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Mark Chapter 11

Verses 1—12. And when they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sends forth two of His disciples, and says to them, Go into the village over against you: and immediately on entering into it, you shall find a colt tied, on which never man sat; having loosed him, bring him, &c.—Jesus went from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, and suffered; and by this was signified, that in all things He acted from Divine Love, for the "Mount of Olives" signified that love; for whatever the Lord did in the world was representative, and whatever He spoke was significative. The reason why He was in representatives and significatives, when in the world, was, that He might be in the ultimates of heaven and of the church, and at the same time in their first principles, and thus might govern and arrange ultimate things from first principles, and all intermediate things from first principles by things ultimate. AE 405.

"To ride upon an ass" was a token that the natural principle was subordinate, and to "ride upon a colt the son of an ass," that the rational principle was subordinate; hence it pleased the Lord to do so, both because it was the badge of a judge and of a king to ride upon them, and at the same time that the representatives of the church might be fulfilled. From these considerations it is manifest that all and singular things in the church at that time were representative of the Lord, and hence of the celestial and spiritual things which are in His kingdom, and this even to a "she-ass," by which was represented the natural man as to good and truth; the cause of the representation was, that the natural man ought to serve the rational, and this the spiritual, and the spiritual the celestial, and the celestial the Lord: such is the order of subordination. AC 2781.

Verse 8. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way.—By the disciples "putting their garments on the ass and her colt" was represented that truths in every complex should be strewed beneath the Lord, as the highest Judge and King, for the disciples represented the church of the Lord as to truths and goods; and their "garments" the truths them-selves. The like was represented by the multitude "strewing their garments in the way," and also the "branches of trees." The reason why they strewed them in the way, was, because by "way" is signified the truth, by which the man of the church is led. The reason why they strewed branches of the trees, was, because "trees" signify perceptions, and also know-ledges of truth and good; hence the "branches" denote the truths themselves. AC 9212. See also AR 166.

Verses 9, 10. And they who went before, and they who followed, cried, saying, Hosanna! Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David, that comes in the name of the Lord, &c.—In many passages in the Word mention is made of the name of Jehovah, the name of the Lord, the name of Jesus Christ, and the name of God. They who do not think beyond the sense of the letter suppose that a name alone is meant, when yet by name is not meant name, but all that by which the Lord is worshiped, all which has reference to love and faith, hence by the name of the Lord in the Word are meant all things of love and of faith by which He is worshiped. The reason why by the name of Jehovah or the Lord is not meant the name itself, but all things of love and of faith, originates in the spiritual world; for the names used on earth are not there uttered, but the names of the persons of whom they speak are formed from the idea of all things which are known concerning them, which are compressed into one term; such is the utterance of names in the spiritual world; whence it is that names also in that world, like all other things, are spiritual. The name Lord, and the name Jesus Christ, are not there uttered as on earth, but instead of those names, a name is formed from the idea of all things which are known and believed concerning Him, which idea is derived from all things of love and of faith in Him; the reason is, because these things in the complex are the Lord with them; for the Lord is with every one in the goods of love and of faith, which are from Him; this being the case, every one is there immediately known as to his quality in regard to love and faith in the Lord, if he only utters, with a spiritual voice or a spiritual name, the Lord, or Jesus Christ. And hence also it is that they who are not principled in any love, or in any faith in Him, cannot name Him, that is, cannot form any spiritual name concerning Him. AE 102. See also AE 340.

Verses 12—15. And on the morrow, when they were coming from Bethany, He was hungry: and seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves, He came, if perhaps He might find any thing thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for it was not the. time of figs, &c.—By a "fig-tree" is also here meant the church amongst the Jewish nation; that with that nation there was not any natural good from a spiritual origin, but only truth falsified, which in itself is false, is signified by the Lord "coming to a fig-tree, but finding nothing on it but leaves;" the "fruit," which He did not find, signifies natural good, such as has been above described, and "leaves" signify truths falsified, which in itself is false; for "leaf," in the Word, signifies truth; but the "leaf" of a fruit-tree, which is without fruit, signifies what is false, and with that nation truth falsified, because they have the Word, in which are truths, but which they have falsified by application to themselves, whence came their traditions. That that nation would never do any natural good from a spiritual origin, which is called spiritual-natural good, is signified by the words of the Lord concerning it,—" Let no man eat fruit of you hereafter for an age." In consequence of which it was immediately "dried up," signifying that that nation would produce no longer either good or truth. The reason why the Lord saw and said this when He returned to the city an hungered, is, because by the city "Jerusalem" is signified the church, and by "hungering," when applied to the Lord, is signified to desire good in the church, see above, AE 386. He who does not know what a "fig-tree" signifies, and that by that "fig-tree" was understood the church amongst that nation, has no other idea than that this was done by the Lord out of indignation because He hungered, yet this was not the case, but that it might be signified what was the quality of the Jewish nation; for all the Lord's miracles involve and signify such things as relate to heaven and the church, whence those miracles were Divine. AE 403.

