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Luke 23

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1 And the whole company of them rose up, and brought him before Pilate.

2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king.

3 And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest.

4 And Pilate said unto the chief priests and the multitudes, I find no fault in this man.

5 But they were the more urgent, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Judaea, and beginning from Galilee even unto this place.

6 But when Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean.

7 And when he knew that he was of Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him unto Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem in these days.

8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was of a long time desirous to see him, because he had heard concerning him; and he hoped to see some miracle done by him.

9 And he questioned him in many words; but he answered him nothing.

10 And the chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him.

11 And Herod with his soldiers set him at nought, and mocked him, and arraying him in gorgeous apparel sent him back to Pilate.

12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day: for before they were at enmity between themselves.

13 And Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,

14 and said unto them, Ye brought unto me this man, as one that perverteth the people: and behold, I having examined him before you, found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:

15 no, nor yet Herod: for he sent him back unto us; and behold, nothing worthy of death hath been done by him.

16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him.

17 [Now he must needs release unto them at the feast one prisoner.]

18 But they cried out all together, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: --

19 one who for a certain insurrection made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.

20 And Pilate spake unto them again, desiring to release Jesus;

21 but they shouted, saying, Crucify, crucify him.

22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath this man done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him and release him.

23 But they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. And their voices prevailed.

24 And Pilate gave sentence that what they asked for should be done.

25 And he released him that for insurrection and murder had been cast into prison, whom they asked for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will.

26 And when they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to bear it after Jesus.

27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him.

28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

29 For behold, the days are coming, in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the breasts that never gave suck.

30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

31 For if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

32 And there were also two others, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

33 And when they came unto the place which is called The skull, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

34 And Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And parting his garments among them, they cast lots.

35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also scoffed at him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen.

36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, offering him vinegar,

37 and saying, If thou art the King of the Jews, save thyself.

38 And there was also a superscription over him, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39 And one of the malefactors that were hanged railed on him, saying, Art not thou the Christ? save thyself and us.

40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, Dost thou not even fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42 And he said, Jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom.

43 And he said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.

44 And it was now about the sixth hour, and a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,

45 the sun's light failing: and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.

46 And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said this, he gave up the ghost.

47 And when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.

48 And all the multitudes that came together to this sight, when they beheld the things that were done, returned smiting their breasts.

49 And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed with him from Galilee, stood afar off, seeing these things.

50 And behold, a man named Joseph, who was a councillor, a good and righteous man

51 (he had not consented to their counsel and deed), [a man] of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was looking for the kingdom of God:

52 this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was hewn in stone, where never man had yet lain.

54 And it was the day of the Preparation, and the sabbath drew on.

55 And the women, who had come with him out of Galilee, followed after, and beheld the tomb, and how his body was laid.

56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. And on the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #481

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481. Neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat, signifies that evil and falsity from lusts shall not come to them. This is evident from the signification of "the sun," as meaning the Lord in relation to Divine love, and with men, spirits, and angels, the good of love to the Lord from the Lord; and as meaning in the contrary sense as here the love of self and evil therefrom out of lusts (of which above, n. 401; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 116-125); also from the signification of "heat," as meaning falsity from that evil, and therefore falsity from lusts; for when man is in heat, that is, when he burns with heat, he craves drink that his heat may be allayed, for he is thirsty; and "to have drink" and "to drink" signifies to imbibe truths, and in the contrary sense, to imbibe falsities, because "water" and "wine," which are for drink, signify truths.

[2] That "heat" signifies falsity from lust or lust for falsity can be seen from the following passages.

In Jeremiah:

Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah; and he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, that sendeth out his roots by the river; he shall not see when heat cometh, but his leaf shall be green; therefore he shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall he cease from bearing fruit (Jeremiah 17:7, 8).

A man who suffers himself to be led by the Lord is compared to a tree and its growth and fructification, because a "tree" signifies in the Word the knowledge and perception of truth and good, consequently the man in whom these are; "a tree planted by the waters" means a man with whom there are truths from the Lord, "waters" meaning truths; "that sendeth out his roots by the river" signifies the extension of intelligence from the spiritual man into the natural; this is said because a "river" signifies intelligence, and because "roots" are sent forth from the spiritual man into the natural; "he shall not see when heat cometh" signifies not to be affected by the lust of falsity; "but his leaf shall be green" signifies knowledges [scientifica] made alive by truths; "therefore he shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall he cease from bearing fruit" signifies that in a state when there is no truth and no good, there shall be no fear of the loss and deprivation of these, but that even then truths conjoined to good shall be fruitful, "year of drought" signifying a state of loss and deprivation of truth. This is said because with spirits and angels there are alternations of state (respecting which alternations see in the workHeaven and Hell 154-161).

