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Mark Chapter 5

verses 2—14. And when He was come out of the ship, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling in the tombs, &c.—By "tombs" are signified things unclean, consequently also infernal, and hence it is evident why the possessed by devils were in the tombs, namely, because they who possessed them during their abode in the world, had been in false principles derived from evil, or in knowledges derived from the Word, which they made dead by applying them to confirm evil, also to destroy the genuine truths of the church, especially the truths concerning the Lord, concerning the Word, and concerning the life after death, which dead knowledges are in the Word called traditions; hence it was that they who were possessed by such, were in the tombs, and the devils were afterwards cast out into the swine, who ran headlong into the sea. The reason why they were "cast out into the swine" was, because, whilst they lived in the world, they were in sordid avarice, for such avarice corresponds to swine; the reason why they "ran headlong into the sea" was, because the sea there signifies hell. AE 659.

The life which evil spirits have, and which they love excessively, is the life of the lusts of self-love and the love of the world, whence comes the life of hatred, of revenge, and cruelty of various kinds, whilst they suppose that no delight is given in any other life; they are as men, for they have been men, and from the life which they had as men, they retain this principle. But what the quality is of the life which they love, is manifest from such spirits in the other life, where it is turned into what is filthy and excrementitious, and what is wonderful, they perceive the greatest delight in that filth, as may be manifest from the facts related, AC 820, 954; in like manner as the devils, who, when they were cast out by the Lord from the man who was possessed, through fear of destruction requested to be sent into the swine. (Mark 5:7-13.) That they were such as in the life of the body had been addicted to filthy avarice, may be manifest from this consideration, that spirits of such a quality, in the other life, seem to themselves to dwell amongst swine, inasmuch as the life of swine corresponds to avarice, and is therefore delightful to them, as is evident from what is related from experience, AC 939. AC 1742.

The removal of sins, which is called their remission, may be compared with the casting out of all unclean things from the camp of the children of Israel into the wilderness that lay around it, for their camp represented heaven, and the wilderness hell. It may also be compared with the removal of the nations from the children of Israel in the land of Canaan, and of the Jebusites from Jerusalem, who were not cast out, but separated. It may be compared too with a legion of devils, permitted by the Lord to enter into the herd of swine, which afterwards were drowned in the sea, where, by the sea is signified hell. TCR 614.

Verse 13. And the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and they were choked in the sea.—By the "sea" is here signified hell, where and whence are the false principles of evil, by reason that the spirits, who were there during their lives in the world, were in those false principles; they appear to dwell in the bottom, as of seas, and at a greater depth there, in proportion as the evil was more grievous, from which the false principle was derived. AE 538.

Verses 15, 16, 18. Possessed with the devil, &c.—"Devils" [or demons] signify cravings or lusts of evil, and also the lusts of falsifying truths. But devils, like lusts, are of many kinds. The worst are those who are lusts of exercising dominion from the burning incitement of self-love over the holy things of the church, and over heaven. And inasmuch as this love of dominion reigns in their hearts, they are also lusts of profaning the truths of heaven from the spurious zeal of that love. And whereas they, when they become devils, as is the case after death, know that the Lord only rules over heaven and earth, they become hatreds against Him, insomuch that after the lapse of an age they cannot endure to hear Him named. Hence it is evident that by Babylon being become "the habitation of devils," is signified that their hells are the hells of the lust of dominion originating in the burning incitement of self-love and of the lust of profaning the truths of heaven originating in the spurious zeal of that love. It is not known in the world that all after death become affections of the love which reigns within them. Those who have looked up to the Lord and to heaven, and at the same time have shunned evils as sins, become good affections, but they who have looked only to themselves and the world, and have shunned evils not because they were sins, hut because they were injurious to their honour and reputation, become evil affections, which are lusts or cravings. These affections appear to the life, and are perceived in the spiritual world, whereas only the thoughts which proceed from the affections appear in the natural world. Hence it is that man does not know that hell is in the affections of the love of evil, and heaven in the affections of the love of good; and the reason why he does not know this is, because the lusts of the love of evil possess this property in consequence of being hereditary, that in the will they are delightful, and hence pleasant to the understanding, and that which is delightful and pleasant man does not reflect upon, because this delight carries his mind along, just as the current of a river carries along a ship. Wherefore those who have plunged themselves into those delights and pleasures, can no otherwise arrive at the delights and pleasures of the affections of the love of good and truth, than after the manner of those who with a strong arm ply their oars against the tide; but it is otherwise with those who have not plunged themselves in so deeply. AR 756.

Verses 25—35. And a certain woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years, when she had heard of Jesus, coming in the crowd behind, touched His garment, for she said, if I may touch but His garments, I shall be whole, &c.—By an "issue of blood" is signified the profanation of the good of love; by a "leprosy" the profanation of the truth of faith. AC 9014.

What is meant by touching the hem or border of the Lord's garment, see below, Exposition, chap. 6:56.

That by "touching" is signified communication, translation, and reception, is manifest from several passages in the Word, of which it is allowed to adduce the following: — "You shall anoint the tent of assembly, and the ark of the testimony, and the table and all its vessels, and the candlestick and its vessels, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt-offering and all its vessels, and the laver and its basis, and you shall sanctify them, that they may be the Holy of Holies: every one who touches them shall be sanctified." (Exod. xxx. 26—29.) Again, —"Every thing which shall touch the residue of the meat-offering, and the residue of the flesh of the sacrifices, which are for Aaron and his sons, shall be sanctified." (Lev 6:18 and 27.) And in Daniel,—" The angel touched Daniel, and set him on his station, and lifted him up on his knees, and touched his lips, and opened his mouth, and again touched him, and strengthened him." (Dan 10:10, 16, 18.) And in Isaiah,—"One of the Seraphim touched my mouth with a coal, saying, Lo! this has touched your lips, therefore your iniquity is departed, and your sin is expiated." (Is 6:7.) And in Matthew,—"Jesus stretching out His hand to the leper, touched him, saying, I will: be you clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed." (Matt 8:3.) And in Luke,—" A woman who had an issue of blood, touched the hem of Jesus' garment, and immediately the issue of blood was staunched. Jesus said, Who is it that has touched Me? I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me." (Luke 8:44-48.) AC 10130.

