Lost and Found

In this next chapter, Jesus tells three parables about finding things that have been lost: a sheep, a coin, and a son. At the heart of these three parables is a message about the loss of something precious that God has given us, and the joy of its recovery. This is the connection to the previous parable which spoke of the “ten thousand.” These are the blessed states of love for the neighbor and trust in God, states that were given to us in childhood, but were seemingly lost along the way. The truth is, however, that while these precious states in us may become deeply buried, they can never be fully lost. Though they may be hidden beneath our consciousness, they remain with us for our entire lives. The joy of finding them again becomes the subject of the next three parables. ¹

At the end of the previous chapter, Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Luke 14:35). It is appropriate, then, in keeping with the seamless connection of episodes, that the next chapter begins with the words, “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near … to hear Him” (Luke 15:1). Apparently, the tax collectors and sinners “had ears to hear.” But it is not the same with the scribes and Pharisees who continue to complain, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2).

Aware of their inability or their unwillingness to understand why He is healing on the Sabbath and eating with sinners, Jesus says to them, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4).

Preserving innocence

In sacred scripture, the word “sheep” symbolizes innocence. Like sheep who are willing to follow their shepherd, those who are in a state of innocence are willing to be led by the Lord. The imagery of the shepherd and his sheep occurs throughout the Word, most memorably in the twenty-third psalm. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul (Psalms 23:1-2). This beautiful psalm sums up in poetic language the relationship that we can have with God. If we allow Him to lead us, we will find ourselves in “green pastures” feeding on the goodness He offers. If we allow Him to lead us, we will find ourselves beside still waters, drinking in the truth He offers. As a result, the Lord restores our soul. ²

The word “restores” implies that at one point the needs of our soul were fully supplied, but that over time something had been lost and, therefore, needed to be restored. This is what happens to each of us as we journey from the innocence and trust of infancy and early childhood into adolescence and adulthood. More and more, we begin to lose something of that childlike innocence and trust. We begin to crave independence, the feeling that we are self-sufficient and can figure things out for ourselves. We don’t want anyone to tell us what to do, and we want to do things for ourselves. In other words, we are less willing to be led, desiring instead to be our own masters. This is not evil or wrong. It’s just a stage in our human development.

God, of course, knows all about our development. He knows that each of us will move from total dependence on parents and caregivers to independence, from reliance on others to self-reliance, and from confidence in others to confidence in self. While this is a necessary step in the maturation process — a step that is expected and should be encouraged — we should remember that real maturity is to develop an ever-increasing willingness to follow God and live according to His teachings. This mature trust in God is called “the innocence of wisdom” and is true wisdom. ³

As we move from the innocence of childhood to the innocence of wisdom, the quality that is essential to both states is innocence. In childhood that innocence takes the form of a willingness to be led by others. This innocent and trusting state can be seen when children spontaneously reach up to take hold of their parent’s hand, allowing themselves to be led. This is an early picture of the greater innocence which is to follow. It is the innocence of adulthood, the willingness to be led by the Lord, especially through the teachings of His Word.

When seen in the light of the loss and regaining of innocence, the parable about the lost sheep is about those times when we succumb to the illusion of self-sufficiency. We believe that we have no need for the Lord and are sufficient unto ourselves. Fortunately, the Lord does not let us simply drift away. He comes to us, searching for us, and when He finds us, He brings us back home. This is the journey of life, a journey which begins with a tender willingness to be led by our caregivers, and ends with a mature willingness to be led by God. In this way, that state of innocence, initiated in infancy and further developed in adulthood, is preserved in us. ⁴

Regaining lost innocence

It’s wonderful to know that our earliest states of innocence — those affections for goodness and truth — can be regained and deepened in adulthood. But the question arises, “How is this innocence lost and how can it be found again?” The answer is revealed in the spiritual sense of this simple parable. The “man” who had a hundred sheep represents each of us when, in our infancy, we had an abundance of innocence. We were surrounded by angels who filled us with tender affections — “one hundred sheep.” But as we grow up, we begin to lose — or so it seems — these tender states of infancy. Therefore, there comes a time in our life when we must go in search of those lost affectional states, find them, and allow them to take a leading role in our lives again.

As we do so, our stubbornness and hard-heartedness begin to soften; we become kinder, gentler, and more forgiving. Our intellect, represented by “a man,” is reconnected with that which has been “lost” — the softer, more affectionate side of our nature, represented by the “lost sheep.”

This is an exciting moment in our lives. It is a time for great rejoicing. In the parable, Jesus puts it like this: “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing” (Luke 15:5). This describes those sacred moments in our life when we have reconnected with those innocent states of willingness to be led, but this time with greater wisdom. When this happens in our inner world, we are truly “home” again. As Jesus says, “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’” (Luke 15:6).

It should be noted, however, that we cannot find the lost sheep by ourselves. In the deepest sense of this parable, then, we are not the ones who go searching for the lost sheep. Rather, it is God who comes searching for us. It is God who finds us, no matter how far we have strayed. It is God who lifts us up with the inspiration of His Word, and it is God who strengthens us by placing us upon His strong shoulders.

Understood spiritually, to be “placed on God’s shoulders” is to be empowered by Him, for in the human body the “shoulders” represent great strength. We know this from common expressions such as “Let us put our shoulder to the wheel,” “We must learn to shoulder our responsibilities,” and “Do not pray for a lighter burden, but for stronger shoulders.” And in the Hebrew scriptures, the Lord’s coming into the world is described as follows: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6). ⁵

The imagery of the Lord “putting us on His shoulders” pictures how the Lord strengthens those states in us that are willing to be led by His love and wisdom. These are like the tender, innocent states that we once knew in childhood. Although these states seemed to be lost, they were merely hidden away, buried beneath our consciousness. They may have been forgotten for a time, especially during those times when we lost our higher selves in worldly concerns. But they were always there, ready to serve as a foundation for the development of a more mature faith in later years, a faith that trusts in God. ⁶

The blessedness of dependency

As we conclude this first parable in this series of three, we need to remember the dramatic setting. Jesus has just been accused of eating with tax collectors and sinners, the despised outcasts of society. In those days, breaking bread with others was not only an expression of friendship, but also an indication of willingness to be more intimately associated with the people with whom one dined. Therefore, from the point of view of the scribes and Pharisees, breaking bread with people who are seen to be sinful would be considered disgraceful. Not only would it be regarded as accepting sinful behavior, but it would also be risking contamination through association.

This “arms-length” attitude toward sinners also extended to foreigners, non-believers, and people with physical deformities. In this regard, they believed they were acting in strict accordance with the teachings of the Hebrew scriptures. As it is written, “Thus says the Lord, O House of Israel, let us have no more of your abominations … you brought in foreigners to My house … and offered My food” (Ezekiel 44:6-7). Also, “No one with a defect, whether blind, or lame, or disfigured, or deformed … shall go near the veil or approach the altar, lest he profane My sanctuaries” (Leviticus 21:18, 23.)

Jesus, however, teaches a very different lesson about associating with outcasts, sinners, foreigners, non-believers, and people who might have a physical defect. As we saw in the previous chapter, Jesus speaks about a master who invites the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind to a great supper. We pointed out that this is the Lord’s invitation to each of us. However, when we are pre-occupied with self-sufficiency, we have no desire to come to the feast. This is the part of us that mistakenly believes it has no need for God in our lives. There is no need for His truth and no need for His power to live according to that truth. These are the parts of ourselves of whom Jesus says, “None of these shall taste My supper.”

But there are other parts of ourselves. These are the parts that have been seemingly “lost” for a long time. These are compared to the beggars who roamed the lanes and streets of the city, aware that they are poor, maimed, lame, and blind. These are the people that the man sends his servant to find and invite to the supper. Because they know they are poor, maimed, lame and blind, and desperately in need of help, they accept the invitation and come to the supper.