It is manifest from the Word throughout, that where man is compared to a tree, or is called a tree, "fruits" signify the good of charity, and the "leaf" the truth thence derived, as in Ezekiel,—" Near the river came up on its bank, on this side and that, every tree of food, whose leaf falls not, neither is its fruit consumed, it is re-born in its months; because its waters go forth from the sanctuary, and its fruits shall be for food, and its leaf for medicine;" (Ez 47:12; Rev 22:2.) where the "tree" denotes the man of the church in whom is the kingdom of the Lord; "fruit" denotes the good of love and charity; "leaf" denotes the truths thence derived, which serve for the instruction of mankind, and their regeneration, wherefore the "leaf" is said to be for medicine. And in Jeremiah,—" Blessed is the man who trusts in Jehovah; he shall be like a tree planted near waters; his leaf shall be green; in the year of scarcity he shall not be anxious, and he shall not depart from bringing forth fruit;" (Jer 17:7, 8.) where a "green leaf" denotes the truth of faith, thus essential faith which is grounded in charity. In like manner in David. (Psalm 1:3.) Similar things are understood by the "fig-tree," which Jesus saw, and whereon He found nothing but "leaves," wherefore it withered. (Matt 21:19, 20; Mark 11:13, 14.) The Jewish church specifically was here meant by the "fig-tree," in which church there was no longer anything of natural good; but the doctrinal of faith, or the truth which was preserved in it, is the "leaf." The vastated church is such, that it knows what is true, but is not willing to understand; the case is the same with those who say that they know the truth, or the things which are of faith; and have nothing of the good of charity;—they are only the "leaves" of the fig-tree, and wither away. AC 885.

They who know what sin is, and particularly they who-have much knowledge of the Word, and teach it to others, and yet do not examine themselves, and consequently do not see in themselves any sin, may be likened to such as scrape together great riches, and store them up in boxes and chests, without applying them to any other purpose than looking at and counting them;—who are like that trader that "hid his talent in the earth, and his pound in a napkin." (Matt 25:25; Luke 19:20.) They are also like "hard and stony ground, on which seed falls;" (Matt 13:4, 5.) and like "fig-trees, full of leaves but barren of fruit," (Mark 11:12.) and like the "five virgins who had lamps and no oil." (Matt 25:1-12.) TCR 527.

Verse 13. For it was not the time of figs.—By these words is meant that the New Church had not yet commenced, in which natural good from a spiritual origin could be produced [which fruit or good can alone satisfy the Lord's hunger, or His ardent desire of saving the human race]. That the commencement of a new church is meant by a "fig-tree," is evident from the Lord's words in Matthew 24:32, 33. AE 386. See also AR 17.

As to the further meaning of the "fig-tree," see below, chap. 13:28, 29, Exposition.

Verse 15. And Jesus having entered into the temple, began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves.—By "those that sold and bought," are signified those who make gain to themselves of things holy; by the "tables of the money-changers," are signified from holy truths; and by the "seats of them who sold doves," are signified those who do so from holy goods; wherefore it is afterwards said, that "they made the temple into a den of thieves," for thieves are those who plunder the goods and truths of the church, and hence make to themselves gain. AE 840.

Verse 17. And He taught, saying to them, Is it not written, My house shall lie called the house of prayer for [or by] all nations? but you have made it a den of thieves.— By "house," in a universal sense, is signified the church; and because worship was performed in the temple at Jerusalem, therefore it is called "the house of prayer;" by a "den of thieves," is signified evil of life derived from false principles of doctrine; they are called "thieves," who steal truths from the Word, and pervert them, and apply them to false and evil principles, and thus extinguish them. AE 410; also AE 325.

