A Ransom for Many - それは何を意味するのでしょうか？

今から約2000年前、ナザレのイエス、イエス・キリストは十字架にかけられました。死にました。苦しみながら。そして、翌々日の朝には死からよみがえりました。彼の肉体は消滅した。というより、その後の出来事を考えると、それは霊的なものに変化したようだ。それ自体、考えると面白いことですが、この記事の焦点ではありません）。

その代わり、ここでは、イエスがなぜ死んだのかについて、聖書で語られているいくつかの事柄に注目したいと思います。それについては、ほぼ2000年前の混乱があります。それを掘り下げてみましょう...。

で マルコによる福音書10:42-45 にも）。 マタイによる福音書20:25-28）には、イエスの宣教の後半に起こった、よく知られた教訓が記されています。ヤコブとヨハネは、まだ何が起こっているのかよく理解していなかったので、イエスが「王」になったときに、イエスの左と右に座ることを約束してほしいと陳情していました。もちろん、他の弟子たちは不愉快な思いをしました。イエスはこの状況を知っていたので、彼らを集めて、イエスの使命の本質と、彼らの使命のあり方を説明しようとしたのです。

これがその文章です。

"しかし、イエスは彼らを呼び寄せて言われた。「あなたがたは、異邦人を支配することになっている者たちが、彼らの上に主権を行使し、その偉大な者たちが彼らの上に権威を行使していることを知っている。しかし、あなた方の間ではそうではありません。あなた方の中で偉くなる者は誰でも、あなた方の大臣となります。あなたがたの中で偉くなる者は、あなたがたの大臣となり、あなたがたの中で最も偉くなる者は、すべての者のしもべとなる。人の子といえども、仕えられるためではなく、仕えるために来たのであり、また、自分の命を多くの人のための身代金として捧げるために来たのである。"

身代金です。ここで使われているギリシャ語は、λύτρον（ルトロン）といい、λύω（ルオ）の「緩める」「解く」「自由にする」という意味から、贖罪や身代金を意味しています。

神学者の中には、この文章を、十字架の物語の中で、イエスが苦悩と神の本質からの分離感を示す3つのことを言っている文章と組み合わせた人もいます。「わが神、わが神、なぜ私をお見捨てになったのですか」、「それにしても、私の意志ではなく、御心のままにしてください」、「父よ、彼らをお許しください。

これは確かに、イエスがある種のスケープゴートの役割を果たし、父を失望させた人類の代わりに自分の死を捧げた、一種の犠牲と解釈することができます。そのように解釈した神学者もいます。西暦1000年頃のカンタベリーのアンセルムは、そのような主張をする一派のリーダーの一人でした。しかし、私たちはそれが正しい道だとは思っていません。それどころか、間違った道であったために、かなりの損害を被ったと考えています。

新キリスト教の神学では、神が怒ったというのは意味がありません。神は愛そのものです。私たちが神の愛に応えないと、神はがっかりされますか？しかし、怒ることはありません。特に旧約聖書ではそのように見えることもありますが、神の本質は愛なのです。

さらに言えば、イエスの肉体が死んだからといって、父なる神の気分が良くなるわけではないことは、もっとはっきりしているはずです。二人は一人の人間であり、一心同体であることを忘れてはいけません。

むしろ、神の受肉、宣教、死、復活という一連のサイクルは、新しい真理が人類に到達するために行われたものなのです。

で 天界の秘義1419,

"主は、愛そのもの、あるいは天上のすべての愛の本質と命であり、人類に主のすべてのものを与えることを望んでおられます。" "このことは、人の子が自分の命を多くの人のための身代金として与えるために来たという主の言葉によって示されています。"

で アポカリプスの説明 328:15という説明がありました。

"身代金を取る』という言葉は、人々を偽りから解放し、真理によって改革することを意味します。これは『真理の神エホバよ，わたしを身代金に換えてください』という言葉に示されています」。詩編31:5)

イエス様が死なれた理由の一つは、地獄の力に打ち勝つためでした。イエスは生涯を通して悪霊と戦いました。最も明確に描写されているのは、洗礼を受けた直後、荒野で40日間を過ごされた時です。イエス様の十字架の苦しみは、悪に対する最後の戦いであり、イエス様の復活は、悪に対する最後の勝利でした。

