ON LOVE; PART CCCLXV

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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.

(14) Jesus said to them: “‘If you fast, you will bring forth sin for yourselves. And if you pray, you will be condemned. And if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. And if you go into any land and wander from place to place, (and) if they take you in, (then) eat what they will set before you. Heal the sick among them! For what goes into your mouth will not defile you. Rather, what comes out of your mouth will defile you.”

(15) Jesus says: “When you see one who was not born of woman, fall on your face (and) worship him. That one is your Father.”

(16) Jesus says: “Perhaps people think that I have come to cast peace upon the earth. But they do not know that I have come to cast dissension upon the earth: fire, sword, war. For there will be five in one house: there will be three against two and two against three, father against son and son against father. And they will stand as solitary ones.“

(17) Jesus says: “I will give you what no eye has seen, and what no ear has heard, and what no hand has touched, and what has not occurred to the human mind.” ¹⁴

We completed our look at the thirteenth saying in the last essay and while our conclusion may seem a stretch, there is foundation for most all of it. In the comparisons of the Master to the righteous angel and to the Wise philosopher by Peter and Matthew there is much that IS True and that can be readily seen by those who look away from doctrines. The righteous angel is a divine figure as is the Master through the more spiritually focused eyes of the Apostle Peter and in seeing this is does not matter that one would accept our premise that this word angel can refer to the spiritual state of man in the Kingdom of God. Here, one would have to understand that despite the gift of Life and consciousness to the human form for a Lifetime, that the Christ Within, which is the God Within, is ever IN the Kingdom which is also within and can be seen from our perspective as the Soul, the True man. This logic plus those sayings from the Master that we have discussed over the course of exploring these sayings from Thomas’ Gospel do tell a story about angels that doctrine can not explain. Nonetheless, Peter sees the divinity of the Lord.

The Apostle Matthew on the other hand is more focused upon the worldly appearance of the Master at this time and he sees Wisdom pouring forth in the Master’s words and actions and from this perspective we have the apostle telling the Master that he would compare Him to a Wise philosopher….and, this is of course a Truth about the Master. The Apostle Thomas however has no divine answer nor does he have one that is grounded in the Master’s works in the world and we have premised that his answer is such that he CAN NOT express what it is that he sees as that the Master could compare to and in this premise it would be appropriate to assume that, at this time, Thomas has a greater vision of the Master than do Peter or Matthew. A few posts back we included some words from the Bhagavad~gita that expressed the vision of God as seen by Arjuna who is given the ability to see and in reading this brief excerpt one can see for himself the inexpressible nature of the Godhead; it is along these lines that we see Thomas’ perception. This first part is for us wholly plausible and then we come to the Master’s answer to Thomas.

We spent much time on the idea of the Master being called Master and Teacher and Lord and on the many Greek words that mean these things. We also looked, as well as we can, at the interlinear version of Thomas’ Gospel that we have access to and we wondered if there is a True foundation for using the Coptic word as both master and teacher. In the end we found that if the Coptic Truly means teacher that there is an apparent conflict with the accepted gospels as the Master there tells us that He IS rightly called Lord and Teacher and that one should call no man teacher except for Christ. Now we may not have been exceptionally clear in the last essay in the jumble of words that mean teacher and master, and the reality is that the words used in the sayings that we reference here do use Greek words that are more readily interpreted as teacher than as master. In the end however we did conclude that this difference is a minor obstacle as the intent of the saying IS not that He should not be called Teacher nor Master but that He IS NOT the True Teacher of spiritual things nor the Master over anyone’s spiritual Life; this is a role that is played by each man in communication with His own Soul. It is from the Soul that a man receives revelation and greater realization of his spiritual reality; the teachings of the Master, to them in that day and to us today, serve to awaken the man in the world to the Good, the Beautiful and the True as they flow into a mans carnal Life from the Soul, the Christ and the God Within. From this perspective then the Master is not our Master and He is not our Teacher but by His words we are drawn to the Truth expressed by our own teacher and master, our own Soul. This reality is given to us by the Apostle John as he tells us that we have that same Anointing as the Master; John says that “ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” (1 John 2:20) and we spent many words over the last several posts exploring the Truth of this saying and the meaning of the Greek words that are rendered as Christ and as Anointed which is the same word as rendered here as unction.

In Thomas’ Gospel the Master goes on to tell us this same thing as He tells Thomas in rather obscure terms that “for you have drunk, and have become drunk from the bubbling spring which I have caused to gush forth (?)” which we take here from the Blatz translation as here there is a more direct understanding of our own point that the teachings of the Master serve to allow the Inner Truth that each man possesses to “gush forth” as revelation and realization. The rest of this we will not address again save to say that Thomas’ simple answer could have been ‘I can not tell you‘. In our summary here we should be able to see a reasoned and logical approach to the spiritual Truths expressed in this thirteenth saying.