[3] In Isaiah:

For Thou art become a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the inundation, a shadow from the heat; for the blast of the violent ones is as an inundation against a wall, as a drought in a dry place; the tumult of strangers shalt Thou humble, the heat by the shadow of a cloud, the branch of the violent ones shall he repress (Isaiah 25:4, 5).

"The poor and needy" signify those who are in the lack of good from the ignorance of truth, and yet have a desire for these; "inundation" and "heat" have reference to evils and falsities that rise up and flow in from the selfhood [proprium] and also from others who are in evil; "the blast of the violent ones" signifies things contrary to the goods and truths of the church; those are called "violent" who endeavor to destroy goods and truths, and "their blast" signifies eagerness to destroy; "the tumult of strangers shalt thou humble" signifies that the Lord will allay and remove the irruption of falsities from evil, "tumult" signifying irruption, "strangers" the falsities from evil, and "to humble" to allay and remove; "he shall repress the heat by the shadow of a cloud" signifies to defend from the lust of falsity, "heat" meaning the lust of falsity, and "the shadow of a cloud" defense from it, for the shadow of a cloud tempers the heat of the sun, and allays its fervor.

[4] In Jeremiah:

His dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost (Jeremiah 36:30).

This was said of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, after he had burned the scroll written by Jeremiah, which act signifies that the truths of the church will perish by a lust for falsities and a consequent aversion from truths. The kings of Judah represented and thence signified in the Word truths from good, and this king the truth of the church about to perish; "the scroll that he burned" signifies the Word, which is said to be burned when it is falsified and adulterated, and this is done by the lust of falsity from evil; "the dead body" signifies the man of the church without spiritual life, which is had by means of truths from the Word; when this life is extinct, only falsities are desired and truths are avoided, and in consequence man becomes dead, and in the spiritual sense "a dead body." The lust for falsities is signified by "the heat in the day," and aversion from the truths by "the frost in the night;" for when the light of heaven, which in its essence is Divine truth, flows in, those who are in falsities from evil become cold with an intensity corresponding to the warmth of the falsity from evil.

[5] In the same:

When they are heated I will set their banquets and I will make them drunken, that they may triumph, that they may sleep the sleep of an age and not awake (Jeremiah 51:39).

This is said of Babylon, which signifies the profanation of good and truth. "When they are heated" signifies the warmth and lust of falsifying truths and adulterating goods; "to set their banquets, to make drunken, and to triumph," signifies to be insane from falsifications to the last degree, "their banquets" signifying the adulterations of good and truth, "drunkenness and rejoicing" insanities in the highest or last degree; "to sleep the sleep of an age and not to awake" signifies not to have perception of truths to eternity.

[6] In Hosea:

They are all hot as an oven, and devour their judges; all their kings are fallen; not one among them calleth unto Me (Hosea 7:7).

"To be hot as an oven" signifies their lusting after falsity from the love of it; "they devour judges, and all their kings are fallen" signifies the destruction of all intelligence when the truths that constitute it are lost, "judges" signifying the intelligent, and in an abstract sense the things that belong to intelligence, and "kings" signifying truths; "not one among them calleth unto Me" signifies that no one cares for truths from the Divine.

[7] In Job:

He beholdeth not the way of the vineyards; drought and heat shall seize upon the waters of snow (Job 24:18, 19).

"Not to behold the way of the vineyards" signifies to make the truths of the church of no account; "drought and heat shall seize upon the waters of snow" signifies that the lack of truth, and the consequent lust for falsity will destroy all genuine truths, "the waters of snow" meaning genuine truths.

[8] In Isaiah:

He shall say to the bound, Go forth, to them that are in darkness, Reveal yourselves. They shall feed upon the ways, and in all the bare hills shall be their pasture. They shall not hunger nor thirst neither shall the heat or the sun smite them; for He that hath compassion on them shall guide them, even unto springs of waters shall He lead them (Isaiah 49:9, 10).

What the particulars signify need not be explained, for they are similar to those in Revelation now being explained, where it is said "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, neither shall the sun fall on them nor any heat smite them; for the Lamb shall feed them and shall guide them unto living fountains of waters." In Revelation, in like manner as in the prophet, these things are said of the Lord; "the bound, to whom He shall say, Go forth, and those who are in darkness, to whom He shall say, Reveal yourselves," signify the nations that had lived in good according to their religion, and yet were in falsities from ignorance; these are called "bound" when in temptations; and "darkness" means falsities from ignorance. "The heat shall not smite them" signifies that falsity from lust shall not affect them.

[9] In Revelation:

The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given unto him to scorch men with fire; and men were heated with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God (Revelation 16:8, 9).

These words will be explained hereafter in their proper place. As "the sun" signifies Divine love, so also "heat" signifies an ardent desire for truth, as in Isaiah 18:4; and Zechariah 8:2, where "heat" is attributed to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord. In many passages "anger" and "wrath" are predicated of God, "anger" signifying zeal for good, and "wrath" zeal for truth; for wrath and heat in the original language come from the same word.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.