Recognizing the Messiah

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1. And the Pharisees and Sadducees coming, tempting, asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.

2. And He answering said to them, “When it is evening, you say, [There will be] serenity, for the heaven is red;

3. And in the morning, Today [will be] a winter storm, for the heaven is red, being gloomy. Hypocrites! you indeed know how to discern the face of the heaven, but the signs of the time you cannot [discern].

4. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and there shall no sign be given it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And leaving them He went away.

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In the previous episode, Jesus fed four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fish. That miracle had taken place on a mountaintop in the land of the gentiles. Now, as this next episode begins, Jesus has returned to the land of Israel. The setting is on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in the region of Magdala. It is here that the religious leaders confront Jesus again. This time they ask Him for “a sign from heaven” (16:1). They are either unaware of the miracles that Jesus has been performing, or they are unconvinced.

This pictures something that can take place in each of us. We either forget or are unaware of the miraculous ways that God changes our state, lifting us out of sadness and despair, even without changing our outer circumstances. And yet, we, too, can remain unaware or unconvinced of the Lord’s miraculous ability to renew our minds and revive our souls.

Aware that the religious leaders are still seeking to discredit Him, Jesus says, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be serene, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, you say, ‘Today there will be stormy weather, for the sky is red and gloomy.’ Hypocrites. You indeed know how to interpret the face of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times” (16:2-3).

By these words, Jesus suggests that these religious leaders are able to accurately forecast the weather, but are unable to understand spiritual reality. Foreseen by the prophets, and foretold in their scriptures, the Messiah had come and was now standing in their very midst, but they could not see it. This long-awaited event, far more significant than any weather forecast, is now taking place before their very eyes. And yet, as Jesus said in the previous chapter, they are “blind leaders of the blind” (15:14). In other words, they refuse to see what they do not want to see. In this case, their self-serving desire to remain in power prevents them from realizing that Jesus, who is standing before them, is the fulfillment of ancient prophecy.

The situation is not unlike our own. Absorbed in materialistic concerns about our future, we study weather forecasts, political trends, and stock market predictions, unaware of the many miracles taking place in the present moment. In this regard, we are like the religious leaders who are adept at predicting the weather but are unable to see Jesus as the promised Messiah. Their inability to see past their self-righteousness has blinded them to the divine truth that stands before them. We, too, are sometimes blind to the miraculous ways the Lord is leading us from moment to moment, giving us what to think and what to feel while inspiring noble actions. In the words of sacred scripture, this secret leading is called “our daily bread.”

These more interior signs of God’s working are not what the religious leaders are seeking. They want external signs, signs of great power, signs that Jesus has truly been sent from heaven. And yet, Jesus has already performed numerous miracles. The religious leaders, however, were quick to minimize, discount, and explain away those miracles. For example, when Jesus cast out demons, the religious leaders claimed that His power to do so was from the devil (see 9:34 and 12:24). In other words, because the religious leaders were already determined to destroy Jesus, there is nothing more He can do for them. No sign will convince them that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.

Moreover, it is contrary to divine order to persuade a person by force. While external signs and miracles can temporarily compel belief, God compels no one. Each of us is kept in freedom so that we may freely choose to reject or accept Jesus. And we accept Him when we live according to His teachings, believing that He alone can give us the power to do so. If we do this, internal miracles will surely take place. A heart of stone can become a heart of flesh. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). ¹

In the process we become increasingly connected to the Lord. This process is called regeneration. It is the conscious laying down of our old life, so that we can be reborn to new life. There is no other way, and there is no external “sign” that can prove this inner reality for us. As Jesus says, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. But no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (16:4). ²

As we have mentioned previously, the “sign of the prophet Jonah” is our individual experience of regeneration as we strive to live according to the teachings of our religion (see 12:39). To the extent that we do this, we begin to notice subtle but significant changes in our character — changes that can only be experienced by those who strive to live their religion. ³

As we grow from infancy, to childhood, to adulthood, the gradual changes in our physical appearance are only observable over time. Meanwhile, the many changes that are taking place in our inner, spiritual character are less visible. These changes in character pertain to changes in our understanding and changes in our affections as we grow wiser and more loving. As long as we continue to learn and persevere in applying what we learn to life, our spiritual character can continue to grow throughout all eternity. ⁴

Along the way, there are wonderful signs that progress is taking place. Some of these might include a heightened desire to learn truth and apply it to one’s life, an increased sensitivity to the needs of others, a forgiving attitude, a patient disposition, a growing ease at admitting mistakes, a greater depth of contentment, a softened heart, a growing ability to see the goodness in others, frequent expressions of gratitude, and an increasing ability to accept outcomes whether or not they are in our favor. These, and so many more, are the “signs of the prophet Jonah” (16:4).

In the final analysis, religion is not something merely to be believed — it must be lived. If we wait to have its validity proven in any other way, for example, by waiting for external miracles, we will wait in vain. If the religious leaders had truly practiced their religion, living by the spirit of God’s law and not just the letter of the law, they would have had all the signs they needed. Through living a deeply spiritual life, the religious leaders would have evolved to the point where they would have recognized Jesus as the Messiah.

But this was not the case. They would not — and therefore could not — see beyond their own prejudices and preconceptions. As a result, there was very little that Jesus could do for them. So, “He left them and departed” (16:4). ⁵

A practical application

For the most part, the Lord’s work of regeneration goes on within us secretly, beyond our conscious awareness. Even so, we are granted glimpses of the gains we have made along the way. When faced with disappointment, delay, loss, or failure, how long does it take you to recover? As a practical application, notice how you respond when things do not happen as quickly as you might like, or when you are interrupted, or when your plans are upset. First, notice and resist the old patterns of complaint, criticism, and blame. Then, choose to respond in new ways — that is, in ways that reflect higher thoughts and more benevolent affections. As you continue to practice this spiritual discipline, trusting that the Lord is with you, notice how your patience continues to grow, and how quickly you are able to rise above upsetting circumstances. These tiny resurrections are the “signs of the prophet Jonah” taking place in you. ⁶

More Than Enough

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5. And when His disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

6. And Jesus said to them, “See ye and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

7. And they reasoned within themselves, saying, “[It is] because we have not taken bread.”

8. And Jesus, knowing, said to them, “Why do you reason within yourselves, [O you] of little faith, because you have not taken bread?

9. Do you not yet consider, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took?

10. Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took?

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After His departure from the religious leaders, Jesus and His disciples cross the sea and travel to a remote area near Caesarea Phillipi, about twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee. As they arrive at this new location, the disciples realize that they have forgotten to take bread. In response, Jesus says, “Take heed and beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (16:6). Confused by Jesus’ words, the disciples are thinking, “This is because we have forgotten to take bread” (16:7). Knowing their thoughts, Jesus says, “O, you of little faith, why are you thinking that you have no bread?” (16:8).

Jesus then reminds them of the two previous miracles involving bread. As Jesus says, “Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?” (16:9-10).

Jesus’ point is a simple one. Instead of being men of “little faith,” they should be men of great faith. That is, they should be men who remember all that Jesus has done for them, all that Jesus can do for them, and all that Jesus will do for them. If they could do this, they would not be worrying about a shortage of bread.

More deeply, physical bread corresponds to spiritual nourishment, especially the love that ceaselessly flows in from God. Therefore, as long as we are living according to the Lord’s teachings, we will never run out of bread — that is, we can never run out of God’s love and wisdom. That’s because the supply is infinitely more than we can use, as represented by the left-over fragments in the baskets. ⁷

This is also what is meant in the Lord’s Prayer when we say, “Give us this day our daily bread” (6:11). In the spiritual sense, these words are a humble plea that the Lord might fill us with what to think and what to feel in every moment, even now, and throughout eternity. ⁸

A practical application

When the disciples realized that they had forgotten to bring bread, Jesus used this as an opportunity to teach a deeper lesson about reliance on Him. In reminding the disciples of the two preceding miracles during which He provided enough bread to feed thousands of people, Jesus was reassuring them that they have nothing to worry about as long as He is present. The case is similar for each of us. There are times when it might feel as though we have run out of love and compassion. Perhaps some difficult situation has stretched us to the limit, and we cannot show any more love. This is the time to remember that God’s love is always available in abundance. He gives us what to think and what to feel every moment. As a practical application, then, be aware of those times when it seems that you have run out of patience, run out of tolerance, and run out of compassion. You might be telling yourself something like, “I can’t do this anymore” or “This is really getting on my nerves” or “I have reached my limit. There’s nothing left.” Do not succumb to these negative thoughts. Instead, remember that the Lord is present to supply as much love and wisdom as you need. Pray for His love to enter your heart, knowing that He is capable of supplying all that you need and more.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

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11. How do you not consider that [it was] not concerning bread [that] I said to you, you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?”