We come now to the fourteenth saying and here we have some confusing ideas in the first part about fasting, praying and giving and while we did address these ideas in our discussion of the sixth saying, this seems to us to be from a different perspective. These ideas on fasting, praying and giving are seen by some as the answers to the questions posed in the sixth, perhaps by some confusion that they are misplaced, by this seems an absurd conclusion. Here on the fourteenth we have again a group of comments that are not grounded in anything save the desire of some to say that this gospel is a Gnostic writing that borrows from the accepted gospels. We have failed to mention one obvious point before and so include here that these comments are actually from published works by these mentioned authors; some of the comments on the fourteenth saying are:

• Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: “Positive proof that he did so [copy from the canonical gospels] seems to be provided in Saying 14. . . . The statement about healing the sick has nothing to do with the context in Thomas; it is relevant only in Luke’s collection of sayings. Therefore, Thomas copied it from Luke.” (Gnosticism & Early Christianity, pp. 185-186).
  Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: “This saying deals with subjects already brought up in Saying 5: fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and dietary observances. Here the statements ascribed to Jesus are more explicit than they were before. Fasting produces sin; prayer results in condemnation; almsgiving harms the spirit. Some ground for Thomas’s notion is given in Mark 2:18-20 (Matthew 9:14-15; Luke 5:33-35), where Jesus says that the sons of the bridechamber cannot fast while he is with them. Since Thomas regards the kingdom as present rather than future, fasting (a fortiori, prayer, almsgiving, and dietary laws) is pointless and, indeed, sinful.” (The Secret Sayings of Jesus, pp. 134-135).
• Gerd Ludemann writes: “This develops the notion of v. 4 about eating all that is set before one, and gives a reason for it. The dependence on Luke 10.7-8 in v. 4 also decides positively the dependence of v. 5 on Mark 7.15. For the invitation to heal the sick does not fit in v. 4 at all, and is best explained by the use of Luke 10.9.” (Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 597).
• F. F. Bruce writes: “Fasting, prayer and almsgiving (cf. Saying 6) are three forms of piety mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6.1-18), but the instructions given here are quite different from those given there. Such pious activities, it appears, are superfluous and indeed harmful for the true Gnostic. (Similar sentiments about prayer and fasting are expressed in saying 104.) The second and third sentences in the saying are respectively parallel to Luke 10.8 f. and Matthew 15.11 (cf. Mark 7.15). The addition of the injunction ‘eat what is set before you’ of the words denying that food conveys defilement underlines the relevance of the injunction to the Gentile mission (cf. Acts 10.15; 1 Corinthians 10.27).” (Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament, p. 119).
• Kurt Rudolph writes: “Even more trenchantly the Jewish laws mentioned in logion 14 are made out to be of no consequence, indeed as detrimental to salvation: Fasting gives rise to sin, praying to condemnation, the giving of alms to harming one’s spirit; one should eat everything that is set before one. It is important to heal the sick, by which probably the ignorant are referred to. The saying concludes with a quotation from Mark’s Gospel; later still Luke’s as well as Matthew’s Gospel are brought in on this question. Of sole importance is the ‘fast as regards the world’ because only that leads to the ‘kingdom’. The ‘great fast’ is taken in this sense also by the Mandaeans: It is no external abstention from eating and drinking but a cessation from inquisitiveness, lies, hatred, jealousy, discord, murder, theft, adultery, the worship of images and idols.” (Gnosis, p. 263).

Perhaps we are all looking as some different texts is my private comment to myself as I read these and some of the other comments both here and in regard to the other sayings that we have discussed. In the sixth saying we find that these are questions posed by the disciples; in fourteen these are answers, perhaps delayed, but NOT to the specific questions asked, and these are more likely a separate teaching. As we have found with the first thirteen sayings there is often no discernible relationship between the beginning and the end of these sayings but that, after further consideration and our attempts to understand the meanings of the words, they all DO seem to come together has a homogeneous saying; at least from our point of view as we try to relate these ideas to the Master through our own understanding of the Truths that He teaches us. Here the three statements at the beginning are rather clear:

14,1 If you fast, you will give rise to sin for yourselves;
14.2 and if you pray, you will be condemned;
14.3 and if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits.

Not these ARE NOT contrary to anything that the Master says in the gospels and we can approach these two ways; as regards the Master’s words from the Sermon on the Mount and as a complete saying which would appear to be a part of their instructions for how they should conduct themselves as they go about as disciples of the Lord. Perhaps, the Truth can be found in some combination. Let us begin with looking at these individual parts against the Sermon with the assumption that this instruction is to say that if one fasts or prays or gives according to the ways of those that the Master speaks against, there is Truly sin, condemnation and harm. We should note here before we begin that the various translations all agree on the wording on these ideas but we, as True laymen in the Coptic language, see a rather strange phrasing in the interlinear where the second verse reads “they will condemn you” but which is universally translated as “you will be condemned“; noting this, we begin with the Master’s words from the Sermon on the Mount:

• “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly“
• “And when thou prayest , thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him“
• “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast . Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18).

