ON LOVE; PART CCCLI
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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The Gospel of Thomas
These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke. And Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down.
(1) And he said: “Whoever finds the meaning of these words will not taste death.“
(2) Jesus says: “The one who seeks should not cease seeking until he finds. And when he finds, he will be dismayed. And when he is dismayed, he will be astonished. And he will be king over the All.“
(3) Jesus says: “If those who lead you say to you: ‘Look, the kingdom is in the sky!’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you: ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fishes will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father. But if you do not come to know yourselves, then you exist in poverty, and you are poverty.” 14
We began our look at the Gospel of Thomas in the last post and covered the first two sayings above as well as the ideas in Thomas descriptive statement which are found here again at the top of our essay today. In these first few ideas from this gospel we found similar sayings by the Master in the four gospels and the epistles, sayings that have the same effect when rightly discerned and here again is a part of our caution, that the four gospels and the epistles ARE NOT rightly discerned in many places and this is a likely reason that Thomas words are not either nor are they accepted. We also say here again that we have no position regarding the time that these words were written nor who wrote them and we should remember that this is similar to the uncertainty surrounding some of the current parts of the bible so that this should not be a measure of their suitability as scripture. We have discussed as well the Church Father’s position on these words as they call them heretical insofar as these words do not agree with their own thoughts on the very nature of the Christ, His meaning to the world nor some of the Truths that He brought to us, some of which doctrine does not see even to this day; and, these are the very same Church Fathers that established the doctrines with which the words of Thomas do not, in their opinion, agree. We are no supporters of doctrine as IS apparent by our writing but we try to be supporters of Truth and if there is Truth in these words it matters little then who wrote them nor when they were written and, as we see in the words of the different groups who comment upon Thomas’ words that we posted two essays back, there is little agreement and each, the Gnostics, the Protestants and the Catholics, all have their own position on this gospel which they support.
Continuing on we come now to saying three above and this is lengthy compared to those we discussed last. At the outset we can see a comparison to the words that the Master offers us in the Apostle Luke’s Gospel, words that yet still today ARE NOT rightly understood as different Christian doctrines paint His words in ways that seems to meet their own understanding of Life. In our understanding, they DO NOT paint these words properly because they do not understand Life apart from their own doctrinal pronouncements. The Master tells us in Luke’s Gospel that: “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Thomas’s version of the Master’s words is similar and the thought IS the same except that here in Thomas the Master introduces the idea of God’s being “outside of you” as well as within and here, while we do not have the commentaries and the definitions that we use in the accepted bible for confirmation, the words ARE rendered as “inside of you” rather than within. As we have discussed this idea of within from Luke’s Gospel is changed by doctrine to among and in your midst so as to take away the understanding that the Kingdom is Truly within and this mostly because they DO NOT understand the concept; to this end they claim that the Kingdom could not be within the Pharisees to whom the Master is speaking and this is perhaps their major point for change and a misunderstanding of the Truth as well. Thomas words here are seemingly more forgiving that the word rendered as within in the synoptic gospels from the Greek word entos but this is really not an accurate assessment as this word entos means ONLY within and inside according to Strong’s 3 and the ideas of among and in your midst are doctrinal changes so as to suit the understanding of the progenitors of the doctrines themselves. As we pointed out in our last discussion on this most important verse and concept, Vine’s paints for us the clearest picture of the doctrinal effect; he says: Topic: Within; Note: This is a translation of (a) entos: see INSIDE, No. 1; in Luke 17:21 the RV marg., “in the midst of,” is to be preferred; the kingdom of God was not in the hearts of the Pharisees 6.
All of the translations of these sayings counted as number three are quite similar including that from the Greek remnant showing that these words are translated without question of what Thomas tells us that the Master says. The idea here of the birds and the fishes is not likely meant for any reason other than to say that these ideas of the Kingdom in the Kingdom being in the sky (where many Christians believe it to be) or that the Kingdom is in the sea (or as Greek fragment frames this, beneath the ground yet maintains the idea of fishes) ARE NOT the True place of the Kingdom, that it IS within or inside of you AND it IS outside as well. Now the idea of the Kingdom being outside of the man was in that day a common understanding as God was deemed to be Transcendent only and this we get clearly from the words of the Apostle Paul who tells the the Epicureans and the Stoics that in the Plan of God “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:27-28) which IS another great Truth that is little understood by most of the doctrines of Christianity. And we should not think here that Paul is not understanding of the God Within as well as He tells us in this saying that also reminds us of the secret and the hidden as we discussed in the last essay; Paul tells us: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Paul tells us this also in another way as he says “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7). These sayings from Luke and from Paul are frequently spoken of in our posts as these ideas are essential to the right discernment of ALL that the Master and His apostles say and well as our right understanding of Life, the Kingdom and discipleship.
