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Matthew Chapter 21

Chapter XXI.

1. And when they drew near to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethpage to the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2. Saying to them, Go you into the village over against you, and immediately you shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; when you have loosed, bring [them] to Me.
3. And if any one say any thing to you, you shall say that, The Lord has need of them; and immediately he will send them.
4. But all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was declared by the prophet, saying,
5. Say you to the daughter of Sion, Behold, Your King comes to you, meek, and mounted upon an ass, and a colt the foal of her that is used to the yoke.
6. But when the disciples were gone, and had done as Jesus commanded them,
7. They brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set [Him] upon them.
8. But a very numerous multitude strewed their garments in the way; but others cut down branches from the trees and strewed [them] in the way.
9. But the multitudes that went before, and they that followed, cried out, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
10. And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11. But the multitude said, This is Jesus the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.
12. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
13. And says to them, My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.
14. And there came to Him the blind and the lame in the temple; and He healed them.
15. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things which He did, and the children crying out in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they were indignant;
16. And said to Him, Hearest You what they say? But Jesus says to them, Yea; have you never read, That out of the mouths of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise?
17. And leaving them, He departed out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there.
18. But in the morning, as He returned into the city, He hungered.
19. And seeing one fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only, and says to it, Let there be no longer fruit produced from you for the age: and instantly the fig tree withered away!
20. And when the disciples saw, they wondered, saying, How instantly is the fig tree withered away!
21. But Jesus answering, said to them, Verily I say to you, if you have faith, and doubt not, you shall not only do this [which is done] to the fig tree, but also, if you shall say to this mountain, Be you removed, and be you cast into the sea, it shall come to pass.
22. And all things whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.
23. And when He was come into the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, saying, In what power do You these things? and who gave You this power?
24. But Jesus answering, said to them, I also will ask you one word, which if you tell Me, I also will tell you in what power I do these things.
25. The baptism of John, whence was [it]? from heaven, or from men? But they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, from heaven, He will say to us, Why did you not then believe him?
26. But if we shall say, from men, we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet.
27. And answering Jesus, they said, We do not know, And He said to them, Neither tell I you in what power I do these things.
28. But what think you? a man had two children, and coming to the first he said, Child, go, work today in my vineyard.
29. But he answering, said, I will not: but afterwards repenting, he went.
30. And coming to the second, he said likewise; but he answering said, I [go] lord: and went not.
31. Whether of the two did the will of the father? they say to Him, The first. Jesus says to them, Verily I say to you, that the publicans and the harlots shall go before you into the kingdom of God.
32. For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him; but the publicans and harlots believed him: but you seeing [it] repented not afterwards, that you might believe him.
33. Hear another parable: There was a certain man a householder, who planted a vineyard, and placed a hedge about it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went abroad:
34. But when the time of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive the fruits of it.
35. And the husbandmen taking his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
36. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did to them likewise.
37. But last of all he sent to them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said in themselves, This is the heir; come you, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39. And taking him, they cast [him] out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40. When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen?
41. They say to Him, he will evilly destroy those evil ones, and will let out the vineyard to other husbandmen, who will render him the fruits in their season.
42. Jesus says to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders disallowed, the same was made into the head of the corner: this was made by the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes?
43. Therefore I say to you, That the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44. And whoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall thresh [or winnow] him.
45. And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that He spoke of them.
46. And when they sought to lay hold of Him, they feared the multitudes, because they held Him as a prophet.

EXPOSITION.

Chapter XXI.

verse 1.When they were come to the mount of Olives, &c. - Jesus went from the mount of Olives to Jerusalem, and suffered; and by this was signified that in all things He acted from Divine Love, for the mount of Olives signified that love. For whatever the Lord did in the world was representative and whatever He spoke was significative: the reason why He was in representatives and significatives, when in the world, was that He might be in the ultimates of heaven and of the church, and at the same time in their first principles, and thus might govern and arrange ultimate things from first principles, and all intermediate things from first principles by things ultimate; representatives and significatives are in ultimate things. AE 405. See also Exposition, chap. 14:23, 17:1.

