ON LOVE; PART CDLXXIX
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.
(102) Jesus says: “Woe to them, the Pharisees, for they are like a dog sleeping in a cattle trough, for it neither eats nor [lets] the cattle eat.“
(103) Jesus says: “Blessed is the person who knows at which point (of the house) the robbers are going to enter, so that [he] may arise to gather together his [domain] and gird his loins before they enter.“
(104) They said to [Jesus]: “Come, let us pray and fast today!” Jesus said: “What sin is it that I have committed, or wherein have I been overcome? But when the bridegroom comes out of the wedding chamber, then let (us) fast and pray.“
(105) Jesus says: “Whoever will come to know father and mother, he will be called son of a whore.“
(106) Jesus says: “When you make the two into one, you will become sons of man. And when you say ‘Mountain, move away,’ it will move away.“
(107) Jesus says: “The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them went astray, the largest. He left the ninety-nine, (and) he sought the one until he found it. After he had toiled, he said to the sheep: ‘I love you more than the ninety-nine.’“
(108) Jesus says: “Whoever will drink from my mouth will become like me. I myself will become he, and what is hidden will be revealed to him.“
In the last essay we discussed a number of sayings from the Gospel of Thomas; the one hundred fifth which remains a mystery to us and the one hundred sixth which we related to other sayings from Thomas’ Gospel as well as to several from the synoptic gospels and we find in ALL that totality of commitment by the man in the world to the things of God. Here in this idea of “the two into one” we should see the reality of the Soul and his expression as the two which must be one in the world; the expression of the True man in the world must be that of the Love and the Power of the Soul and have naught to do with the carnal man. We could say that this is a combining of the Soul and his body in the world but this would be a misnomer as that union already exists as the Soul IS the Life and the consciousness in the form. It is the realization of these Truths and the expression of the Soul through the form that IS “the two into one“; it is in this state of being that one can find the Power to move the mountain which IS of course a thing that one would NOT actually do; this is but a symbol of the awesome Spiritual Power of the Soul for the man that can fully express it and who can say with the Master that “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Here in the combination of sayings from the synoptic gospels and the Gospel of Thomas we can see the link between ALL of the terms used and it is in this combination of ideas that we can see the Truth:
- First there is the Master’s idea of having “faith as a grain of mustard seed” (Luke 17:6) which faith IS NOT that doctrinal and illusive faith in God but IS rather that KNOWING that whatsoever one can say to happen will happen and it IS fortunate that any who can Truly find this Power MUST find it in his own Soul’s expression which overcomes the emotional and mental ways of the man in the world.
- Second we have the affiliated idea that actually says this same things in a less parabolic way as we read that the Master says that should a man be able to “not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass” (Mark 11:23), that then he will have whatsoever is was that he believed. Here again we have that state of KNOWING and not that doctrinal idea of believing; here we have the same KNOWING as does the “grain of mustard seed“, that it WILL become a mustard tree, that there ARE NOT any other possibilities. This same idea is offered to us by the Apostle Matthew as we read “If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed , and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done“(Matthew 21:21)”. Here we get the combination of faith and no doubt which IS the same as believing without doubt which is the same as the faith of that mustard seed.
- In the saying from Thomas’ Gospel above we have the link between this idea of moving the mountain and Thomas’ way of stating this KNOWING as he tells us that this IS done by making “the two into one“. This IS Thomas’ more mystical approach perhaps but this DOES say the same thing; this IS that same KNOWING; and, while in the synoptic gospels we see the ideas of faith and believing, both WITHOUT DOUBT, as this KNOWING, here we have the cause for this ability to KNOW which is that we become the singular focus of the Soul as one’s expression of Love and Power to the world…we express nothing else. ALL doubt IS removed in this Unity.
- This same thought is offered by Thomas in another form which says that this KNOWING can be accomplished when the “two make peace with one another in one and the same house” (Thomas 22). Here the house is the body and the personality while the two are yet the same as above; they are the Soul and his expression to the world through the body and the personality. We should try to see here that the body and the personality are carnal, they are of the world and there IS NO affinity between these and the Soul, the only affinity is in the Souls ability to overcome the carnal forces that drive the carnal nature and then use that ‘house’ to express the Love and the Power of the True man, the Soul.
