Jesus Heals and Feeds

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1. Then came to Jesus the scribes and Pharisees who [were] from Jerusalem, saying,

2. “Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread.”

3. But He answering said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

4. For God commanded, saying, ‘honor thy father and mother; and he that speaks evil of father or mother, let him die the death.’

5. But you say, ‘whoever shall say to father or mother, [It is] a gift [to the temple], whatever thou mightest have profited by me’;

6. And he in no way honors his father or his mother. And you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.

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The scene now changes dramatically. In the previous chapter, Jesus miraculously fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish, walked on water, and healed the multitudes. In the closing words of that chapter, it is written that those who merely touched the hem of His garment “were made perfectly well” (14:36).

Now, as the next episode begins, we move from wonderful demonstrations of faith and miraculous healings among the receptive people of Galilee to confrontation and resistance among the rigid religious leaders who have come to Galilee from Jerusalem. Unmoved by the marvelous incidents surrounding Jesus’ ministry, the religious leaders can only focus on the most trivial details of tradition: “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?” they ask. “For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread” (15:2).

In the light of Jesus’ many miracles, their question misses the greater point. Did anybody really think about whether hands were washed during the incredible distribution of the bread and fish? The miracle itself was so awe-inspiring that everything else would have been overshadowed — including whether or not the disciples washed their hands before distributing food. The question of the religious leaders, therefore, seems extraordinarily petty. But it does reveal what is on their minds and in their hearts, that is, discrediting and criticizing Jesus.

“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?” say the religious leaders to Jesus. Jesus responds to their question with His own question. He says, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” And then He gives them a specific illustration of how they have been transgressing the commandments of God. Jesus begins this illustration by saying, “For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die’”(15:4).

Honoring father and mother, which includes caring for them in their old age, is one of the most central of the Ten Commandments. And yet, the religious leaders had managed to circumvent this command by making up their own law. According to their law, people would be released from caring for their parents if they dedicated their money and resources to the temple. They merely had to say to their parents, “Whatever support you might have received from me has been given to God” (15:5).

We need to keep in mind that there were no pension policies or retirement plans at that time, but there was a commandment about honoring one’s parents. The only insurance for people who were too old and too feeble to care for themselves was the support of their children. And yet, a mere tradition gave people religious permission to abandon their parents who would then have to fend for themselves. Rather than honoring their parents and caring for them in accordance with divine law, this tradition provided a religious loophole for avoiding a sacred responsibility.

The scheme worked well, especially because people had been persuaded to believe that they could buy their way into God’s favor by making generous offerings to the religious leaders. The temple, and the support of temple activities, even to the neglect of a suffering humanity, had become the focus and center of their religion. Maintaining the glory of the temple had become an end in itself. It had become the center of a blasphemous religion where the worship of power, profit, pleasure, and prestige had replaced the love of God and love of the neighbor. As Jesus puts it, “You have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition” (15:6).

Defilement Comes from Within

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7. Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, ‘saying,

8. This people is near to me with their mouth, and honors me with [their] lips, but their heart is far away from me,

9. And in vain do they serve Me, teaching teachings [which are] the precepts of men.’”

10. And calling the crowd, He said unto them, “Hear and understand.

11. Not that which enters into the mouth defiles the man, but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

12. Then His disciples coming said to Him, “Knowest Thou that the Pharisees, hearing the word, were offended?”

13. But He answering said, “Every planting which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted out.

14. Leave them; they are blind guides of the blind; and if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.”

15. And Peter answering said to Him, “Explain to us this parable.”

16. And Jesus said, “Are you also yet without understanding?

17. Do you not yet consider, that everything going into the mouth departs into the belly, and is cast out into the latrine?

18. But the things going out from the mouth come forth from the heart, and these defile man;

19. For out of the heart come forth evil reasonings, murders, adulteries, harlotries, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.

20. These are the [things] that defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands defiles not the man.”

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From Jesus’ perspective, the decision to make the traditions of men more important than the commandment of God is a form of blasphemy. Telling people that a donation to the temple would absolve them from the responsibility of caring for elderly parents was certainly a distortion of the commandment that calls us to honor father and mother.