12. Then they understood that He did not say they should beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

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It is at this point that Jesus tells the disciples that He is not speaking about physical bread. As Jesus says, “How is it that you fail to understand that I was not talking to you about bread, but to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?” (16:11). It is then that they understand the deeper meaning of Jesus’ words. As it written, “Then they understood that He was not telling them to guard against the leaven used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (16:12).

When Jesus warns His disciples to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, He is referring to the false teachings and religious practices that were prevalent at that time. For example, people were taught to believe that their sins could only be forgiven through temple sacrifices. This encompassed a wide range of offerings including the sacrifice of bulls, oxen, goats, sheep, and doves. The most famous example is the story of the scapegoat upon whom the sins of the people were placed before it was driven off into the wilderness. This event, known as the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, was considered the holiest event of the year (see Leviticus 16:8-10).

Jesus, however, came to teach that true sacrifice is about giving up negative attitudes, leaving behind false beliefs, letting go of addictive desires, and abandoning destructive behaviors. In God’s coming kingdom, these would be the forms of true sacrifice. In that kingdom sins could only be forgiven by identifying them, acknowledging them, praying for the power to turn away from them, and starting a new life. The prophet Micah referred to this when he said, “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). ⁹

The Pharisees and Sadducees also taught that revenge and retaliation had their proper place in human affairs. As long as the amount and severity of the retribution did not exceed the original offense, people had a right to retaliate. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “A man who injures his neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: a broken bone for a broken bone, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Just as he injured the other person, the same must be inflicted on him” (Leviticus 24:20).

Jesus, however, came to teach a very different message. As He said when He delivered the Sermon on the Mount, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also…. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (5:38-39; 44).

As we explained in chapter five, “turning the cheek” is something we do internally when our beliefs are being attacked. While these attacks can come through other people, they can also come through unseen spiritual forces that endeavor to destroy our faith in God and undermine our trust in the power of His truth. Therefore, whenever we turn the cheek internally, we remain steadfast in what we know to be true.

At such times, we know that no words spoken, whispered, or insinuated can possibly hurt us or destroy our faith. As long as we don’t let evil draw us into the fight, we are under God’s protection. As long as we remain in the Lord’s goodness and truth, evil can do us no spiritual harm. Therefore, we need not resist it. ¹⁰

A third false teaching, still prevalent today, is the idea that if we are obedient to God’s commands, He will bless our lives with material success, whether it be physical health, great possessions, or victory over our enemies. Sometimes referred to as the “prosperity gospel,” this idea is based on a strictly literal interpretation of the Bible. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “If you walk in My statutes and observe my commandments and do them, I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its crops, and the trees their fruit…. You shall eat bread to the full and dwell safely in the land…. You shall pursue your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you” (Leviticus 26:3-4; 5-8).

When taken literally, teachings like this serve to support the idea that riches and good health are signs of God’s blessing and approval, while poverty and sickness are signs of God’s cursing and condemnation. But Jesus came to teach a different message. As He said in His Sermon on the Mount, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (5:45).

In other words, God loves all equally and with equal measure. His love, represented by the sun, is available to everyone at all times, regardless of whether they are good or evil. And His truth is equally available to all, even as the rain falls on the just and the unjust. If we do not receive God’s love and truth, it is because we have turned away from God, not because God has turned away from us. If we choose to live a life contrary to His will — that is, a life that is unable to receive what God continually desires to give us — we cannot receive the true blessings of heaven. These blessings are not about wealth, victory over natural enemies, or physical prosperity. Rather, they are about the riches of spiritual truth, victory over spiritual enemies, and the peace that comes when we trust in God.

These are just a few of the false teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees. We could also mention their false teachings about God’s wrath, their concern for the letter of the law rather than its spirit, the idea that they were a chosen people while all others were held in contempt, and their insistence that Jesus was a dangerous radical rather than the Messiah Himself. All these, and many more, were among the false teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Beyond their false teachings, Jesus also had much to say about the arrogant, contemptuous attitudes of the religious leaders. When they complained that Jesus’ disciples did not wash their hands before eating, Jesus called them hypocrites who praise God with their lips while their heart is far from Him (see 15:8). Jesus then added, “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth. This is what defiles a person” (15:11).

These timeless warnings are not just about the religious leaders, nor are they just for Jesus’ disciples. They are for everyone. This is because the religious leaders represent attitudes and behaviors that we all can fall into. Whenever we feel ourselves slipping into contempt for others, feeling superior in some way, or believing that others should think the way we do and behave in the ways that we regard as righteous, we are also indulging in “the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” This “leaven” which Jesus tells us to “beware of” can secretly fill us with confidence in self rather than confidence in God, inflate us with feelings of pride, and delude us into thinking that we have risen above others.

In essence, then, Jesus was not speaking to His disciples about physical bread. Rather, He was speaking about the misleading teachings and arrogant attitudes of the Pharisees and Sadducees. If the disciples were to follow the teachings and attitudes of the Pharisees and Sadducees, all of which are “leavened” with arrogance and contempt, they would be sadly misled. ¹¹

A practical application

Jesus’ warning about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees is not a warning about physical bread. Rather, it’s a warning about false beliefs. This includes false doctrines about the nature of God, misleading teachings about the meaning of material prosperity, and mistaken ideas about how sins are forgiven. More deeply, we also need to consider the hellish influences that flow into our minds to distort the way we see things. For example, these hellish influences might endeavor to keep us dwelling on a single negative detail rather than take in the big picture. They might bring to remembrance a mistake we made in the past and make it seem as though one error has defined our whole life. They might seize upon one argument, or one word misspoken, and blow it out of proportion, turning it from a minor error into a major catastrophe. Like leaven, a bad memory, a false idea, a worry, or a fear can spread throughout our mind. It can become an all-consuming obsession that corrupts the whole loaf. These corrupting influences can spawn justifications and rationalizations that keep us locked in anger, or contempt, or self-pity. As a practical application, then, be aware of this kind of leaven. Notice how a single thought, if allowed to enter, can corrupt the whole loaf — that is, fill your whole mind with false ideas and negative emotions. As an antidote, take to heart Jesus’ warning, “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

Peter’s Confession of Faith

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13. And Jesus, coming into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, besought His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

14. And they said, “Some [say] John the Baptist; and some Elijah; and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

15. He says to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16. And Simon Peter answering said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17. And Jesus answering said to him, “Happy art thou, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood has not revealed [it] to thee, but My Father who is in the heavens.

18. And I also say unto thee that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever thou shalt bind on the earth shall be bound in the heavens; and whatever thou shalt loose on the earth shall be loosed in the heavens.”

20. Then He charged His disciples that they should say to no one that He is Jesus the Christ.

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In the previous episode, Jesus warned His disciples to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. We said that this leaven represents the false teachings, practices, and attitudes of the religious leaders. It should be noted, however, that leaven can be useful. This is because it initiates a fermentation process through which impurities are separated and cast off. Just as bread rises through this process, we, too, can rise to higher levels. As Jesus said earlier in this gospel, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until it was all leavened” (13:33).

At that time, we pointed out that the leavening process corresponds to what happens within us during times of spiritual temptation. The leaven which the woman took and hid in three measures of meal represents the purification of our affections, thoughts, and actions through the process of spiritual fermentation. Since there is no regeneration without temptation, this fermentation process is a vital stage in our spiritual development. ¹²

However, in order to triumph in the combats of temptation, we need to know that these combats are coming, that they cannot be avoided, and that there are spiritual truths for dealing with them. Of all the truths that are available for successfully moving through these times of spiritual trial, one truth, above all, is necessary. This next episode is about this foundational truth. ¹³

As this episode begins, Jesus and His disciples are in the foothills of Mt. Hermon, in the region of Caesarea Philippi. It is there that Jesus says to His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (16:13). Reporting what they have heard others say, they reply, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (16:14). This is, of course, hearsay — the opinions of others, the gossip and rumors that were going around at the time. And so, Jesus says, “But who do you say that I am?” (16:15).

