Day 8: Palm Sunday

Matthew 27: 1-10. And when it was morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death; and binding Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him up to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Then Judas, who betrayed Him, seeing that He was condemned, being remorseful, returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, I have sinned, in that I have delivered up innocent blood. But they said, What is it to us? Thou shalt see. And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed, and going away hanged himself.

And the chief priests taking the pieces of silver, said, It is not permitted to cast them into the korbanan, since it is the price of blood. And taking counsel, they bought with them the field of the potter, for a sepulcher for sojourners. Wherefore that field was called field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled what was declared through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was honored, whom they of the sons of Israel honored; and gave them for the field of the potter, as the Lord directed me.

True Christian Religion 130:3. That the Lord as the essential Prophet represented the state of the Jewish church with regard to the Word is evident from the particulars of His passion; as that He was betrayed by Judas; was seized and condemned by the chief priests and elders; that they buffeted Him; smote Him on the head with a reed; put a crown of thorns on His head, divided His garments, and cast lots for His vesture; crucified Him; gave Him vinegar to drink and pierced His side; that He was buried; and that He rose again the third day.

His betrayal by Judas signified that He was betrayed by the Jewish nation, which then possessed the Word (for Judas represented that nation); His seizure and condemnation by the chief priests and elders signified that this was done by the whole Jewish church; their buffeting Him, spitting in His face, scourging Him, and smiting Him on the head with a reed, signified that they did like things to the Word in respect to its Divine truths; their putting a crown of thorns upon His head signified that they falsified and adulterated those truths; their dividing His garments and casting lots upon His vesture signified that they dispersed all the truths of the Word, but not its spiritual sense, the Lord’s vesture signifying that sense; their crucifying Him signified that they destroyed and profaned the whole Word; their offering Him vinegar to drink signified that the truths they had were wholly falsified, and therefore He did not drink the vinegar; their piercing His side signified that they wholly extinguished everything true and good in the Word; His burial signified the rejection of everything that was left in Him from the mother; His resurrection on the third day signified His glorification, or the union of His Human with the Divine of the Father. Evidently, then, “bearing iniquities” does not mean taking them away, but it means representing the profanation of the truths of the Word.

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