In similar fashion, this saying from the Bhagavad-gita that has served as our Quote of the Day gives us this same God Within from a different perspective but one which has the same effect as the sayings above from Jesus, according to Thomas and to Luke, and from Paul. Perhaps it is here in these ideas from the Hindu religion that the negatively used ideas that Thomas was influenced by other cultures and religions is founded. Understanding that language and translations is ever a problem in finding the Truths of these ancient words, we should see some similarity in the idea of poverty as this is used by Thomas above and the ideas of the joy and freedom as illustrated below. This word poverty IS NOT in reference to wealth nor possessions but knowledge and understanding and the message from Thomas’ Gospel above is that when we KNOW God we will gain much in this knowledge and understanding. The same ideas should come across in this saying below:
Thou carriest within thee a sublime Friend whom thou knowest not. For God dwells in the inner part of every man, but few know how to find Him. The man who sacrifices his desires and his works to the Beings from whom the principles of everything stem, and by whom the Universe was formed, through this sacrifice attains perfection. For one who finds his happiness and joy within himself, and also his wisdom within himself is one with God. And, mark well, the soul which has found God is freed from rebirth and death, from old age and pain, and drinks the water of Immortality.—Bhagavad-Gita
In Bhagavad-gita however there is a different dynamic at play if we can say it this way; the Bhagavad-gita is spoken to a different culture and one where the concept of reincarnation is well founded although much misunderstood today in some of their doctrines. Here the benefit to the man who finds God is in the joy and the happiness of a Life that IS expressing the Love and the Power of the Soul, the Christ Within, plus that sense of Wisdom, of KNOWING as we call it, and to this is added the state of True discipleship for the man who has Truly found God. We must understand here that this idea of finding God IS inclusive of ALL of the DOING and ALL of the keeping of His words as the realities of the Kingdom DO NOT change from religion to religion….they are merely stated differently according to the culture.
In the saying from Thomas, the poverty is one’s ‘reward’ for NOT KNOWING God and the God Within which IS the True self as we have ever been saying as based upon the sayings of our current bible and, as we said, this poverty is not in relation to wealth and possessions although it IS used in this way as well. Looking as the way this word poverty is used in the New Testament, in its only usage by Paul, we find some interesting ideas; Paul says of the Master: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor , that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Here the common thought has become that the Master was rich and this is especially True in the denominations and sects that teach the so called Prosperity Gospel. But this is not founded in fact and here we should see the reality that being rich can be much more than wealth and possessions; the Master IS among men as one who expresses the “all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9) and who is Greatness Incarnate, able to do whatsoever so pleases Him. Can we see in Paul’s words above that the Master forsakes ALL of this to come among us as a servant and this He tells us saying: “For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27). Can we see this reality? that the Master gives us ALL attachment which from His perspective is being meek and humble and which from the view of the man in the world is poor. And so the Master becomes poor that we might see and understand by His teaching and by his example and it is in this way that we, as aspirants and disciples become rich.
Now this only defines for us the idea that rich and poor IS NOT only in regard to wealth and possessions but in regard to the fruit of the Spirit if you will; here we can see the Master’s point according to Thomas as He tells us that if we DO NOT KNOW God we CAN NOT have this fruit, this True treasure and does this not make evermore sense that thinking that the Master would be speaking of or seeking riches for himself or for us? If then we have not the fruit nor the Wisdom to KNOW that “are the children of the living Father” then we are in poverty and that in Truth, our storehouse is empty. Paul makes this idea of the Master becoming poor from the perspective of what He gives up for His example and His teaching to us in another verse as well; Paul tells us: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:5-9). We too can be exalted.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect of God |
Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In Relation to the Great Invocation |
In relation to the Christ |
|
GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN |
Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Heart of God |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Mind of God |
Way
|
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.
Repeating a Quote of the Day from the past that has some significance in relation to what we are discussing here, that the Kingdom of God and therefore God is within us ALL. Here Lord Tennyson poetically tells us just how close God Truly IS and how it is that we touch Him
Speak to Him, thou, for He hears, and Spirit with Spirit can meet
Closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet.
(Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809–1892)
From the poem The Higher Pantheism which puts forth the authors spiritual belief. Whether we agree with him or not, the quote if spiritually perfect for all of Christianity as well as any other world religion.
For us today this saying shows us the closeness of the spiritual self to the Father and then too the closeness of the spiritual self with the personality of man. We may like to think of God as something outside and above but the reality, as we have seen in so many of the sayings of the Master, is that God is with us and in us and we need only to let ourselves be drawn. And, if we can use these words from the Gospel of Thomas here we can perhaps see much: “When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father.“
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 3 Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 2001
- 6 Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1996
- 14 The Gospel of Thomas; Translated by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson; http://gnosis.org/
