ON LOVE; PART CDLXXI
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.
(96) Jesus [says]: “The kingdom of the Father is like [a] woman. She took a little bit of yeast. [She] hid it in dough (and) made it into huge loaves of bread. Whoever has ears should hear.“
(97) Jesus says: “The kingdom of the [Father] is like a woman who is carrying a [jar] filled with flour. While she was walking on [the] way, very distant (from home), the handle of the jar broke (and) the flour leaked out [on] the path. (But) she did not know (it); she had not noticed a problem. When she reached her house, she put the jar down on the floor (and) found it empty.“
(98) Jesus says: “The kingdom of the Father is like a person who wanted to kill a powerful person. He drew the sword in his house (and) stabbed it into the wall to test whether his hand would be strong (enough). Then he killed the powerful one.“
(99) The disciples said to him: “Your brothers and your mother are standing outside.” He said to them: “Those here, who do the will of my Father, they are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter the kingdom of my Father.“
(100) They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to him: “Caesar’s people demand taxes from us.” He said to them: “Give Caesar (the things) that are Caesar’s. Give God (the things) that are God’s. And what is mine give me.“
(101) “Whoever does not hate his [father] and his mother as I do will not be able to be a [disciple] of mine. And whoever does [not] love [his father] and his mother as I do will not be able to be a [disciple] of mine. For my mother […], but my true [mother] gave me life.” 14
Today IS Human Rights Day 2013 and we must admit that this day snuck up on us as we were unaware even of its existence and this is a large part of a basic problem in the world: that those things worth our attention do not get it because no one KNOWS. We know about the lifestyles of the sports figure and the socialite, we know about the minutia of the lives of actors and actresses and the death of one, even the smallest injury to one, becomes worldwide news. We know what he said and she said about the rich and famous but we do not KNOW anything about ideas and ideals like Human Rights Day. It IS only in our ability to make these things KNOWN; not in passing and after the fact as we do today, that they can begin to have some effect upon the lives of men.
Every day should be Human Rights Day; there should be no need for a special call out for a man to recognize the rights of others and, at the same time we should be careful not to channel our ideas on Human Rights into the political arena only, we should rather understand the greater importance in having enough food, a safe place to live and sleep, and these things especially for the most vulnerable of society; we should see the greater importance of education and justice and not attend so much to the political structure of any country except when it denies its citizens of these essentials of Life. It is here in this area of Human Rights that we need to exercise our own sense of Right Human Relations in ALL that we think and do in the world and it is here that we must display our own Spiritual Truths as we recognize the full force of Love; that it IS Love that cures ALL that ails the world of men. And it is here that we must Truly realize that there CAN NOT be but one day set aside for these ideas but that these should become the Life work of ALL who Truly care as the Master teaches us in the Great Commandments and the Golden Rule:
Of all that the Master told us, He considered this as the Greatest of Commandments. So much of what we are to understand as aspirants or as believers is found in the precept that we must KEEP HIS WORDS:
“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).
We ask ourselves WHAT THEN IS LOVE?
In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men.
We add to this THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST which can serve to both give us an understanding of what it means to Love oneself and how it is that we can Love our neighbor:
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
To lend some additional ideas to the world thought regarding today we post below the comments of President Obama and Pope Francis in regard to Human Rights Day; from the president we have his press release and from the Pope we have some recent comments and an associated headline that sets the tone. Beginning with the Pope who has been offering a very public stand against the injustices of society and of whom we have become a quick fan; the headline says: ‘Prayer Wave’ Led By Pope Francis To End Hunger Begins On December 10, Human Rights Day. For any who wish to participate, there is much information on-line. Some of the recent associated ideas that the Pope has presented:
“To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us.”
“We cannot sleep peacefully while babies are dying of hunger and the elderly are without medical assistance.”
“There are many people in need in today’s world. Am I self-absorbed in my own concerns or am I aware of those who need help?”
“True charity requires courage: let us overcome the fear of getting our hands dirty so as to help those in need.”
“If money and material things become the center of our lives, they seize us and make us slaves.”
“Take care of God’s creation. But above all, take care of people in need.”
“The measure of the greatness of a society is found in the way it treats those most in need, those who have nothing apart from their poverty.”
These excerpts are but examples of the ideas of the Pontiff regarding social welfare and these are, all of them, directed toward those of some ability to help. If we can substitute the idea of Love for the Pope’s use of the word Charity then these messages are much the same as our own and while we, as aspirants and disciples, may not have the wherewithal to give of money and goods, we DO have the wherewithal to give nonetheless by our expression of our own sense of Love in ALL that we do and by our example of this expression to the world.
