, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,
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the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one.
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The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
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As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age.
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The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity,
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and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
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Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
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"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
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"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls,
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who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
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"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind,
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which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away.
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So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous,
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and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth."
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Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?" They answered him, "Yes, Lord."
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He said to them, "Therefore, every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things."
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It happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there.
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Coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom, and these mighty works?
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Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?
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Aren't all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all of these things?"
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They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house."
58
He didn't do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