Without a moment’s hesitation, Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (16:16).

Through these words, Peter is acknowledging that Jesus is, indeed, the long-awaited Messiah, the promised one spoken of by the prophets. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed…. It shall crush all other kingdoms, and it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44). In the literal sense, these words refer to the coming of a great and mighty king who will lead his people to victory over all natural enemies. This long-awaited event was referred to as the “coming of the Messiah.”

The title “Messiah” is a Hebrew term which means “anointed.” In general, it refers to being blessed by God with a special gift or calling, as when it is said that a person is “anointed” to preach, or heal, or lead. In biblical times, kings were anointed with oil at their coronation to symbolize that their inauguration is not from men but from God. In Greek, the term for the “anointed one” is Christos [χριστός], meaning “the Christ.” Therefore, when Peter says, “You are the Christ,” it refers to Jesus as the promised Messiah, the “anointed One,” who will be the ruler of all nations and all kingdoms — the King of kings.

When Peter says that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus offers a strong confirmation of Peter’s acknowledgment. Jesus says, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (16:17). Because Peter has answered well, Jesus says, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (16:18).

In essence, Jesus is saying that the recognition of His divinity is the cornerstone upon which all other truths will rest. It is “the rock” upon which everything else of faith will be built. For Peter, and for each of us, this is the fundamental teaching to keep in mind as we go through our own combats of temptation. It is to have a living faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴

When Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount, He referred to this great truth as well, but was less specific about what it meant. It was the story about a man who built his house upon the rock. As Jesus said at that time, “The rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (7:25).

Now, as Jesus prepares His disciples for temptation combats, He reveals more information about the nature of the rock that the disciples will need to stand on as they prepare to defend themselves against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. This rock is the acknowledgment that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” So powerful is this truth that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (16:18).

It should be noted, however, that although Peter refers to Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, he does not say that Jesus is God Himself. For the time being, this is enough. Jesus is telling Peter that this initial understanding will open the door to even deeper truths, for it is the key to the kingdom of heaven. As Jesus says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (16:19).

While this passage has often been understood to mean that Peter will literally be able to open and close the gates of heaven, there is a deeper, more universal meaning. It’s not about Peter standing at what some call “the pearly gates” deciding whether or not to admit us to heaven. Rather, it’s about the spiritual truths that are given to us in the Word of the Lord. Whenever these truths are taken into the mind, loved, and lived, they become “keys” that close the door to hell — allowing nothing evil or false to enter our mind.

At the same time, these keys can also open the door to heaven, allowing all that is good and true to flow in. Whatever is damaging to our spirit will be “bound”; and whatever is life-promoting for our spirit will be “loosed.” And the “key of keys,” the rock of truth upon which all other truths stand, is the confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁵

A practical application

This is the first time that Jesus has revealed Himself to His disciples as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” While Jesus has not made this statement Himself, He confirms Peter’s confession by saying to him, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven.” In other words, there are some things that surpass the kind of human reasoning that is based merely on the evidence of the senses. These are the things that can only be revealed to us “by our Father in heaven.” This refers to the kind of revelation that transcends the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. As a practical application, then, consider the difference between seeing Jesus as a mere man, as do the Pharisees and Sadducees, and as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” as Peter does. Allow the idea of Jesus’ divinity to influence the way you read His words and view His actions. To the extent that you acknowledge Jesus’ divinity, His words will take on increased power in your life. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “He sent forth His Word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction” (Psalms 107:20). Also, “Your words became a joy to me, and the delight of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16).

The Way of the Cross

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21. From then Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

22. And Peter, taking Him, began to rebuke Him, saying, “Pity Thyself Lord; this shall not be to Thee.”

23. But turning, He said to Peter, “Get thee behind Me, Satan; thou art an offense to Me, because thou art not wise in the things that are of God, but those that are of men.”

24. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wills to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

25. For whoever wills to save his soul, shall lose it, but whoever shall lose his soul for My sake, shall find it.

26. For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

27. For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father, with His angels; and then shall He render to everyone according to his doing.

28. Amen I say to you, There are some standing here, who shall not taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

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Jesus has been steadily preparing His disciples for the inevitable temptations they will undergo. In this next episode, He begins to speak openly about His own temptations and the suffering that He Himself is about to endure. As it is written, “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things … and be killed … and raised again the third day” (16:21).

Peter does not take it well. Although He is the first of the disciples to acknowledge Jesus’ divinity, he cannot bear the thought that Jesus must suffer and die. Therefore, Peter cries out, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall never happen to You” (16:22).

Like the other disciples, Peter cherishes the hope that Jesus will soon become their great champion and lead them to victory over all their natural enemies. They have been looking forward to the day when Jesus will set Himself up as their rightful king, the long-awaited Messiah who will deliver His people and be the ruler of all nations. They may have been familiar with the prophecy recorded in Daniel. As it is written, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like the son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven…. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His rule is eternal and everlasting, and his kingdom shall never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

It is easy to imagine that Peter might be thinking in terms of earthly rather than heavenly rewards. It would be natural for him to have lofty expectations about this new and glorious kingdom, with Jesus as king. At the very least, it would be the end of Roman rule, and a new beginning for the people of Israel. There might even be a special place for Peter in the new kingdom.

But this is to misunderstand the true purpose of Jesus’ life on earth. The real goal of Jesus’ mission is to conquer and subdue spiritual enemies, not natural ones. After all, the gospel begins with the prophecy, “He will save His people from their sins” — not from their physical oppressors (see 1:21).

This is a new and different kind of salvation, quite different from what had been expected of a Messiah. This kind of salvation could only be accomplished through Jesus’ experiencing combats against every evil that could ever assail humanity. To deny the necessity of this process, to think that there is some other, easier way, is to deny the very purpose of the Lord’s advent. So, when Peter says to Jesus, “This shall not happen to you, Lord,” it is tantamount to a repudiation of this essential process. Therefore, Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan. You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (16:23).

It is natural to prefer the easy, effortless way. But without spiritual trials and combats, there is no spiritual growth. This is sometimes referred to as, “The Way of the Cross.” For both Jesus and His followers, spiritual temptation would be inevitable. Therefore, Jesus says, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (16:24-26). ¹⁶

However unpleasant or unwelcome this news may be, this is precisely what the disciples need to hear at this point in their spiritual development. Jesus makes it abundantly clear to them that temptation must not be avoided. Peter, we should remember, has taken the first step in becoming truly Christian. He has confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. But if he is to make this confession of faith a living reality, he must, from now on, strive for heavenly rewards, not just earthly ones. He must even be willing to lay down his old will before receiving a new will. This is the deeper meaning of Jesus’ words, “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (16:25). ¹⁷

Jesus then adds a great promise along with the assurance that His kingdom is coming soon. He says, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (16:27-28).

To the disciples, who understand these words literally, Jesus seems to be saying that He is about to set up His physical kingdom, and that it will happen during their lifetime. In other words, before they die, or even “taste of death,” Jesus will establish His new kingdom. But Jesus is speaking about something much more interior. He is speaking about how the heavenly kingdom can be established in each of us, even now before we taste of physical death.

The establishment of that kingdom begins with a decision to make use of our God-given ability to raise our minds above the merely natural degree of our life so that we might understand the laws of spiritual reality. This ability, which is implanted in everyone from creation, enables us to open our spiritual eyes so that we may see and understand divine truth in our lifetime.

Whenever we make use of this ability, raising our understanding above material concerns, we come into a new understanding. We see all things in the bright light of higher truth. It is this more interior sight that Jesus is speaking about when He says, “There are some standing here who shall not taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (16:28). ¹⁸

A practical application

Jesus’ promise that some people will not “taste of death” until they see Him coming in His kingdom seems to mean that He will very soon set up His earthly kingdom. In other words, this will take place within their lifetimes. Understood more deeply, it means that Jesus is setting up His kingdom right now, within each of us. As a practical application, then, make room for the establishment of that kingdom in your heart. Begin by learning the laws of that kingdom as taught in the Word. Then live according to those laws by allowing God’s will to be done in you and work through you. As an aid to helping the Lord establish His kingdom in you, meditate on the words He gave to His disciples when He taught them how to pray. Focus especially on the words, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” (6:10).