Verses 22—24. And Jesus answering, says to them, Have the faith of God. For verily I say to you, That whoever shall say to this mountain, Be you removed, and be you cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you shall receive, and you shall have [them].—That these words are to be understood otherwise than according to the words themselves, may be manifest from this consideration, that it is said to the disciples, [as in Matthew] if they had "faith as a grain of mustard seed, that they should be able to pluck up a mountain and a sycamore-tree from its place, and cast it into the sea;" also that "they should receive whatever they should ask," when yet it is not in agreement with Divine order that every one should receive what he asks, if he only has faith; also that they should pluck up a mountain or a tree from its place, and cast it into the sea. But by "faith" is here meant faith from the Lord, wherefore also it is called the ''faith of God;" and he who is in faith from the Lord, asks nothing else but what is conducive to the Lord's kingdom, and to his own salvation; other things do not engage the affections of his will, for he says in his heart,—" Why should I ask for things which are not of such use?" Wherefore he cannot have any faith of God, or faith from the Lord, in asking for anything but what is given him from the Lord to ask; yea, it is impossible for the angels to will anything else, thus to ask anything else, since, in such case, they cannot have faith that they will receive. The reason why the Lord compared such faith to the importance and ability of casting a mountain or sycamore-tree into the sea, was, because on this, as on other occasions, He spoke by correspondences, wherefore the above words are also to be spiritually understood. For by a "mountain" is signified the love of self and of the world, thus the love of evil; and by a "sycamore-tree" is signified the faith of that love, which is the faith of what is false grounded in evil; and by the "sea" is signified hell; wherefore by "plucking up a mountain, and casting it into the sea, by the faith of God," is signified to cast into hell those loves which in themselves are diabolical, in like manner the faith of what is false grounded in evil, which is effected by faith from the Lord. The reason why the importance and ability of faith from the Lord was compared with the plucking up and casting into the sea a mountain and a sycamore-tree, is grounded in what actually is done in the spiritual world; for in that world those evil loves occasionally appear as mountains, and the faith of what is false derived from evil as a sycamore-tree, and each may be plucked up and cast into the sea, by an angel influenced by faith from the Lord. That by a "mountain" is signified love to the Lord, and in the opposite sense the love of self, may be seen above, AE 405, 510; and that a "fig-tree" or a "sycamore-tree" signifies the natural man as to goods and truths in him; and in the opposite sense, the same man as to evil and false principles, see above, AE 403. AE 815.

He who does not know the arcana of heaven and the spiritual sense of the Word, may believe that the Lord spoke the above words, not concerning saving faith, but concerning some other faith, which is called historical and miraculous, but the Lord spoke them concerning saving faith, which faith makes one with charity, and is all from the Lord, wherefore the Lord calls this faith "the faith of God;" and whereas the Lord by this faith, which is the faith of charity from Himself, removes all the evils resulting from self-love and from the love of the world, and casts them down into hell from whence they come, therefore He says,—" Whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be you removed and cast into the sea,"—what He said shall come to pass, for by a "mountain" are signified the evils of those loves, and by the "sea" is signified hell; hence by saying to a mountain, "Be you removed," is signified the removal of those things, and by being "cast into the sea," is signified their being cast down into hell whence they originate. From this signification of a mountain and of the sea, it was usual with the ancients in their ordinary discourse, when speaking of the power of faith, thus to express themselves, not meaning that mountains on earth can by that faith be cast into hell, but the evils which are from hell. Mountains also in the spiritual world, on which the wicked dwell, are wont to be overturned, and cast down by faith which is from the Lord; for when the evils belonging to them are cast down, the mountains also are cast down on which they dwell, as has been occasionally said above, and likewise has been frequently seen by me. That no other faith than the faith of charity from the Lord is here meant, is evident from the continuation of the Lord's discourse in Mark, where it is said,—" Therefore I say to you, Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you shall receive, and you shall have [them]. And when you stand praying, forgive [remit], if you have ought against any: that your Father also who is in the heavens may forgive you [remit] your trespasses. But if you forgive [remit] not, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive [remit] your trespasses." (Mark 11:24-26.) From which words it is evident that the faith of God, of which the Lord there speaks, is the faith of charity, that is, the faith which makes one with charity, and hence which is all from the Lord. AE 405. See also AC 9230.