But there were other misleading teachings. For example, it was taught that people could purify themselves from internal evils by external washings. When Isaiah said, “Wash yourselves; purify yourselves; remove the evil of your doings” (Isaiah 1:16), these words were taken literally. If food were touched with unclean hands, the food was considered to be defiled, and whoever ate that food would be seen as a despised sinner. In this regard, eating with unclean hands was seen not merely as a useful hygienic practice, but as a religious obligation. In this way, a healthy tradition had become a religious law. ¹

Recognizing that the religious leaders were elevating their customs and traditions above the commandments of God, Jesus says to them, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’” (15:8-9). Then, further clarifying His point, Jesus says, “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person. It is what comes out of the mouth. This is what defiles a person” (15:11).

The disciples who are with Jesus at the time of this confrontation tell Him that the religious leaders are offended by these words. In response, Jesus tells them not to worry about the religious leaders or their false teachings. Because there is nothing divine in their man-made laws, their false doctrine cannot endure. As Jesus puts it, “Every planting which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted out.” Therefore, Jesus says, “Leave them; they are blind guides of the blind; and if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit” (15:13-14).

In other words, Jesus is telling His disciples to not worry about the offended religious leaders whose teachings do not come from God. Blinded by their own beliefs, the religious leaders cannot see the truth. Because of this, they have become blind leaders of the blind, leading themselves and others to destruction. As Jesus says, “They are blind guides of the blind; and if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.”

Peter, one of the disciples who is present at this confrontation, has learned that Jesus’ words always contain a more interior meaning. Therefore, he says to Jesus, “Explain this parable to us” (15:15). In response, Jesus says, “Whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies” (15:17-19).

Eating, digesting, and eliminating are natural, external functions. That which enters the mouth and is eliminated has nothing to do with our internal character. But there is an important correspondence between natural eating and spiritual eating. Just as food enters the mouth, thoughts enter the mind. It is at this point that we can decide to simply let those thoughts go, refusing to take them in. Or we can ruminate on them, digest them, and make them a part of us through our words and actions. It is in this regard that Jesus says. “Those things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.”

It is noteworthy that Jesus continues to remind the religious leaders of the Ten Commandments. They have already violated the commandment about honoring parents. Jesus now adds murder, adultery, thefts, and false witness — the exact order of the second table of the Ten Commandments. To this list he adds “evil thoughts” and “blasphemies.”

Jesus knows that the religious leaders despise Him, want to publicly discredit Him, and will eventually plan to destroy Him. These are the destructive intentions that Jesus is speaking about when He says, “These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man” (15:20). ²

A practical application

When Jesus says that defilement comes from within, He is urging us to look beyond physical actions to motives and intentions. While external actions are important, they should arise from internal motives that prioritize loving God and serving the neighbor over self-love and material gain. As a practical application, then, place your focus on internal cleansing. While washing your hands before eating is a useful, hygienic practice, cleansing your spirit before saying or doing anything is far more important. Therefore, before speaking or acting, examine your thoughts and intentions. It’s not just about washing your hands. It’s also about cleansing your spirit. ³

A Woman of Great Faith

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21. And Jesus, going out thence, departed into parts of Tyre and Sidon.

22. And behold, a woman of Canaan coming out of those borders cried out, saying to Him, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is badly demon-possessed.”

23. And He answered her not a word; and His disciples coming to Him, besought Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries after us.”

24. And He answering said, “I am not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

25. And she, coming, worshiped Him saying, “Lord, help me.”

26. And He answering said, “[It] is not good to take the children’s bread, and to cast [it] to little dogs.”

27. And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the table of their lords.”

28. Then Jesus answering said to her, “O woman, great [is] thy faith; be it unto thee as thou willest.” And her daughter was healed from that [very] hour.

29. And Jesus, passing on thence, came to the Sea of Galilee; and ascending into the mountain, He sat there.

30. And many crowds came to Him, having with themselves the lame, the blind, the mute, the maimed, and many others, and laid them down by the feet of Jesus; and He cured them,

31. So that the crowds marveled, seeing the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

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Throughout the gospel narratives, the arrogant, argumentative, disbelief of the religious leaders is held in stark contrast to the simple faith of the people who came to Jesus for healing. For some, they needed only to touch the hem of His garment, and they were made perfectly well. These simple believers, who had little theological training but great faith, lived in and around the region of Galilee, and were called “gentiles.”

