The Bible

 

Mark 2:1-12 : Your Faith Has Healed You

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1 When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was in the house.

2 Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them.

3 Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him.

4 When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on.

5 Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."

6 But there were some of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

7 "Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

8 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you reason these things in your hearts?

9 Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven;' or to say, 'Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?'

10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the paralytic--

11 "I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house."

12 He arose, and immediately took up the mat, and went out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Commentary

 

The Requirement of Faith

By Todd Beiswenger


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Jesus performs a few healing miracles where he says that the person is healed by their faith. Can our faith heal us? While I'm sure some experience physical faith healings, this is also a picture of how we need to believe in God's teachings in order to heal our spiritual state. God's teachings are cures for our ills, but do we believe what the Doctor is prescribing?

(References: Apocalypse Explained 239; Arcana Coelestia 10023; Mark 2:1-12, 10:46-52)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Heaven and Hell #149

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149. In like order the angels in each particular society of heaven dwell in relation to one another. Towards the east there, dwell those who are in a greater degree of love and charity, towards the west those in a less degree. Towards the south dwell those who are in greater light of wisdom and intelligence, towards the north those who are in less. They dwell separately like this because each society resembles heaven, and is a heaven in lesser form (see above 51-58). The same arrangement prevails in their assemblies. They are brought into this order by reason of the form of heaven, from which every one knows his own place. The Lord also provides that there may be in each society those of every kind to the intent that in form heaven may be everywhere like itself. Yet the arrangement of the whole heaven differs from the arrangement of a society, as what is general differs from what is particular. For the societies towards the east surpass those towards the west, and those towards the south surpass those towards the north.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.