Verse 5. Thy King comes to you, meek, and mounted upon an ass, and a colt, &c. - He who does not know what is signified by a horse, a mule, and the foal of an ass, in the representative sense, will believe that the Lord's riding upon the foal of an ass signified misery and humiliation, when yet it signified royal magnificence; wherefore also the people on the occasion proclaimed the Lord a king, and strewed their garments on the way. The reason why this was done when He went to Jerusalem, was because by Jerusalem is signified the church, and garments signify truths clothing good and serving it. AE 31.

Inasmuch as the Lord entered Jerusalem as a king, it is manifest that by Jerusalem is meant heaven and the church, in which the Lord reigns by His Divine Truth. AE 850. See also Exposition, chap. 2:5.

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

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

Verse 9. Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord, signifies glorified, because from Him is all Divine Truth and Divine Good, the name of the Lord signifying every thing by which He is worshiped; and inasmuch as everything belonging to worship has reference to the good of love and the truth of faith, therefore these things are signified by the name of the Lord. AE 340. - See Exposition, chap. 6:9, 18:19, 20.

Verse 11. The multitudes said, This is Jesus the Prophet, &c. - Prophet signifies the doctrine of the church derived from the Word, and prophecy signifies the same; the reason is because the Word was written by the prophets, and in heaven a person is regarded from that which belongs to his office and function; from that also every man, spirit, and angel, is named in heaven, wherefore when the word prophet is named, inasmuch as his function was to write and to teach the Word, the Word, as to doctrine, is understood, or doctrine derived from the Word. Hence it is, that the Lord, inasmuch as He was the Word Itself, was called "the Prophet." Matt 21:11. AR 8.

Prophet is frequently mentioned in the Word, and, in the sense of the letter, signifies those to whom revelation is made, also, abstractedly, the revelation itself; but in the internal sense, it signifies one who teaches, also, abstractedly, the doctrine itself which is taught. Whereas the Lord, as was said, is essential doctrine, or the Word which teaches, He is named Prophet, as in Moses, "A Prophet shall Jehovah your God raise up from the midst of you, out of your brethren, like me, Him shall you obey," Deut 18:15, 18. It is said like me, because the Lord was represented by Moses, as well as by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, David, and others; and inasmuch as an expectation prevailed of His appearing, therefore it is said in John, "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet which should come into the world," John 6:14. Inasmuch as the Lord, in the supreme sense, is the prophet, and the "Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy," Rev 19:10, it is from this ground that prophet, in the internal sense of the Word, signifies one that teaches, also, abstractedly, doctrine. AC 2534. See also Exposition, chap. 10:41, 42, 13:57, 58.

Verse 12. Jesus cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, &c. - By those that sold and bought, are signified those who make gain to themselves from things holy; by the tables of the moneychangers, are signified those who make gain from holy truths; and by the seats of them who sold doves, are signified those who do so from holy goods; wherefore it is afterwards said that they made the temple into a den of thieves, for thieves are those who plunder the truths and goods of the church, and hence make to themselves gain. AE 840.

Verse 13. My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves,-By house,in an universal sense, is signified the church, and because worship was performed in the temple at Jerusalem, therefore it is called the house of prayer; by a den of thieves, is signified evil of life derived from falses of doctrine; they are called thieves who steal truths from the Word, and pervert them, and apply them to falses and evils, and thereby extinguish them. AE 325, 410.

Verse 14. There came to Him the blind and the lame, &c. - See Exposition, chap. 4:23, 8:2, 9:27-33, 11:5, 15:28.

Verse 15. The children crying out in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David.-The reason why the children cried out Hosanna to the Son of David, was, that it might be represented that innocence alone acknowledges and receives the Lord, that is, they who have innocence. AC 5236.

