A Sermon on the Law "To Do Unto Others What You Would Them Do Unto You"
By Rev. Paul Booth
Lessons: Exodus 21: 23-25 Matthew 5: 39-42 Apocalypse Explained 556: 9
By Rev. Paul Booth
Lessons: Exodus 21: 23-25 Matthew 5: 39-42 Apocalypse Explained 556: 9
The affection of charity consists in loving one's enemies, and in doing good to the evil; but enemies are loved, and good done to them, when they are instructed, and also when they are corrected through suitable measures.
(Arcana Coelestia 9174:3e)
(Arcana Coelestia 9174:3e)
There is a law of Divine Order that all Christians are familiar with. It is: "Do not to another save only what you would others do unto you" (Matthew 7: 12). This is a law which is even a law in the spiritual world. Now, all the Churches on earth from the time man fell until the Lord came and established His New Church were representative Churches; they were not true Churches and, as such, were external and merely natural. They could not see that the literal or external sense of the Word has within it a spiritual or internal sense. Because of this, in the Old Testament there are laws such as, "thou shalt give soul for soul, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, etc." (Exod. 21-24). This is called the law of retaliation. Now, it is said that the law is spiritual, and it appears that the Lord, while on earth, changed or done away with this law - 'eye for eye' - and as a result, today, many Christians will say that man is not to fight against an evil person and often quote the Word saying, "whosever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also," or "if any man sue thee at the law, and take away your coat, let him have also your cloak" and other things (Matthew 5: 39-40). This has often been seen depicted in movies as one who lives according to a strict literal understanding of the Word and as not protecting himself.
Now let us turn our attention to what this law 'of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you' means in the spiritual sense, it being a spiritual law as well. The Israelitish Church was directed to live according to the law an 'eye for an eye, tooth for tooth' and we said the first Christian Church was taught to not resist evil. The Word says that it is a law "where he who does good to another from the heart, receives the like good; hence he who does evil to another from the heart, receives the like evil" (AC 9049:1). What is here meant is that good has its own reward and evil has its own punishment.
We can see then in the spiritual sense that these laws are written on one's heart and not learned from books and stored only in the memory as they are so often done on earth. These laws have been impressed upon the hearts of men while on earth and are carried with them into the spiritual world - either into Heaven or hell - depending upon whether they lived according to them or not. Thus, with those who do good from the heart there flows from Heaven good into their hearts and souls. Therefore, those in Heaven, the good of love from the Lord reigns universally, and good continually flows according to the degree in which the good is expressed. The contrary is also true of those in hell. The spiritual sense on this law - 'do unto another as you would have them do unto you' - is meant good does good to the good; evil does evil to the evil, thus as was said, good is its own reward and evil is its own punishment.
Yet, from a purely literal understanding of the Lord's words in Matthew 5: 38-42 it would seem that we are asked not to resist evil, thus letting those who are in evil harm us, even to the point of not fleeing away to prevent further harm. Thus, the laws of retaliation that the Israelites were taught as were recorded in the book of Leviticus seem done away with by the Lord. Why did the Lord not make it clear in the Word of the New Testament what He meant and reveal to us the spiritual sense or the genuine truth? The reason given to us is that worldly men would profane the internal things of the Word and would thus cast themselves into the most dreadful hell. At that time the Lord was only preparing man for His New Church that He would come and establish upon His return. Now, today, it is established from His coming again into the world in the Word of His Divine Human. What are those internal things that are now revealed that were hidden to the Israelites and the first Christians? They are the true things of faith and charity and, so, they are truths and goods that a worldly person would have profaned before the Lord came in the spiritual world, judged them and they were subjugated in hell. This is why the Lord said to His disciple, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; but to the rest is parable; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear" (Luke 8:10).
Then, it is that the Lord speaks to us, who are in His New Church and to the angels, here, in these words and all throughout the Word in the internal or the spiritual sense. Is a man bound by some Christian law to be struck a second time? Who will give a man his cloak just because his coat was taken from him by the law? The fact is, we are told to shun evil, that is, to resist evil in the Ten Commandments, yet here the Lord says to 'resist not evil'. However, those in the Lord's New Church come to have spiritual faith and, as such, they are to have a life of charity and, so, a life that comes from the Lord both immediately and mediate through the angels that are with the man. The Divine laws of Heaven are also the laws of the True Church on earth - the Lord's New Church. In this way, the man of the Church understands that there is a correspondence between the internal and the external of the Word and through those correspondences there is conjunction again with the Lord.
