Wednesday, March 19, 2008

There's an Internal Meaning to the Easter Story

I never understood until this year that all the things that people do in the Easter story have an internal meaning as well as all the things that people say. I knew, for example, that there is an internal meaning to the things the Lord said to His disciples at the Last Supper, and I knew lots about what the Lord was doing internally at various points in the Easter story—undergoing grievous temptations, glorifying His Human etc.—but I always read the details of the story (like the Lord eating supper with His disciples, and Peter cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest, and Pilate washing his hands) as just details of a literal story.

In college chapel today Rev. Ray Silverman read Arcana Coelestia 2405:7 which talks about how the Easter story can happen in each person's life.
As... the “morning” signifies the Lord, His advent, and thus the approach of His kingdom, it is evident what it signifies besides, namely, the rise of a new church (for this is the Lord's kingdom on earth), and this both... when any church on the globe is being raised up anew; [and] when a man is being regenerated, and being made new.... Hence the Lord's resurrection on the third day in the morning involves all these things (even in the particular and the least particular) in regard to His rising again in the minds of the regenerate every day, and even every moment.
I would love to read more about the internal meaning of the Easter story so if you know of a good passage that talks about some detail of the story please leave a comment on this post.

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