- Finally we have these ideas from the Master which, while they are in a different context, offer us a greater understanding of the idea of “the two into one” and some better ideas of the fullness of its meaning; we read: “When you make the two into one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside and the above like the below – that is, to make the male and the female into a single one, so that the male will not be male and the female will not be female” (Thomas 22:4-5). In this combination of words the message IS clear; it is that Unity of the Soul and his expression ONLY that can be seen and in seeing this one sees the divine man of God. Thomas goes on to discuss the eye and the hand and the foot here which serve to better clarify this, for those who can see his meaning, as we discussed yesterday.
In this light of Soul and his expression and the idea that there IS NOT, nor can there be, any True affinity between the carnal and the divine, we should look at these ideas from the Apostles. Again, we are presenting this in a way that we can see that it IS in the overcoming of the worldly forces that we become True Sons of God in the world and that the body’s only role is as it was ever intended: to be the earthen vessel for that treasure called the Soul, the Christ Within. We read the apostles’ words saying:
- “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7).
- “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace” (Ephesians 2:15).
- “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).
This IS the goal and the objective of Life in form in this world, to so overcome the forces of the carnal world that they have no effect upon our expression of the Love and the Power of the Soul. It is here that we become single minded as IS the Master, as was Peter in the end and as was Paul. There are doubtless others that can be mentioned here from ALL religions and ALL cultures and while we could list here those like the Buddha, we do not aS His reality was much like that of the Christ and what he accomplished was His own destiny for that particular Lifetime. The Apostle Peter however is our ready example of the Life of the disciple who Repents, Transforms and Redeems his very nature in the world to become the single minded expression of the Soul that is the True Peter. Similarly we find the Apostle Paul whose plight was even the harder one as he was a man set in his ways of belief, a religious man who realized that his religion is wrong, and who takes up the way of Truth as a disciple of the Master; and it IS in Paul’s Life that we should see the reality of religion as he walks away from one and into the greater Truth which he helps to define.
The next saying that we discussed in the last post, the one hundred seventh, is in regard to the lost sheep and we discussed this from the perspective of how each of the three presentations are different in approach but the same in the True meaning which should ever be seen as the the Joy in the Kingdom, the Joy of one’s own Soul, at being found and in this finding IS found in the Repentance as we read in Luke’s version and the Master’s words that say that “joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). Here we find a reality of Life as regards those that have already been found, they, like the ninety and nine other sheep are of no concern to any; can we see here the True nature of this Joy, that it IS NOT that simple happiness that we have here in this world. We discussed also how that in Matthew’s verison this idea of the lost sheep is tied to the Truth of the little ones and how that “That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10) which ARE the Master’s words just before His words on the lost sheep. In our understanding these angels ARE NOT that doctrinal idea of a guardian angel or those illusory winged beings of art, they are rather their own Souls who are not yet occupied with the trials and the tribulations of Life in this world which becomes the nature of one as he grows into his place in Life. And this IS the point of the Master’s words; that these “little ones” can get lost and that “the Son of man is come to save that which was lost” so that NOT “one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:11, 14).
Thomas offers us a different perspective on this parable and again it is without context as we find in the synoptic versions of this which, as we can see, ARE NOT the same but offer a different view of the Master’s words. Did Jesus say these words multiple times and in different settings? We DO NOT KNOW. We only KNOW what is presented for us by the apostles and, is is ever our view that these differences can be simply their different recollections of His words in combination with their meaning to each writer individually. The available commentary on this saying includes:
- Marvin Meyer writes: “In the Babylonian Talmud, a contrast is made between ninety-nine people who urge one thing and one person who is more on the side of the law; and in the Midrash Rabbah of Genesis, a person is described leaving eleven cows to find the one that wandered away.” (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, p. 106).