Verse 16. Out of the mouths of bales and sucklings you have perfected praise.-By praise being perfected out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, is signified that praise cannot come to the Lord by any other way than by innocence, since by this alone is effected all communication, and all influx, consequently access. Hence it is that the Lord says, "Except ye be converted, and become as children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens." AC 5236.

Babes denote celestial love; sucklings denote innocence. AC 3183.

In the heavens the case is this. The inmost or third heaven consists of those who are in innocence, for they are in love to the Lord, and since the Lord is innocence itself, therefore the inhabitants of that heaven, as being principled in love to Him, are in innocence: these, notwithstanding they are the wisest of all in the heavens, still appear to others as infants; it is from this ground, and also because they are in innocence, that infants in the Word signify innocence. As the inmost principle of the heavens is innocence, therefore innocence must interiorly appertain to all who are in the heavens: the case herein is like that of things successive in relation to things co-existing, or of things which are distinct from each other by degrees, in relation to those which exist from them; for every thing which has simultaneous existence, originates in things successive, and when the former exists from the latter, the latter place themselves in the same order in which they had been before distinguished by degrees; as for the sake of illustration:-end, cause, and effect are successive and distinct from each other, and when these exist together they arrange themselves in the same order, namely, the end is inmost, then the cause, and lastly the effect. The effect is the co-existing principle, wherein, unless there be a cause, and in the cause the end, there is no effect; for if from the effect you remove the cause, you destroy the effect, and more so if from the cause you remove the end; for from the end the cause receives what makes it a cause, and from the cause the effect receives what makes it an effect. It is so likewise in the spiritual world; as the end, the cause, and the effect are distinct from each other; so in the spiritual world are love to the Lord, charity towards the neighbour, and the works of charity: unless charity from the affection or heart be interiorly in them, they are not works of charity, and unless love to God be interiorly in charity, it is not charity. Consequently, unless charity containing innocence be interiorly in works of charity, they are not works of charity. Hence it is that innocence must interiorly appertain to all who are in the heavens. That this is the case, and that infants signify innocence, is manifest from these words in Mark 10:14-16, also, among other passages, Matt 21:16. AC 5608.

Verses 18, 19. As He returned into the city, He hungered; and seeing one fig tree in the way, &c.-By the fig tree, is here meant the church with the Jewish nation; that with that nation there was not any natural good, but only truth falsified, which in itself is the false, is signified by the Lord coming to the fig tree, but finding nothing on it except leaves. The fruit which He did not find signifies natural good, and the leaf signifies truth falsified, which in itself is the false; for leaf, in the Word, signifies truth, but the leaf of a tree which is without fruit, signifies the false, but with that nation truth falsified, because they had the Word, in which are truths, but which they falsified by application to themselves, whence came their traditions. That that nation was never about to do any natural good from a spiritual origin, which is called spiritual-natural good, is signified by the words which the Lord said concerning it, "Let there be no longer fruit produced from you for ever, whence it withered instantly;" by withering is signified that there was no longer any good and truth. The reason why the Lord saw this and so said, when He returned into the city and hungered, is, because by the city Jerusalem is signified the church, and by hungering, when concerning the Lord, is signified to desire good in the church. He who does not know what a fig tree signifies, and that by the above fig tree is meant the church with the Jewish nation, conceives no otherwise than that what is here related was done by the Lord from indignation because He hungered, but the deed was not on that account, but to the intent that it might be signified that the Jewish nation was of such a quality; for all the Lord's miracles involve and signify such things as are of heaven and the church, whence those miracles were Divine. AE 403.

It is said in the Gospel according to Mark 11:13, "That the time of figs was not yet," and by it is meant that the church was not yet commenced; that the commencement of a new church is meant by a fig tree, is evident from the Lord's words in Matthew 24:32, 33. AE 386.