It is the same for these “lost” parts of ourselves. When we know that we do not have all the answers, we acknowledge that we are “spiritually poor.” When we know that we lack the power to do the good we would like to do, we acknowledge that we are “spiritually maimed.” When we know that we have been hobbling along in life, unable to “walk in the ways of righteousness” (Proverbs 8:20), we acknowledge that we are “spiritually lame.” And when we know that we cannot see the truth, we acknowledge that we are “spiritually blind.”

The key thing about each of these states is that they are states of dependency. If we are poor, maimed, lame, or blind, we must depend on others for help. The person who is physically blind sees nothing in the natural world; therefore, a blind person must depend on others for guidance. Similarly, if our spiritual eyes are not opened, if we have no understanding of spiritual reality, we will be unable to comprehend the things of heaven. This world is the only world that we will see. Therefore, we need God to open our spiritual eyes through the truths of His Word.

This is what can happen whenever we choose to repent, acknowledging our need for the Lord, and allowing the Lord to restore what has been lost. After years of looking elsewhere for nourishment, we finally decide that nothing in the physical world can provide the nourishment that our soul craves. Happily accepting His invitation, we turn to the Lord who has been seeking us the whole time. In doing so, we allow Him to supply us with the goodness for which we hunger and the truth for which we thirst. ⁷

In this regard, it’s reassuring to know that no matter how far we have strayed, the Lord seeks to find us and bring us back home — to the place where we once again feel something akin to the innocence of childhood. But this time we experience genuine innocence. This is the innocence of wisdom. It is a willingness to be led by the Lord and to experience, as a result, the ensuing joys of heaven. As Jesus puts it, “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

The parable of the lost sheep is followed immediately by the parable of the lost coin. “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she finds it?” (Luke 15:8). As we begin this parable, we notice, once again, the use of the number “ten” whether it be ten times ten (one hundred sheep) or ten times a thousand (ten thousand men). Whenever this number is mentioned, it always refers to some blessed state with us — either in relation to some affection or some insight about truth. The previous parable was about the recovery of innocent affections (represented by the lost sheep); this parable will be about the recovery of some lost truth (represented by the lost silver coin). ⁸

In this parable, the silver coins represent truth — the truth that illumines the darkness, just as the silvery moon illumines the night. In our infancy the innate sense of what is good and true is given to us freely through the angels who surround and protect us. But as we grow older the tender feelings of love (represented by the lost sheep) and the awareness of simple truth (represented by the lost coin) recede from our consciousness. We come into states where these gifts from God feel as though they are lost. We, therefore, need to go in search of them.

What might the “lost coin” represent in each of our lives? Perhaps it is the truth that God is always with us. At one point, this may have been a precious and most valuable truth, but over time it was lost. Perhaps it is the truth that no matter what happens, God can bring good out of it. Perhaps it was the initial feelings we experienced when first falling in love and the accompanying truths that matched those feelings. Those truths may have included thoughts such as, I will always love you. Nothing will ever come between us. I will always be faithful. I will be there for you during bad times and good times, in sickness and in health.

Thoughts like these which flow in from God may abound at first, but over time they can be lost. When this happens, we have slipped from those earlier states. We find that we are no longer living by the truth we once knew. In the beginning, we were kind, considerate, and forgiving. Then, over time, something changed. We found ourselves becoming less patient, less forgiving, easily disturbed, and quickly becoming critical. What happened to those God-given principles we once cherished? Where did they go? Like the woman in the parable, we have lost a precious coin — a precious truth in our lives is missing. And, like the woman in the parable, we will have to search for that lost coin.

Her search begins with a thorough search of her “house.” In sacred scripture, a “house” represents the interiors of person’s mind. It is the place where we dwell, our mental “dwelling-place.” In other words, the thoughts and feelings that we choose to dwell on become our spiritual home. So, when it is written that the woman needed to “light a lamp” and “sweep her house,” we can know that this relates to something that is going on in her mental “dwelling-place,” that is, in her mind. ⁹

The parable calls each of us to “light a lamp” and “sweep our house” in order to find the coin that has been lost. As long as we are in darkness, the chances of finding the lost coin are slim. But if we light a lamp, our chances are greatly improved. In this case, lighting a lamp suggests the willingness to use the light of truth to examine ourselves seeking to find what has been lost. Not only do we “light the lamp,” but we must also “sweep the floor.” This suggests that we must carefully explore the inner rooms of our mind, sweeping away the dust of lower thoughts, so that we might be able to find the missing coin. Cleaning our mental house also suggests the re-ordering of priorities so that we can see the truth again — truth that may have become lost in the clutter of worldly concerns.

The search for the lost coin requires both the light of God’s Word and the willingness to do sincere self-examination. And when we find that lost coin, we will want to rejoice. As it is written, “And when she found it, she called her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I have lost!’” (Luke 15:9). ¹⁰

Jesus concludes this parable, as He did the previous one, on a celebratory note. He compares the joy of finding the lost coin to the joy that the angels feel when a sinner repents. As He puts it, “I say to you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

A practical application

Like the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin speaks about something we once possessed, but then lost. In spiritual terms, both parables relate to our loss of connection with God. The parable of the lost lamb is about the loss of innocence — the innocent willingness to follow the Lord. The parable of the lost coin continues this theme, this time focusing on the loss of some God-given truth. When this happens, we find ourselves thinking, I used to be more patient. I used to be kinder, more considerate, and more forgiving. I used to be more diligent. I need to take a look at my life and put my priorities back into order, and I need to invite the Lord into this process. This is the “lost coin” — the missing piece. And this realization is what brings about the woman’s joy, so much so that she wants to tell her friends and neighbors. Perhaps you have experienced something like this as well. The rediscovery of how wonderful it is to reconnect with God and get back to first principles is certainly worth sharing. But first, you may need to “light a lamp” and “sweep the house,” in order to find that missing truth.

As we concluded the first two parables in this series, we mentioned that the thing that has been lost is our connection with God. In both cases, it is ‘the missing piece.” This theme is continued in an even more direct way in this next parable, this time through the story of two sons. As Jesus continues to speak to the scribes and Pharisees, He says, “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So, he divided to them his livelihood” (Luke 15:11-12). As the story goes, the younger son takes his inheritance, journeys to a far country, and spends everything. As it is written, “He wasted his possessions with prodigal living” (Luke 15:13).

The younger son is rebellious and wild. He represents our lower nature. This is the unregenerate human will delighting only in the pleasure of the senses without regard for anything higher. In the parable, it is the story of the younger son who asks that he receive an early inheritance and then spends it all on earthly pleasures. He soon discovers, however, that the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake, apart from anything higher, leads to a profound state of emptiness. As it is written, “When he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into the fields to feed the swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything” (Luke 15:14-16).

This pictures each of us at those times when we have wandered away from our relationship with God. After spending everything we have on temporal pleasures, we sink into states of despair and emptiness. And so, it is written, “There arose a severe famine in the land.” This is what happens when we hunger for something, but don’t yet know what it is. We would even eat “the pods that the swine ate.” And yet, even that does not satisfy us. Gradually, we begin to awaken to the reality that living in this way does not nourish our spirits. As we come to our spiritual senses, we realize how far we have strayed and how mistaken we have been. And so, as the parable continues, we read that “when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!’” (Luke 15:17).

This is the moment when we realize that there is more to life than satisfying the desires of our lower nature; we realize that there is something higher — our relationship with the Lord. This is the moment when our spirit cries out, like the young man in the parable, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’ And he arose and came to his father” (Luke 15:19).

The return of the lost son

It should be kept in mind that while Jesus is telling this parable, and the two preceding ones, He is in the presence of the scribes and Pharisees. In a remarkable series of parables about things that are at first lost but eventually found, Jesus is indirectly instructing the scribes and Pharisees about the importance of learning to think in new ways. These three parables, when taken together, constitute Jesus’ response to their contemptuous comment which initiated this series. They said, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). Jesus wants them to know that if they could think differently, they could experience angelic joy when what has been “lost” could be found. More deeply, Jesus is encouraging them to think deeply about what has been lost in them and how it could be found again.

