Dictionary of all Scriptures & Myths

HEALING BY RAISING THE DEAD

Symbolic of a spiritual awakening in the soul. The energising of a dormant, or latent, affection or mental faculty.

“And when the Lord saw the widow, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came nigh and touched the bior: and the bearers stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise, And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother." - LUKE vii. 13-5.

“The widow signifies that part of the nature which has lost a product and mental object of its affections. It grieves at the loss and imagines the quality to be dead. The Christ, however, re-animates the condition of interest, and revives the relationship, which thereby restores harmonious conditions.
"Jesus said, Give place; for the damsel is not dead but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the crowd was put forth, he entered in, and took her by the hand; and the damsel arose." - MATTHEW ix. 24, 25.

This story may have referred to the resuscitation of an affection in a quality which was developed as a ruler of qualities. This spiritual life-giving was effected through the inter-position of the Christ in the manner symbolically described. It must be remembered that many of these minor incidents in the gospel drama, though mostly spiritual in their meaning, cannot be interpreted bit by bit (as Swedenborg imagined). They must be sensed, as it were, and they may all be classed as showing a general tendency of soul towards Christ-hood,-or an accession of Power through the Spirit. The saying of Jesus that "the damsel is not dead but sleepeth" signifies that an affection cannot die. It could only slumber until applied to its true purpose through the Christ. The "putting forth of the crowd" is the subdual of discordant elements so that the Christ may enter in and bring renewed life to the soul.

See Also

CROWD
JAIRUS
INFIRMITY
LAZARUS
RULER
TRANSMUTATION