Easter Sermon: Resurrection: The Divine and the Human United
By Rev. Paul Booth
Lessons: Arcana Coelestia 14, 1729§2 | Isaiah 33: 5-10 | John 17: 1-5, 9-11, 21-24
By Rev. Paul Booth
Lessons: Arcana Coelestia 14, 1729§2 | Isaiah 33: 5-10 | John 17: 1-5, 9-11, 21-24
Now, on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. - John 20:1
We know from the other Gospels that several other women came together with Mary Magdalene to the tomb with spices and were going to prepare the body of the Lord Jesus Christ according to custom. Now, there are deep spiritual truths hidden in these words as in all words in the Word of God. Thus, we see here Mary Magdalene listed, but in other Gospels, other women are mentioned. Why John chose only Mary Magdalene to list and not the other women indeed has significance. There are different meanings according to the spiritual idea brought forth in each instance. The whole reason for our celebration in this service is to bring to remembrance the Lord's resurrection and His glorification, His uniting His Human with the Divine, by which is meant the Father within Him, thus the Divine and the Human became one. However, when we look at Mary Magdalene we see a person that had been a sinner and who had become, now, reformed. The evil that was within Mary had been removed 'as it were'. The Word says seven demons had come out from her. Thus, we understand that Mary Magdalene, in the spiritual sense, signifies a repentant sinner who actively shows her love to the Lord.
We will not take time to discover what all the other words in this sentence signify, but suffice it this one more - tomb, that is, sepulcher. When you consider that the Lord's Word to us is life flowing to us and that when we open our heart and mind, our will and understanding, to not only hear and to know, but to follow and acknowledge, then the Word, indeed brings us life, even as the Lord has said that He is the Life and the Truth. Here, we are speaking of true life, which is spiritual. From a natural understanding we see that by the tomb is meant death, but if the Word or the Truth, which is the Lord, is eternal, then the spiritual understanding of a tomb is life and so it is meant Heaven, and so, there a continuation of life, thus a resurrection, and the man, in this case the Lord, rises again, man rises as to his spirit, but the Lord not only as to His spirit, but also as to His the body.
Let us examine Mary Magdalene's life before her reformation to see why the Word speaks of her. Were not the evils that were with her and that reigned in her now removed 'as it were' and she now was acting according to the life or to that truth that flows into her, into her will and understanding from the Lord?
Thus, it is that she was excited and, as Luke says, perplexed and afraid at what she and the other women found that morning at the tomb. The stone had been rolled away. The tomb was open. Now, nothing was in the way, nothing could hinder those who are, as Mary signifies in her new life of regeneration, having 'as it were' buried her sins through repentance and reformation. I think we know that by a stone is meant truth, but in this case, the stone that was removed means falsities that lead astray had been removed away. Where truths understood through the natural understanding had been perplexing and were only apparent truths, because they come through the natural sense, they can now start to be seen or understood in the spiritual sense, that is, in spiritual eyes, which we will soon see.
Of course, the resurrection of the Lord is predominately understood in our worship today, but His resurrection is our regeneration and that truth is seen in the words, here, in John. To be sure, unless the Lord had risen from the tomb, mankind would remain in their sins and the world would end. So, let us continue with discovering the truth concerning man's resurrection. We read that,
Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him" (John 20: 2).
When a sinner has turned from evil that is the first act of charity and the Lord forgives the person. In that act of shunning sins truths and charity can start to enter, thus renewing the person's life. And, here, we see the repented sinner in agreement with the truth that is conjoined with love and not separate as is faith alone. We can see this signified by Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved. In Heaven names do not mean the person or the thing, but the quality that is represented. So Peter signifies, not the historical person known as Peter, but the truth that is from good and isn't that the primary principle in the Church in which man is first instructed in his regeneration? If you guessed that the other quality that is of great importance is signified in the disciple whom Jesus loved, you are right. And, that disciple is John. The spiritual significance of John is the good of love to the Lord and don't we see our repentant sinner signified in Mary Magdalene in love to the Lord and wasn't she acting out or doing good by coming early to the grave to attend to the body of Jesus? Truly, we see that one who has shunned his or her sins is one who searches for the truth and who acts in charity and who comes into the good of life. It is said that truth is conjoined with love because to know the truth and not to acknowledge it is from one's self and not from the Lord with man.