In that respect, this third parable in the series is no different. Having awakened from his wayward lifestyle, the younger son is now determined to head back home and apologize to his father. “I will arise and go to my father,” he says. Not only is he determined to return home, but he is also very clear about what he will tell his father. In fact, he has practiced the wording. “Father,” he will say, “I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:18).

With determination in his heart and words of repentance in his mind, the younger son begins his journey back home to his father. However, before we consider the father’s response, let us first consider how the scribes and Pharisees would have expected the father to react. After all, this young man had dishonored his father and brought shame to the family. According to the cultural standards of the day, and the religious practices that were then in place, if a son brought dishonor to his father, he would be disowned.

The father’s response, however, is totally unexpected. Before the son even has a chance to utter a confession, acknowledge his transgressions, or ask for forgiveness, the father sees him “a great way off” and is immediately filled with compassion. Without a moment’s hesitation, the father runs to his son, falls on his neck, and kisses him (Luke 15:20).

Still feeling a need to confess, the son recites the words that he has rehearsed: “Father I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21). But the father hardly seems to notice. We read, “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is now alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:22-24).

It should be noted that the father continues to refer to him as his “son.” As he puts it, “For this my son was dead and is now alive again.” When our lives are immersed in natural concerns and the pursuit of sensual pleasures, it is as if we are “dead” to spiritual reality. But when we realize that a mere sensual existence is a “dead end,” and decide to return to God, it is as if we are “alive” again.

The resentment of the elder brother

This joyous scene is quickly interrupted by the elder brother. Apparently, he has been faithfully serving his father, doing his work in the fields. But as he comes in from his labors, and draws near to the house, he is surprised to hear music and dancing. And when he finds out that his brother has returned, and that his father has killed the fatted calf in his younger brother’s honor, the older brother is so angry that he will not enter the house. Even when his father pleads with him to come in, the elder brother refuses to take part in the celebration. Instead, he says, “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I have never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might be merry with my friends” (Luke 15:29).

On one level, the “elder brother” who “never transgressed” his father’s commandment represents the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees who pride themselves on their strict observance of the commandments. Because they mistakenly believe that this was the key to obtaining divine favor, they would be deeply offended by any suggestion that God’s love and favor extends to all people, even to sinners. Moreover, because their envy and resentment prevent them from appreciating the blessings that are constantly flowing in from God, they are filled with resentment when they see others getting what they think they deserve. This is represented by the words of the elder son when he says, “You never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.”

The elder brother chose to remain at home, faithfully serving his father. As he says to his father, “I never transgressed your commandments.” This is a thinly veiled reference to the self-righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees who believed that they were righteous and blameless before the Lord. At a deeper level, it also applies to each of us. Rigid adherence to the commandments, apart from love and mercy, cannot save us. It becomes a form of truth alone, without goodness.

The elder brother’s problem, then, was not a failure to dutifully serve his father. Rather, it was an inability to appreciate all that he had been given and all that he had. He was so filled with resentment that he refused to take part in the celebration. Unlike the angels, he felt no joy that his brother had repented. Instead, all he could feel was envy. Through this parable, Jesus is telling the scribes, the Pharisees, and everyone who has ears to hear that the kingdom of heaven with all its blessings is available to each of us, right now, if we are willing to receive them. All of this is contained in the father’s stirring plea, “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad … for your brother who was lost is found” (Luke 15:31-32). ¹²

As the parable concludes, we can rejoice with the younger brother who awoke from his waywardness; but we are also left with a poignant picture of the elder brother who has not yet awakened from his self-righteousness. One brother has been found; the other is still lost.

A practical application

Although the elder brother claimed that he had “never transgressed his father’s commandments,” he was blind to the fact that he was jealous of his younger brother, thus transgressing the commandment against coveting. In the light of this parable, we are called to examine ourselves in terms of our own covetousness. Can we honestly feel joy in the success of others without wanting that success for ourselves? Can we honestly feel happy for the sinner who has repented without wanting some of that attention for ourselves? Can we be so content with what we have that we feel genuinely happy for others? Can we believe that the father’s words to the elder son, “All that I have is yours” also apply to us? We need to keep reminding ourselves that God wants to give us every spiritual blessing, right now. We are invited, so to speak, to enjoy “the fatted calf.” This realization can help us rise above covetous desires and feel truly happy for others. In fact, we can feel their joy as joy in ourselves. ¹³

Footnotes:

376. It has thus far been shown that "oil" signifies celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord; it shall now be shown that "wine" signifies spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor and the good of faith; and as this good in its essence is truth, it is said in the general explanation that "the oil and the wine hurt not," which signifies that there must no harm be done to the internal or spiritual sense of the Word in respect either to good or to truth, or what is the same, that there must no harm be done to the goods and truths which are in the internal or spiritual sense of the Word. The good of charity and the good of faith in their essence are truth, because that good is implanted by the Lord in man's intellectual part by means of the truths that are called the truths of faith, and when man lives according to these truths they become goods; for by means of truths a new will is formed in that part, and whatever proceeds from the will is called good. This will, moreover, is the same as conscience, and conscience is a conscience of truth, for it is formed by truths of every kind from the doctrine of the church, and from the sense of the letter of the Word (but on this subject see further in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 130-138; and the extracts from the Arcana Coelestia 139-141). From this now it is that "wine" signifies truth.

[2] Furthermore, there are goods and truths internal and external; internal goods and truths are signified by "the oil and the wine" that must not be hurt; but external goods and truths are signified by "wheat and barley." External goods and truths are those that are in the sense of the letter of the Word, while internal goods and truths are those that are in the internal or spiritual sense of the Word; or external goods and truths are such as are in the lower heavens with the angels there, that is, in the ultimates of heaven, while internal goods and truths are such as are in the higher heavens with the angels there, that is, in the third and second heavens. These goods and truths are genuine goods and truths themselves, but the former are truths and goods because they correspond, thus are correspondences; internal goods and truths have immediate communication with the angels of heaven, while external goods and truths have not an immediate but a mediate communication through correspondences. This is why the Jews, because they were only in the sense of the letter and had no knowledge of the signification of things in the spiritual sense, were unable to do harm to the spiritual sense in respect either to good or to truth, and consequently were unable to do harm to genuine goods and truths. So the Christian Church at this day is unable to do harm to the genuine goods and truths which are in the spiritual sense of the Word, for it has been ignorant of that sense, and at the same time ignorant of genuine goods and truths.

[3] The spiritual sense of the Word was not disclosed to Christians, because genuine goods and truths, such as are in the higher heavens, lie concealed in the spiritual sense of the Word; and so long as these goods and truths were unperceived and unknown that sense could not be opened, since these goods and truths could not be seen. In the Christian churches genuine goods and truths have not been perceived and known for the reason that those churches have been divided, in general, into the Papal and the Evangelical; and those in the Papal Church are utterly ignorant of truths, because they do not depend upon the Word, thus upon the Lord who is the Word, that is, Divine truth, but upon the pope, from whose mouth scarcely anything proceeds except what is from the love of ruling, and that love is from hell; therefore with them scarcely a single truth of the church exists; while in the Evangelical churches faith alone has been assumed as the essential means of salvation, and as a consequence the good of love and charity has been rejected as nonessential, and where good is rejected no truth which is truth in itself can exist, since all truth is from good; for the Lord flows into man's good, and by means of good illustrates him and gives him the light to perceive truths, therefore without that light, which is man's very spiritual life, there is no truth, however much it may sound like truth because it is from the Word; it is truth falsified by the ideas that are held in respect to it; for from faith separate from charity, or from truths without good, no other result can follow. This is why the spiritual sense of the Word could not be disclosed to the Christian churches, for if it had been disclosed, they would have falsified and perverted it by ideas from fallacies, and thus would have profaned it. This also is why no one will ever hereafter be admitted into the spiritual sense of the Word unless he is in genuine truths from good, and no one can be in genuine truths from good unless in heart he acknowledges the Lord alone as the God of heaven and earth, for from Him is every good and thence every truth. The spiritual sense of the Word is at this day opened, and therewith also genuine truths and goods are disclosed, because the Last Judgment has been accomplished by the Lord, and thus all things in the heavens and in the hells have been reduced to order; and for this reason it can be provided by the Lord that no harm can be done to genuine truths and goods, which are in the spiritual sense of the Word, and this could not have been provided before (See in the small work on The Last Judgment 73).