On a very different note we find the words of President Obama whose ideas on Human Rights are on the more political side and, as we have said above, this concern should NOT be in the forefront of our thoughts except where such politics and policies obliterate the basic needs so the citizens. It should not matter if we do not agree politically with a dictator or a communist or a socialist regime if the citizens there are fed and sheltered and educated in a just society and we must ever be careful not to define these things only according to our own preconceived ideas of just what they should mean. Should ALL men have freedom of religion and the ability to conduct their lives in their own way? YES, of course, but these are not of paramount importance in a world where millions starve and die of exposure every day or where the extent of education does not include basic reading and social skills. These things are the True injustice and must outweigh the politics of any group or nation. The President’s proclamation:
Six and a half decades ago, delegates from around the world convened to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, rejecting the notion that individual aspirations should be subject to the whims of tyrants and empires, and affirming every person’s right to liberty, equality, and justice under the law. On Human Rights Day and during Human Rights Week, we resolve not only to celebrate these ideals but also to advance them in our time.
Humanity thrives because of our differences; the exchange of ideas among vibrant cultures is a source of innovation, beauty, and vitality. Yet across the globe, our common and inalienable rights bind us as one. All women and men — across borders and regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, or income level — share the freedoms of expression, religion, assembly, and association. We all have the right to take part in government, directly or through freely elected representatives. And as societies, we have the right to choose our own destiny.
But in many parts of the world, people are still persecuted for their beliefs, imprisoned for their ideals, and punished for their convictions. A growing number of countries are passing laws designed to stifle civil society — including organizations that promote universal human rights, support good governance, and bolster economic development. Securing freedoms that are threatened or denied will require an unceasing commitment. Today and always, let us break down prejudice, amplify the courageous voices that sound the call for change, and reaffirm our unwavering support for the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 10, 2013, as Human Rights Day and the week beginning December 10, 2013, as Human Rights Week. I call upon the people of the United States to mark these observances with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
BARACK OBAMA *
Returning to our discussion on the ninety eighth saying from the Gospel of Thomas, we find that this most obscure saying from the Master can and does make sense when it is viewed in relationship to the man in the world and how it is that he must accomplish this reality of killing if he Truly desires to be accounted worthy of the Kingdom. This IS of course against the grain of the more common thoughts in the West where men believe that it is their ‘god given right’ to possess and control their carnal destiny when the Truth is in his ability to possess and control his spiritual destiny; and this IS against the grain as well of the common thought that one can do both….be Truly spiritual and, at the same time, live a carnally oriented Life in this world. Some in the Christian world actually take offence at the premise that the Master’s teachings include this idea that to be accounted worthy of His Kingdom, that one must have “crucified the flesh” as the Apostle Paul frames this in that saying that we left off with in the last post. It IS the worldly way and it has somewhat become the Christian way to find safe harbor in these words by changing their very meaning so as to enable men to see that this pertains to the other guy and not to the self; and this despite the many words of the Master and His apostles to the contrary. And this IS ALL wrapped up for us in a single saying from the Master which we can see as addressed to the man who thinks that he can do both or that he can attend to the self and the self in the world and still attain His Kingdom by way of some ritual or affirmation and, of course, nothing could be farther from the Truth. The Master says:
“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” (Matthew 6:24).
Now we can think that mammon means only treasure and riches as this is defined by the man in the world but this IS NOT so; we can find many meanings in the Master’s own words as to the nature of treasure, on how it IS what has becomes important to the man and on how his very heart can be seen to serve this treasure as we read in His words that “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:.34). The point here is that no matter what safe harbors one may think that he has in regard to the Master’s words, there really IS NONE; as a man conducts his Life, it IS the objects of his attention and the things that he strives for that ARE what he serves and if we intelligently look at His words above we can easily see that this CAN NOT be split, a man CAN NOT “serve two masters“…”no man“. These ARE His words and they are abundantly clear and it is in these type of ideas that the Truth of another saying rings loudly as He says: “Whoever has ears should hear” which phrasing we take from Thomas’ Gospel and which is rendered in the Interlinear in a different way from which we can perhaps learn much; we read there that: “He-who-has-ear of-him, let- him-listen” (Thomas 96:3).
And so IS the meaning of our ninety eighth saying as it tells us that we CAN NOT live in both worlds; we CAN NOT ‘pretend’ to be spiritually minded while we are attending to the things of the flesh. We should see in this saying the separate ideas; first that the Kingdom is likened to the man, the spiritual man, who wants to kill the powerful man of the personality in the world. Second we should see the acknowledgement of the difficulty of this task wrapped up in the idea of the spiritual man ascertaining that he is capable of accomplishing this; and this we can see in our own lives, how the personality and its worldly ways is sore difficult to defeat. Here we can see the sword as the weapon with which the spiritual man can defeat the wiles of the world, how he can stand against them as his own “affections and lusts“; in the parabolic saying the sword is but the carnal example while the True sword is one’s own spiritual will which we can see in Paul’s words that tell us of the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). Finally we see this man, this spiritual man who identifies the reality that he must overcome, slay if you will, the ways of the flesh as they infect the personality, this man who has counted the cost, the psychic cost, and sees that he can accomplish this thing, and sets out to do so and in the reality of expressing the Kingdom of God within, the True man, he completes is objective and his goal, he has “crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts“; he is among them that “are Christ’s” (Galatians 5:24); he is accounted worth of the Kingdom.