The term, “gentile,” applied to anyone who was not a direct descendent of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel,” all of his descendants and their various tribes became known as “the children of Israel.” All others were considered non-Israelites. They were therefore “gentiles,” meaning “not a part of the clan.” In fact, the term “gentile” comes from the Latin word “gentilis” meaning “of a family,” “of a clan,” or “of a group of families.”

Originally, the Israelites treated the gentiles well and sometimes even granted them special privileges. However, over the course of time, gentiles came to be regarded as unclean and contemptible. The religious leaders in Jerusalem spoke of them as being heathen, as filthy dogs, as worshippers of “other gods,” and, therefore, as enemies of God’s people. So the term “gentile,” rather than simply meaning someone who was not a descendant of Israel, came to have a negative and derogatory connotation.

This was largely because the religious leaders in Jerusalem were zealous about protecting their faith, and anxious that it not be contaminated by heathen influences. They therefore taught and practiced a legalistic, exclusive lifestyle. Israelites were to have no association with the gentile nations or with gentiles lest they be corrupted by them.

This attitude, which was especially strong in and around Jerusalem, extended outward from that city. The further away people lived from Jerusalem, the greater the chances were that they would be considered “gentiles.” For example, although the region of Galilee is geographically in the land of Israel, it was nevertheless regarded as the “land of the gentiles” because it was seventy miles from Jerusalem.

In addition, many foreigners were attracted to the fertile region in and around Galilee, with its rich soil and abundant opportunities for fishing and farming. With so many foreigners living in Galilee, many of whom knew little or nothing about the God of Israel, the religious leaders in Jerusalem felt justified in referring to the people of Galilee as “gentiles.”

If the people of Galilee, which was in the land of Israel, were considered gentiles, much more so were the people from the regions of Tyre and Sidon, which were even further from Jerusalem. Tyre and Sidon were situated northwest of Galilee on the Mediterranean Sea, over one hundred miles from Jerusalem. Therefore, Tyre and Sidon, especially because they were not in the land of Israel, were most definitely regarded as being “the land of the gentiles.”

This is the region into which Jesus now goes as He resumes His journey. As it is written, “And Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon” (15:21). While He is there, a woman from that region cries out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. My daughter is severely demon-possessed” (15:22).

In the Word, mothers and daughters symbolize human affections and emotions. When it is written that the woman’s daughter is “severely demon-possessed,” it represents a state in which our affections and emotions are out of control. Although the woman is begging for help, Jesus does not immediately answer her. And the disciples say, “Send her away, for she cries out after us” (15:23). ⁴

The disciples are simple men who desire to follow Jesus’ instructions. Jesus has already commanded them not to go to the gentiles, or to enter the cities of the Samaritans. Instead, He has instructed them to go to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (10:5). Therefore, when they tell Jesus to “send her away,” they are only obeying Jesus’ instructions. After all, she is a gentile woman, not one of the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

At first, it appears that Jesus is unwilling to grant her request. As He says to her, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (15:24). But the gentile woman will not be deterred. Persevering, she says “Lord, help me.” Again, Jesus appears to reject her request, saying, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs” (15:26).

As we have seen, the religious leaders taught that non-Israelites were heathens and dogs. But the woman is not troubled by this apparent insult. Instead, she replies, “True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table” (15:27). Recognizing her humble, non-defensive response, Jesus says, “O woman, great is your faith. Let it be to you as you desire” (15:28). And so it was done. As it is written, “Her daughter was healed from that very hour” (15:28). Even as Jesus heals the woman’s daughter, He can heal us whenever we go directly to Him for help.

In begging to be fed by the crumbs that fall from the master’s table, the gentile woman reveals not only her faith and persistence, but also her humble heart. Seeing this, Jesus answers her prayer and heals her daughter. All of this takes place before the eyes of the disciples. Through this living example, they are to understand that “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” are all who hunger for divine love — especially people like this gentile woman who is faithful, persistent, and humble. As Jesus said when He delivered His first sermon, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (15:3; 6).