[4] That "wine" signifies spiritual good, or the good of charity and the good of faith, which in its essence is truth, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:

Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no silver; come ye, buy and eat; buy wine and milk without silver and without price (Isaiah 55:1).

Anyone can see that this does not mean that wine and milk may be bought without silver, "wine and milk" therefore signify things spiritual, namely, "wine" spiritual good, which in its essence is truth, as was said above, but "milk" the good of that truth. That these are given by the Lord freely to those who are ignorant of truth and good, and yet in a desire for these, is signified by "he that hath no silver, come ye, buy and eat; buy without silver;" "to buy" signifies to acquire for oneself, and "to eat" signifies to make one's own, which is done by application as from oneself. Those who are ignorant of truth and good, and yet are in a desire for them, are evidently meant, for it is said, "Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters," "to thirst" signifying to desire, and "waters" signifying truths, here the Word where truths are.

[5] In Joel:

It shall come to pass in that day, the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk; all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters (Joel 3:18).

This treats of the Lord's coming, and of the new heaven and the new church from Him. It is well known that the mountains in the land of Canaan, or in Judea, did not then drop down sweet wine, nor the hills flow with milk, nor the water-courses of Judah flow with waters more than before, therefore these words must mean something else than new wine, milk, and waters, or than mountains, hills, and water-courses, namely, "that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine" [mustum] or wine [vinum], means that from the good of love to the Lord there shall be genuine truth; "the hills shall flow with milk" means that from the good of charity towards the neighbor there shall be spiritual life; and "all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters" means that from the particulars of the Word there shall be truths. (For "Judah" signifies the Lord's celestial kingdom, and also the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 3881[1-11], 6363; therefore "its water-courses" signify the particulars of the Word; that "mountains" signify the good of love to the Lord, n. Arcana Coelestia 795, 4210, 6435, 8327, 8758, 10438, 10608; and "hills" the good of charity towards the neighbor, n. 6435, 10438; and this because in heaven those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, and those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor dwell upon hills, n. Arcana Coelestia 10438, and Heaven and Hell, n. 188.)

[6] In Amos:

Behold the days come, that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that draweth forth seed; and the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and all the hills shall dissolve. I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities; and they shall inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof, and they shall make gardens and eat the fruit of them. Then will I plant them upon their ground (Amos 9:13-15).

This chapter treats first of the vastation of the church, and then of its restoration by the Lord; and "the people Israel" do not mean that people, but those with whom the church was to be established; and "the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that draweth forth the seed," signifies that he who receives good and truth shall also perform uses, or bear fruit, thus that with the man of the church the two shall be present at the same time; "the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and all the hills shall dissolve," signifies, as just above, that from the good of love to the Lord and from the good of charity towards the neighbor there shall be truths in abundance, "sweet wine" here, or "wine," meaning truth; that "the captivity of the people Israel shall be brought back" signifies the restoration of the church among the Gentiles, for "captivity" means spiritual captivity, in which those are who are remote from goods and truths, and yet in a desire for them (See Arcana Coelestia 9164). "The waste cities that they shall build" signify the doctrinals of truth and good from the Word, before destroyed and at that time to be restored; "the vineyards which they shall plant," and "the wine of which they shall drink," signify all things of the church from which there is intelligence, "a vineyard" signifies the spiritual church, and therefore "vineyards" signify all things of the church; "wine" signifies the truth of the church in general, and "to drink it" signifies to be instructed and become intelligent, thus intelligence; and "the gardens which they shall make, and the fruit of which they shall eat," signifies wisdom, "gardens" meaning all things of intelligence, and their "fruit" signifying the goods of life, thus "to eat their fruit" signifies the appropriation of good, thus wisdom, for wisdom comes when truths are committed to the life; and because this is what is meant, therefore it is said of Israel, "I will plant them upon their ground."

[7] In Moses:

He bindeth his foal to the vine, the son of his she-ass unto the noble vine; he washeth his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of the grapes. His eyes are red with wine, and his teeth white with milk (Genesis 49:1, 12).

This is in the prophecy of Israel the father respecting Judah, by whom here Judah is not meant, but the Lord in relation to the celestial kingdom; and "wine" and the "blood of grapes" mean the Divine truth. (What the rest signifies, and that "wine" signifies Divine truth, because this has reference to the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia 6375-6381.)

[8] In the same:

Jacob brought of his venison to his father Isaac, and he did eat; and he brought him wine, and he drank. And Isaac blessed him, saying, God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatnesses of the earth, and plenty of corn and new wine (Genesis 27:25, 27-28, 37).

Those who do not know that the Word is spiritual in its particulars may suppose that by "Isaac" here is meant Isaac, and by "Jacob" Jacob, and therefore that by "the fatnesses of the earth," and "the corn and new wine," no other and deeper things are meant; but "Isaac" here represents the Lord, and "Jacob" the church; thence the "fatnesses of the earth" mean the celestial things that are of the good of love; and "corn and new wine" every good and truth of the church. (But these words may also be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia n. 3570, 3579, 3580.)

[9] In the same:

If ye shall harken to My commandments, I will give rain to your land in its time, the former rain and the latter rain; and thou shall gather in thy corn, and thy new wine, and thy fresh oil (Deuteronomy 11:13-14).

These blessings of the earth were promised to the sons of Israel if they would hear and do the commandments of Jehovah, and the blessings followed because with them the church was representative, and the things that were said and commanded by Jehovah corresponded to things spiritual, thus these blessings of the earth to the blessings of heaven. The blessings of heaven, to which the blessings of the earth correspond, all have reference to the things that are of the good of love and the truth of faith; these blessings therefore are signified by "the former rain and the latter rain," for "rain" in particular signifies Divine truth flowing in out of heaven, from which all things of the church and heaven with man are born, grow, and are brought forth; therefore "the corn, new wine, and oil, which they should gather in," signify every good and truth of the external and internal man.

[10] In the same:

Thus Israel dwelt securely, alone by the fountain of Jacob, in a land of corn and new wine; yea, his heavens shall drop down dew (Deuteronomy 33:28).

This was the conclusion of the blessings of the sons of Israel by Moses, which were all prophetical, and every son or every tribe of Israel signified something of the church (as in Genesis 49); and here "Israel" signifies the church itself; and "to dwell securely, alone by the fountain of Jacob," signifies to live without infestation from evils and falsities, and to be led by the Lord alone through Divine truth, the "fountain of Jacob" meaning Divine truth and the Word; and "to live in a land of corn and new wine" signifies in every good and truth of the church; and "yea, his heavens shall drop down dew," signifies influx out of heaven.

[11] In the same:

He made him ride upon the high places of the earth, and gave him butter of the herd, and milk of the flock, with the fat of lambs, and of rams, the sons of Bashan, and of he-goats, with the fat of the kidneys of wheat; and thou drinkest the blood of the grape, unmixed wine (Deuteronomy 32:13-14).

