6393.“便屈肩背重”表然而，他却竭尽全力。这从“肩”和“背重”的含义清楚可知：“肩”是指全部能力，或一切努力（参看1085，4931-4937节）；“背重”是指为赚取功德而作工。因此，“屈肩背重”表示为了赚取功德而竭尽全力作工。这一切之所以被描述为“背重”，是因为他们行善不是出于对良善的情感，因而不是出于自由，而是出于自私的情感，也就是奴役（6390节）。
至于那些因他们所完成的工作而想要回报的人，要知道，他们从不满足，如果没有得到比别人更大的回报，就会愤愤不平；他们若看见别人比自己更蒙福，就会伤心、报怨。他们认为真正的赐福并不在于内在之物，而在于外在之物；也就是说，在于显赫，拥有统治权，被天使服侍，因而在于比天使优越，因此是天堂里的首领和大人物。而事实上，天堂的赐福并不在于想要拥有统治权，被别人服侍，而在于想去服侍别人，成为最小的；正如主所教导的：
西庇太的儿子雅各、约翰进前来，说，赐我们在你的荣耀里，一个坐在你右边，一个坐在你左边。耶稣对他们说，你们不知道所求的是什么。坐在我的左右，不是我可以赐的，乃是为谁预备的，就赐给谁。你们知道，外邦人有尊为君王的治理他们，有大臣操权管束他们。只是在你们中间，不是这样。你们中间，谁要为大，就必作你们的用人；在你们中间，谁要为首，就必作众人的仆人。因为人子来，不是要受服事，乃是要服事人。（马可福音10:35-45）
主在路加福音中教导，天堂属于那些不以回报为目的而行善的人：
凡自高的，必降为卑；自卑的，必升为高。你摆设午饭或晚饭，不要请你的朋友、弟兄、亲属和富足的邻舍，恐怕他们也回请你，你就得了报答。你摆设筵席，倒要请那贫穷的、残废的、瘸腿的、瞎眼的，你就有福了！因为他们没有什么可报答你。到义人复活的时候，你要得着报答。（路加福音14:11-14）
“到义人复活的时候所得着的报答”就是从行善不思回报而来的内在幸福，当人们履行有用的服务，或发挥功用时，就会从主获得这种幸福。那些不思回报，只喜欢服务的人越喜欢行善，他们所履行的服务或所发挥的功用就越珍贵。事实上，他们比其他人更伟大、更有权柄。
那些为了回报而行善的人也说，他们因从圣言知道他们要在天堂成为最小的；但那时他们想的是，通过如此说他们可以成为大的，所以他们还是有同样的目的。但那些行善不思回报的人是真的不想显赫、优越，只想着服务。
可参看关于通过行为或工作赚取功德，以及在来世那些寻求功德之人性质的阐述和说明：他们看上去就像在劈柴、割草（1110，1111，4943节）；这些人如何被代表（1774，2027节）；那些为了自我和世界而行善的人在来世不会因这善而得到任何回报（1835节）；那些将功德置于行为或工作的人照字面朝自己有利的方向解释圣言，并嘲笑它的内在内容（1774，1877节）；真正的仁爱完全没有功德的追求（2371，2373，2380，3816节）；那些将信与仁分离的人认为他们所行的是配得功德的（2373e节）；那些进入天堂的人抛弃了自己的东西和自己的任何功德（4007e节）；大多数人以为当他们开始改造时，他们所行的良善源于他们自己，他们因这良善而配得功德；但随着他们重生，他们会抛弃这种信念（4174节）。
Potts(1905-1910) 6393
6393. And he shall bow his shoulder to bear. That this signifies that nevertheless he labors with all exertion, is evident from the signification of "shoulder," as being all power, or all exertion (see n. 1085, 4931-4937); and from the signification of "bearing a burden," as being to do works for the sake of merit; hence by "bowing the shoulder to bear" is signified to labor with all exertion to do works for the sake of merit. The reason why this is called "bearing," is that they do not do what is good from the affection of good, thus not from freedom, but from the affection of self, which is servitude (n. 6390). [2] As further regards those who desire a reward for the works which they perform, be it known that they are never contented, but are indignant if they have not a greater reward than others; and if they see others more blessed than themselves, they are sad and find fault. Neither do they make bliss consist in inward bliss, but in outward, namely, in being eminent, in having dominion, and being served by angels, thus in being above the angels, consequently in being princes and great men in heaven; when yet heavenly bliss consists, not in wishing to rule, nor in being served by others, but in wishing to serve others, and in being the least; as the Lord teaches:
James and John the sons of Zebedee came, saying, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on Thy right hand, and the other on Thy left hand, in Thy glory. But Jesus said to them, Ye know not what ye ask. To sit on My right hand and on My left hand is not Mine to give, except to whom it has been prepared. Ye know that they who are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones have authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister, and whosoever of you will be first shall be servant of all; for the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister (Mark 10:35-45). [3] And that they have heaven who do what is good without the end of reward, the Lord teaches in Luke:
Everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled, but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors, lest haply they also call thee in turn, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; then thou shalt be blessed; because they have not wherewith to recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just (Luke 14:11-14);
the "recompense in the resurrection of the just" is internal happiness from doing well without reward, which they receive from the Lord when they perform uses; and they who love to serve without recompense, the more they love it, the more noble are the uses to which they are appointed, and they are in fact greater and more powerful than others. [4] They who do good works for the sake of recompense, say the same, because they know from the Word that they should desire to be the least in heaven; but at the time they are thinking that by so saying they will become great, thus there is the same end in view; but they who do what is good without recompense, really think nothing about being eminent, but only about being of service. [5] See what was said and shown above about merit from works, and about the quality of those who are in it in the other life, that they appear to cut wood and to mow grass (n. 1110, 1111, 4943) how they are represented (n. 1774, 2027); that they who have done what is good for the sake of self