Jesus’ response to the petition of the gentile woman pictures the healing of all those who are faithfully persistent in their prayers. This includes people everywhere, regardless of their religious upbringing or nationality. As Jesus has already said, “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (12:50) The disciples would now go forth to find the lost sheep, from every tribe and every nation, and gather them together in one fold, with One Shepherd. From now on there would be neither Jew nor gentile, but brothers and sisters in Christ — with one Father in heaven. These are “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

The upward journey

Having made His point about this new and broader approach to ministry, Jesus resumes His mighty work of healing among the gentiles. As it is written, “And Jesus departed from there and skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them those who were lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them” (15:29-30).

Here is a touching picture of the gentiles coming from far and wide in search of healing. Their upward climb to reach Jesus represents the spiritual hunger for goodness, and the spiritual thirst for truth that is deeply seated in all people, and constitutes their essential humanity. Suffering the hardships of long journeys, climbing the mountain with the lame and the blind, carrying the maimed in their arms, they come to Jesus and lay their loved ones at His feet.

This is the journey that each of us must make, supporting one another along the way, as we come before God. It is a simple gentile faith — a faith that has total belief in God’s healing power. When received in faith, Jesus’ teachings can cure spiritual lameness, open spiritual eyes, and give the ability to speak the truth from love. Therefore, it is written that “He healed them ” (15:30).

The gentiles were drawn to Jesus — not because of His religious or ethnic background, but because of His love, wisdom, and power to heal all people. In Jesus they could see something that transcended all racial and religious stereotypes, a manifestation of a God who is pure love, pure wisdom, and pure power. In Jesus they could see, in some way, God made visible. And so, “the crowds marveled, seeing the dumb speaking, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.” As a result, “They glorified the God of Israel” (15:31).

A practical application

It is noteworthy that the gentile woman said she would be satisfied with the crumbs that fell from the master’s table. In our own lives, there are times when it feels that we are only getting by on crumbs. God does not seem to be answering our prayers, and in place of clear direction, there seems to be only silence. And yet, if we refuse to give in to discouragement, choosing instead to faithfully persevere, healing and direction will come. As Jesus says to the gentile woman, He will say to us, “Great is your faith.” As a practical application, then, look for the crumbs. Look for the evidence of God’s leading and goodness. Even when things seem to be bleak, and God seems to be refusing your pleas for help, healing is on the way. Once you have made a beginning, the Lord will flow in with abundant blessings. The Lord will give you what to say (the dumb speaking). He will lead you to walk in His paths (the lame walking). And He will open your spiritual eyes (the blind seeing) so that you might glorify God. ⁵

A Second Feeding of the Multitudes

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32. And Jesus, calling for His disciples, said, “I am moved with compassion for the crowd, because they are staying on with Me already three days, and have not anything to eat; and I am not willing to send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.”

33. And His disciples say to Him, “Whence should we have so many loaves in the wilderness, as to satisfy such a crowd?”

34. And Jesus says to them, “How many loaves have you?” And they say, “Seven, and a few little fish.”

35. And He ordered the crowds to recline on the earth.

36. And taking the seven loaves and the fish, giving thanks, He broke, and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the crowd.

37. And they did all eat and were satisfied; and they took up the excess of the fragments, seven baskets full.

38. And they that had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and little children.

39. And sending away the crowds, He stepped into the ship, and came into the borders of Magdala.

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After spending three days healing the people, Jesus now wants to feed them. As He says, “I have compassion on the multitude because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry lest they faint on the way” (15:32).

The disciples, forgetting that Jesus has only recently fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread, reply, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a great crowd?” (15:33). Instead of reminding them of the miraculous feeding He has just performed, Jesus simply asks, “How many loaves do you have?” (15:34). And they answer, “Seven, and a few little fish” (15:34).

In the previous feeding of the multitudes, they had only five loaves, but this time they have seven. The number “seven” brings to mind many things associated with holiness in the Word. The seventh day is a day of rest, holy to the Lord (Exodus 31:15). There are seven branches on the lampstand in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:37). Seven priests with seven trumpets marched around Jericho for seven days — and on the seventh day they marched around the city seven times (Joshua 6:13). Solomon’s temple was built in seven years (1 Kings 6:38). Naaman was to wash himself in the Jordan River seven times (2 Kings 5:10). David said that he would praise the Lord seven times a day (Psalm 119:164). And the light of the sun shall be sevenfold as the light of seven days (Isaiah 30:26).