Verse 22. Have the faith of God.—As to a true faith which is saving, and here called the "faith of God," [or faith derived from God] not "faith in God," as in the common version, the following extracts may be read with great advantage:—

It shall be here shown that faith alone cannot produce any good, or that from faith alone no good fruit can be produced. It is supposed that faith consists in believing that the Lord suffered the passion of the cross for our sins, and thereby redeemed us from hell, and that the faith of these things is what principally justifies and saves; and besides these it is supposed that faith is to believe that God is triune, also to believe those things which are declared in the Word, to believe in eternal life, and the resurrection at the day of the Last Judgement, and other things which the church teaches; and inasmuch as they separate faith from the life of charity, which is to do good works, most persons at this day suppose that to know these things, to think, and to speak them, is the faith which saves, wherefore they pay no attention to the willing and doing of them, nor do they even know that they ought to will and to do them; neither does the church teach this, inasmuch as the doctrine of the church is a doctrine of faith alone, and not a doctrine of life. The doctrine of life they call moral theology, which they make but little account of, because they believe that the virtues of a moral life, which in themselves are good works, contribute nothing to salvation. But that to know, to think, and to speak the things above-mentioned, is not faith, and, if they are called faith, that still they do not produce good, as a tree its fruits, may appear from these considerations:—

I. All things which a man knows, thinks, and speaks, in proportion as he understands them [and approves of them], he calls truths; and all things which he wills and does, in proportion as he loves them, he calls goods. Hence truths are of the faith of man, and goods are of his love; from which it is evident that truths which are of faith are distinct from goods which are of love, as knowing and thinking are distinct from willing and doing. That they are distinct, and how far they are so, may appear from this consideration, that it is possible for man to know, think, speak, and even to understand many things which he does not will and do, because he does not love; but, on the other hand, that whatever a man wills and does from love, this he also thinks and speaks from faith, if not before the world, yet with himself when he is left alone. From these considerations it follows,—

II. That the love and will of man enter into all things of his faith and thought, but that faith and thought cannot enter into his love and will; for what a man loves, this he also loves to do, to know, to think, to speak, and to understand, thus also to have the faith thereof. In like manner if the will be assumed in the place of love, what a man wills, this he also wills to do, to know, to think, to speak, and to understand, thus also to have the faith thereof. The reason why the same is predicated of the will as of the love, is, because love is of the will, and the will is the receptacle of love; hence, then it follows that love produces faith, as the will produces thought; and inasmuch as faith, like thought, is produced, and love, like the will, produces, it follows that it is speaking inversely to say that faith produces love. From these considerations it may appear that to believe that faith produces goods, which are called good works, as a tree produces fruit, is contrary to order.

III. The same things which are here said concerning faith and love, are also to be understood concerning Truth and Good, for truth is of faith, and faith is of truth, for what a man believes, this he calls Truth; and good is of love, and Jove is of good, for what a man loves, this he calls Good. Truth, viewed in itself, is nothing else but Good in form, for Good may indeed present itself to be felt, but not to be seen, except in some form, and the form in which it presents itself to be seen in the thought, thus in the understanding and perception, is called Truth. From these considerations also it follows that love produces faith, as good produces truth; consequently that faith does not produce the good of love, as a tree produces fruit.

IV. Moreover, to know, and thence to think and speak, are from the memory, but to will and act from love are from the life. Man can think and speak many things from the memory which are not from his life, which is love, as is the case with every hypocrite and flatterer; but he cannot think and speak anything, when left to himself, from the life, which is not from his love; for love is the life of every one, and according to the quality of the love, such is the life. But the memory is only the storehouse from which the life takes what it may think and speak, and what may be serviceable for its nourishment; wherefore to say that faith produces good as a tree does fruit, is to say that the thought and speech of man produce his life, and not the life them; when, notwithstanding, the wicked, even the very worst, can think and speak truths from the memory, but the good only can speak them from the life.

V. That faith alone, or faith separate from goods in act, which are good works, cannot be given, may appear from the essence of faith, which is charity; and charity is the affection of doing those things which are of the faith; wherefore faith without charity is like thought without affection, and thought without affection is no thought; consequently faith without charity is no faith. To speak therefore of faith without charity, is to speak of thought without affection, likewise of life without a soul, of existere without an esse, of a form without a thing forming, of a product without somewhat producing, and of an effect without a cause; wherefore faith alone is a nonentity, and from a nonentity, to produce goods in act, which are good works, as a good tree does fruit, is a contradiction,—from which that which is believed to be something turns out to be nothing.

VI. Inasmuch as faith without charity has no existence, and still thought and persuasion of a thing's being so appears as if it was faith, and also is called faith, it is evident that such faith cannot be saving, but is merely an historical faith, because from the mouth of another; for he who believes anything from another whom he supposes worthy of credit, and so receives it, stores it in his memory, and thence thinks and speaks it without seeing whether it be false or true, possesses it no otherwise than as somewhat historical. But if he confirms it in himself, by appearances from the Word, and by reasonings, then from historical faith it becomes persuasive faith, which is like the sight of an owl, which sees objects in darkness, and nothing in the light. Such a persuasive faith exists from all confirmation of what is false, for everything false may be confirmed, until it appears as truth, and the false confirmed shines with a deceitful lumen. From these considerations also it may appear that such faith cannot possibly produce goods, which are good works, [such as the Lord speaks of in Matt 5:16; 6:1; and the Apostle in Eph 2:10; 1 Tim 2:10; 5:10, 25; 6:18; Titus 2:7, 14, &c.]