Perhaps you are not familiar with such a term as the good of life. But, if you hear the term, 'the evil of life' you can get an idea of what is meant by the 'good of life'. From willing good comes doing good; so, you can see the good that is meant is the love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor. Now, it is from the Lord that we have life and that love, that is, life flows from the Lord into the will even as truth flows into the understanding from the Lord. These are to be conjoined or united as one. Thus, we see Peter and John running or in agreement wanting to know the truth, to understand how it is that the Lord has risen from tomb.
And, where do we run to, where do we go to find all about the Lord who we love so much? Wasn't it to the truth and its good, that is, to Peter and John, that Mary went, wasn't it to the Church? Aren't the disciples seen as the early Christian Church? That is why Mary, who had believed Jesus, went to Peter and John. And, the first thing she said was, where was the Lord? what has happened to Him? Now, we must remember that she did not have the advantage of knowing that the Lord has risen from the grave or that He had overcome evil itself.
What we see then happening is Peter and John investigating to understand the truth and what they found was that the tomb was empty of the Lord's body, and instead evidence of Him having been there the linen cloths, the handkerchief that was around His head was laying within the tomb. What we see signified here is that the Lord had taken off the old garments or truths of the Israelitish and Jewish Church, which were falsities. Here, is an interesting thing, truth by its self cannot be seen as genuine. Neither can love when not together with the truth come to genuine truth and goods. All what is seen, is that there is some knowledge that may be learned, but not what it means? Didn't the Israelitish and Jewish Church have the truth that Jehovah would come on earth and hadn't they rejected that truth and Him? Remember, they did not know the Scripture that the Lord must be raised from the dead. However, note that when truth is acted upon because of love as we see that Mary had signified, then the understanding is opened. Here, we see that she saw two angels and shortly after, Jesus, though she did not recognize Him at first, but later when she heard Him speak, she understood that it was Him. She saw with her spiritual eyes. Now, what we are to learn from this is that seeing the Lord and thus, that spiritual Truth comes from affections of good and, we know that Mary had such affection. And, we also learn that hearing is to receive or to perceive. In other words, there is to be obedience to that love, there is an effort to act to do good. So, you have the truth entering a man that becomes his faith and you have the love with a man and him willingly acts accordingly, and is often called charity. However, both these his faith and his love or charity are from the Lord, not from self.
So far, we have talked about mankind's regeneration and his salvation and we have spoken about the internal sense of the Word, but it is the Lord's resurrection that we want to understand, for, as we have said, if not for the Lord's resurrection, the world would perish.
The man's salvation is related to the Lord's resurrection, for His resurrection was His glorification, and when we die as to our flesh or as to our natural life of sins, which are evils against the Lord, we are raised 'as it were' in spirit to new life in Heaven even as the Lord has ascended to His Father. And is not His Father our Father?
The man's regeneration is also related to the Lord's glorification and that glorification can also be seen in the Lord's resurrection, for it is the union of his Humanity with His Divinity, since to glorify is to make Divine. It is by this glorification that the evils are kept in subjugation to eternity in hell. Now, today we celebrate the Lord's glorification. And, we see that the Lord has effected our redemption, not only by the passion of the cross, but by all the temptations that He underwent and the victories over them from His coming into the world to include the passion of the cross ending in His resurrection and glorification.
We can read of this in John 12.
"Jesus said, 'Now is my soul troubled. Father, save me from this hour; but for this cause I came into the world. Father, glorify thy name.' There came forth a voice from Heaven, saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Then said Jesus,' Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out'" (verses 27, 28. 31).
If the prince of this world or evil be case out, then truly the Lord can enter within into our mind, that is, our will and understanding, giving us true life and Heaven.
That, that glorification is in us that we may be regenerated we read, "And the glory which You gave me, I have given them; that they are one even as we are one" (John 17:22). 'Them' refers to those who have turned to love the Lord. The Lord goes on to pray, "Father, I will that they also, whom You have given to me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which You have given to me, for You loved me before the foundation of the world" (John 17: 24).
It was when two of the disciples that were on their way to Emmaus that the Lord questioned about their conversation. And after explaining to Him about what had happened, that is, that the tomb had been found emptied of the Lord's body and some of the women saw a vision of angels and the Lord Himself, the Lord said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and enter into his glory?
