ON LOVE; PART CCCLIV
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
GoodWill IS Love in Action
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
The Gospel of Thomas
These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke. And Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down.
(4) Jesus says: “The person old in his days will not hesitate to ask a child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will become last, and they will become a single one.“
(5) Jesus says: “Come to know what is in front of you, and that which is hidden from you will become clear to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not become manifest.“
(6) His disciples questioned him, (and) they said to him: “Do you want us to fast? And how should we pray and give alms? And what diet should we observe?“
Jesus says: “Do not lie. And do not do what you hate. For everything is disclosed in view of <the truth. For there is nothing hidden that will not become revealed. And there is nothing covered that will remain undisclosed.“(7) Jesus says: “Blessed is the lion that a person will eat and the lion will become human. And anathema is the person whom a lion will eat and the lion will become human.” 14
In the last essay we discussed the fourth saying of the Master according to the Gospel of Thomas and while at the outset it appeared a difficult task, we did make some sense of it using the Master’s words from the four accepted gospels regarding the little child and the very nature of one as expressing innocence and trusting and most especially that attitude of humbleness. We also looked at how the Master relates the little child to the angel in heaven and then further to His saying regarding the one accounted worthy as He tells us: “But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection” (Luke 20:35-36). We noted here that equal to is better rendered as “like the angels” and we see this idea rendered from the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel as Jesus saying: “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven” (Matthew 22:30) and it is from this that we build a scriptural reality of the ONENESS of angels and men and that this word angel can be seen as representing the spiritual and divine nature of the man who IS expressing Life and some degree of his own consciousness through form. Now this is never stated in words but rather by the allusions that we have pointed to and this is not unlike so many of the mysteries of Life that are never given clearly but which must be discerned by revelation and realization and, even though we can be wrong here in our understanding, we are likly more on the right course than is doctrine which also has only their own form of allusions to their understanding of the Truth of angels.
As a part of these same sayings which center around the Jewish tradition of the resurrection, a tradition which is not explained nor directly mentioned in the Old Testament, the Master gives a bit more and, in our understanding, this IS intended to show them that their understanding IS NOT right; the Master says: “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:31-32). We should note here that the Pharisees and the Sadducees were at odds on this traditions of resurrection and while the text seems to say that Jesus “had put the Sadducees to silence“, as those who “say that there is no resurrection” (Matthew 22:23, 34), we can see here the greater reality of His telling the Pharisees as well that their tradition IS in error, that there Truly are no dead. Our point here is that this tradition of the Jews became a tradition of the Christians as well and one that IS not ever explained but which is covered in obscure language and this because this IS yet another mystery and when scripture is read carefully, away from tradition and doctrine, and in context, it can take on a whole new Light of Truth; we will cover these ideas in some detail in from the Apostle John’s Gospel in a future essay, ideas which many portend to ratify this concept of resurrection as it is commonly understood but which in Truth gives us but a small piece of the mystery; the Master says:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:24-29).
Here, in our view, is one of the most misunderstood concepts in Christianity and there are many. And this is our point regarding angels and men as well, that doctrine has created a picture of heavenly beings based in naught but imagination and has propagated a superstition and a pseudo reality around their existence and it IS concepts of this type, and of the resurrection of the dead, that serve to keep people away from the church today. Thousands of years ago, when superstition abounded in an emotionally based society, these ideas had audience and had purpose in comforting people especially in times of need. It IS in this spirit that we ever say that there has been a need for the doctrinal approach to God and there is likely yet a need in the world today but, at the same time, there is a need for Truth that is not based in the superstitions and the traditions, not based in the doctrines established 2000 years ago and scarcely changed. And, these Truths ARE in the words of the Master and His apostle and can be revealed to any and to ALL who sincerely seek as we discussed from the second saying of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas. We discussed these ideas as well in the last essay, that the church today still inhibits the seeking by their participants by proclaiming as heretical the writings of men like the Apostle Thomas, the purported author of the words that we are discussing from his unaccepted gospel, and we wondered aloud if this tendency of the doctrinal church can be seen as the effect of the modern day Pharisee and Sadducee whom the Master railed against.
In this fourth saying then we found the little child whose innocence, trusting and humble nature can be seen by the man of more advanced years in a moment of reflection and revelation can come to seek that same attitude as the little child as his own place in Life and thereby live. Here we have the processes that lead a man to Repentance; that he sees the futility of Life as a man in the world of men and seeks the better way which IS the way of the little child as the Master tells us in the accepted gospels. It is in these realizations and revelations that a man comes to see where he was and where he can be….he is seeing duality and it is here that he can choose Life and live. The rest of the saying is rather muddy as are ALL the similar words of the Master and we premised in the last essay that this man who finds Life can place himself among the many who can be first in the Kingdom but who then chooses to be last to leave; to stay and help his brothers in the single-mindedness and unity of a Son of God. This is a complex idea which we will discuss again as it becomes clearer.