Can we see the reality of this saying from the Master according to Thomas and can we see how His parabolic words have a True spiritual meaning and that this IS the very nature of the parable of the Master. Our next saying, the ninety ninth, is another that does have a matching version in the synoptic gospels and this is a saying that is generally overlooked but which has a very deep meaning to ALL who would follow Him. The three synoptic versions plus Thomas are:
- “Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it” (Luke 8:19-21).
- “There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother” (Mark 3:31-35),
- “While he yet talked to the people, behold , his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:46-50).
- “The disciples said to him: “Your brothers and your mother are standing outside.” He said to them: “Those here, who do the will of my Father, they are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter the kingdom of my Father“” (Thomas 99).
Each says this a bit differently; Matthew points out the disciples as His brethren in this understanding and then includes ALL who keep His words, Thomas includes the apparent in saying that it IS those that keep His words that will enter the Kingdom, but ALL DO get across the very same message. All of the translations from Thomas’ Gospel say much the same thing and in much the same way as we read above and there is no need to present these here. The available commentary includes:
- Marvin Meyer quotes from Gospel of the Ebionites 5: “Furthermore, they (that is, the Ebionites) deny that he (that is, Christ) was a human being, apparently from the saying that the savior spoke when it was reported to him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside’: ‘Who are my mother and brothers?’ And extending his hand toward the followers, he said, ‘These are my brothers and mothers and sisters, who do the will of my father.'” (The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, p. 99).
- R. McL. Wilson writes: “Quispel claims a parallel in the Gospel of the Ebionites, but to this Bauer objects. Comparing the whole saying, he concludes that there is nothing which could not have come from the canonical Gospels. Nevertheless there are differences: Jesus’ informants, anonymous in the Synoptics, are here the disciples; the saying as a whole is shortened, a process already begun in Luke; there is no reference to sisters, again as in Luke, and ‘brethren’ are mentioned first, against all our Gospels; finally Thomas reads the plural with Luke (‘those who do the will’), but retains the order of Matthew and Mark; the closing words may be no more than explanatory expansion. Here, as elsewhere, it would probably be wrong to think of direct literary dependence; for an author to piece together the Synoptic material in this way, for no apparent purpose, would be a monumental waste of time and trouble. The most probable explanations once again are either the use of a Gospel harmoney of some kind, free quotation from memory, or independent tradition.” (Studies in the Gospel of Thomas, pp. 115-116)
- Helmut Koester writes: “As in the previous example, Thomas’s text is a brief chria, lacking any of Mark’s elaborate introductory setting of the stage and discourse. Thomas also does not share Mark’s peculiarity of stating the answer in the form of a rhetorical question. Thus Thomas’s version of this pericope, except for the secondary conclusion, corresponds to its more original form.” (Ancient Christian Gospels, p. 110).
- Funk and Hoover write: “‘Mother and brothers’ may refer to the gentiles, who became Jesus’ true relatives, in contrast to the Judeans, who rejected him and thus became outsiders. Or, Jesus’ true relatives may reflect the competition in the early movement between Jesus’ blood relatives, such as his brother James, who became leaders of the group, and those who were not blood relatives, who claimed direct commission from the risen Jesus. The apostle Paul would be an example of the latter. Finally, the contrast may point to an actual incident during Jesus’ life. On one occasion his family may have attempted to take him away because they thought he had lost his mind (in Mark 3:20 we are told that his family thought he was demented). The Fellows were divided on which of these three scenarios should be used to interpret the saying. A healthy majority chose the third, which produced a pink vote here, as in the corresponding version in Matthew (12:46-50).”
Looking at the above we can only conclude that none sees in this saying the depth that we see nor the intent of the Master. Mr. Meyers idea of Christ’s humanity being doubted by any based upon this saying seems odd to us although we do realize that there are some that do have this view. While Mr. Wilson reports on the differences between Thomas and the synoptics, we should note that they ARE ALL different which can lend some credence to our view that ALL of these words by the Gospel writers are based in their individual recollection and their individual view of these things, their own understanding of His words. Funk and Hoover apparently do not see what we see nor what most see in this saying as they see it in a more parabolic way than it is offered. They see three choices and for us none of these has any True basis.
We should look at this saying in the Light of His overall teachings and especially those words that He gives us on discipleship where one’s family takes a back seat to the reality of one’s pursuit of the Kingdom. Can we imagine His teaching us a thing that He does not Himself do? Here in these words is a further separation between one’s spiritual reality and one’s carnal companions who, in the Great and Awesome Plan of God, have no Truer relationship to us as any other man….another Truth that is difficult to comprehend in this world where we have been nurtured on the idea of family.
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/
- * http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/texttrans/2013/12/20131209288689.html#ixzz2n6JzA4Zb