Fusnotat:

556. And their teeth were as those of lions, signifies that sensual things, which are the ultimates of the intellectual life, seem to them to have power over all things. This is evident from the signification of "teeth," as being the sensual things which are the ultimates of the natural life in respect to the understanding (of which presently); and from the signification of "lions," as being the truths of the church in respect to power, but here falsities destroying truths, thus also these in respect to power (of which above, n. 278). Here falsities are meant, because "locusts" signify the corporeal-sensual who are in the falsities of evil. These seem to themselves to have understanding, and thereby power over all things, because that persuasiveness which has been treated of above has its seat in the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural life; for this sensual, or the sensual man, is in self-confidence, and in the belief that he is wiser than all others, for he is unable to weigh and explore himself, because he does not think interiorly; and when he has persuaded himself of this, then such confidence and belief are in all things that he speaks. And because his speech takes its tone from these, it fascinates and infatuates the minds of others, for the tone of confidence and belief produces such an effect; and this is especially manifest in the spiritual world, where man speaks from his spirit; for the affection of self-confidence and of the consequent belief that a thing is so is in man's spirit, and a man's spirit speaks from his affection. In the natural world it is different. There man's spirit discourses by means of the body, and for the sake of the world brings forth such things as are not of the affection of his spirit, which he rarely exhibits, that its character may not be known. For this reason it is unknown in the world that there is such an infatuating and suffocating persuasiveness as exists in the spirit of the sensual man, who believes himself to be wiser than others. From this it can be seen why "their teeth were as those of lions" signifies that sensual men seem to themselves to have understanding, and thereby power over all things. That "teeth" signify sensual things, which are the ultimates of the natural life in respect to knowledge [scientia] can be seen from the correspondence of "teeth," as described in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 575), and in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 5565-5568).

[2] That "teeth" have this signification can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In David:

My soul, I lie in the midst of lions; their teeth are spear and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword (Psalms 57:4).

"Lions" signify those who by means of falsities destroy the truths of the church; "their teeth which are spear and arrows" signify the knowledges that are applied to confirm falsities and evils, and thus to destroy the truths and goods of the church; "their tongue a sharp sword" signifies crafty reasonings from falsities, which are called "a sharp sword" because a "sword" signifies falsity destroying truth.

[3] In the same:

O God, break off their teeth in their mouth; remove ¹ the jaw teeth of the young lions (Psalms 58:6).

"Teeth in their mouth" signify the knowledges from which they produce falsities; "the jaw teeth of the young lions," signify the truths of the Word falsified, which in themselves are falsities, and which are especially effective in destroying the truths of the church.

[4] In Joel:

A nation cometh up upon my land, vigorous and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it hath the jaw teeth of an immense lion. It maketh ² my vine to a waste, and my fig tree to froth (Joel 1:6, 7).

"A nation that cometh up upon the land" signifies evil devastating the church, "nation" meaning evil, and "land" the church; "vigorous and without number" signifies powerful and manifold; "vigorous" is predicated of the power of evil, and "without number" of the power of falsity; "its teeth are the teeth of a lion" signifying destroying falsities; "the jaw teeth of an immense lion" signify truths falsified; "it reduceth the vine to a waste, and the fig tree to froth," signifies the destruction of spiritual and natural truths; spiritual truths are those of the spiritual sense of the Word, and natural truths those of the sense of its letter (See also above, n. 403, where this is explained). The "teeth of lions" in these passages have a similar signification as "teeth as those of lions" here in Revelation. "Teeth" properly signify such things as are merely in the memory and are brought forth therefrom, for the things that are in the memory of the sensual man correspond to bones and teeth.

[5] In Daniel:

There came up out of the sea a second beast like to a bear; three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and they said unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this there came up a fourth beast, dreadful, and terrible, and exceedingly strong, and it had great teeth of iron; it devoured and crushed, and trampled the remnant with its feet (Daniel 7:5, 7).

"A beast from the sea" means the love of dominion, to which holy things serve as means, and the "four beasts" signify its successive increase; this "second beast like to a bear" signifies the second state, when such dominion is confirmed by means of the Word; those who do this appear in the spiritual world like bears. "Three ribs in the mouth between the teeth" signify all things of the Word which they apply, and which they understand merely according to the letter, "three ribs" meaning all things of the Word, "in the mouth" meaning, which they apply in teaching; "between the teeth" meaning which they understand merely according to the letter, that is, as the sensual man does; "they said unto it, Arise, devour much flesh," signifies that they applied many things and thereby destroyed the genuine sense of the Word; "the fourth beast that came up out of the sea, dreadful, and terrible, and exceedingly strong," signifies the fourth and last state, when by holy things as means they established for themselves dominion over heaven and earth; because this state is profane and powerful it is called "dreadful, and terrible, and exceedingly strong;" "it had great teeth of iron" signifies falsities from the sensual man hard against the truths and goods of the church; "it devoured and crushed" signifies that it perverted and destroyed; "and trampled the remnant with its feet" signifies that what they could not pervert and destroy they defiled and blotted out by the evils of natural and corporeal loves. (The rest respecting these beasts may be seen explained above, n. 316.)

[6] In Moses:

The tooth of beasts I will send upon them, with the poison of the creeping things of the earth (Deuteronomy 32:24).

This evil, among others, was denounced upon the Israelitish and Jewish people if they did not keep and do the statutes and commandments; "the tooth of beasts" signifies falsities from evils of every kind, and "the poison of the creeping things of the earth" signifies the things that destroy and utterly extinguish spiritual life; "beasts" signify in the Word such things as belong to the natural man, and "the creeping things of the earth" the things belonging to the sensual man; both these when separated from the spiritual man are mere falsities from evils, because they are merely such things as belong to the body to which they adhere, and as belong to the world to which they stand nearest; and from the body and the world all thick darkness in spiritual things arises.

[7] In David:

Arise, O Jehovah; save me, O my God; for Thou smitest all mine enemies upon the cheek; Thou breakest the teeth of the wicked (Psalms 3:7).

"To smite the enemies upon the cheek" signifies to destroy interior falsities with those who are opposed to the goods and truths of the church; such persons and their falsities of evil are meant in the Word by "enemies;" "to break the teeth of the wicked" signifies to destroy exterior falsities, which are such as are based on the fallacies of the senses and are confirmed by them.

[8] As the expressions in David, "to smite the cheek" and "to break the teeth" signify the destruction of interior and exterior falsities, it can be seen what is meant by "smiting on the cheek" in Matthew:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; but I say unto you, Resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek turn to him the other also. And if any man wisheth to sue thee at the law and to take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also; and whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. Give to everyone that asketh thee, and from him that wisheth to borrow of thee turn not thou away (Matthew 5:38-42).

That these words are not to be understood according to the letter is evident to everyone; for who is bound by Christian love to turn the left cheek to him who smites the right, or to give the cloak to him who would take away the coat? In a word, who is there to whom it is not allowable to resist evil? But as all things that the Lord said were in themselves Divine-celestial, it can be seen that these words, as well as the others which the Lord spoke, contain a heavenly sense. The sons of Israel had this law that they should give "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" (Exodus 21:23, 24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21), because they were external men, and thus were only in the representatives of heavenly things, and not in heavenly things themselves, thence not in charity, in mercy, in patience, nor in any spiritual good; consequently they were under the law of retaliation; for the heavenly law and thence the Christian law is that which the Lord taught in the Gospels:

All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye to them; this is the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31).

Because this is the law in heaven, and from heaven in the church, therefore every evil carries with it a corresponding punishment, which is called the punishment of evil, and is in the evil as if joined with it; and from this springs the punishment of retaliation which was prescribed for the sons of Israel, because they were external and not internal men. Internal men, as the angels of heaven are, do not wish the retaliation of evil for evil, but from heavenly charity they forgive freely; for they know that the Lord protects from the evil all who are in good, and that He protects according to the good with them, and that He would not protect if on account of the evil done to them they should burn with enmity, hatred, and revenge, for these drive away protection.