Verse 23. My daughter lies at the point of death.—Inasmuch as death is from no other source than from sin, and sin is all that which is contrary to divine order, it is from this ground that evil closes the smallest and altogether invisible vessels of the human body, of which the next greater vessels, which are also invisible, are composed. For the smallest and altogether invisible vessels are continued to man's interiors; hence comes the first and inmost obstruction, and hence the first and inmost vitiation of the blood; this vitiation, when it increases, causes disease, and at length death. But if man had lived the life of good, in this case his interiors would be open to heaven, and through heaven to the Lord; thus also the smallest and invisible vascula (it is allowable to call the delineaments of the first stamina vascula, or little vessels, by reason of correspondence) would be open also, and hence man would be without disease, and would only decrease to ultimate old age, until he became altogether an infant; and when in such case the body could no longer minister to its internal man or spirit, he would pass without disease out of his earthly body into a body such as the angels have, thus out of the world immediately into heaven. AC 5726.

Verse 36. Be not afraid.—By being "afraid," or timid, is signified to be in no faith.

Be not afraid, only believe [or have faith],—It was often said by the Lord, when the sick were healed, that they should have faith, and that it should be done to them according to their faith, as in Matt 8:10-13, 9:2, 22, 27, 28, 29, and in many other passages. The reason why He so said, was because the first of all things is to acknowledge that the Lord is the Saviour of the world, and to have faith in Him, for without that acknowledgement and faith, no one can receive anything of Truth and Good from heaven, thus no faith, and because this is the first and most essential of all things, therefore that the Lord might be acknowledged when He came into the world, and when He healed the sick, He asked them about faith, and they who had faith were healed; the faith was that He was the Son of God, and that He had the power of healing and saving. All the healing of diseases by the Lord, when He was in the world, signified the healings of the spiritual life, thus the things which belong to salvation. Because the acknowledgement of the Lord is the first principle of the spiritual life, and the most essential principle of the church, and because without that no one can receive any thing of the truth of faith and of the good of love from heaven, therefore the Lord also often said, that he who believes in Him has eternal life, and that he who does not believe has not eternal life, as in John 1:1, 4, 12, 13; 3:14, 15, 16, 36, and in many other passages. At the same time He also teaches that they only have faith in Him who live according to His precepts, so that life thus enters into their faith. These things are said to illustrate and confirm the fact, that the acknowledgement of the Lord, and that from Him is all salvation, is the first principle of life from the Divine Being with man. AC 10083.

Verse 37. And He allowed no one to follow Him, except Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.—By Peter, in the Word of the Evangelists, is meant truth grounded in good which is from the Lord, and likewise in the opposite sense, [as when he denied the Lord, Mark 14:70.] truth separate from good; and since truth is of faith and good is of charity, by Peter is also meant faith grounded in charity, and likewise faith separate from charity; for the "twelve apostles," like the "twelve tribes of Israel," represented the church, as to all things proper to it, thus as to truths and goods, for all things of the church have reference to those two principles, as to faith and love, for truths are of faith, and goods are of love. In general, Peter, James, and John, represented faith, charity, and the works of charity, on which account they three followed the Lord more than the rest; of whom therefore it is said in Mark,—" He suffered no man to follow Him, except Peter, James, and John." AE 820.

Verse 40. And they laughed at Him.—"Laughing," or laughter, arises from an affection of the rational principle, and indeed from an affection of what is true or of what is false in the rational principle; hence comes all laughter. So long as such an affection is in the rational principle, which puts itself forth in laughter, so long there is something corporeal or worldly, consequently somewhat merely human therein. Celestial and spiritual good does not laugh, but expresses its delight and cheerfulness in the countenance, in the speech, and in the gesture, after another manner. For in laughter there are many principles contained, as for the most part something of contempt, which, although it does not appear, still lies concealed under that outward expression, and is easily distinguished from cheerfulness of mind, which also produces somewhat similar to laughter. AC 2216.

Verse 41. And taking the damsel by the hand, &c.— A "damsel," or virgin, signifies the affection of good, or of truth. For there are, in general, two affections which constitute the church. The affection of good constitutes the celestial church, and is called in the Word, "the daughter of Zion," and also "the daughter, the virgin of Zion;" but the affection of truth constitutes the spiritual church, and is called in the Word, "the daughter of Jerusalem," as in Isaiah,—" The daughter, the virgin of Zion, has despised you, and laughed you to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind you;" (Is 37:22.) and in many other passages. AC 2362.

Verse 42. She was twelve years old.—The number "twelve" signifies fullness of instruction as to the knowledges of truth and good, and also as to remains. AC 2089. See also AC 1925, 3129, 3354.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS.

Chapter V.

verse 34. Go into peace.—In the common version of the New Testament, what is here rendered "into," is expressed by the preposition "in," so that the passage is rendered, "Go in peace;" but the original Greek is upage eid eirhnhn , which literally means go into peace, and thus implies an entrance into a new state of life, in consequence of the faith she had manifested towards the Lord.