In Heaven angels do not desire retaliation - evil for evil - but from charity they forgive. Why? It is because they know it is the Lord who defends them against evil. From this we can see that the Word was written for the angels as well as men on earth and not only for those in His Church who are spiritual, but for those who are external as well. In fact, the Word in Matthew 5: 38-42 is not to be understood according to the sense of the letter of the Word by the New Church person or by a true Christian. This should be evident to everyone. These words in their literal sense, like many other words in the Scriptures, are found to be contradicted in other places in the Word. However, once a person begins to love the Lord from a love for the truth, because the Lord is the Truth, he begins to see that within the letter of the Word there is an internal or spiritual sense, and even a celestial sense, and the Word to him then becomes no longer a mystery.
This also explains why this same law that was written in the Old Testament to the Israelites and Jews was called the law of retaliation. And, that it is that they were external men of the Church and that Church only represented the things of the celestial Church. They were not in any charity or patience and not in any spiritual good. However, the Christian Church's law is the Heavenly law of "all things whatsoever you would that men should do unto you, do even to them; this is the law and the prophets." This law is in Heaven as it is, also, in the true Church here on earth. And, as we have said, every evil has with itself a corresponding punishment; in evil its punishment is conjoined with it, as in good its reward is within it and is conjoined with it.
Now most Christians today learn that the Lord fights all evils coming from hell and overcomes them, becoming victorious. Of course, a Christian must truly believe the Lord and His Word; his faith must be in the Lord and, in such faith charity is one with it; thus his faith comes from charity, being the act of faith, therefore in such a person there is now forgiveness, just as the Lord forgives all men their transgressions against Him, so he is to forgive the trespasses made against him. Therefore, it is that a person, who is in good, the Lord defends him against evil according to the good which the person possess from Him. A Christian, as a natural angel on earth, does not defend against evil, for evil causes one to be fired by enmity, hatred, and revenge - all of which turns aside the Lord's protection.
For a person, who does not understand the Word's spiritual sense, even not knowing that such a sense exist, the law 'an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth' make perfectly good sense in that it is the only way that those in evil in a society can be kept in order. 'You do harm, and then harm is done to you.' It is a deterrent to crime and, societies today still use this law. Now, in the spiritual world, the Lord protects and keeps evil in subjugation in hell from harming angels and good spirits and protects those coming from this world to the spiritual. So, what do these words 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' mean to the Christian today since the Lord has come again? Well, if it is in the understanding of truth and the sense of truth that is taken away from a person by evil, then it is taken from him in the same measure as he does evil to another. The 'eye' signifies the understanding of truth and the 'tooth' signifies the sense of truth. A 'tooth' denotes truth and falsity in the sensual man. This comes to the light of one's reason when he sees that a man can be in both truths and falsities, even mixing them together, thinking that what is false is true and what is true is false.
Let us now see if we can understand what the Lord meant by the words that we are to 'resist not evil'; the words that should lead us to love the Lord. In Apocalypse Explained 556:9, we read, "That he who is in Christian good, will permit an evil person to take those things away as far as he can, is described in the reply which the Lord gives upon the same subject". Then in the explanation and further revealed and understood as not to resist evil: "that it is not to be resisted with violence, (that is there is) no retaliation." The angels do not fight with evil nor return evil for evil. Instead, the Lord defends them, thus evil cannot possibly harm them. Here, the Word is seen in its spiritual sense and it is speaking about the evil which attacks one's spirit and it does this with falsities. How, you may question, is this done? Easily, for we showed that evil in the spiritual world has its own punishment. In other words, those who are doing evil cause their own punishment, for the evil of other spirits love punishing - harming - others, even others who are evil like themselves.
Now again, how does one resist evil without violence, that is, without revenge or 'getting even' such as punishment? Isn't it by the exercise of charity? Shouldn't we try to correct the person who does evil against us? Yes, for we are to "permit an evil person to take away false understanding" or falsities. In that respect we are taught that one who is in Christian good will permit an evil spirit to take away the understanding of truth as far as he can. And, isn't this done through the Lord who combats against the evils of hell in our stead? The result being that upon our entry into the spiritual world all the evil that tried to attack us in the natural world now has no more power in that we are conjoined to the Lord. This is true of a person who, as to his spirit, while he is on earth in the Church. Thus, there is conjunction of the Lord's life within him giving him true life.