[9] These things, therefore, are involved in what the Lord here said; but their signification shall be given in order: "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," signifies that so far as anyone takes away from another the understanding of truth and the sense of truth, so far are they taken away from him, the "eye" signifying the understanding of truth, and "tooth" the sense of truth, for a "tooth" means truth or falsity such as the sensual man has. That one who is in Christian good will permit an evil person to take these away as far as he can, is described by what the Lord says in reply on the same subject. "Resist not him that is in evil" signifies that there should be no fighting back of retaliation; for angels do not fight with the evil, much less do they return evil for evil, but they allow it to be done, since they are protected by the Lord, and therefore no evil from hell can do them harm. "Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek turn to him the other also" signifies if anyone wishes to do harm to the perception and understanding of interior truth, it may be allowed to the extent of the effort; "the cheek" signifies the perception and understanding of interior truth, the "right cheek" affection for it and consequent perception of it, and the "left cheek" understanding of it, and as the "cheek" is mentioned, so is "smiting," which means doing harm to; for all things pertaining to the mouth, as the throat, the mouth itself, the lips, the cheeks, the teeth, signify such things as belong to the perception and understanding of truth, because they correspond to them, therefore by these objects in the sense of the letter of the Word, which consists of pure correspondences, these things are expressed; "if any man wisheth to sue thee at the law and to take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also," signifies if anyone wishes to take away truth interiorly with thee, it may be allowed him to take away also exterior truth, "coat" signifying interior truth, and "cloak" exterior truth. This also is what angels do when they are with the evil, for the evil can take away nothing of good and truth from angels, but they can from those who on that account burn with enmity, hatred, and revenge, for these evils avert and repel protection by the Lord; "whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two," signifies whoever wishes to lead away from truth to falsity and from good to evil, since he cannot do it, may be left unopposed, a "mile" having a similar signification as a "way," namely, that which leads away or leads; "give to everyone that asketh thee" signifies that it is to be permitted; "and from him that wisheth to borrow of thee turn thou not away" signifies that if anyone wishes to be instructed he may be instructed, for the evil desire this that they may pervert and take away, and yet they cannot. This is the spiritual sense of these words, in which are stored up the hidden things that have now been said, which are especially for the angels; who perceive the Word only according to its spiritual sense; they are also for men in the world who are in good, when the evil are trying to lead them astray. That the opposition of the evil to those whom the Lord protects is such it has been granted me to know by much experience; for they have continually striven in every way and with all their might to take away from me truths and goods, but in vain. From what has been presented it can also in some degree be seen that a "tooth" signifies truth or falsity in the sensual, which is the ultimate of the intellectual life with man; that this is the signification of "tooth" is evident from the Lord's reply, in which the perception and understanding of truth are treated of, which the evil strive to take away from the good.

[10] That this is the signification of "teeth" can be seen further from the following passages. In Jeremiah:

In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the teeth of the sons are set on edge. But every man shall die in his own iniquity; every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge (Jeremiah 31:29, 30; Ezekiel 18:2-4).

This involves evidently that the sons and descendants shall not incur punishment on account of the evils of parents, but everyone on account of his own evil; "to eat the sour grape" signifies to appropriate to oneself the falsity of evil, for a "sour grape," which is a bitter and bad grape, signifies the falsity of evil, and "to eat" signifies to appropriate to oneself; and "the teeth set on edge" signifies to be in the falsity of evil therefrom, for "teeth" here as above signify falsities in ultimates or in the sensual man, in which the evils of parents, which are called hereditary evils, especially lie hidden in children, and "to be set on edge" signifies the appropriation of falsity from evil; for a man is not punished on account of hereditary evils but on account of his own and so far as he makes hereditary evils actual in himself; therefore it is said that "everyone shall die in his own iniquity; and every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge."

[11] In Job:

All men abhor me; my bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh; I have escaped with the skin of my teeth (Acts of the Apostles 19:19, 20).

In the sense of the letter this means that he became thus lank and lean; but in the spiritual sense it signifies that temptations so suppressed the interiors of his mind that he became sensual, and thought only in things most external, and yet that he thought truths and not falsities; this is signified by "I have escaped with the skin of my teeth," "teeth" without skin signifying falsities, but with skin not falsities, since they are still in some degree clothed.

[12] In Amos:

I have given to you emptiness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places (Amos 4:6).

"Emptiness of teeth in the cities" stands for a scarcity of truth in doctrines, and "want of bread in all places" for scarcity of good from doctrines in the life.

[13] In Zechariah:

I will take away his bloods out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth (Zechariah 9:7).

This is said of Tyre and Sidon, which signify the knowledges of truth and good, here these falsified; "bloods out of the mouth" signify the falsifications of the knowledges of truths; and "the abominations from between the teeth" signify the adulterations of the knowledges of good; the knowledges of good are also truths, for to know goods is from the understanding, and the understanding is of truth.

[14] In David:

The waters had overwhelmed us, the presumptuous waters had passed over our soul. Blessed be Jehovah, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth (Psalms 124:4-6).

The "waters that had overwhelmed" signify falsities that flow in, and as it were overwhelm man when he is in temptations; therefore it is said, "Blessed be Jehovah, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth," that is, to the hells that destroy truths by falsities, thus to destructive falsities.

[15] In Job:

I brake the jaw teeth of the wicked, and plucked the prey out of his teeth (Job 29:17).

This Job says of himself. "I brake the jaw teeth of the wicked" signifies that he fought against falsities and conquered them, "jaw teeth" signifying knowledges [scientifica] from the sense of the letter of the Word, adapted to confirm the falsities by which truths are destroyed; and "I plucked the prey out of his teeth" signifies that he delivered others from falsities by instructing them.

[16] Because the "teeth" signify falsities in things most external, "gnashing of teeth" signifies to fight with vehemence and anger from falsities against truths, in the following passages. In Job:

He teareth me in his wrath, and hateth me; mine enemy gnasheth upon me with his teeth, he sharpeneth his eyes against me (Job 16:9).

In David:

The halt whom I know not gather themselves together against me, they rend, nor are they silent. They gnash upon me with their teeth (Psalms 35:15, 16).

In the same:

The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth (Psalms 37:12).

In the same:

The wicked shall see and be provoked; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt ³ away (Psalms 112:10).

In Micah:

Against the prophets that lead the people astray, that bite with their teeth (Micah 3:5).

In Lamentations:

All thine enemies opened their mouth against thee, O daughter of Jerusalem, they hissed and gnashed the teeth (Lamentations 2:16).

In Mark:

One said to Jesus, I have brought unto thee my son, who hath an evil ⁴ spirit; and wheresoever it taketh him it teareth him; and he foameth and grindeth his teeth, and pineth away; and I spake to Thy disciples that they should cast it out, but they were not able. And Jesus said unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee come out of him, and enter no more into him (Mark 9:17, 18, 25).

One who is ignorant of the spiritual sense of the Word might suppose that they are said "to gnash the teeth" merely because they were angry and intent on evil, since men then press the teeth together; but they are said "to gnash the teeth" because the endeavor to destroy and the act of destroying truths by means of falsities are meant by it; this is said in the Word because "teeth" signify falsities in things most external, and "gnashing" signifies vehemence in fighting for them; this effort and act are also from correspondence.

[17] Moreover, such was the deaf and dumb spirit that the Lord cast out; for all spirits are from the human race; this spirit was from that kind of men who had vehemently fought for falsities against truths; consequently the one obsessed by him "foamed and gnashed his teeth." He is called by the Lord "deaf and dumb" because he was unwilling to perceive and understand the truth, for such are signified by "the deaf and the dumb." And because this spirit was determined and obstinate against truths, and had confirmed himself in falsities, the disciples were not able to cast him out, for the falsities for which he had fought they were not yet able to dispel because they had not yet reached the proper state, and it was for this also that the disciples were rebuked by the Lord. That this spirit was such, and the one obsessed by him was not such, is signified by "the spirit tearing him," and the obsessed "pining away;" and the Lord's commanding the spirit "to enter no more into him."

[18] All this makes clear what is signified by:

Gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28).

"Gnashing of teeth" in the hells means continual disputation and combat of falsities with each other and against truths, and thus of those who are in falsities, joined with contempt of others, enmity, jeering, derision, blaspheming, and these also burst forth into attempts to tear each other in pieces, for everyone fights for his own falsity from love of self, of learning, and of fame. These disputations and contests are heard outside of these hells as gnashings of teeth, and are also turned into gnashings of teeth when truths flow in thither out of heaven. (But more on this subject may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 575.)