VII. Inasmuch as faith in the thought is nothing else but historical or persuasive faith, it follows also that it is merely natural. For spiritual faith is produced from spiritual love, which is charity, as light from the sun, and which does not produce the sun; wherefore a faith merely natural is produced from a love merely natural, which derives its soul from the love of self, the delight of which love is a delight of the flesh, which is called pleasure, lust, and lasciviousness, from which flow evils of every kind, and from evils, falses. Hence it may be evident that the faith thence proceeding cannot produce goods as a tree does good fruit; and if it appear to produce any, they are goods from the proprium of man, which in themselves are evils, and at the same time meritorious goods, which in themselves are iniquitous. AE 789.

Verses 24, 25. Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you shall receive, and you shall have [them] And when you stand praying, forgive [remit], if you have ought against any, &c.—In these words by "praying," in the spiritual sense, is meant the life of love and charity, for to those who are in the life of love and charity, it is given by the Lord what they shall ask; wherefore they ask nothing but what is good, and this is done to them. And whereas faith also is from the Lord, therefore it is said,—"Believe that you shall receive;" and since prayers proceed from the life of charity, and are according to it, therefore, to the intent that prayers may be effectual, it is also said,—" When you stand praying, forgive [remit], if you have ought against any." AE 325.

In the spiritual world there are things existing similar to those on earth, but all derived from a spiritual origin; amongst other things there are gold and silver and precious stones of all kinds, whose spiritual origin is the literal sense of the Word; hence it is that, in the Revelations, the "foundations of the walls of the New Jerusalem" are described by twelve precious stones, because by the "foundation of its wall" is signified the doctrinal of the church, derived from the literal sense of the Word. Hence likewise it is, that in Aaron's ephod there were twelve precious stones, called Urim and Thummim, and that by means of these responses were given out of heaven. Besides these, there are still many more wonderful phenomena resulting from the Word, which respect the power of Truth therein, and which are so extraordinary that the description of them would pass all belief; for the power of Truth in the Word is such, that it overturns mountains and hills in the spiritual world, and removes them to a great distance, and casts them into the sea, with many other circumstances; in short, the power of the Lord, by virtue of the Word, is infinite. TCR 209.

Verses 25, 26. And when you stand praying, forgive, &c.— The evidences that sins are forgiven, or remitted, that is, removed, are the following:—They whose sins are remitted experience a delight in worshiping God for His own sake, and in serving the neighbour for the sake of the neighbour, in doing good for the sake of good, and in speaking truth for the sake of truth,—such persons disclaim all merit in the exercise of their charity and faith; they are utterly averse to all evils, as enmity, hatred, revenge, adultery, and not only do they shun them, but they abhor the very thought of them connected with any intention. But the evidences that sins are not remitted, or removed, are these:—They whose sins are not remitted do not worship God for His own sake, nor serve the neighbour for his own sake, thus they do not do good and speak truth for the sake of good and truth, but for the sake of themselves and the world. They claim merit on account of their deeds; they perceive nothing undelightful in evils, such as enmity, hatred, revenge, and adultery, and, inflamed with these lusts, they cherish the thought of them in all licentiousness. NJHD 167.

Verses 30—33. The baptism of John, &c.—See chap. 1:4, Exposition.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS.

Chapter XI

verse 22. Have the faith of God.—What is here rendered "the faith of God," is called, in the common version of the New Testament, "the faith in God." But in the original Greek the words are pisin Qeon, which is literally the faith of God, and is expressive therefore not only of faith in God, but of faith derived from God, thus that all proper and saving faith is of God, and not of man alone.

Verse 31. And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; He will say, Why then did you not believe him? &c.—It deserves to be noted that, in the original Greek, three distinct terms are applied to express what is here rendered "saying" and "say;" saying being expressed by legonter, and say, in the first instance, by eipwmen, and in the second instance by erei. Hence it is reasonable to conclude, that as the terms legonter and eipwmen are applied to the chief Priests, the Scribes, and Elders, and the term erei to the Lord, therefore the latter term is expressive of more interior speech than the two former.