It can be seen that the only Word spoken here by the Lord is especially for angels who perceive the Word only in its spiritual sense. Still, the Word is meant for men in the world, who are in good, for evil still tries to seduce mankind. Thus, the Lord spoke to the angel's spiritual understanding and to man's natural understanding at the same time through the Word through the means of correspondences, that is, the internal of the Word corresponds with the external of the Word. From this, then, to give a smite or slap to the 'jaw' or the 'cheek' is meant to destroy truths, in that we have learned in Arcana Coelestia 9049"6 that jaw signifies the affection of truth and the 'right jaw' the affection of truth from good. Therefore, in the opposite sense, in which this command is to be understood, it signifies the destruction of falsity. It is the same with a coat and a cloak which has been taken away. For all these things in the internal or spiritual sense have similar significations and are to be seen internally or spiritually in their opposite sense. A coat signifies interior truths. A robe or cloak signifies exterior truths. So, the meaning of these words 'we are not to resist evil' is: We must allow the Lord to remove natural falsities within us. "Whosoever shall compel you to go one mile, go with him two", means we should not resist forcibly whoever wishes to lead away from truth to falsity and from good to evil, since he cannot do it (when we don't want to). We are to be led to the truth, which is to go another mile, as 'mile' signifies a 'way' that leads to truth.
Amen.
Now let us turn our attention to what this law 'of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you' means in the spiritual sense, it being a spiritual law as well. The Israelitish Church was directed to live according to the law an 'eye for an eye, tooth for tooth' and we said the first Christian Church was taught to not resist evil. The Word says that it is a law "where he who does good to another from the heart, receives the like good; hence he who does evil to another from the heart, receives the like evil" (AC 9049:1). What is here meant is that good has its own reward and evil has its own punishment.
We can see then in the spiritual sense that these laws are written on one's heart and not learned from books and stored only in the memory as they are so often done on earth. These laws have been impressed upon the hearts of men while on earth and are carried with them into the spiritual world - either into Heaven or hell - depending upon whether they lived according to them or not. Thus, with those who do good from the heart there flows from Heaven good into their hearts and souls. Therefore, those in Heaven, the good of love from the Lord reigns universally, and good continually flows according to the degree in which the good is expressed. The contrary is also true of those in hell. The spiritual sense on this law - 'do unto another as you would have them do unto you' - is meant good does good to the good; evil does evil to the evil, thus as was said, good is its own reward and evil is its own punishment.
Yet, from a purely literal understanding of the Lord's words in Matthew 5: 38-42 it would seem that we are asked not to resist evil, thus letting those who are in evil harm us, even to the point of not fleeing away to prevent further harm. Thus, the laws of retaliation that the Israelites were taught as were recorded in the book of Leviticus seem done away with by the Lord. Why did the Lord not make it clear in the Word of the New Testament what He meant and reveal to us the spiritual sense or the genuine truth? The reason given to us is that worldly men would profane the internal things of the Word and would thus cast themselves into the most dreadful hell. At that time the Lord was only preparing man for His New Church that He would come and establish upon His return. Now, today, it is established from His coming again into the world in the Word of His Divine Human. What are those internal things that are now revealed that were hidden to the Israelites and the first Christians? They are the true things of faith and charity and, so, they are truths and goods that a worldly person would have profaned before the Lord came in the spiritual world, judged them and they were subjugated in hell. This is why the Lord said to His disciple, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; but to the rest is parable; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear" (Luke 8:10).
Then, it is that the Lord speaks to us, who are in His New Church and to the angels, here, in these words and all throughout the Word in the internal or the spiritual sense. Is a man bound by some Christian law to be struck a second time? Who will give a man his cloak just because his coat was taken from him by the law? The fact is, we are told to shun evil, that is, to resist evil in the Ten Commandments, yet here the Lord says to 'resist not evil'. However, those in the Lord's New Church come to have spiritual faith and, as such, they are to have a life of charity and, so, a life that comes from the Lord both immediately and mediate through the angels that are with the man. The Divine laws of Heaven are also the laws of the True Church on earth - the Lord's New Church. In this way, the man of the Church understands that there is a correspondence between the internal and the external of the Word and through those correspondences there is conjunction again with the Lord.
In Heaven angels do not desire retaliation - evil for evil - but from charity they forgive. Why? It is because they know it is the Lord who defends them against evil. From this we can see that the Word was written for the angels as well as men on earth and not only for those in His Church who are spiritual, but for those who are external as well. In fact, the Word in Matthew 5: 38-42 is not to be understood according to the sense of the letter of the Word by the New Church person or by a true Christian. This should be evident to everyone. These words in their literal sense, like many other words in the Scriptures, are found to be contradicted in other places in the Word. However, once a person begins to love the Lord from a love for the truth, because the Lord is the Truth, he begins to see that within the letter of the Word there is an internal or spiritual sense, and even a celestial sense, and the Word to him then becomes no longer a mystery.