These things are said of the Ancient Church, which was the church previous to the Israelitish Church, and was in the good of charity and in truths of faith. The goods of every kind, in which it was, are meant by these things, namely, the "butter of the herd," the "milk of the flock," "the fat of lambs," "the fat of rams," "the fat of goats," "the fat of the kidneys of wheat;" and spiritual truths are meant by "the blood of the grape" and "unmixed wine."

[12] In Jeremiah:

They shall come and sing aloud in the height of Zion, and shall flow together unto the good of Jehovah, to the corn, and to the new wine, and to the fresh oil, and to the sons of the flock and of the herd (Jeremiah 31:12).

"Corn," "new wine," and "fresh oil," signify goods and truth of every kind (what these mean in particular, see above, n. 374). In Isaiah:

Jehovah hath sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength, Surely I will no longer give thy corn to be food for thine enemies, and the sons of the alien shall not drink thy new wine for which thou hast labored; but they that gather it shall eat it and praise Jehovah, and they that bring it together shall drink it in the courts of holiness (Isaiah 62:8-9).

This is said of Jerusalem, which signifies the church in relation to doctrine; therefore "the corn that shall no longer be given as food for the enemies, and the new wine that the sons of the alien shall not drink" signify in general the good and truth of the church, which shall no longer be consumed by evils and falsities; "enemies" here meaning evils, and "the sons of the alien" falsities, and "to eat," or "to have food given them," and "to drink," mean to consume. That goods and truths will remain with those who receive them, and thence make use of them, is signified by "they that gather it shall eat it," and "they that bring it together shall drink it;" worship from these is signified by "praising Jehovah," and "drinking in the courts of holiness."

[13] In the same:

Gladness is taken away, and exultation from Carmel; and in the vineyards there is no singing aloud, no shouting for joy; the treader treadeth not out the wine in the wine-vats; I have made the vintage-shouting to cease (Isaiah 16:10).

This describes the taking away of the heavenly enjoyment that is from good and its truths, because good and truth itself is taken away; the good of the church is meant by "Carmel," and its truths by "vineyards" and by "treading out the wine in the wine-vats;" the enjoyments thereof that are taken away are meant by "gladness," "exultation," "singing aloud," "shouting," and "vintage-shouting," for it was a custom to sing in the vineyards, and in the winepresses when the grape was trodden into wine, that enjoyments from truths, which were signified by "wine," might be represented.

[14] In Jeremiah:

With more than the weeping of Jazer I will weep for thee, O vine of Sibmah; thy shoots are passed over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer; upon thy autumn fruits, and upon thy vintage the devastator is fallen. Whence gladness and exultation is gathered out of Carmel, and out of the land of Moab; and I have caused the wine to cease in the wine-vats; none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting (Jeremiah 48:32-33).

This also treats of the taking away of the heavenly enjoyment that is from the good of love and the truths thence, for all heavenly enjoyment is in these and from these. Lamentation over it is meant by "weeping" [flere fletum]; deprivation of it is meant by "gladness and exultation is gathered out of Carmel," likewise by "the devastator falling upon it," "the wine failing," and "the shouting being no shouting;" the good that was taken away, for which there was lamentation, is meant by "the autumn fruits;" and the truths of good that were taken away are meant by "the vintage," and by "the wine in the wine-vats." That truths were banished, and that they perished through knowledges [scientifica] is meant by "the vine of Sibmah," and by its "shoots that have gone over the sea, even to the sea of Jazer," "sea" signifying the knowing faculty [scientificum].

[15] In Lamentations:

The infant and the suckling faint in the broad places of the city. They say to their mothers, Where is the corn and the wine? when they faint as one pierced in the broad places of the city, when their soul is poured out upon their mother's bosom (Lam. 2:11-12).

These words contain a lamentation over the Jewish Church, that every good and truth thereof has perished; and the lamentation is described by "the infant and the suckling who faint in the broad places of the city, and say to their mothers, Where is the corn and the wine?" The "infant and the suckling" signify those who are in the good of innocence, and in an abstract sense, the good of innocence itself; by this good every good of the church is meant, since it is the essential of all its goods (See in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 276-283, 285, 288, 341, 382). "The broad places of the city" signify the truths of doctrine; "mothers" all things of the church; "corn and wine" all the good and truth of the church in general. It is said that "they faint as one pierced in the broad places of the city, when their soul is poured out upon their mother's bosom," because "one pierced" signifies those who perish spiritually from the deprivation of truth, and "soul" signifies spiritual life. (That "the broad places of the city, in which they faint," signify the truths of doctrine, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2336; and that "the mother, into whose bosom the soul is poured out," signifies the church, n. 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, 8897)

[16] In Zephaniah:

Their wealth shall be for plunder, and their houses for a waste, that they may build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but not drink the wine thereof (Zephaniah 1:13).

The "wealth that shall be for plunder" signifies spiritual wealth, which is the knowledges of good and truth; "the houses that shall be for devastation" signify the things of the church in man; that from these when devastated one profits nothing and receives nothing, even though he listens to them, and sees them in the Word, is signified by "building and not inhabiting, and planting vineyards and not drinking the wine thereof," "houses" meaning the goods of the church, and "vineyards" with "wine" its truths.

[17] Like things are meant in Micah:

Thou shalt sow but shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olive but shalt not anoint thee with oil, and the new wine but shall not drink wine (Micah 6:15).

In Amos:

Vineyards of desire shall ye plant, but ye shall not drink the wine of them (Amos 5:11).

And in Hosea:

The threshing-floor and the wine-vat shall not feed them, and the new wine shall dissemble unto them. They shall not pour forth wine to Jehovah, and these shall not be agreeable unto Him (Hosea 9:2, 4).

The "threshing-floor and the wine-vat" signify the same as "corn and wine," because corn and wine are there collected; that they will not profit by what they hear is signified by "they shall not feed them, and the new wine shall dissemble unto them;" and that thence their worship is not accepted is signified by "they shall not pour forth wine to Jehovah, and these (that is, the offerings) shall not be agreeable unto Him."

[18] In Joel:

Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine which is cut off from your mouth. The field is devastated, the ground mourned, for the corn was devastated, the new wine was dried up, the fresh oil languisheth; the husbandmen were ashamed; the vine-dressers howled (Joel 1:5, 10-11).

What these words signify in the spiritual sense, may be seen above n. 374, where they are explained; "wine" and "sweet wine" meaning the truth of the church, and "vine-dressers" those who are in truths and teach them. This treats of a devastated church, in which goods and truths have perished.

[19] In Ezekiel:

Damascus was thy trader in the multitude of thy works, in the multitude of all riches, in the wine of Heshbon ¹ and the wool of Zachar (Ezekiel 27:18).

This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in relation to the knowledges of good and truth; and "Damascus," which was a city in Syria, signifies the concordant knowing faculty [scientificum]; and the "tradings" referred to in this chapter signify the acquisition and communication and also the use of these. Because "Damascus" signifies the concordant knowing faculty, it is called a "trader in the multitude of all works and riches," "works" by which uses are effected, signifying the knowledges of good, and "riches" the knowledges of truth; and as the knowledges of truth and good are in the natural man, for therein is everything pertaining to cognition and knowing that is perceptible, therefore it is said "in the wine of Heshbon and the wool of Zachar," the "wine of Heshbon" signifying natural truth, and the "wool of Zachar" natural good.

[20] In Isaiah:

A malediction shall devour the earth; the new wine shall mourn, the vine shall languish, all the glad of heart shall sigh. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. The city of voidness shall be broken down; every house shall be shut, that no one come in (Isaiah 24:6-7, 9-10).

