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 #151

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151. The reverse is true of those in the hells. Those who are there do not look to the Lord as a Sun nor as a Moon, but they look backward away from the Lord to that dense blackness that is in the place of the sun of the world, and to the darkness that is in the place of the earth's moon, those called genii looking to the dense blackness which is in place of the sun of the world, and those called spirits to the darkness which is in place of the earth's moon. 1 It may be seen above (122) that the world's sun and the earth's moon are not seen in the spiritual world, but in place of the sun a dense blackness over against the Sun of heaven, and in place of the moon a darkness over against the Moon of heaven. For this reason the quarters with those in the hells are opposite to the quarters of heaven. To them, the east is where that dense blackness and darkness are, the west is where the Sun of heaven is, the south is to their right, and the north to their left, and this also in every turning of their bodies. Nor can they face otherwise, because the whole bent and consequent determination of their interiors tends and strives that way. It may be seen in 143 that the bent and consequent actual determination of the interiors of all in the other life are in accordance with their love. The love of those in the hells is the love of self and the world, and these loves are what are signified by the world's sun and the earth's moon, (see 122), and these loves are opposite to love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour. 2 This is the cause of their turning backwards away from the Lord to those dense blacknesses. Moreover, those in the hells dwell likewise in accordance with their quarters, those who are in evils from love of self dwelling from their east to their west, and those in the falsities of evil from their south to their north. But more will be said of this further on where the hells are treated of.

Footnotes:

1. [Swedenborg's footnote] Who, and of what quality they are who are called genii and spirits (Arcana Coelestia 947, 5035, 5977, 8593, 8622, 8625).

2. [Swedenborg's footnote] Those who are in the loves of self and of the world turn themselves backwards from the Lord (Arcana Coelestia 10130, 10189, 10420, 10702).

Love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour make heaven, while love of self and love of the world make hell, because they are opposite (Arcana Coelestia 2041, 3610, 4225, 4776, 6210, 7366, 7369, 7490, 8232, 8678, 10455, 10741-10745).

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