and the love of the world receive no recompense for this good in the other life (n. 1835); that they who place merit in works interpret the Word according to the letter in their favor, and that they deride its interior contents (n. 1774, 1877); that true charity is wholly void of self-merit (n. 2371, 2373, 2380, 3816); that they who separate faith from charity make the works which they have done self-meritorious (n. 2373); that they who enter into heaven put off from themselves what is their own and self-merit (n. 4007); that to believe that they do good from themselves, and that by this good they have merit, is the case with most persons in the beginning of reformation, but that they put this off as they are being regenerated (n. 4174).
Elliott(1983-1999) 6393
6393. 'And he will bend his shoulder to bear a burden' means that nevertheless he makes every effort. This is clear from the meaning of 'shoulder' as all power or every effort, dealt with in 1085, 4971-4937; and from the meaning of 'bearing a burden' as performing works so as to earn merit. Consequently 'bending the shoulder to bear a burden' means making every effort at performing works in order to earn merit. The reason this is described as 'bearing a burden' is that such people do good not out of an affection for good, thus not in freedom, but out of a selfish affection, which is servitude, 6390.
[2] With regard to those who desire a reward for the works they accomplish, it should also be recognized that they are never satisfied but become annoyed if their reward is not greater than that which everyone else receives; or if they see that others are more richly blessed than themselves, they are sad and complaining. Real blessedness is not considered by them to reside in inward things but in outward ones, that is to say, in their being pre-eminent, having dominion, and being served by angels, thus in their being superior to angels and so being the chief and great ones in heaven. But in actual fact heavenly blessedness does not consist in wishing to have dominion and to be served by others but in wishing to serve others and to be the least, as the Lord teaches,
James and John, the sons of Zebedee drew near, saying, Grant us to sit in Your glory, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left. Jesus said to them, You do not know what you ask. To sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. You know that those who are reckoned to rule the gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones have authority over them. It must not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your minister, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to but to minister. Mark 10:35-45.
[3] And He teaches that heaven belongs to those who do good without recompense as their end in view, in Luke,
Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. When you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbours, lest perhaps also they invite you back in return, and you are repaid. But when you give a feast invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, for they have nothing with which to repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14:11-14.
'Repayment at the resurrection of the just' is the inner happiness that comes from doing good without thought of recompense, which people receive from the Lord when they perform useful services. And the more that those who love to serve without thought of repayment love to do good, the nobler are the services committed to their charge. Also, they are in actual fact greater and more powerful than others.
[4] Those who perform good works with a view to repayment also say, because of what they know from the Word, that they wish to be the least in heaven. But they think that by saying this they may become great, so that they still have the same end in view. But those who do good without thought of repayment really do not think about pre-eminence, only about being of service.
[5] See what has been stated and shown already about earning merit through works,
In the next life those who are merit-seekers appear to be splitting wood and cutting grass, 1110, 1111, 4943.
How those people are represented, 1774, 2027.
Those who have done good for selfish and worldly reasons receive no payment in the next life for that good, 1835.
Those who place merit in works interpret the Word literally to their own advantage and laugh with scorn at its inner content, 1774, 1877.
True charity is devoid of all merit-seeking, 2340, 2373, 2400, 3816.
Those who separate faith from charity consider the works they have done to be worthy of merit, 2373 (end).
Those who come into heaven throw off what is their own and any merit of their own, 4007 (end).