These words describe the perversion of the church, which takes place when falsity rules in place of truth, whence there is no longer any good; for man has good by means of truths. "The earth that the malediction will devour" signifies the church, "malediction" meaning its perversion; the "new wine that will mourn," and the "vine that will languish," signify all truth of the church, "to mourn" and "to languish" signifying deprivation of it; that there shall no longer be any heavenly enjoyment and blessedness is signified by "all the glad of heart shall sigh, they shall not drink wine with a song;" that they shall turn away from all things that agree with truths is signified by "strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it," "strong drink" signifying the things that are from truths and agree with them. But that the doctrine of falsity shall be destroyed is signified by "the city of voidness shall be broken down," "city" meaning doctrine, and "a void" falsity; and that there shall no longer be any good or wisdom with man is signified by "every house shall be shut, that no one come in," which takes place when there is no truth, but only falsity.

[21] In Amos:

Who drink out of bowls of wine, and anoint themselves with the firstfruits of the oils; but they are not grieved for the breach of Joseph (Amos 6:6).

This and what precedes in that chapter describes those who are in external worship without internal, such as the Jews were formerly and still are; the "bowls of wine out of which they drink" are the externals of truth from which is worship; and the "firstfruits of the oils with which they anoint themselves" are the externals of good, from which also is worship; "Joseph" signifies the internal of the church or its spiritual; not being affected because this perishes is signified by "they are not grieved for his breach." (That external worship without internal is no worship, see Arcana Coelestia 1094, 1175, 7724; that the Jews were formerly and still are in external worship without internal, n. 1200, 3147, 3479, 8871; that "Joseph" signifies the spiritual church, thus also the spiritual of the church, n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417)

[22] In Zechariah:

I will render the house of Judah mighty and I will save the house of Joseph; on this account they shall be as the mighty Ephraim, and their heart shall be glad as if with wine (Zechariah 10:6-7).

"The house of Judah" signifies the Lord's celestial church, and the "house of Joseph" the Lord's spiritual church; and "to render mighty their houses" signifies to multiply with them truths from good, for all might is of truth from good; therefore it is said, "they shall be as the mighty Ephraim;" "Ephraim" signifying the understanding of truth from good, which is called mighty from its multiplication; heavenly enjoyment therefrom is signified by "their heart shall be glad as if with wine," "wine" meaning truth from good from which that enjoyment comes. (That truths have all power from good, see in the work o n Heaven and Hell 228-233; and also above, n. 209, 333; that "Judah" in the Word signifies the Lord's celestial kingdom, Arcana Coelestia 3881[1-11], 6363; and "Ephraim" the intellectual of the church, n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296.)

[23] In Daniel:

Belshazzar king of Babylon, and his magnates, and his wives, and his concubines, drank wine out of vessels of the temple of Jerusalem, and praised the gods of silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. Therefore there was written on the wall, Numbered, weighed, and divided. And then he [Nebuchadnezzar] was driven out from the sons of man, and his dwelling was with the wild asses (Daniel 5:2-5, 21).

In the internal sense this describes the profanation of good and truth, which also is meant by "Babel" or "Babylon;" for "to drink wine out of the vessels of the temple of Jerusalem" signifies to draw the truths of the church from the Word, "to drink wine" meaning to draw truths, and "the vessels of the temple of Jerusalem" meaning the truths that belong to the doctrine of the church from the Word; and "to praise the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone" signifies worship from the love of self and the world; for these gods signify idolatrous worship of every kind, and profanation; that it was therefore written on the wall, "numbered, weighed, divided" signifies separation from all things of heaven and the church. That afterwards "the king was driven out from the sons of man, and his dwelling was with the wild asses" signifies separation from all truth, and the allotment of his life with the infernals, "sons of man" meaning the truths of the church, "wild asses" those who are in dire falsities like those in the hells, and "dwelling" meaning the allotment of the life.

[24] In Joel:

They have cast a lot upon My people; for they have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, which they drank (Joel 3:3).

"To cast lots upon the people" signifies to dissipate the truths of the church, "to cast a lot" signifying to dissipate, and "people" signifying the church in relation to truths, thus also the truths of the church; "to give a boy for a harlot" signifies to falsify truth, "boy" meaning the truth of the church, and "harlot" falsity; and "to sell a girl for wine, which they drank" signifies to pervert the good of the church by truth falsified, "girl" meaning the good of the church, and "wine" truth falsified.

[25] Because "wine" signified the truth of the church that is from good, it was commanded that, with the sacrifices upon the altar, a meal-offering and a drink-offering should be offered, and the meal-offering was bread, and the drink-offering wine; these signified worship of the Lord from the good of love, and from the truths therefrom; for all worship is from these. (On the drink-offerings, the portions of wine with them at the different sacrifices, see Exodus 29:40, 41; Leviticus 23:13, 18; Numbers 6:1-4, 15, 17; 15:4-7, 10, 24; 28:7-10, 24, 31; 29:6, 11, 16, 19, 22, 25, 27, 28, 31, 34, 38, 39; and besides Genesis 35:14) This makes clear what is signified in Joel:

The meal-offering and the drink-offering was cut off from the house of Jehovah; the priests, the ministers (of the altar), mourned (Joel 1:9);

namely, that worship from the good of love, and from the truths therefrom, had perished. Who cannot see that the meal-offering and the drink-offering, which were bread and wine, were not pleasing to Jehovah in worship, unless they had signified such things as are of heaven and the church?

[26] From this it can now be seen what the bread and wine in the Holy Supper involve, namely, the bread, the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and the wine, the good of faith, which in its essence is truth. (But on the Holy Supper and the bread and wine of it, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 210-222.) Because "wine" signifies the good of faith, which in its essence is truth, when the Lord instituted the sacrament of the supper, He said:

I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this product of the vine until that day when I will drink it with you new in My Father's kingdom (Matthew 26:29).

I say unto you, I will not drink of the product of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come (Luke 22:18).

"The product of the vine," that is, "wine," which the Lord "would drink with them new in His Father's kingdom," or "when the kingdom of God should come," means that all Divine truth in heaven and the church would then be from His Divine Human; He therefore calls it "new," and also He calls it "the new testament in his blood" (Luke 22:20); for "the Lord's blood" has a like signification as "wine" (See above, n. 30, 328, 329). And as everything Divine, since the Lord has risen, proceeds from Him, He says that He will drink it with them when the kingdom of God shall come, and it came when He reduced all things to order in the heavens and in the hells. That the kingdom of God came at the same time with the Lord and that it is from Him can be seen from Matthew 3:2; 4:8; 10:7; 12:28; 16:28; Mark 1:14, 15; 9:1; Luke 1:32, 33; 9:11, 27, 60; 10:11; 16:16; 17:20, 21; 23:42, 51; John 18:36. Now, because "bread" signifies the good of love, and "wine" the good of faith, which in its essence is the truth from that good, and in the highest sense, "bread" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine good, and "wine" the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and because there is a correspondence between spiritual things and natural, (and such a correspondence that when "bread" and "wine" are in man's thought, the good of love and the good of faith are in the angels' thoughts), and because all things of heaven and the church have reference to the good of love and the good of faith, therefore the Lord instituted the Holy Supper in order that by means of it there might be a conjunction of the angels of heaven with the men of the church.

[27] Because such things are meant by "bread and wine" in heaven, therefore:

Melchizedek, king of Salem, going out to meet Abram, brought out bread and wine; and he was a priest to God Most High. And he blessed Abram (Genesis 14:18-19).

"Melchizedek" here represents the Lord in relation to Divine good and in relation to Divine truth, as priest in relation to Divine good, and as king to Divine truth; therefore he "brought out bread and wine," "bread" signifying Divine good, and "wine" Divine truth; or when applied to man, "bread" signifying the good of love to the Lord, and "wine" the good of faith, which is from the reception of Divine truth.

[28] The "wine" spoken of by the Lord in the following passages has a like signification:

They do not put new wine into old wine-skins, else the skins burst, and the wine is spilled; but they put [new] wine into fresh wine-skins, and both are preserved (Matthew 9:17).

And no man having drunk old wine straightway desireth new; for he saith, The old is more useful (Luke 5:39).

