if(oIsOtherLang[i].value == "1") True Christian Religion 126: “In temptation it looks as if a person is left alone, but this is not so, since God is then most closely present with a person, in the deepest recesses of a person’s spirit, secretly providing support.”6. Although we read that “the king was sorry’ (14:9), he has taken that fatal plunge, and it is too late for him to turn back. No one raised from the dead. And what is this difference? Feeding the 5000Lesson outline provides teaching ideas with questions for discussion, projects, and activities.Sunday School Lesson | Ages 7 - 10, Feeding the 5000A lesson for younger children with discussion ideas and a project.Sunday School Lesson | Ages 4 - 6, Feeding the Five ThousandThis lesson discusses a story from the Word and suggests projects and activities for young children.Sunday School Lesson | Ages 4 - 6, Feeding the Five Thousand Bread RecipeBake 5 small loaves of bread to enjoy with your family or students as you reflect on the miracle of the Lord feeding the five thousand.Project | Ages 4 - 10, Get in the Boat and GoThe Lord can become fully present in our life when we let go and let Him lead us.Activity | Ages over 18, Jesus Walks on the SeaLesson outline provides teaching ideas with questions for discussion, projects, and activities.Sunday School Lesson | Ages 7 - 10, The Lord and His Disciple, Simon PeterFour scenes about the Lord and Peter from the gospels of Matthew and John, and two later scenes from the book of Acts.Activity | Ages 11 - 14, The Lord and Peter on the SeaA lesson for younger children with discussion ideas and a project.Sunday School Lesson | Ages 4 - 6, The Lord and Peter Walk on WaterThis easy project allows little ones to retell the story of the Lord and Peter walking on the water.Project | Ages up to 6, The Lord Feeding the Multitude DioramaColor the background scene, the figure of the Lord, and the boy carrying a basket of bread and fish. 32 24 the one who was determined to have Jesus murdered because the wise men called Him “King of the Jews” — a perceived threat to Herod’s power (See Matthew 2:2, 16). And he said, Come. Although he has heard the reports about Jesus, he does not believe that Jesus’ “mighty works” have any Divine origin. Here they meet people who demonstrate a complete faith in Jesus’ power to heal — very much a contrast to the wavering faith of Peter to whom Jesus said, “O, you of little faith. One of the key symbols here is the sea, which represents those in the outskirts of the church. It shows that Jesus is truly divine and although he is human he is also truly the son of God. The disciples want Jesus to send the multitudes away, but Jesus says, “They do not need to go away. His divinity is beginning to shine through His humanity. And straightway Jesus, stretching out [His] hand, took [hold] of him, and says to him, “[O thou] of little faith, why didst thou doubt?”32. 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a … And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. He did this previously when He calmed the waves and the sea — illustrating the calmness and peace He can bring to each of us. In true faith there are no “ifs” at all.Nevertheless, in spite of our doubts, God invites us to come to Him, to step out of our comfort zones and trust exclusively in Him. References from Swedenborg's drafts, indexes & diaries: Apocalypse Explained 340, 514, 548, 617, 730, 815, 820, if(aStoryLink[1]) But is that all there is? And they say to Him, “We have nothing here except five loaves, and two fish.”18. “This is John the Baptist” he says, “risen from the dead.” Could it be that Herod, haunted by his terrible sins, believes that John the Baptist has come back from the dead to remind him of his wrongdoings? But the disciples are not ready for this yet; Peter’s confidence fails him and Jesus has to deliver him back to the ship. //setTimeout(checkOtherLang, 1000); And since conjunction with God must exist in thought, and thus a person’s affection, this is also the case when people think about God as a Person. 8 This time, however, He appears to be altogether absent, representing an even deeper state of temptation. The waves show that they were attacked by arguments from natural ideas; the wind shows that their doctrine was not elevated enough to be truly aligned with the Lord’s power. The disciples do not have enough food, not nearly enough to feed them all. The promptings of Herodias and the allurements of her daughter represent various stages of this degenerative process as they conspire to lure us into darker, more violent places. But looking at the strong wind, he feared, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me”31. In taking this step, we must keep our eyes onJesus, looking neither to the right nor to the left, giving no thought to the boisterous winds that clamor for our attention. Most often, this kind of duality represents the two essential aspects of divinity: goodness (“bread”) and truth (“fish”). The young lady accepts Herod’s offer, and, at her mother’s prompting, she says, “Give me John the Baptist’s head, here on a platter” (14:8). As a result, the multitudes in us and around us will be fed to overflowing. 