[19] Because with the evil the teeth correspond to the falsities they have in the ultimates of their intellectual life, which are called corporeal-sensual, therefore the spirits who are such appear deformed in the face, the greater part of which is made up of the teeth standing widely apart like gratings, and in a broad grin, and this because such gaping of teeth corresponds to the love and eagerness for fighting for falsities against truths.

[20] Because the teeth correspond to the ultimates of man's intellectual life, which are called sensual, and these when separated from the truths of the interior understanding, which are called spiritual, are in the falsities of evil, but the same when not separated correspond to the truths of good in the sensual, so "teeth" in the Word signify also ultimate truths (as in Job 19:19, 20; Amos 4:6, which may be seen explained above).

[21] And because the Lord glorified His entire Human, that is, made it Divine, therefore it is said of Him in Moses:

His eyes shall be red with wine, and His teeth white with milk (Genesis 49:12).

"Eyes red with wine" signifies that His intellectual was Divine truth from Divine good; and "teeth white with milk" signifies that His sensual was likewise Divine truth from Divine good; for "Shiloh" here (verse Genesis 49:10) means the Lord.

[22] Because "teeth" correspond to the ultimates of the intellectual life, which are called sensual, good spirits and angels have teeth the same as men, but with them the teeth correspond to truths in the ultimate sensual, for with them the sensual is not separated from the truths of the interior understanding which are called spiritual.

Fusnotat:

403. As a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when shaken by a great wind, signifies which knowledges the natural man has laid waste by its reasonings. This is evident from the signification of "fig-tree," as being the natural man (of which presently); from the signification of "her unripe figs" as being the things that are in the natural man, which especially are the knowledges implanted in the natural man from infancy, and that are not yet mature, having been merely heard and thence accepted; also from the signification of "shaken by a great wind," as being, which the natural man has laid waste by reasonings. "To be shaken by a great wind" here signifies the reasonings from the falsities of evil, for "great" in the Word is predicated of good and of evil, "wind" of truth and of falsity, and "to be shaken thereby," of reasoning therefrom. Such is the signification of these words, although they are used comparatively, because in the Word all comparisons, like the rest, are significative, for they are equally correspondences. With respect to these things, the case is this: every man is born natural from his parents, but becomes spiritual from the Lord, which is called to be born anew or to be regenerated; and because he is born natural, therefore the knowledges that he imbibes from infancy, before he becomes spiritual, are implanted in his natural memory; but as he advances in years and begins to consider rationally the knowledges of good and truth that he has imbibed from the Word or from preaching, if he is then leading an evil life he eagerly adopts and is imbued with the falsities that are opposite and contrary to these knowledges, and then, because he is endowed with ability to reason, he reasons from falsities against the knowledges of his infancy and childhood, in consequence of which these are cast out, and falsities take their place; this, therefore, is what is signified by "the stars shall fall to the earth as a fig-tree casteth her unripe figs when shaken by a great wind."

[2] That "the fig-tree" signifies the natural man is from correspondence; for in heaven gardens and paradises are seen, where there are trees of every kind, and each tree signifies something of the Divine that is communicated to angels by the Lord. In general, "the olive" signifies the celestial, which is of the good of love; "the vine" the spiritual, which is of truth from that good; and "the fig-tree," the natural, which is derived from the spiritual or the celestial. And as these trees have this signification they also signify the angel or man in whom such things exist. But in a general sense they signify a whole society, because every society in the heavens is so formed as to present the image of a single man. In the spiritual sense, however, these trees signify the church, "the olive" the celestial church, "the vine" the spiritual church, and "the fig-tree" the natural church, which is the external church corresponding to the internal. From this it can be seen why "the fig-tree" is said to signify the natural man, that is, the natural with man.

[3] That "the fig tree" signifies this, and, in general, the external church is evident also from other passages in the Word, where it is mentioned, as from the following. In Isaiah:

All the host of the heavens shall waste away, and the heavens shall be rolled up as a book; and all their ¹ host shall fall down as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig-tree (Isaiah 34:4).

This is said of the day of the Last Judgment, which was to come, and which also did come; for the Last Judgment foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament was accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world; and as the things then done were like those done in the Last Judgment that is foretold in Revelation, and has at this day been accomplished by the Lord, so nearly the same things are said; as in the prophet Isaiah, that "all the host of the heavens shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig-tree," likewise that "the heavens shall be rolled up as a scroll;" and in Revelation, that "the stars shall fall unto the earth, as a fig-tree casteth her unripe figs," and that "the heaven shall depart as a book rolled up." "All the host of the heavens shall waste away" signifies that all goods and truths that are of love and faith are corrupted, "the host of the heavens" meaning all goods and truths that are of love and faith; for the sun, moon, and stars, by which these are signified, are called "the host of the heavens." "The heavens shall be rolled up as a book" signifies their dispersion; "all the host shall fall down as the leaf from the vine, and as that which falleth from the fig tree" signifies a laying waste from the falsities of evil.

[4] In Jeremiah:

In consuming I will consume them; there shall be no grapes on the vine nor figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall wither (Jeremiah 8:13).

"No grapes on the vine" signifies that there is no spiritual good, for "the vine" signifies the spiritual man, and "the grape," as being its fruit, signifies the good of that man, which is called spiritual good; "nor figs on the fig-tree" signifies that there is no natural good, for "the fig-tree" signifies the natural man, and "the fruit of the fig tree" signifies the good of that man which is called natural good. Evidently "the vine" does not mean a vine, nor "the fig-tree" a fig-tree, for it is said, "In consuming I will consume them, there shall be no grapes on the vine nor figs on the fig-tree," for they would not be consumed on that account. Moreover, the vastation of the church is what is treated of, as is clearly evident from what there precedes and follows.

[5] In Hosea:

I will make all her joy to cease, her feast, her new moon, her sabbath. And I will lay waste her vine and her fig-tree, whereof she hath said, These are my meretricious hire; and I will make them a forest, and the wild beast of the field shall eat them (Hosea 2:11-12).

This treats of the churches and of the falsification of truth therein. That the church is treated of is evident from the second verse of this chapter, where it is said, "Plead with your mother; for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband," "mother" and "wife" meaning the church. Moreover, the holy things of the church, from which worship is performed, and the worship itself, are signified by "the feast, the new moon, and the sabbath," which shall cease; therefore "I will lay waste her vine and her fig-tree" signifies that both spiritual good and natural good are to perish. That "they will be made a forest, and the wild beast of the field shall eat them" signifies that both will be merely natural, and that the spiritual will be consumed by falsities and lusts; "forest" signifying the merely natural, and "wild beast of the field" falsities and lusts. And as falsities in the church are especially falsified truths, and these are treated of in this chapter, it is said, "whereof she hath said, These are my meretricious hire," "meretricious hire" signifying falsification.

[6] In Joel:

A nation shall come up upon My land, vigorous and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it hath the cheek-teeth of an immense ² lion. It hath made My vine a waste. and My fig-tree foam; [in stripping it hath stripped it, and cast it away;] the branches thereof are made white. The vine is dried up and the fig-tree languisheth; the pomegranate-tree, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, all the trees of the field are dried up (Joel 1:6-7, 12).

This whole chapter treats of the devastated church; and "the nation that comes up upon the land, vigorous and without number, having the teeth of a lion, and the cheek-teeth of an immense lion," does not signify any such nation, but direful evil and falsity therefrom; "the land upon which it comes up" signifies the church; "the teeth of a lion" signify the falsities of such evil; and because these destroy all the goods and truths of the church, they are called "the teeth of the lion and the great cheek-teeth of a lion," "lion" signifying [falsity] which destroys. Therefore "it hath made My vine a waste, and My fig-tree foam," signifies that the church internal and external is thereby vastated, "vine" signifying the internal church, and "fig-tree" the external, "foam" signifying where there is inwardly no truth; "in stripping it hath stripped it, and cast it away" signifies that there is no longer any good or truth that is not destroyed, "to strip," that is, of fruits and leaves, means of goods and truths, and "to cast away" means to destroy entirely; "the branches thereof are made white" signifies that there is no longer anything spiritual; "the pomegranate, the palm, and the apple, and all the trees of the field, that are dried up" signify the kinds of goods and truths of the church, and its knowledges, which are consummated by evils and falsities, "the trees of the field" signifying in general the knowledges of good and truth.