- R. McL. Wilson writes: “Accustomed as we are to the familiar story in the Synoptic Gospels, this version must come as something of a suprise, the more particularly since in the Synoptics it is not a parable of the kingdom at all. As Cerfaux observes, however, the parable was a favourite with the Gnostics, who adapted it for their own purposes. He finds an explanation in the Gospel of Truth (32.18-25), which links the lost sheep of this parable with that of Matthew xii. 11 f., the sheep fallen into the well. This, with some other features, would provide clear evidence of Gnostic redaction. For Bartsch the addition of ‘the largest’ is merely an explanatory expansion to explain the shepherd’s search, but if the analogy of the fish and the pearl is borne in mind it may, perhaps, be suggested that the point is somewhat more significant: the sheep would seem to be either the Gnostic, for whose sake Christ the shepherd labours, or the kingdom (identified as elsewhere with gnosis) for which the Gnostic must strive. Bauer draws attention to the Valentinian interpretation recorded by Irenaeus and, like Doresse before him, to the speculations on the number ninety-nine in the Gospel of Truth, but Grant and Freedman see no reason to suppose that Thomas had such calculations in mind; of this it can only be said that all the available evidence must be collected for examination, even if some of it may eventually prove irrelevant. Finally there is the variant in the closing words: ‘I love thee more . . .’ for Matthew’s ‘he rejoiceth.’ Guillaumont’s suggestion that these are different versions of the underlying Aramaic is certainly attractive, but this must be left to the specialists in that field. As it is, there has been some development of this parable in the Synoptic tradition itself, as comparison of the Matthean and Lucan versions will suffice to show.” (Studies in the Gospel of Thomas, pp. 95-96).
- Funk and Hoover write: “Thomas’ version of the lost sheep has moved away from the original: the lost sheep here is the largest of the flock – a motif repeated elsewhere in Thomas (in the parable of the leaven, Thom 96:1-2, and in the parable of the fishnet, 8:1-3). The shepherd loves the large sheep more than the ninety-nine, according to Thomas. In the version of Matthew (18:12-13), the shepherd loves the single sheep simply because it is lost. The themes and interests that have prompted Thomas to revise the story are alien to the authentic parables and aphorisms of Jesus.” (The Five Gospels, p. 529).
- F. F. Bruce writes: “In the canonical versions of the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15.3-7; cf. Matthew 18.12 f.), the owner puts himself to exceptional trouble over the hundredth sheep just because it is lost. This is unacceptable to our present editor, who rationalizes the situation by explaining that the lost sheep was the biggest (and presumably the most valuable) in the flock. Either the shepherd is Jesus and the hundredth sheep the true Gnostic, or the shepherd is the Gnostic and the sheep the true knowledge (like the big fish in Saying 8 and the pearl in Saying 76).” (Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament, p. 151).
- Gerd Ludemann writes: “The parable has a parallel in Matt. 18.12-13/Luke 15.4-6 (=Q) and represents a further development of the Q parable. For the lost sheep has now become the largest (v. 2). This is a motif which corresponds to 8.1-3 and 96.1-2. Two interpretations of the parable in Gnostic terms are possible: (a) the shepherd stands for the Saviour, who in the large sheep seeks and finds the Gnostic self which has gone astray in the world. (b) The shepherd represents the Gnostic himself, who seeks and finds himself.” (Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 641).
- Helmut Koester writes: “Gos. Thom. 107 lacks the secondary applications found in Matt 18:14 (‘So it is not the will of my father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish’) and Luke 16:7 (‘There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance’).” (Ancient Christian Gospels, p. 99).
In these commentaries there is much that tries to point to this as being a Gnostic saying and this is perhaps their motivation, to accord these ideas to another and not to the Apostle Thomas in his time. We find the idea that the large sheep IS the Gnostic or that it IS the Master when this type of idea is not accorded to the synoptic ideas which are also very differently stated. The lost sheep is simply the one in need of Repentance, the one who needs to be saved according to the synoptic versions and here again we may have Thomas assuming the reality of the transference of the idea from the sheep to the people, assuming that this is covered in the nature of the parable itself. In Thomas we have the same reality we have one sheep lost which is perhaps the largest and which we see as the greatest. We have also the shepherd representing the Kingdom of God and diligently seeking this sheep and in this the end part, the secondary application of Mr. Koester, becomes unnecessary; here we have the Kingdom of God searching until the sheep is found.