28 33 We read, “Then those who were in the boat came and worshipped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God’” (14:33).They have learned their lesson well. That’s illustrated by the fact that they bow and worship Jesus, calling him the Son of God. As evidence that Herod’s command has been carried out, John’s head is brought to them on a platter, and given to the young girl who, in turn gives the head to her mother (see 14:10-12).All of this, then, helps explain Herod’s response when he hears about Jesus’ miracles. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. In the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes we see the miraculous manifestation of this truth.Many people see and acknowledge the workings of the Divine in the proliferation of seed into abundant harvest, and in the way the rivers and oceans continually replenish themselves. Jesus then takes the five loaves and the two fish from the disciples, looks up to heaven, and blesses what the disciples have given Him. { 1 Footnotes: This miracle is very important. For a moment, buoyed by the belief in Jesus, it works. A moment later, Jesus and Peter are together in the boat and all is well: “And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased” (14:32).In an earlier episode when Jesus calmed the wind and sea, the disciples responded by saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (8:27). Swedenborg puts it like this: “The literal sense consists of such things as are in the world, but the spiritual sense consists of such things as are in heaven, and since the conjunction of heaven with the world is by means of correspondences, therefore the Word is given in such a way that every detail, even down to the least jot (iota) are in correspondence. This is a beautiful picture of Jesus’ divinity taking precedence over His humanity. WalkingTo walk in the Bible represents living, and usually means living according to the true things taught to us by the Lord -- to "walk... sawThe symbolic meaning of "seeing" is "understanding," which is obvious enough that it has become part of common language (think about it; you might see... troubledThe Bible often talks of people being "troubled." And when PeterPeter was ComeCome down out of the ship, he walkedwalked on the water, to go to Jesus. walkedTo walk in the Bible represents living, and usually means living according to the true things taught to us by the Lord -- to "walk... sinkThe spiritual meaning of "sink" is relatively easy to see: It means to descend into lower spiritual states, especially into states where false reasoning and... saveTo be saved or rescued means getting true ideas that we can hold to even in the face of a storm of false thinking. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 30 We read in the Psalms, for example that “The Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength” (Psalm 93:1). } This spiritual truth is represented by Jesus walking across the water toward their tempest-tossed boat. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. During the fourth night watch (between three and six in the morning), the boat was about three or three and a half miles from the shore, and the disciples were struggling to … It is this acknowledgment that enables us to bear fruit and produce good works in our lives “some a hundredfold” (13:23). It represents those times of spiritual temptation when we feel as though the Lord is present but does not care about us. Conjunction with an invisible God is like a conjunction of the eye's vision with the expanse of the universe, the limits of which are invisible. Earthly bread, therefore is not a symbol of heavenly love; it corresponds to that love. Be sure that you typed your number correctly, and don't use any non-number characters. The literal sense of the Word, despite Herod’s attempts to destroy it, still prevails. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walkingwalking on the seasea. So clothing, in general, signifies the strong, protecting quality of divine truth. 25 30 He takes them down to the sea and sends them off in a boat by themselves. In fact, up to this point the disciples have done nothing amazing. Nevertheless, Jesus seeks to comfort them, saying, “Be of good cheer. Admittedly, we are not always successful. 22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. Arcana Coelestia 3880:4: “In the Word dual expressions commonly occur in which one has reference to what is celestial or good, the other to what is spiritual or true, so that the Divine marriage may exist in every individual part of the Word, and so a marriage of good and truth.” See also Arcana Coelestia 590: “Every idea comprising a person’s thought contains something from the understanding and something from the will, that is, something from his thinking and something from his love…. Project | Ages 4 - 10, Walking on WaterThis lesson discusses a story from the Word and suggests projects and activities for young children.Sunday School Lesson | Ages 4 - 6, function showImageInfo() { And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. As it is written, “When Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod” (14:6). We sometimes find ourselves sinking into doubt and disbelief, dismay and despair, losing our way, getting off track. 32 And she, being pressed by her mother, declared, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”9. So Jesus comes to them at dawn – which means the beginning of His new church – walking on the water. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And the men of that place, knowing Him, sent out into that whole countryside, and brought to Him all that had an illness;36.