Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 479eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said, Go and wash thee in thepool of Siloam. He went away therefore and washed himself, and cameseeing (9:1, 5–7).Why the Lord did this no one understands unless he knows theinternal or spiritual sense of the Word; in that sense, by “a manblind from birth” those are meant who are born outside of thechurch and who therefore could not know anything about theLord, or be taught out of the Word. “The clay that the Lord madefrom spittle on the ground” signifies reformation by means oftruths from the sense of the letter of the Word; “the ground” is thechurch where the Word is; “clay” is the ultimate Divine forming;“anointing the eyes of the blind with it” is to give thereby theunderstanding of truth; “the pool of Siloam” also signifies theWord in the letter; “to be washed there” is to be purified fromfalsities and evils. That this is what is meant by it has been hithertoconcealed. (That “ground” signifies the church, see ArcanaCoelestia, n. 566, 10570; that “clay” signifies good from which istruth, thus good forming, n. 1300, 6669; that “the pool of Siloam”signifies the Word in the sense of the letter, is evident in Isaiah 8:6;and that “the pools” that were in Jerusalem in general signify this,Isaiah 22:9, 11.)[20] In Mark:Jesus cometh to Bethsaida; where they bring to Him a blind manand beseech Him to touch him. And He took hold of the blind man bythe band, and led him out of the town; and spitting on his eyes, Heasked him if he saw aught. And looking up, he said, I see trees as menwalking. After that He put His hands again upon his eyes, and madehim look up; then he was restored, and saw all clearly (8:22–27).What these words involve cannot be known except from theinternal or spiritual sense of the Word; he who does not understandthis sees nothing except that these things were done, and histhought about it will perhaps be merely sensual; but all things thatthe Lord spoke and all things that He did in the world containedspiritual things in order from things highest to the ultimates, thusin fullness as do all miracles and the accounts of them. The “blind”whom the Lord restored to sight signified the spiritually blind, who