This also explains why this same law that was written in the Old Testament to the Israelites and Jews was called the law of retaliation. And, that it is that they were external men of the Church and that Church only represented the things of the celestial Church. They were not in any charity or patience and not in any spiritual good. However, the Christian Church's law is the Heavenly law of "all things whatsoever you would that men should do unto you, do even to them; this is the law and the prophets." This law is in Heaven as it is, also, in the true Church here on earth. And, as we have said, every evil has with itself a corresponding punishment; in evil its punishment is conjoined with it, as in good its reward is within it and is conjoined with it.
Now most Christians today learn that the Lord fights all evils coming from hell and overcomes them, becoming victorious. Of course, a Christian must truly believe the Lord and His Word; his faith must be in the Lord and, in such faith charity is one with it; thus his faith comes from charity, being the act of faith, therefore in such a person there is now forgiveness, just as the Lord forgives all men their transgressions against Him, so he is to forgive the trespasses made against him. Therefore, it is that a person, who is in good, the Lord defends him against evil according to the good which the person possess from Him. A Christian, as a natural angel on earth, does not defend against evil, for evil causes one to be fired by enmity, hatred, and revenge - all of which turns aside the Lord's protection.
For a person, who does not understand the Word's spiritual sense, even not knowing that such a sense exist, the law 'an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth' make perfectly good sense in that it is the only way that those in evil in a society can be kept in order. 'You do harm, and then harm is done to you.' It is a deterrent to crime and, societies today still use this law. Now, in the spiritual world, the Lord protects and keeps evil in subjugation in hell from harming angels and good spirits and protects those coming from this world to the spiritual. So, what do these words 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' mean to the Christian today since the Lord has come again? Well, if it is in the understanding of truth and the sense of truth that is taken away from a person by evil, then it is taken from him in the same measure as he does evil to another. The 'eye' signifies the understanding of truth and the 'tooth' signifies the sense of truth. A 'tooth' denotes truth and falsity in the sensual man. This comes to the light of one's reason when he sees that a man can be in both truths and falsities, even mixing them together, thinking that what is false is true and what is true is false.
Let us now see if we can understand what the Lord meant by the words that we are to 'resist not evil'; the words that should lead us to love the Lord. In Apocalypse Explained 556:9, we read, "That he who is in Christian good, will permit an evil person to take those things away as far as he can, is described in the reply which the Lord gives upon the same subject". Then in the explanation and further revealed and understood as not to resist evil: "that it is not to be resisted with violence, (that is there is) no retaliation." The angels do not fight with evil nor return evil for evil. Instead, the Lord defends them, thus evil cannot possibly harm them. Here, the Word is seen in its spiritual sense and it is speaking about the evil which attacks one's spirit and it does this with falsities. How, you may question, is this done? Easily, for we showed that evil in the spiritual world has its own punishment. In other words, those who are doing evil cause their own punishment, for the evil of other spirits love punishing - harming - others, even others who are evil like themselves.
Now again, how does one resist evil without violence, that is, without revenge or 'getting even' such as punishment? Isn't it by the exercise of charity? Shouldn't we try to correct the person who does evil against us? Yes, for we are to "permit an evil person to take away false understanding" or falsities. In that respect we are taught that one who is in Christian good will permit an evil spirit to take away the understanding of truth as far as he can. And, isn't this done through the Lord who combats against the evils of hell in our stead? The result being that upon our entry into the spiritual world all the evil that tried to attack us in the natural world now has no more power in that we are conjoined to the Lord. This is true of a person who, as to his spirit, while he is on earth in the Church. Thus, there is conjunction of the Lord's life within him giving him true life.
It can be seen that the only Word spoken here by the Lord is especially for angels who perceive the Word only in its spiritual sense. Still, the Word is meant for men in the world, who are in good, for evil still tries to seduce mankind. Thus, the Lord spoke to the angel's spiritual understanding and to man's natural understanding at the same time through the Word through the means of correspondences, that is, the internal of the Word corresponds with the external of the Word. From this, then, to give a smite or slap to the 'jaw' or the 'cheek' is meant to destroy truths, in that we have learned in Arcana Coelestia 9049"6 that jaw signifies the affection of truth and the 'right jaw' the affection of truth from good. Therefore, in the opposite sense, in which this command is to be understood, it signifies the destruction of falsity. It is the same with a coat and a cloak which has been taken away. For all these things in the internal or spiritual sense have similar significations and are to be seen internally or spiritually in their opposite sense. A coat signifies interior truths. A robe or cloak signifies exterior truths. So, the meaning of these words 'we are not to resist evil' is: We must allow the Lord to remove natural falsities within us. "Whosoever shall compel you to go one mile, go with him two", means we should not resist forcibly whoever wishes to lead away from truth to falsity and from good to evil, since he cannot do it (when we don't want to). We are to be led to the truth, which is to go another mile, as 'mile' signifies a 'way' that leads to truth.
Amen.
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