So, the number “seven” in scripture is associated with that which is holy. Certainly, the disciples are developing an increasing sense of Jesus’ holiness, and a developing awareness of the divinity that is within Him. This is suggested here by the fact that they now have “seven loaves,” representing a holy state of love. They also have only “a few little fish,” representing their limited understanding of what is happening, but also their growing humility.

Once again, Jesus begins with a blessing. As it is written, “And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks and broke them and gave them to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude” (15:36). When the feeding is complete, the number “seven” recurs. As it is written, “So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left” (15:37). ⁶

The number “seven,” then, suggests a time of great holiness — a time that is solemn, serene, and sacred. We have come a long way from the beginning of this chapter when the religious leaders were criticizing Jesus for permitting His disciples to eat with unwashed hands. They were ignoring the fact that Jesus had just turned five loaves of bread and two fish into enough to feed five thousand people.

In this episode, we are again on the mountain with Jesus, witnessing another miraculous feeding. This time, however, four thousand are fed from seven loaves of bread and a few little fish. In this second miraculous feeding, there is a sense of sublime holiness. We witness God’s overflowing love and infinite compassion symbolized by the seven large baskets overflowing with food that is left over.

At the time of the first feeding of the multitudes, the Greek word used for “basket” was kophinous [κοφίνους], meaning, “a small basket.” But this time the Greek word used for “basket” is spyridas [σπυρίδας], meaning, “a large basket.” Baskets are made to receive what is put into them. Similarly, the human mind is designed to receive what flows in from the Lord. The implication is that there is now, in the overflowing of the seven large baskets, an even greater reception and overflow of the Lord’s love and wisdom. ⁷

A practical application

In this chapter, the story of the gentile woman who prayed for her daughter reveals the essential qualities of all those who desire to grow spiritually. The woman persistently asked for help, willing to accept even the crumbs that fell from the Master’s table. We, too, may experience times when we feel only the crumbs of the Lord’s love, just the briefest taste of His goodness. But if we remain faithful, persistent, and humble, we will soon be enjoying the fullness of the Lord’s blessing, even to overflowing. As a practical application, then, remember that the story of the woman who was willing to accept crumbs is immediately followed by the miraculous feeding of the multitudes. Imagine that you are on the mountain with Jesus, receiving His love and wisdom. The Lord has healed you, and is now nourishing you with spiritual food so that you might continue the journey. You are no longer hungering for crumbs. Rather, you are rejoicing in the Lord’s presence. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “Weeping might endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Footnotes:

533. We can now see that it is not so hard to lead the life of heaven as people think, because it is simply a matter of recognizing, when something attractive comes up that we know is dishonest or unfair, that this is not to be done because it is against the divine commandments. If we get used to thinking like this, and from this familiarity form a habit, then we are gradually united to heaven. To the extent that we are united to heaven, the higher levels of our minds are opened, and to the extent that they are opened, we see what is dishonest and unfair; and to the extent that we see this, these qualities can be dispelled. For no evil can be banished until it has been seen. This is a state we can enter because of our freedom, since everyone is free to think in this way. However, once the process has started, the Lord works his wonders within us, and causes us not only to see evils but to refuse them and eventually to turn away from them. This is the meaning of the Lord's words, "My yoke is easy and my burden light" (Matthew 11:30).

It is important to realize, though, that the difficulty of thinking like this and also of resisting evils increases to the extent that we deliberately do evil things — in fact, to that extent we become used to doing them until ultimately we no longer see them. Then we come to love them and to excuse them to gratify our love and to rationalize them with all kinds of self-deceptions and call them permissible and good. This happens, though, to people who in early adulthood plunge into all kinds of evil without restraint and at the same time at heart reject everything divine.