[7] In the same:

Fear not, ye beasts of My fields; for the habitations of the wilderness are full of herbs, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig-tree and the vine shall yield their strength (Joel 2:22).

This treats of the establishment of the church, therefore "the beasts of the field" do not mean beasts of the field, but the affections of good in the natural man, consequently those in whom are such affections. Who does not see that it cannot be beasts to whom it is said, "Fear not, ye beasts of my fields?" "The habitations of the desert are made full of herbs" signifies that with such there will be knowledges of truth where there were none before, "the habitations of the wilderness" meaning the interiors of the mind of those in whom these did not exist before, "full of herbs" signifying the increase and multiplication of these; "for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine shall yield their strength" signifies that they have natural good and spiritual good, "strength" here meaning the production of fruit.

[8] In Amos:

Your many gardens and your vineyards, and your fig-trees and your olive-trees, the palmer-worm hath devoured; yet have ye not returned unto me (Amos 4:9).

"Gardens" signify all things of the church that constitute intelligence and wisdom; "vineyards" spiritual goods and truths; "fig-trees" natural goods and truths; "olive-trees" celestial goods and truths; "the palmer worm" means the falsity that destroys; "the fig-tree," "the vine," and "the olive" properly signify the church and the man of the church; but as the church is a church and man is a man from goods and truths, so these also are signified by those trees, goods by their fruits, and truths by their branches and leaves.

[9] In Haggai:

Set your heart from this day and onwards. Is not the seed yet in the barn, even to the vine and fig-tree, and the pomegranate and the olive-tree? (Haggai 2:18-19).

These words in the spiritual sense mean that there are goods and truths yet remaining; all goods and truths from first to last are meant by "the vine, the fig-tree, the pomegranate, and the olive-tree," "the vine" meaning spiritual good and truth; "the fig-tree" natural good and truth; "the pomegranate" in general that which belongs to knowing and perceiving, and in particular, the knowledges and perceptions of good and truth; and "the olive-tree" the perception of celestial good and truth; "the barn" signifies where all these are, either the church or the man in whom the church is, or the mind of the man which is the subject.

[10] In Habakkuk:

The fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall there be produce on the vines; the labor of the olive shall dissemble, and the fields shall yield no food (Habakkuk 3:17).

"The fig-tree shall not blossom" signifies that there shall be no natural good; "neither shall there be produce on the vines" signifies that there shall be no spiritual good; "the labor of the olive shall dissemble" signifies that there shall be no celestial good; "the fields shall yield no food" signifies that there shall be no spiritual nourishment.

[11] In Moses:

Jehovah God bringeth thee to a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths going forth in valley and mountain; a land of wheat and barley, and of vine and fig-tree and pomegranate; a land of oil-olive and honey (Deuteronomy 8:7-8).

"The good land" to which they shall be led means the land of Canaan, which signifies the church; here, therefore, "vine," "fig-tree," "pomegranate," and "olive," have a like signification as above. (The remainder may be seen explained before, n. 374)

Because "the land of Canaan" signifies the church, and "the vine," "the fig-tree," and "the pomegranate," signify the internal and external things of the church, so it came to pass that the explorers of that land brought away such things from it, respecting which it is thus written in Moses:

The explorers of the land of Canaan came to the brook Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, which they bare upon a pole between two; and also of the pomegranates and of the figs (Numbers 13:23).

[12] Because "the vine" and "the fig-tree" signify such things, it is said in the Word of those who are in the goods and truths of the church, and thus in safety from evils and falsities, that "they shall sit securely under their own vine and under their own fig-tree, and none shall make afraid." Thus in the first book of Kings:

Judah and Israel dwelt in security, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon (1 Kings 4:25).

In Zechariah:

I will remove the iniquity of this land in one day. In that day ye shall cry every man to his companion, to the vine and to the fig-tree (Zechariah 3:9-10).

And in Micah:

In the end of the days it shall be that the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established as the head of the mountains; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; and none shall make afraid (Micah 4:1, 4:3-4).

These things are said respecting the Lord's kingdom, which is with those in the heavens and on the earth who are in love to Him. The Lord's kingdom is signified by "the mountain of Jehovah, which is established as the head of the mountains," for "the mountain of Jehovah" signifies the Lord's kingdom constituted of those who are in love to Him; and as these dwell above the others in the heavens, it is said that this mountain "shall be established as the head of the mountains" (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 188). And as such have truths inscribed on their hearts, and therefore do not dispute about them, it is said that "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more," which signifies that in that kingdom there shall be no disputation about truths (See in the same work, n 25-26, 270, 271). That through the truths and goods in which they are, they shall be safe from evils and falsities is signified by "they shall sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and none shall make afraid."

[13] In Jeremiah:

Lo, I will bring upon you a nation from afar, which shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread; and it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters; it shall eat up thy flock and thy herd; it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig tree (Jeremiah 5:15, 17).

"A nation from afar" signifies the evil opposed to celestial good, "from afar" signifying apart and remote from, also opposed to, goods and truths; "which shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread" signifies that it will destroy all truths and goods by which there is spiritual nourishment; "which shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters" signifies all the spiritual affections of truth and good; "which shall eat up thy flock and thy herd" signifies truths and goods internal and external; "which shall eat up thy vine and thy fig tree" signifies thus the internal and the external of the church.

[14] In Hosea:

I found ³ Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig-tree in its first season (Hosea 9:10).

"Israel" and "the fathers" do not mean here the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, but those who were of the Ancient Church, because they were in good (See Arcana Coelestia 6050, 6075, 6846, 6876, 6884, 7649, 8055); because these were in good, but at the beginning in ignorance of truth, through which, however, good comes, it is said, "I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as a fig-tree in its first season," "grapes" signifying spiritual good, "wilderness" signifying ignorance of truth, and "the first-ripe in the fig-tree" signifying natural good from spiritual good in infancy.

[15] In Luke:

When these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads. And He spoke a parable: Behold the fig-tree and all the trees; when now they shall have shot forth ye see and shall know of your own selves that summer is now near. So ye also, when ye shall see these things coming to pass know that the kingdom of God is nigh (Luke 21:28-31; Matthew 24:32; Mark 13:28-29).

This treats of the consummation of the age, which is the Last Judgment, and the signs which precede are enumerated, which are meant by "when all these things begin to come to pass;" that a new church is then to begin, which in its beginning will be external, is signified by "Behold the fig-tree and all the trees, when they have shot forth." This parable or similitude was related because "the fig-tree" signifies the external church, and "trees" signify the knowledges of truth and good; "the kingdom of God," which then is near, signifies the new church of the Lord; for at the time of the Last Judgment the old church perishes and a new one begins.

[16] In Luke:

Every tree is known by its own fruit; for from thorns men do not gather figs, nor from a bramble bush gather they the grape (Luke 6:44; Matthew 7:16);

as "fruit" signifies the good of life, and the good of life is external good from internal, or natural good from spiritual, and as from this good man is known, so the Lord says, "Every tree is known by its own fruit; from thorns men do not gather figs, nor from a bramble-bush gather they the grape," "fig" here meaning the good of the external or natural man, and "the grape" the good of the internal or spiritual man; "thorns" and "bramble-bush" mean the evils opposed to these goods.

[17] Because the kings of Judah and Israel represented the Lord in relation to Divine truth, and Divine truth with man endures distress and labors as it were, when the life is not according to it and when it is not made the good of life, but when it is made the good of life it lives, so this was signified by the following:

By command of Jehovah they brought to Hezekiah king of Judah, when he was sick, a lump of figs, and placed it as a plaster upon his boil, and so he lived (2 Kings 20:7; Isaiah 38:21).

From this it can be seen that "the fig-tree" in the genuine sense, signifies the natural man in respect to good and truth, the fig itself as a tree the natural man, the fig as a fruit the good of the natural man, and its leaf the truth of that good.