すべての人にとって、悪を克服するためには、誘惑や悪との戦いがあります。私たちが個人的に悪と闘うように、キリストは宇宙規模で悪と闘われました。キリストの死はその闘いの結論でしたが、それは敗北ではなく、勝利でした。聖書によると、神が肉と血を受けたのは、「死によって、死の力を持つ者、すなわち悪魔を滅ぼすためであった」とあります。(ヘブライ人への手紙2:14,15)

聖書がイエスの死の理由として挙げているもう一つの理由は、イエスがご自分の人間としての性質と神としての性質を一つにして、「ご自分の中で、二人で一人の新しい人を造る」ことができるようにするためでした(エフェソの信徒への手紙2:14-16を参照してください。 ヨハネによる福音書17:11, 21; 10:30)。

他にも様々な理由が挙げられます。

父のもとに行く」ことができた(ヨハネによる福音書13:3; 14:2, 28; 16:10)。彼は「栄光」を得ることができました(ヨハネによる福音書17:1,5)や「主の栄光に入る」(ルカによる福音書24:26)。彼は「完成された」ことができた(ルカによる福音書13:32)、または「聖なるもの」(ヨハネによる福音書17:19)。

スウェーデンボルグのでは真のｷﾘｽﾄ教86と書かれています。

"エホバ神は、人々を救済する目的で、神の真理としてこの世に現れた。贖いとは、地獄を支配し、天界を再編し、そして教会を設立することだった。"

磔にされた時、悪の勢力は勝ったと思った。当時の宗教的、市民的な権力者たちが主導して彼を非難した。彼はあざけられた。群衆は彼に反発した。

イエス様の肉体の死は、このように「身代り」でした。あの拷問と死を受けることによって、イエス様は自分の霊的な力が自然の死を超えていることを示すことができたのです。イエスは、私たちを地獄の支配から解き放ち、新しい教会、私たちが従うことのできる新しい道を確立されたのです。

149. Verses 18-29. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished brass, I know thy works and charity, and ministry and faith, and thine endurance, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first. But I have against thee a few things, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, that calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit whoredom, and to eat idol-sacrifices. And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not. Behold, I cast her into a bed, and those that commit adultery with her into great affliction, except they repent of their works. And her sons I will kill with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say; I put upon you no other burden. Nevertheless, that which ye have hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end, I will give him power over the nations. And he shall rule them with an iron rod; as earthen vessels shall they be shivered, as I also have received from My Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

18. "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write," signifies those of the church with whom the internal and external, or the spiritual and natural man, make one n. 150; "These things saith the Son of man" ¹ signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, from which is that essential of the church n. 151; "that hath His eyes as a flame of fire," signifies Divine Providence from His Divine love and Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love towards Him and from that in faith in Him n. 152; "and His feet like burnished brass," signifies the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love (n. 153).

19. "I know thy works and charity," signifies the internal of those who are of the church n. 154; "and ministry and faith," signifies good and truth therein n. 155; "and thine endurance," signifies conjunction with the external [and consequent combat] (n. 156); "and thy works, and the last to be more than the first," signifies the externals that are therefrom n. 157.

20. "But I have against thee a few things," signifies that heed should be taken (n. 158); "that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel," signifies the delight of the love of self and of the world (159); "that calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants," signifies that the doctrine of all falsities is therefrom n. 160; "to commit whoredom and to eat idol-sacrifices," signifies the falsifications of truth and the adulterations of good (n. 161).

21. "And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not," signifies that those who are in falsities therefrom do not turn themselves to truths by means of truths n. 162.

22. "Behold, I cast her into a bed," signifies that they are left to their natural man, and to the doctrine of falsities therein n. 163; "and those that commit adultery with her into great affliction," signifies the grievous temptations of those who addict themselves to the falsities of such (n. 164); "except they repent of their works," signifies except they separate themselves from them (n. 165).

23. "And her sons I will kill with death," signifies that thus falsities are extinguished (n. 166); "and all the churches shall know that I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts," signifies the acknowledgment of all who are of the church that the Lord alone knows and explores the exteriors and interiors, and the things that are of faith and of love n. 167; "and I will give to each one of you according to your works" signifies eternal blessedness according to one's internal in the external (n. 168).