We have spoken about the Lord's resurrection, His glorification and about man's regeneration, his salvation and how from an internal sense the Word has revealed this. Thus, the resurrection of the Lord means a lot more than His rising from the tomb to us. It means His rising daily, indeed every moment, in the minds of the regenerate. It is not just in that morning when the Lord arose from the tomb that is meant, but His coming to us and the arising of a new Church, that is, of His kingdom on earth. Where else does a new kingdom arise but within man, and, so, a new Church is established in man and thus is the Lord's coming as often as the good of love and of faith works in man.
Amen.
We will not take time to discover what all the other words in this sentence signify, but suffice it this one more - tomb, that is, sepulcher. When you consider that the Lord's Word to us is life flowing to us and that when we open our heart and mind, our will and understanding, to not only hear and to know, but to follow and acknowledge, then the Word, indeed brings us life, even as the Lord has said that He is the Life and the Truth. Here, we are speaking of true life, which is spiritual. From a natural understanding we see that by the tomb is meant death, but if the Word or the Truth, which is the Lord, is eternal, then the spiritual understanding of a tomb is life and so it is meant Heaven, and so, there a continuation of life, thus a resurrection, and the man, in this case the Lord, rises again, man rises as to his spirit, but the Lord not only as to His spirit, but also as to His the body.
Let us examine Mary Magdalene's life before her reformation to see why the Word speaks of her. Were not the evils that were with her and that reigned in her now removed 'as it were' and she now was acting according to the life or to that truth that flows into her, into her will and understanding from the Lord?
Thus, it is that she was excited and, as Luke says, perplexed and afraid at what she and the other women found that morning at the tomb. The stone had been rolled away. The tomb was open. Now, nothing was in the way, nothing could hinder those who are, as Mary signifies in her new life of regeneration, having 'as it were' buried her sins through repentance and reformation. I think we know that by a stone is meant truth, but in this case, the stone that was removed means falsities that lead astray had been removed away. Where truths understood through the natural understanding had been perplexing and were only apparent truths, because they come through the natural sense, they can now start to be seen or understood in the spiritual sense, that is, in spiritual eyes, which we will soon see.
Of course, the resurrection of the Lord is predominately understood in our worship today, but His resurrection is our regeneration and that truth is seen in the words, here, in John. To be sure, unless the Lord had risen from the tomb, mankind would remain in their sins and the world would end. So, let us continue with discovering the truth concerning man's resurrection. We read that,
Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him" (John 20: 2).
When a sinner has turned from evil that is the first act of charity and the Lord forgives the person. In that act of shunning sins truths and charity can start to enter, thus renewing the person's life. And, here, we see the repented sinner in agreement with the truth that is conjoined with love and not separate as is faith alone. We can see this signified by Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved. In Heaven names do not mean the person or the thing, but the quality that is represented. So Peter signifies, not the historical person known as Peter, but the truth that is from good and isn't that the primary principle in the Church in which man is first instructed in his regeneration? If you guessed that the other quality that is of great importance is signified in the disciple whom Jesus loved, you are right. And, that disciple is John. The spiritual significance of John is the good of love to the Lord and don't we see our repentant sinner signified in Mary Magdalene in love to the Lord and wasn't she acting out or doing good by coming early to the grave to attend to the body of Jesus? Truly, we see that one who has shunned his or her sins is one who searches for the truth and who acts in charity and who comes into the good of life. It is said that truth is conjoined with love because to know the truth and not to acknowledge it is from one's self and not from the Lord with man.
Perhaps you are not familiar with such a term as the good of life. But, if you hear the term, 'the evil of life' you can get an idea of what is meant by the 'good of life'. From willing good comes doing good; so, you can see the good that is meant is the love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor. Now, it is from the Lord that we have life and that love, that is, life flows from the Lord into the will even as truth flows into the understanding from the Lord. These are to be conjoined or united as one. Thus, we see Peter and John running or in agreement wanting to know the truth, to understand how it is that the Lord has risen from tomb.