3147. 'And water to wash his feet' means purification there. This is clear from the meaning of 'water to wash' or 'washing with water' as purifying, dealt with below, and from the meaning of 'feet' as natural things, or what amounts to the same, those things that are in the natural man, dealt with in 2162. In the representative Church washing feet with water was a ceremonial act which meant washing away the filth of the natural man. The filth of the natural man is composed of all the things that belong to self-love and love of the world, and when such filth has been washed away goods and truths flow in, for that filth alone is what hinders the influx of good and truth from the Lord.

[2] For good is flowing in constantly from the Lord, but when by way of the internal or spiritual man it reaches the external or natural man it is either perverted there, or turned away, or stifled. But when indeed the things that belong to self-love and love of the world are removed, good is received there, and bears fruit there, since the person now performs the works of charity. This may become clear from many considerations, such as this: When the things that belong to the external or natural man are quiescent — as they are in times of ill-fortune, wretchedness, and sickness — a person instantly starts to become spiritually-minded and to will what is good, and also to perform acts of devotion insofar as he is able. But when that state alters, these things are altered too.

[3] In the Ancient Church 'washings' were signs meaning these things, and in the Jewish Church the same were representations. The reason why in the Ancient Church they were meaningful signs but in the Jewish Church representations was that members of the Ancient Church regarded that custom as some external act of worship. Nor did they believe that they were purified by that kind of washing but by a washing away of the filth of the natural man, which, as has been stated, is composed of the things that belong to self-love and love of the world. But the member of the Jewish Church did believe that he was purified by such washing, for he did not know, and did not wish to know, that the purifying of a person's interior self was meant.

[4] That 'washing' means the washing away of that filth is clear in Isaiah,

Wash yourselves; purify yourselves; remove the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil. Isaiah 1:16.

Here it is evident that 'washing themselves' means purifying themselves and removing evils. In the same prophet,

When the Lord will have washed the excrement of the daughters of Zion and washed away the blood of Jerusalem from its midst in a spirit of judgement and in a spirit of purging. Isaiah 4:4.

Here 'washing the excrement of the daughters of Zion and washing away the blood of Jerusalem' stands for purifying from evils and falsities. In Jeremiah,

Wash your heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. How long will your iniquitous thoughts lodge within you? Jeremiah 4:14.

[5] In Ezekiel,

I washed you with water, and washed away the blood from upon you, and anointed you with oil. Ezekiel 16:9.

This refers to Jerusalem, which is used here to mean the Ancient Church. 'Washing with water' stands for purifying from falsities, 'washing away the blood' for purging from evils, 'anointing with oil' for filling with good at that time. In David,

Wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. You will purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; You will wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalms 51:2, 7.

'Being washed' plainly stands for being purified from evils and derivative falsities.

[6] These were the things that were meant by 'washing' in the Representative Church. For the sake of the representation, when they had been made unclean and needed to be cleansed, people were commanded in that Church to wash the skin, hands, feet, and also their garments. All these meant things that belong to the natural man. Also for the sake of the representation, lavers made of bronze were placed outside the Temple — that is to say, 'the bronze sea and the ten bronze lavers' mentioned in 1 Kings 7:23-29; there was also the bronze laver from which Aaron and his sons were to wash themselves, placed between the Tent of Meeting and the Altar, and so outside the Tent of Meeting, Exodus 30:18-19, 21 - the meaning of which was that only external or natural things needed to be purified. And unless they have been purified, that is, unless things belonging to self-love and love of the world have been removed from them, internal things which belong to love to the Lord and towards the neighbour cannot possibly flow in, as stated above.

[7] To enable these matters to be understood more easily, that is to say, regarding the need for external things to be purified, let good works — or what amounts to the same, the goods of charity, which are at the present day called the fruits of faith, and which, since they are actions, are external — serve to exemplify and illustrate the point: Good works are bad works unless the things belonging to self-love and love of the world are removed. For until these have been removed works, when performed, are good to outward appearance but are inwardly bad. They are inwardly bad because they are done either for the sake of reputation, or for financial gain, or for improvement of one's position, or for reward. They are accordingly either merit-seeking or hypocritical, for the things that belong to self-love and love of the world cause those works to be such. But when indeed these evils are removed, works become good, and are the goods of charity. That is to say, they are done regardless of self, the world, reputation, or reward, and so are not merit-seeking or hypocritical, because in that case celestial love and spiritual love flow from the Lord into those works and cause them to be love and charity in action. And at the same time the Lord also purifies the natural or external man by means of those things and orders it so that that man receives correspondingly the celestial and spiritual things that flow in.