Thomas presentation IS different as he tells us about the greatest of the sheep that becomes lost. In the synoptics it is a random one out of the hundred but here we see the greatest as the Interlinear renders this and this IS the better idea than the other translations that call this the largest or the biggest. This same word that is rendered here as great by the Interlinear is rendered the same in ALL instances by them while the other translators change the meaning to suit their view of each saying. By example:
- In the eighth saying the great fish of the Interlinear is called the biggest or the largest.
- In the twelfth saying the phrase “who will become great over us” is rendered as “who will be our leader” and “who will rule over us” by some while other maintain the idea of great.
- In the twentieth saying many leave the idea of great as regards the mustard tree but some convert this to large, enormous and big.
- In the twenty first saying ALL leave the word as great as it relates to strength.
- Similarly in the twenty ninth ALL leave the word as great as it describes wealth.
- Again in the eighty fifth saying as it applies to wealth and power, the word is left by ALL as great.
- In the ninety sixth saying which relates to bread the same word is rendered as great in the Interlinear but changed to huge, large and big.
Our point here is that the rendering of a word has much to do with one’s understanding of a saying and in this word we should try to see that great works in ALL instances while the other ideas DO NOT. It IS the same Coptic word in each instance and here in our current saying we can see a world of difference between this lost sheep being the largest or the biggest and his being the greatest. While the large and the big are good ideas if this sheep is for food and sold by the pound, we can likely see that this is not the case from the closing words that say “I love you more than the ninety-nine“. In the greatest sheep we have the one of most importance and we should remember here that we are speaking of a parable and of one that is likening the Kingdom of God to the shepherd. Here we should try to also see that in the Kingdom there IS NONE greater and while this could make this point of the word moot, it does not because from the human perspective this word IS still effective. Here the greatest sheep for the real shepherd is just a another IMPORTANT Soul from the perspective of the Kingdom and the analogy here is that as the shepherd will search for his greatest sheep diligently and until it IS found, leaving the ninety nine others who ARE NOT lost; the Kingdom will search out ALL that are lost and with the same diligence, the same effort and in the end with the same Love.
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.
We are using yet another mantram as our new Quote of the Day and this is again one that we have posted many times. Here in the form of an affirmation we should be able to understand the intent which IS to make these realities as part of our everyday thinking and our everyday understanding of our nature. Here again, as we see in our words above on the Mantram of Unification, we have the same dynamics: Love, service and healing. Here however the motivation IS more upon the idea of service and when we can see that this service is offered in Love and that this service IS one of healing we can Truly understand this affirmation.
Affirmation of the Disciple
I am a point of light within a greater Light.
I am a strand of loving energy within the stream of Love divine.
I am a point of sacrificial Fire, focussed within the fiery Will of God.
And thus I stand
I am a way by which men may achieve.
I am a source of strength, enabling them to stand.
I am a beam of light, shining upon their way.
And thus I stand.
And standing thus, revolve
And tread this way the ways of men,
And know the ways of God.
And thus I stand.
From previous posts we repeat that today’s Quote of the Day is called the Affirmation of the Disciple and is spoken from the perspective of the Soul and not from that of the man in form. It is the Soul that we are in this life on Earth, housed in this ‘temple’ of flesh and it is the Light of the Soul that must flow through this ‘temple’ in order that we may say with the Christ “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) which is our goal and our destiny. Speaking then as the Soul we affirm our reality and true existence in God and in His Three Aspects of Light and Love and His Will. As this Light and Love and Will flow through our conscious personalities and forms we, as disciples, take on the nature of the second stanza being able to offer to the world a better way through our service and our Love for all, encouragement to righteousness through our strength of purpose, and the Light which shines in accordance with the Master’s instructions to “Let your light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:16) and illuminates the Path. Finally we realize that we are standing in this world and walking as men but, as conscious Souls in form, we know the way and the ways of God and are able to say with the Christ that “I am not of this world” (John 8:23).
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/