[18] But that "the fig-tree" in the contrary sense signifies the natural man in respect to evil and falsity, the fig as a tree the natural man itself, the figs of it as fruit, the evil of that natural man, and its leaf the falsity of that evil, is evident from the following passages. In Jeremiah:

Jehovah showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of Jehovah, one basket of very good figs, as of fig-trees bearing the firstfruits; and the other basket of very bad figs, that could not be eaten for badness. Jehovah said, As the good figs, so will I recognize those carried away of Judah into the land of the Chaldeans for good; and I will set Mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them back upon this land; and I will build them, and I will plant them. And as the bad figs, so will I give them that are left in this land to commotion, and to evil to all nations; and I will send among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, that they may be consumed (Jeremiah 24:1-10);

"the captivity of the Jews in the land of the Chaldeans" means the like as the spiritual captivity or removal of the good from the evil in the spiritual world, according to what has been said above (n. 391, 392, 394, 397), namely that those who were inwardly evil, and yet were able to maintain a moral life externally like a spiritual life, remained upon the earth in the spiritual world, and made habitations for themselves there upon the higher places; while those who were inwardly good were removed from them, and concealed by the Lord in the lower earth; this was what was represented by the carrying away of the Jews into the land of the Chaldeans, and by the continuance of the rest of them in the land; therefore it is said concerning those who suffered themselves to be carried away into the land of the Chaldeans, "I recognize those carried away of Judah into the land of the Chaldeans for good; and I will set Mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them back upon this land; and I will build them, and I will plant them;" while of those that remained it is said "I will give them that are left in this land to commotion, and to evil to all nations; and I will send among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, that they may be consumed." That this is what was represented is evident also from this, that the temple of Solomon was destroyed before they were carried away, and a new one was built when they returned; "temple" signifying Divine worship, and "a new temple" worship restored.

[19] From this it can be seen what is signified by "the two baskets of figs set before the temple of Jehovah, in one of which were very good figs, as of fig-trees bearing the firstfruits, and in the other very bad figs, that could not be eaten for badness," namely, that those who are inwardly good, of whom a new heaven is to be formed, are meant by "the basket of good figs;" and those who are inwardly evil, who are to be cast down into hell, are meant by "the basket of bad figs;" wherefore it is said of the latter that "they could not be eaten for badness," signifying that such are inwardly evil, while of the former it is said that they were "as fig-trees bearing the firstfruits," signifying that such are inwardly good, so that a new heaven may be formed out of them; for "the fig," as a fruit, signifies the good of life both in its internal and its external form, and in the contrary sense it signifies the good of life merely in its external form, which is the evil of life, because inwardly it is evil, every external deriving all its quality from its internal, as it is an effect of it. With such, evil appears in externals as good, because they feign good for the sake of the evil that is within, in order to obtain some end, to which the seeming good serves as a means. The like is said of those who remained in the land of Canaan elsewhere in the same prophet:

Thus said Jehovah concerning the king, and all the people that dwell in this city that are not gone forth with you into captivity: Behold, I will send against them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten for badness (Jeremiah 29:16-17).

[20] That "the fig," as a tree, in the contrary sense signifies a merely natural man, and a church constituted of such, or those with whom there is no natural good because there is no good within is evident in Luke:

Jesus spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard; he therefore came seeking fruit thereon, but found none. He said unto the vine dresser, Behold, three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, but find none; cut it down, why also doth it make the land unfruitful? But he answering said, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it, if indeed it will bear fruit; but if not, after that thou shalt cut it down (Luke 13:6-9).

"The vineyard in which was the fig-tree" signifies the church, which contains also such as are in externals; for in the Lord's church there is both an internal and an external; the internal of the church is charity and the faith therefrom, while the external of the church is the good of life. The works of charity and faith, which are the good of life, belong to the natural man, while charity itself and faith therefrom belong to the spiritual man, therefore "a vineyard" signifies the internal of the church, and "a fig-tree" its external. With the Jewish nation there was only the external of the church, since it was in external representative worship; therefore "a fig tree" means the church with that nation; but because they were in external worship and in no internal, being inwardly evil, and external worship without internal is no worship, and with the evil is evil worship, therefore with them there was nothing of natural good. It is therefore said that "for three years he found no fruit on the fig-tree, and that he told the vine dresser to cut it down," which signifies that from beginning to end there was no natural good with that nation, "three years" signifying a whole period, or the time from beginning to end, and "the fruit of the fig tree" signifying natural good; by natural good is meant spiritual-natural good, or good in the natural from the spiritual. And because a church composed of such as are not in natural good, as was the Jewish nation, is not a church, it is also said "why also doth it make the land unfruitful?" "land" meaning the church; "the vine dresser saying that it should still be left, and he would dig about it" signifies that they would remain, and that they would hereafter be instructed by the Christians, in the midst of whom they would be; but no answer being made to this means that the fig tree would still produce no fruit, that is, that no good proceeding from anything spiritual would be done by the Jewish nation.

[21] This is the signification of "the fig-tree that withered away" when the Lord found no fruit on it, in Matthew:

In the morning Jesus returning into the city, hungered. And seeing a fig-tree by the way, He came to it, but found nothing thereon but leaves, therefore He said unto it, Let nothing grow on thee henceforward forever; therefore from that time the fig-tree withered away (Matthew 21:18, 19; Mark 11:12-14).

Here, too, "the fig-tree" means the church with the Jewish nation. That with that nation there was no natural good, but only truth falsified, which in itself is falsity, is signified by "the Lord came to the fig-tree, but found nothing thereon but leaves," "the fruit" which He did not find signifying natural good such as was described above, and "the leaf" signifying truth falsified, which in itself is falsity, for in the Word "leaf" signifies truth, but the leaf of a tree that is without fruit signifies falsity, and with that nation truth falsified, because they had the Word in which truths are, but which they falsified by application to themselves, which was the source of their traditions. That no natural good from a spiritual origin, which is called spiritual-natural good, would be done by that nation is signified by the words that the Lord spoke respecting it, "Let nothing grow on thee henceforward forever; therefore from that time it withered away;" "to wither away" signifying that there was no longer any good or any truth. The Lord saw the fig-tree and said this when He was returning into the city, and hungered, because "the city of Jerusalem" signifies the church, and "hungering," in reference to the Lord, signifies to desire good in the church (as may be seen above, n. 386. One who does not know the signification of "fig-tree," and that this fig-tree meant the church with that nation, thinks no otherwise than the Lord did this from indignation because He was hungry; but it was not done for that reason, but that it might be signified that such was the quality of the Jewish nation; for all the Lord's miracles involve and signify such things as belong to heaven and the church, whence those miracles were Divine (See Arcana Coelestia 7337, 8364, 9051 at the end).

[22] A perverted church, or the man of the church perverted in respect to his natural or external man is also signified by the fig-tree in David:

He gave them hail for their rain, a fire of flames in their land; and He smote their vine and their fig-tree; He brake the tree of their border (Psalms 105:32-33).

This was said of Egypt, which signifies the natural man that is in falsities and evils; and "vine," "fig tree," and "the tree of the border" signify all things of the church, "vine" the internal or spiritual things thereof, "fig-tree" the external or natural things thereof, and "the tree of the border" everything pertaining to knowing and perceiving, "the border" signifying the ultimate in which the interior things close, and in which they are together, and "trees" signifying knowledges and perceptions. Because all these things were perverted and therefore damned, it is said that they were "smitten and broken," which signifies destruction and damnation; that this was done by the falsities of evil which are from the love of the world is signified by "hail for their rain, a fire of flames in their land," "rain as hail" signifying the falsities of evil, and "the fire of flames" the love of the world.

[23] In Nahum:

All thy fortresses shall be like fig-trees with the first-ripe figs, if they be shaken they fall upon the mouth of the eater (Nahum 3:12).

This is said of "the city of bloods," which signifies doctrine in which truths are falsified and goods adulterated. This is compared to "fig-trees with the first-ripe figs, if they be shaken they fall upon the mouth of the eater," and this signifies that the goods therein are not goods, however much they may appear to be goods; and that such are not received, or if received are received only in the memory and not in the heart. That "if they be shaken they fall" signifies that they are not goods although they appear to be goods, because they are "the first-ripe figs;" and their falling "upon the mouth of the eater" signifies that they are not received even in the memory. That "the mouth of the eater" signifies non-reception is evident from appearances in the spiritual world; for those who commit anything to memory appear to receive it with the mouth; so "to fall upon the mouth" signifies not to receive even in the memory but only to hear, and also if they do receive, that it is only in the memory and not in the heart. "Fig-trees with their first-ripe figs" may also mean genuine goods, of which the like is true as of those who are in the falsities of evil.

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