Every man who from natural becomes spiritual, undergoes two states; in the first state, which is called the state of reformation, he is in the full liberty of acting according to the rationality of his understanding: and in the second, which is the state of regeneration, he is also in similar liberty, but in this case wills and acts, thinks and speaks, from the new love and new intelligence which are from the Lord. For in the first state the understanding acts the first part, and the will the second; but in the second state the will acts the first part, and the understanding the second. The man who stops in the first state, and does not enter into the second, is like a tree which bears only leaves, and not fruits, concerning which it is said in the Word, that it ought to be rooted up and cast into the fire. TCR 106. See also Exposition, chap. 3:10, 7:18.

The Jewish Church was specifically here meant by the fig tree in which church there was no longer any thing of natural good; but the doctrinal of faith or truth, which was preserved with them, is a leaf; the vastated church is such that it knows truth, but is not willing to understand it; they are of a similar quality, who say that they know truth, or the things which are of faith, and have nothing of the good of charity; they are only leaves of the fig tree, and wither away. AC 885. See also 217, 4314.

In the Word throughout man is likened to a tree, and in this case the truths of his faith are signified by leaves, AC 885; and the goods of love by fruits, AC 3146, 7690. Hence it is evident, not only that to be fruitful denotes an increase of good, but also that good is the chief [thing or principle] of man, as fruit is the chief [thing] of a tree. The leaves indeed are first born, but for the sake of the fruit; what is the end, this is not only the last, but also the first, inasmuch as it is the one single thing which is regarded in the means, thus it is all. The case is similar with the good of love, with respect to the truths of faith. Something of this sort is signified by the fig tree, of which it is written in Matthew 21:18, 19. AC 9337.

That the vine is used in the Word to signify spiritual good, and the fig tree natural good, are truths at this day unknown, because the internal sense of the Word has been lost; nevertheless, wherever these expressions occur, they signify or imply such a meaning. This was the case when the Lord spoke in His parables concerning the vine and the fig tree, of which latter it is written in Matthew, "When He saw the fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only, and said to it, Let no fruit grow on you henceforward for ever, and presently the fig tree withered away," Matt 21:19. By which is understood that nothing good. not even natural good, was to be found upon the earth. AC 217.

Verses 21, 22. If you have faith, you shall say to this mountain, &c. - That by their having right to the tree of life, is signified to the end that they may be in the Lord, and the Lord in them, or for the Lord's sake, is owing to the signification of the tree of life as denoting the Lord as the Divine Love, AC 89, 933; and by the right to that tree is signified power or right from the Lord, because they are in the Lord and the Lord in them. The same is signified here as by reigning with the Lord, AC 284, 849, that they who are in the Lord, and the Lord in them, arein all power, insomuch that whatever they will, they can do, the Lord Himself says in John 15:5-7, Matt 7:7, Mark 11:24, Luke xi, 9, 10, Matt 21:21, 22. By these words is described the power of those who are in the Lord, these do not will any thing, and so do not ask anything, but from the Lord, and whatever they will and ask of the Lord, the same is done, for the Lord says, without Me you can do nothing, abide in Me and I in you. Such power have the angels in heaven, that if they only will a thing, they obtain it; but they do not will anything but what has relation to use, and this they will as from themselves, but still from the Lord. AE 951. See also AE 815.

Verse 33. A certain man, a householder, planted a vineyard, &c. - By the vineyard,which the householder planted, is signified the church instituted amongst the sons of Israel; by the hedge which he set about it, is signified a guard from the falses of evil which are from hell; by his digging a winepress in it, is signified that it had spiritual good; and by building a tower, are signified interior truths from that good, which looked to heaven; by letting it out to husbandmen, is signified to that people; by their killing the servants sent to them, are signified the prophets; and by their finally killing the son, is signified the Lord. AE 922. See also AC 9139.

That wisdom, intelligence, reason, and science, are not of man, but of the Lord, appears clearly from what the Lord taught, as in Matthew, where the Lord compares Himself to a householder, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and let it out to husbandmen. AC 124.

When the church of the Lord is compared to a vineyard, those things which are of worship, and also of its preservation, are compared to a wine-press, and to a tower in the vineyard. AC 1306. See also Exposition, chap. 20:1-17.