24. "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira," signifies to all and each one with whom the internal is conjoined to the external (n. 169); "as many as have not this doctrine," signifies with whom external delight, which is the delight of the love of self and of the world, is not dominant (n. 170); "and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say," signifies entanglement with these (n. 171); "I put upon you no other burden," signifies that this alone should be guarded against (n. 172).

25. "Nevertheless, that which ye have hold fast till I come," signifies steadfastness in a state of love and of faith, even until visitation (n. 173).

26. "And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end," signifies perseverance in love and faith after combat against these loves, and their removal as far as possible (n. 174); "I will give him power over the nations," signifies over the evils within him, which will then be scattered by the Lord. n. 175).

27. "And he shall rule them with an iron rod," signifies that he is about to chastise evils by means of truths, that are in the natural man n. 176; "as earthen vessels shall they be shivered," signifies the total dispersion of falsities n. 177; "as I also have received from My Father," signifies comparatively as the Lord from His Divine, when He glorified His Human (n. 178).

28. "And I will give him the morning star," signifies intelligence and wisdom from the Lord's Divine Human (n. 179).

29. "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches," signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 180).

Фусноти:

157. And thy works, and the last to be more than the first, signifies the externals that are therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "works," as being externals in which are internals; for "works" are ultimate effects, in which internals are presented together, and are in a series therein; there they form their ultimate and fullness. The things that are of the thought and the will, and spiritually speaking, those that are of love and of faith, are called internal; these are in works, consequently "works" are ultimates. (That the interior things, which are of the mind, successively flow into external things, even into the extreme or ultimate, and that they have existence and subsistence therein, see Arcana Coelestia 634, 6239, 6465, 9215-9216; that in the ultimate they also form what is simultaneous, in what series, see n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099; that the whole man is in his deeds or works, and that what is only willed and not done, when man is able to do, does not yet have existence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 475-476.)

[2] To this I will add an arcanum not yet known. After death, man's spirit appears in a human form according to the life of his affection while in the world; in a beautiful form if he lived a life of heavenly love; in an unbeautiful form if he lived a life of worldly love. It is from this that angels are forms of love and charity; yet their form is not so beautiful from the affection of thought and will alone as from the affection of these expressed in deeds or works; for deeds or works from the affection of the will and thought, or of love and faith, are what constitute the outward aspect of the spirit, thus the beauty of his face, body, and speech. The reason for this is, that as the interiors terminate in deeds or works as into their extremes, so do they terminate in the outward form of the body. For it is well known that everything of man's will terminates in the extremes of his body. Any part of the body in which the will does not terminate is not a part of the body; as is evident from the actions of the body, even the least of them; for these all flow from the impulse of the will and are manifested in the extremes of the body (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 59, 60; and in the small work on The Last Judgment 30, 31).

[3] The same is manifest from this, that man's spirit is altogether as his will is; not as his will is that does not go forth into act when it can (that will is nothing but thought in which there is an appearance of willing), but as the actual will is, which has no other desire than to act; this will is the same with man's love; in accordance with this is the whole spirit and its human form. (That the will or love is the spirit itself, see above, n. 105; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 479.) On this account it is so often said in the Word that man ought "to do the Lord's commandments," and that he will be recompensed according to his "doings," that is, according to the love in deeds, but not according to the love without deeds, when doing is possible.

[4] It is said, "I know thy works, and the last to be more than the first;" by "the last being more than the first" is meant that the works are more full of love after the conjunction of the internal man with the external; for the more the internal is conjoined with the external the more there is of the internal in externals; consequently in the deeds or works; for externals or works are nothing but effects of the interiors which are of the will and of the thought therefrom; and effects derive their all from the internals from which they exist, as motion does from its conatus. In man the conatus is the will, and the motion therefrom is action.

[5] From what has been explained in this verse it can be seen in what order the conjunction of the internal with the external in the man of the church is described, namely, the internal by "I know thy works and charity;" the good of the internal and its truth by "ministry and faith;" the conjunction of the internal with the external by "endurance;" and the externals therefrom by "I know thy works, and the last to be more than the first." That such things are involved in these words no one can see from the sense of the letter, but only from the spiritual sense which is within the literal sense.