[8] This becomes quite clear from what the Lord taught when He washed the disciples' feet: In John,

He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, Lord, do You wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, What I am doing you do not know now, but you will know afterwards. Peter said to Him, You will never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me. Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and head! Jesus said to him, He who is washed has no need except that his feet be washed, but is clean all over. Now you are clean, but not all of you. John 13:4-17.

'He who is washed has no need except that his feet be washed' means that anyone who has been reformed needs to be cleansed only in regard to natural things, that is, to have evils and falsities removed from them. For when that happens all is ordered by the influx of spiritual things from the Lord. Furthermore 'feet-washing' was an act of charity, meaning that one ought not to dwell on the evils of another person. It was also an act of humility, meaning the cleansing of another from evils, like filth from the body, as also becomes clear from the Lord's words in verses 12-17 of that chapter in John, and also in Luke 7:37-38, 44, 46; John 11:2; 1 Samuel 25:41.

[9] Anyone may see that washing himself does not purify a person from evils and falsities, only from the filth that clings to him. Yet because it belonged among the religious observances commanded in the Church it follows that it embodies some special idea, namely spiritual washing, which is purification from the filth that clings to man inwardly. Members of that Church therefore who knew these things and thought of purification of the heart, that is, the removal of the evils of self-love and love of the world from the natural man, and tried to achieve it with utmost zeal, practiced ritual washing as an external act of worship, as commanded. But among those who did not know and did not wish to know those things but who supposed that the mere ritual act of washing garments, skin, hands, and feet would purify them, and who supposed that provided they performed such rituals they would be allowed to continue leading lives of avarice, hatred, revenge, mercilessness, and cruelty — all of which constitute spiritual filth — the performance of the ritual was idolatrous. Nevertheless by means of that ritual they were still able to represent, and by means of the representation to display, some vestige of a Church, by means of which heaven was in a way joined to mankind prior to the Lord's Coming. But that conjunction was such that heaven had little or no influence at all on the member of that Church.

[10] The Jews and Israelites were such that they did not think at all of the internal man, nor did they wish to know anything about the same. Thus they knew absolutely nothing about the celestial and spiritual things which belong to the life after death. Nevertheless to prevent the end of all communication with heaven and so with the Lord, they were bound to the performance of external observances by which internal things were meant. All their captivities and plagues were in general to the end that external observances might be duly carried out for the sake of the representation. It was for this reason that the following laws were given:

Moses was to wash Aaron and his sons with water at the tent door, to sanctify them. Exodus 29:4; 40:12; Leviticus 8:6.

Aaron and his sons were to wash their hands and feet before entering the Tent of Meeting and approaching the Altar to minister, lest they died. This was to them a statute for ever. Exodus 30:18-21; 40:30-31.

Before putting on his vestments Aaron was to wash his flesh. Leviticus 16:4, 24.

Levites were to be purified by sprinkling the water of expiation over them, passing a razor over their flesh, and washing their clothes — then they were pure. Numbers 8:6-7.

Anyone who ate the carcass of a clean animal, ¹ or that which had been torn to pieces, was to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and if he did not wash himself and bathe his flesh he would bear his iniquity. Leviticus 17:15-16.

Anyone who touched the bed of a person who had a discharge, or sat on a vessel on which that person had sat, and anyone who touched that person's flesh was to wash his clothes and to bathe himself with water, and be unclean until the evening. Leviticus 15:5-7, 10-12 and following verses.

The person who sent the goat away to Azazel was to wash his flesh. Leviticus 16:26.

When a leper was to be cleansed he was to wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, wash himself in water, and then he would be clean. Leviticus 14:8-9.

Even vessels themselves which had become unclean through contact with unclean persons were made to go through water and be unclean until the evening. Leviticus 11:32.

From all these laws it may be seen that nobody was made clean or pure internally through ritual washing, but that such a person merely represented him who was pure or spiritually clean, for the reason stated above. The Lord teaches the same quite explicitly in Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23.

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