And, where do we run to, where do we go to find all about the Lord who we love so much? Wasn't it to the truth and its good, that is, to Peter and John, that Mary went, wasn't it to the Church? Aren't the disciples seen as the early Christian Church? That is why Mary, who had believed Jesus, went to Peter and John. And, the first thing she said was, where was the Lord? what has happened to Him? Now, we must remember that she did not have the advantage of knowing that the Lord has risen from the grave or that He had overcome evil itself.
What we see then happening is Peter and John investigating to understand the truth and what they found was that the tomb was empty of the Lord's body, and instead evidence of Him having been there the linen cloths, the handkerchief that was around His head was laying within the tomb. What we see signified here is that the Lord had taken off the old garments or truths of the Israelitish and Jewish Church, which were falsities. Here, is an interesting thing, truth by its self cannot be seen as genuine. Neither can love when not together with the truth come to genuine truth and goods. All what is seen, is that there is some knowledge that may be learned, but not what it means? Didn't the Israelitish and Jewish Church have the truth that Jehovah would come on earth and hadn't they rejected that truth and Him? Remember, they did not know the Scripture that the Lord must be raised from the dead. However, note that when truth is acted upon because of love as we see that Mary had signified, then the understanding is opened. Here, we see that she saw two angels and shortly after, Jesus, though she did not recognize Him at first, but later when she heard Him speak, she understood that it was Him. She saw with her spiritual eyes. Now, what we are to learn from this is that seeing the Lord and thus, that spiritual Truth comes from affections of good and, we know that Mary had such affection. And, we also learn that hearing is to receive or to perceive. In other words, there is to be obedience to that love, there is an effort to act to do good. So, you have the truth entering a man that becomes his faith and you have the love with a man and him willingly acts accordingly, and is often called charity. However, both these his faith and his love or charity are from the Lord, not from self.
So far, we have talked about mankind's regeneration and his salvation and we have spoken about the internal sense of the Word, but it is the Lord's resurrection that we want to understand, for, as we have said, if not for the Lord's resurrection, the world would perish.
The man's salvation is related to the Lord's resurrection, for His resurrection was His glorification, and when we die as to our flesh or as to our natural life of sins, which are evils against the Lord, we are raised 'as it were' in spirit to new life in Heaven even as the Lord has ascended to His Father. And is not His Father our Father?
The man's regeneration is also related to the Lord's glorification and that glorification can also be seen in the Lord's resurrection, for it is the union of his Humanity with His Divinity, since to glorify is to make Divine. It is by this glorification that the evils are kept in subjugation to eternity in hell. Now, today we celebrate the Lord's glorification. And, we see that the Lord has effected our redemption, not only by the passion of the cross, but by all the temptations that He underwent and the victories over them from His coming into the world to include the passion of the cross ending in His resurrection and glorification.
We can read of this in John 12.
"Jesus said, 'Now is my soul troubled. Father, save me from this hour; but for this cause I came into the world. Father, glorify thy name.' There came forth a voice from Heaven, saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Then said Jesus,' Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out'" (verses 27, 28. 31).
If the prince of this world or evil be case out, then truly the Lord can enter within into our mind, that is, our will and understanding, giving us true life and Heaven.
That, that glorification is in us that we may be regenerated we read, "And the glory which You gave me, I have given them; that they are one even as we are one" (John 17:22). 'Them' refers to those who have turned to love the Lord. The Lord goes on to pray, "Father, I will that they also, whom You have given to me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which You have given to me, for You loved me before the foundation of the world" (John 17: 24).
It was when two of the disciples that were on their way to Emmaus that the Lord questioned about their conversation. And after explaining to Him about what had happened, that is, that the tomb had been found emptied of the Lord's body and some of the women saw a vision of angels and the Lord Himself, the Lord said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and enter into his glory?
We have spoken about the Lord's resurrection, His glorification and about man's regeneration, his salvation and how from an internal sense the Word has revealed this. Thus, the resurrection of the Lord means a lot more than His rising from the tomb to us. It means His rising daily, indeed every moment, in the minds of the regenerate. It is not just in that morning when the Lord arose from the tomb that is meant, but His coming to us and the arising of a new Church, that is, of His kingdom on earth. Where else does a new kingdom arise but within man, and, so, a new Church is established in man and thus is the Lord's coming as often as the good of love and of faith works in man.
Amen.
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