Our next saying, number five, plays upon all that we have been saying regarding the nature of scripture and the view of scripture away from preconceptions and the doctrinal assertions of those who have assumed the authority to speak on behalf of God. This is of course our view of Thomas saying “Come to know what is in front of you, and that which is hidden from you will become clear to you” in which we should understand here our ideas here on doctrines which hide the reality that IS in front of one. This is the role of illusion and glamour, of the vanity that Paul speaks of saying that we are as mankind “made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope“, which means for us by the very Plan of God. And it is to us to find our way out which way is to not look at Life as regards the things of the world but to look at Life as we Truly ARE, as divine Souls in form. And nothing could be clearer, nothing could be more “in front of you” than the Master’s instructions in this regard, and we see this in so many of His sayings. Here, we should take special note here of the Great Commandments as in this there is nothing more that He could have done to put this single most important ideal “in front of you“. Yet we do not see these things; we do not see the reality of His telling us:
- “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt , and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also“. Here of course we should not see the wealth and the possessions alone but ALL things that can take our attention and keep us attracted to this world and we should note that Jesus follows this idea with the confirming admonition which says clearly that “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” and here the Master continues yet further to drive home His Truth as he tells us “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life” (Matthew 6:19-21, 24, 25) which IS of course the Life in this world. ALL of these ideas are placed “in front of you” by the Master and totally obscured by the pronouncements of doctrines which in some cases teach the opposite.
- And we CAN NOT forget the special importance that the Master places “in front of you” and He tells us the Great Commandments and offers us His own understanding of what this can Truly mean as He tells us clearly that: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31) and he offers us this as well “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
We could go on and on to so many clear sayings that place the Truth “in front of you” but which, as we say above and throughout our essays, are obnubilated by the wranglings of doctrine to become the diluted and changed commandments of men which theme the Master also makes clear for us as he repeats to the Pharisees and the elders the words of the Prophet Esaias saying “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:6-7). Most doctrine sees this as frozen in time and related only to the ways of the Pharisee while the reality IS that His sayings are timeless and refer to the Christian versions of the Pharisee, the Sadducee, the scribe and the priest; ALL through the last 2000 years. Can we get a sense of the Truth of Thomas’ words on this? We should note here that New Testament scripture is not specifically what he meant but that he is likely referring to the teachings of the Master Himself as well as the Old Testament teachings of which we have example in this saying.
Can we see here that in attending to the ideas that ARE “in front of you” as is a basic objective of our writing, that we do gain the revelation and the realizations of ideas that were heretofore unknown to us as men in the world? This IS the reality of Thomas words that “that which is hidden from you will become clear to you” and in this we should see the reality of the Master’s words on mysteries and secrets as He tells us that it IS to disciples that revelation comes and that such revelation IS in His words:
- Speaking to His disciples who ask about Jesus’ teaching by parable, we read: “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables” (Mark 4:11) and here we should see the idea of revelation for the man who is able to see the Truth of the Christ which is “in front of you“.
- And these secrets and mysteries ARE in His words as he tells us again by repeating the words of a prophet saying: “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 13:34-35). We should see in these words the reality of the Truths being hidden in plain sight or “in front of you” and that the ONLY key to unlocking the secrets is our ardent focus.
The ending part of this saying is one that IS used by the Master in the accepted gospels and in a variety of contexts as we read:
- Telling His disciples to not be fearful of persecution, the Master says: “Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops” (Matthew 10:26-27). Here is not only the idea of not to be fearful but the admonition to speak the Truth, and loudly.
- Speaking of the Light which is the accoutrement of the disciple, the Master admonishes us to let it shine forth saying “And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:21-23).
- The Apostle Luke uses this idea twice; once in similar fashion to the Apostle Mark above where he writes: “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad” (Luke 8:16-17). And a second time in like fashion to the words from Matthew above saying: “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Luke 12:1-3).
In these we should be clear on the meaning of Thomas saying which is to say much the same as what we read above, that when we are looking plainly at what is in front of us without being swayed be preconceptions and authoritative pronouncements, we will begin to realize that which had been hidden and that when we have the hidden revelations it is because of the fact that “there is nothing hidden that will not become manifest“. In continuing this theme, the Master tells us in the synoptic gospels that we must then become ourselves bearers of the Light, which idea is alluded to in Thomas Gospel and is perhaps clarified as we move further on into this purported collection of the Master’s sayings.
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!
- 14 The Gospel of Thomas; Translated by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson; http://gnosis.org/