Verses 40, 41. When the lord of the vineyard comes, he will destroy the evil, and let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, who will render him the fruits, &c. - All they who live according to the commandments of the decalogue from a principle of religion are saved; but all they who do not so live from a principle of religion are damned. They who live according to the commandments of the decalogue from a principle of religion, being instructed after death by the angels, receive truths and acknowledge the Lord; the reason is because they shun evils as sins, and hence are in good, and good loves truth, and from the desire of love receives it. This is meant by the Lord's words to the Jews, " The kingdom of God shall he taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth fruits," Matt 21:43; also by these words, "When the lord of the vineyard comes, he shall destroy the evil, and shall let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, who shall render to him the fruits in their season." DLife65. See also Exposition, chap. 19:16-22, and TCR 483.

Verse 42. The stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made into the head of the corner. The stone of the corner, signifies all Divine Truth upon which heaven and the church are founded, thus every foundation; and whereas a foundation is the ultimate, on which a house or a temple rests, therefore it signifies all things. Inasmuch as by the stone of the corner are signified all things on which the church is founded, therefore it is said in Isaiah, "He will found in Zion a stone, a stone of a corner of price, of a foundation founded," Is 28:16. And since by stone of a corner is signified all Divine Truth on which the church is founded, therefore also the Lord as to the Divine Humanity is signified, because all Divine Truth proceeds from Him. The builders or architects who rejected that stone, are those of the Jewish church which rejected the Lord, and with Him every Divine Truth: for with them prevailed nothing but vain traditions derived from the sense of the letter of the Word, in which traditions the essential truths of the Word were falsified, and its goods adulterated. AE 417.

The stone is the Lord: the builders are they who are of the church. AC 9256.

Verse 43. The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, &c. - That the kingdom of God here signifies the church as to truths, thus also the truths of the church, is evident, inasmuch as it is said, that it should be taken away from them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, where fruits denote goods. AE 48. See also Exposition, chap. 4:23, 6:10, 33, 12:24-28, 13:24-31.

Verse 46. A prophet.-See Exposition, verse 11.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS.

Chapter XXI.

Verse 5. The foal of her that is used to the yoke.-What is here rendered used to the yoke, is a literal translation from the original Greek upozugiou.

Verse 19. And seeing one fig tree, &c. - In the common version of the New Testament the numerical expression one,here applied to the fig tree, is omitted, the translators probably fancying it of no importance, when yet, in its internal sense, it doubtless contains a most significant meaning.

Verse 29. But afterwards repenting, he went.-The word here rendered repenting,is, in the original, metameletheis,which denotes a change of will and affection. See note at chap. 3:2.

Verse 42. This was made by the Lord, &c. - It is remarkable that the original term here rendered this, is aute in the feminine gender, and therefore it cannot relate to the disallowed stone which is in the masculine gender, but to the head of the corner, called in the original kephalen gonias, thus in the feminine gender.

Verse 44. It shall thresh [or winnow] him.-In the common version of the New Testament, what is here rendered it shall thresh [or winnow] him, is translated it shall grind him to powder; but the original expression is likmesei auton, which literally means shall thresh [or winnow] him, and appears to have respect to a work of spiritual separation and purification, in consequence of the reception of the truth relating to the Lord's Divine Humanity. It is remarkable also that a distinction is made by the Lord, in this verse, between a man falling on the stone, and the stone falling on him, as also between the effects in both cases; and there can be no doubt but that the distinction is of the greatest importance to be attended to, though perhaps it may not be so easy to apprehend in what it is grounded. The stone manifestly has reference to the Truth relating to the Lord Himself in His Divine Humanity, and to fall on this stone may possibly relate to man's first reception of this truth in his understanding; the effect of which reception is here described by his being broken, that is, disturbed and shaken as to all his former thoughts, ideas, and purposes: but this stone falling on the man may possibly relate to his further reception of the same truth in his will or love; in which case the effect of reception is described by his being threshed or winnowed, in other words, purified through a separation of all evil intentions and false imaginations.