Most people believe, when they start to be reformed, that the good they do originates in themselves, and that through this good they are worthy of merit; but they throw off that belief as they undergo regeneration, 4174.
Latin(1748-1756) 6393
6393. `Et inclinabit humerum {1} ad bajulandum': quod significet quod usque omni opera laboret, constat ex significatione `humeri' quod sit omnis potentia seu omnis opera, de qua n. 1085, 4931-4937; et ex significatione `bajulare' quod sit {2}facere opera merendi causa; inde per `inclinare humerum ad bajulandum' significatur omni opera laborare (t)opera facere merendi causa; quod id dicatur bajulare, est quia non bonum faciunt ex affectione boni, ita non ex libero sed ex affectione sui, quod est servum, n. 6390. [2] Quod adhuc illos attinet qui mercedem volunt pro operibus quae praestant, sciendum quod nusquam contenti sint sed quod indignentur si non illis merces prae reliquis, sique vident alios se beatiores, dolent et incusant; beatitudinem nec ponunt in beatitudine interna, sed in externa, nempe ut emineant, utque dominentur, (c)ac serviantur ab angelis, ita ut supra angelos sint, {3}proinde principes (c)et magnates in caelo; cum tamen beatitudo caelestis sit non velle dominari nec serviri ab aliis, sed aliis velle servire, (c)ac minimos esse, ut docet Dominus:Accesserunt Jacobus et Johannes, filii Zebedaei, dicentes, Da nobis ut unus a dextris Tuis, et alter a sinistris Tuis, sedeamus in gloria Tua: Jesus dixit illis, Non scitis quid petitis,... sedere a dextris Meis, et a sinistris Meis, non est Meum dare, sed quibus paratum est.... Scitis quod qui {4}censentur imperare gentibus, dominentur eis, et magnates potestatem habeant in eas; non sic erit inter vos;... sed quisquis voluerit esse magnus inter vos, erit minister vester, et quicumque voluerit vestrum esse primus, erit omnium servus: nam Filius hominis non venit ut ministretur illi, sed ut ministret, Marc. x 35-45:
[3] et quod illis caelum sit qui absque `fine remunerationis' bonum faciunt, apud Lucam, Omnis qui exaltaverit seipsum, humiliabitur, sed qui humiliaverit seipsum, exaltabitur.... Quando feceris prandium aut cenam,ne voca amicos tuos, neque fratres tuos, neque cognatos tuos,neque vicinos divites, ne forte etiam illi te vicissim vocent, fiatque tibi retributio; sed quando feceris convivium, voca pauperes, mancos, claudos, caecos, tunc beatus eris, quia non habent ad retribuendum, tibi, retribuetur tibi (x)in resurrectione justorum, xiv 11-14;
`retributio in resurrectione justorum' est felicitas interna ex benefaciendo absque remuneratione, (m)quam a Domino accipiunt cum usus praestant; et qui servire amant absque retributione, quo plus id amant eo nobilioribus usibus praeficiuntur, {6}et actualiter magni et potentes sunt prae aliis.(n) [4] Qui bona opera faciunt retributionis causa, etiam dicunt, quia sciunt ex Verbo, quod minimi velint in caelo esse, sed tunc cogitant ut per ita dicere magni fiant, ita usque inest idem finis; qui autem absque retributione bonum faciunt, actualiter non cogitant de eminentia sed solum de inserviendo. [5] Videantur quae prius de merito {7}ex operibus dicta et ostensa sunt; ut, quales illi in altera vita, quod appareant secare ligna et serrare gramen, n. 1110, 1111, 4943; quomodo repraesentantur, n. 1774, 2027; qui bonum egerunt sui et amoris mundi causa, quod nihil retributionis pro bono illo accipiant in altera vita, n. 1835: qui meritum ponunt in operibus, quod interpretentur Verbum secundum litteram in sui favorem, et quod interiora ejus subsannent, n. 1774, 1877; quod vera charitas sit absque omni meritorio, n. 2340, 2373, 2400, 3816; qui separant fidem a charitate, quod faciant opera quae fecerunt, meritoria, n. 2373 fin.; qui intrant in caelum, quod exuant proprium et meritum a se, n. 4007 fin.; credere quod bonum {8}faciant ex se, et quod per bonum {9}illud mereantur, quod sit apud plerosque in principio reformationis sed quod {10}id exuant sicut regenerantur, n. (x)4174. @1 see p. 603, ftnote 1$ @2 opera boni facere$ @3 ita$ @4 aestimati sunt$ @5 remuneratione$ @6 ac ita$ @7 in$ @8 sit a$ @9 quod faciunt$ @10 fidem illam$