This comparison, like all others in the Word, is from correspondences, "wine" signifying truth, "old wine" the truth of the old or Jewish Church, and "wine-skins" things that contain, "old wine-skins" the statutes and judgments of the Jewish Church, and "fresh wine-skins" the precepts and commandments of the Lord. That the statutes and judgments of the Jewish Church, which related especially to sacrifices and representative worship, are not in agreement with the truths of the Christian Church is meant by "they do not put new wine into old wine-skins, else the wine-skins burst and the wine is spilled; but they put [new] wine into fresh wine-skins, and both are preserved together." That those who have been born and educated in the externals of the Jewish Church cannot be brought immediately into the internals belonging to the Christian Church is signified by "no man having drunk old wine straightway desireth new; for he saith, "The old is more useful."

[29] The same is signified by "the water turned into wine at Cana of Galilee," thus described in John:

At the wedding in Cana of Galilee, when the wine failed, there were six water-pots of stone set there, according to the cleansing of the Jews. Jesus said, Fill the water-pots; and they filled them to the brim. Then he said unto them Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast; and they bare it. While the ruler of the feast tasted the water that was made wine, he calleth the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when they have had enough, the inferior; thou hast kept the good wine until now (John 2:1-10).

It should be known that all the miracles done by the Lord, as well as all the miracles by Him spoken of in the Old Testament, signified, that is, contained within them, such things as belong to heaven and the church, and that thence His miracles were Divine (See Arcana Coelestia 7337, 8364, 9051). So with this miracle; here, as elsewhere in the Word, "a wedding" signifies the church; "in Cana of Galilee" means among the Gentiles; "water" the truth of the external church, such as was the truth of the Jewish Church from the sense of the letter of the Word, and "wine" the truth of the internal church, such as is the truth of the Christian Church; therefore the Lord's "making the water wine" signifies that of the truths of the external church He will make truths of the internal church by opening the internal things that have lain concealed in them. "The six water-pots of stone, set there according to the cleansing of the Jews," signify all these truths in the Word, and thence in the Jewish Church and its worship; these were all representative and significative of things Divine in the Lord and from the Lord, which contained things eternal. For this reason there were "six water-pots of stone, set for the cleansing of the Jews;" the number "six" signifies all, and is predicated of truths; "stone" signifies truth, and "the cleansing of the Jews" purification from sins; thus all things of the Jewish Church are signified, since that church regards purification from sins as its all, for so far as anyone is purified from sins, so far he becomes a church. "The ruler of the feast" means those who are in the knowledges of truth; his saying to the bridegroom, "every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have had enough, the inferior; thou hast kept the good wine until now," signifies that every church has its beginning in truths from good, but falls away into truths not of good, but that now, at the end of the church, truth from good, or genuine truth, is granted, namely by the Lord.

[30] It is because "wine" signifies the truth of the church, and "oil" the good of the church, that the Lord says, in the parable of the man who was wounded by thieves:

That the Samaritan poured oil and wine into his wounds (Luke 10:33-34);

where "the man wounded by thieves" means those who are infested and have their conscience hurt by evil men, who are "robbers;" and "the Samaritan" means the Gentiles that are in the good of charity; therefore "his pouring into his wounds oil and wine" signifies the spiritual things that heal a man thus injured, "oil" meaning the good of love, and "wine" the good of faith, or truth. What the rest signifies, namely, "that he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and told them to take care of him," may be seen above (n. 375[8]), where they are explained. That "wine" signifies the truth of the church can be seen not only from the passages cited, but also from others in the Word (as Isaiah 1:21, 22; 25:6; 36:17; Hosea 7:4, 5, 14; 14:5-7; Amos 2:8; Zechariah 9:15, 17; Psalms 104:14-16).

[31] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so, too, has "wine," and in that sense it signifies truth falsified, and also falsity, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, to the flower of his fading adornment, which is on the head of the valley of the fat ones frenzied with wine; the crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, they shall be trampled under the feet; these go astray through wine, and through strong drink they err; the priest and the prophet go astray through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they err through wine, ² they go astray among the seeing, they waver in judgment (Isaiah 28:1, 3, 7).

This is said of those who are insane in things spiritual because they believe themselves to be intelligent of themselves, and glory in it; the state of such is here described by pure correspondences; those who are insane in things spiritual or in truths are meant by "the drunkards," and those who thence believe themselves intelligent by "Ephraim," and hence glorying in intelligence or learning is meant by the "crown of pride;" for those who are in falsities of doctrine and have confirmed themselves in them, when they are illustrated and see truths, in the other life become like drunkards. The learned who have confirmed themselves in falsities become such, and to confirm oneself in falsities is to confirm from oneself and not from the Lord. This makes clear what is signified by "woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim;" "the flower of the fading adornment that is on the head of the valley of the fat ones frenzied with wine" signifies the truth of the church destroyed even as it is born by the glorying of the self-intelligence that is of the natural man separated from the spiritual, when falsity is seen instead of truth, "the flower of the adornment" meaning truth as it is born declining or perished; "the head of the valley of the fat ones" means the intelligence of the natural man; "frenzied with wine" means those who see falsity in place of truth; "the crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, they shall be trampled under the feet," signifies that this intelligence shall utterly perish; "these go astray through wine, and through strong drink they err," signifies through falsities and through such things as are from falsities; "the priest and the prophet go astray through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are gone astray through strong drink," signifies that such are those who ought to be in the doctrine of good and truth, and in a sense abstracted from persons that such is their doctrine itself; "they go astray among the seeing, they waver in judgment," signifies that they do not see the truths of intelligence. That these words have such a signification no one can see except from the spiritual sense; without that it could not be known that "crown" and "head" signify intelligence, that "drunkards" signify those who are insane in things spiritual, that "Ephraim" signifies here man's own understanding, or that which is from himself, that "valley" signifies the lower things of the mind, which are natural and sensual, and that "priest and prophet" signify the doctrine of good and truth.

[32] In the same:

Linger ye, wonder, be astounded, and cry out; they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink; for Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed up your eyes; the prophets and your heads, the seers hath He covered (Isaiah 29:9-10).

This is said of those who can see nothing of truth when they hear or read it from the Word; those who are such are called "drunken but not with wine," and "they stagger, but not with strong drink," "wine" signifying in particular the truth of the spiritual and thus of the rational man, and "strong drink" the truth of the natural man therefrom. Because such are meant it is said, "Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed up your eyes," "the spirit of deep sleep" meaning no perception, and the "eyes closed up" no understanding. "The prophets and your heads [the seers] hath He covered," signifies those who are in the doctrine of truth and were wise and intelligent thence; "prophets" signify those who are in the doctrine of truth, and in an abstract sense, doctrine itself, "heads" signify the wise, and in an abstract sense, wisdom, and "seers" signify the intelligent, and in an abstract sense, intelligence. Wonder at such gross stupidity is described by "Linger ye, wonder, be astounded," and lamentation over it by "cry out." Such are those who are in a life of evil, and at the same time in the principles of falsity, however learned they are believed to be; for a life of evil shuts out the perception of good by which thought has life and light, and the principles of falsity shut out the understanding of truth, on which account they see from the sensual man only, and not at all from the spiritual.

[33] In the same:

The dogs are strong of soul, they know not satiety; and they are shepherds who know not intelligence. Come, I will take wine and we will be drunk with strong drink (Isaiah 56:11-12).

This is said of those who care for nothing but worldly and earthly things, which close the internal spiritual man. These, from having no perception of good and no understanding of truth, are called "dogs strong of soul, they know not satiety," that is, they are unable to receive good, "to know" here signifies to be able, and "satiety" reception of good, for satiety is predicated of food, by which spiritual nourishment is signified. That they have no understanding of truth is meant by "they are shepherds who know not intelligence;" those are called "shepherds" who believe themselves able to instruct others, for "to feed" means to instruct; and because such persons love falsities and things falsified, it is added, "Come, I will take wine, and we will be drunk with strong drink."