These words are of course exceedingly clear to most any who read them with an open mind and without attempts to cover their own habits and yet they are as well among those sayings of the Master that are largely ignored. However, this is not likely the intent of these sayings from Thomas’ Gospel and simply because these disciple KNOW these things; they are basic to discipleship, and because there is no introduction to these words in Thomas that could take the reader to these ideas from the Sermon. Looking further we can see the ideas of the Master’s sending the disciples out in the tenor of His words here and while the commentators look to match this against the accepted gospels from their perspective of believing them copied, we see this as a similar teaching of which we read here from the accepted:

• From Matthew: “And as ye go, preach , saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet” (Matthew 10:7-14).
• From Mark: “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. 11 And whosoever  shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. And they went out, and preached that men should repent” (Mark 6:7-12).
• From Luke we have two parts: “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever  house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where” (Luke 9:1-6).
  “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you” (Luke 10:1-11).

In the parts here regarding the sending of the Twelve, there is remarkable similarity and in this regard  there are those who claim that some are written upon the reading of others or that there is the mysterious Q version from which the three are based and while there may be some Truth here, we DO NO KNOW. It really matters very little as the intent of the Master’s teaching does come across to us here 2000 years later. There is at least one commentary on this verse that mentions this Q and, from our perspective it is not unusual for the four to have similar visions of the Master’s Life as they write their recollections for us. This aside we should note here that in the three versions of sending the twelve that they have naught to give; they do not have anything as their instruction is to “Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat” and perhaps an important part of our understanding of this verse from Thomas is tied to this saying generally and to the idea that “the workman is worthy of his meat” particularly.

If they have naught, they CAN NOT give alms and what they are about to receive from those who ‘entertain’ them in their cities and homes is not to be seen as alms but as the meat that they are worthy of by their work. Staying for a moment on this idea, can we perhaps see the idea that the Master is confirming the error of giving alms under the common understanding that He derided in the Sermon and then as He sends them with the instructions from the accepted gospels, He reminds them in the saying from Thomas to take as they are given in the spirit of “the workman is worthy of his meat“.

We should ever remember here the parabolic nature of most ALL of the Master’s sayings and here in these words from Matthew, Mark and Luke we find instructions without reason but with the idea that comes forth later as the Master asks His disciples: “When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing?“

“And they said , Nothing” (Luke 22:35).

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.

Today’s quote of the day is a repeat of the Mantram of Unification which is an affirmation of the Oneness of the human family from the perspective of the disciple and the aspirant and any who hold these ideals as important. In this we find the essence of the two ideas that we have discussed from Values to Live By and that these are firmly grounded in the desire to Love not hate; to serve and not exact due service and to heal and not to hurt. It is Love shown as Truth and justice that is at the heart of this mantram.

Mantram of Unification

The sons of men are one and I am one with them.
I seek to love, not hate;
I seek to serve and not exact due service;
I seek to heal, not hurt.

Let pain bring due reward of light and love.
Let the Soul control the outer form, and life and all events,
And bring to light the love that underlies the happenings of the time.

Let vision come and insight.
Let the future stand revealed.
Let inner union demonstrate and outer cleavages be gone.
Let love prevail.
Let all men love.

The Mantram of Unification is a meditation and a prayer that at first affirms the unity of all men and the Brotherhood of Man based on the Fatherhood of God. The first stanza sets forth several truly Christian ideals in Unity, Love, Service and Healing. The second stanza is a invocation to the Lord and to our own Souls asking that from the pain (if there can truly be any) incurred in focusing on the Spirit and not the world will come Light and Love into our lives and that we begin to function as Souls through our conscious personalities. We ask that the spiritual control of our lives will bring to light for us the Love that underlies world events; a Love that the world oriented man will not see working out behind the scenes and also that the Love that we bring forth, individually and as a world group, can be seen by all and ultimately in all. Finally, in the last stanza we ask for those things that are needed for Love to abound. Vision and insight so that we can direct our attention properly; revelation of the future in the sense that all can see the Power of Love in the world; inner union so that we do not fall back into the world’s ways, that we faint not; and that a sense of separation, the antithesis of brotherhood, ends as we know it today. Let Love Prevail, Let All Men Love.spiritual control of our lives will bring to light for us the Love that underlies world events; a Love that the world oriented man will not see working out behind the scenes.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!

• ¹⁴ The Gospel of Thomas; Translated by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson; http://gnosis.org/