[34] In Jeremiah:

Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine. Behold I fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings sitting for David upon his throne, and the priests and the prophets, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness (Jeremiah 13:12-13).

Here, too, "wine" signifies falsity, and "every bottle that shall be filled with wine" signifies the mind of man, since the mind is a recipient of truth or of falsity, as a bottle is of wine; "the kings sitting for David upon his throne" signify those who would otherwise be in Divine truths, "priests" those who would be in Divine goods, "prophets," those who would be in doctrine, "the inhabitants of Jerusalem" all who are of the church; and "the drunkenness with which they shall be filled" signifies insanity in spiritual things.

[35] In the same:

I am become like a drunkard, and like a man into whom wine hath passed, because of Jehovah, and because of the words of His Holiness. For the land is full of adulterers (Jeremiah 23:9-10).

This is a lamentation over the adulteration of good and falsification of truth in the church, which is signified by "the land is full of adulterers;" these are meant by "adulteries," and the church by "land." Insanity in spiritual things through reasonings from evils against Divine goods and from falsities against Divine truth is signified by, "I am become like a drunkard, and like a man into whom wine has passed, because of Jehovah, and because of the words of His Holiness;" "to become like a drunkard and like a man into whom wine hath passed" signifies confusion of mind and insanity by reasoning from evils and falsities; "because of Jehovah" signifies because of Divine goods, and "because of the words of his holiness" signifies because of Divine truths.

[36] In Isaiah:

Hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken but not with wine (Isaiah 51:21).

The "drunken but not with wine," mean here those who are in falsities from ignorance of truth. That:

Noah drank of the wine and was drunken, and therefore lay naked in the midst of his tent (Genesis 9:21);

means in the spiritual sense, something entirely different from the meaning in the letter; likewise:

Lot's being made drunken by his daughters, and their then lying with him (Genesis 19:32-34).

What is meant by the drunkenness of Noah in the spiritual sense may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 1070-1081); and what by the drunkenness of Lot (n. 2465 end). "Drunkenness" also elsewhere in the Word signifies insanity in spiritual things, and lapsing into errors (Isaiah 19:11, 12, 14; Jeremiah 25:27; Joel 1:5-7; Jeremiah 51:7; Leviticus 10:8, 9).

[37] That "wine" in a contrary sense signifies falsity, is also evident from Isaiah:

Woe unto them that rise early in the morning, that follow strong drink; to them that delay until twilight till wine inflames them. But they do not look upon the work of Jehovah, and they see not the working of His hands. Woe to the wise in their own eyes, and the intelligent before their own faces. Woe unto the mighty in drinking wine, and to men of strength to mingle strong drink (Isaiah 5:11-12, 21-22).

This is said of those who frame for themselves doctrinals from self-intelligence not from the Lord, or from Him out of the Word, which consequently are mere falsities. "Woe unto them who rise early in the morning, who follow strong drink, to them who delay until twilight till wine inflame them; but they do not look upon the work of Jehovah, and they see not the working of His hands" signifies therefore the perverted states of those who believe that they are illustrated of themselves, whence they are in falsities of doctrine, and care not for the Word, from which they might know goods and truths of life and of doctrine. "To rise early in the morning," and "to delay until twilight" signifies to be illustrated; and "to follow strong drink," and "to be inflamed with wine" signifies to hatch out doctrinals of themselves; "not to look upon the work of Jehovah," and "not to see the working of His hands" signifies not to care for the Word, or the goods of life and the truths of doctrine there disclosed; "the work of Jehovah" is predicated of the goods of life, and "the working of His hands" of the truths of doctrine, both from the Word; because such persons are meant, therefore it is said, "Woe to the wise in their own eyes, and the intelligent before their own faces;" "the wise in their own eyes" signifying those who are wise from their own intelligence, and "the intelligent before their own faces" signifying those who are intelligent from their own affection, "eyes" signifying the understanding, and "face" affection. And "woe unto the mighty in drinking wine, and to men of strength to mingle strong drink," signifies unto such as aspire after great things, and are ingenious in confirming the falsities that favor the loves of self and their own principles; "the mighty" are those who aspire to great things; "men of strength" those who are ingenious, and seem to themselves to be intelligent; "to drink wine" means to imbibe falsities, and "to mingle strong drink" means to confirm them. Such are all those who are in the love of self, and who seek after the reputation for learning, for such are in what is their own, and cannot be elevated above it; therefore their own thought is in the corporeal sensual, by which no truth is seen, and no spiritual good is perceived. But those who are not in the love of self, and who seek intelligence for the sake of the uses of life, are elevated by the Lord from what is their own into the light of heaven, and though not themselves aware of it, are illustrated.

[38] In Hosea:

Whoredom and new wine have taken up the heart. My people ask the wood, and their rod answereth them; for the spirit of whoredom hath led them astray, and they have committed whoredom under their God. Ephraim is joined to idols; their wine is gone; in whoring they commit whoredom (Hosea 4:11-12, 17-18).

This treats of those who falsify truths; the falsification of truth is signified by "whoredom," and the falsity therefrom by "new wine." This makes clear what is signified by "whoredom and new wine have taken up the heart; the spirit of whoredoms hath seduced them, they have committed whoredom under their God, and the wine hath departed, in whoring they commit whoredom," namely, that such falsify Divine truths, and consequently have no truth at all, "to commit whoredom under their God" signifies to falsify Divine truths, and "the wine hath departed" signifies that consequently they have no truth at all; "Ephraim, who is joined to idols" signifies those who are in self-intelligence, and the "idols to which he is joined" signify the falsities of religion. "My people ask the wood, and their rod answereth them" signifies that they consult their self-love, and favor it from self-intelligence; for "wood" or an idol of wood, which they ask, signifies self-love, and "the rod that answers" signifies power from what is one's own, thus intelligence.

[39] In Revelation:

Babylon is fallen is fallen, the great city, because of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom she hath made all nations to drink. If anyone worshipeth the beast he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which hath been mingled unmixed in the cup of the anger [of God]; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone (Revelation 14:8-10);

I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed whoredom, and they that dwell in the earth were made drunk from the wine of her whoredom (Revelation 17:1-2).

For of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom have all nations drunk, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom with her (Revelation 18:3).

"The wine of the anger of God" signifies the falsity of evil, and "the wine of whoredom" signifies truth falsified; what the rest means will appear in the explanation of it, likewise what these words mean in Revelation:

Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the wrath of God's anger (Revelation 16:19);

"The wine of God's anger" having the same meaning as "the chalice, or cup, of God's anger."

[40] In Jeremiah:

Babylon hath been a cup of gold in the hand of Jehovah, making the whole earth drunken; the nations have drunk of her wine, therefore the nations are mad (Jeremiah 51:7).

And in David:

There is a cup in the hand of Jehovah, and He hath mingled the wine, hath filled it with mixture, and hath poured out; but the lees of it all the wicked of the earth shall suck out and drink (Psalms 75:8).

As the "meal-offering" and the "drink-offering," which were bread and wine, signify worship from the good of love and the truths of faith, so in a contrary sense, the "meal-offering" and "drink-offering" signify worship from the evils that are of the love of evil, and from the falsities of faith; this was signified by the "meal-offering" and "drink-offering" that were offered to idols and to the gods (Isaiah 57:6; 65:11; Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-19; Ezekiel 20:28; Deuteronomy 32:38). From the signification of "wine" it can be seen what "vineyard," "vine," its "branches," and "grapes" signify in the Word, namely, that "a vineyard" signifies the spiritual church, that is, the church that is in the truths and goods of doctrine from the Lord, "a vine" the doctrine itself, its "branches" truths from which doctrine is formed, and "the grapes" which are the fruit of vineyards and of vines, the goods of charity and the goods of faith (but of these elsewhere).

Footnotes: