ON LOVE; PART CDLXVIII
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
In the last post we continued our discussion on the ninety fifth saying from the Gospel of Thomas which showed us an abbreviated version of the ideas from Luke’s Gospel regarding giving and lending and we noted that in reading the complete idea incorporated into these verses the message comes across that lending without expectation of return is tantamount to giving and that if one should take your goods, steal them if you will, that this should also be considered as giving. In Thomas the ideas is a bit different but if we see his selection of the Master’s words as though they are offered to men who KNOW and who understand we can then see the same in the shorter saying which, as we discussed two texts back, has some words that may not be as they are translated. In Thomas’ saying “If have-you(pl)-money, do-not-give (at-interest). >Rather, give [it/him to-he]-who-[you(pl)-will-take() not from-his-hand” as the Interlinear renders this, we find that the idea of “at interest” is an uncertain translation which makes no sense in the more common translations of its next appearance in the one hundred ninth saying; we did however find some better understanding in an earlier version of this from the Interlinear. Of course we CAN NOT be sure of our understanding here and we must rely upon those who KNOW the Coptic language for guidance but the idea that this is a questionable rendering must be considered. In looking at this idea over the last two days we have come to another conclusion regarding this saying; we and most others have viewed this as do not lend at interest but the greater reality here can be that one should NOT lend at all.
Based upon the ideas offered by Luke in this same regard, that to lend should be seen as to give while expecting no return and at the same time to give to ALL who ask, we can see this same idea in our new view of this saying from Thomas. If we can reconstruct this saying without changing any translated words, we can see the Master’s instruction as: ‘if you have money don’t lend it, rather give it to those from whom you will not expect a return’. Here we must also amend our comments regarding the idea of return from two essays back where we noted that Matthew’s shorter version of these ideas does not seem concerned with this idea of return but here we can also see by the structure of the words that to give is to lend or rather lending should be seen as giving; Matthew phrases this as “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42). Can we see this point here a point that is hidden by the outer understanding of the words?
These are difficult ideas for the man in the world to come to grips with and this IS likely why they are relatively ignored even by the most well meaning persons. Perhaps here we can see the strength of the Master’s words that tell us that we should “take no thought” (Luke 12:22) as if none of these carnal things has any real meaning to us we can easily give away what it is that we may have. Here of course one must have that degree of faith, of believing and of KNOWING that that what the Master tells us IS True and here we can come back again to Vincent’s words on believing in or believing on the Master. We generally see the reality of these words in the bolded portion but today let us look further as we read:
To believe in, or on, is more than mere acceptance of a statement. It is so to accept a statement or a person as to rest upon them, to trust them practically; to draw upon and avail one’s self of all that is offered to him in them. Hence to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is not merely to believe the facts of His historic life or of His saving energy as facts, but to accept Him as Savior, Teacher, Sympathizer, Judge; to rest the soul upon Him for present and future salvation, and to accept and adopt His precepts and example as binding upon the life. 4
Can we see here in this idea of giving and of “take no thought” (Matthew 6:25) the reality of our faith as that we take the words of the Master and we rest upon them, and that we trust them practically; that we KNOW that these ideas are True as He tells us that: “your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:32-34)? Here we can see the reality that it IS our reliance of the Truth of these words; our faith and KNOWING that they are True, that enables us to “take no thought” and to “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away“. Luke paints the Master’s words a bit differently but to the same effect as he tells us that the Master, speaking about what to eat and what to wear and the other ‘things of Life’, says: “For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is , there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:30-34).
Again, this is a difficult task for the man in the world to undertake but at the same time it IS one that MUST be undertaken if we are to move into the ranks of the True disciple and be Truly accounted worthy of the Kingdom of God. And the way is clear here in these words from Matthew and Luke; it IS simply that we follow His admonition to “seek ye the kingdom of God” as it IS in this that we will find the wherewithal to accomplish the rest. Here we should recollect our other saying for the man in the world at any and at every moment, a saying that has this same effect; the Master tells us “Strive to enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24). The Buddha gives us this same idea as wakefulness, that the man who IS awakening IS the man who IS seeking and striving and while the ideas are culturally different the Way IS essentially the same; we read:
“Wakefulness is the way to life. The fool sleeps as if he were already dead, but the master is awake and he lives forever. He watches. He is clear. How happy he is! For he sees that wakefulness is life. How happy he is, following the path of the awakened. With great perseverance he meditates, seeking freedom and happiness. So awake, reflect, watch. Work with care and attention. Live in the way and the light will grow in you. By watching and working the master makes for himself an island which the flood cannot overwhelm. The fool is careless. But the master guards his watching. It is his most precious treasure” (Dhammapada on Wakefulness).
Our next saying, the ninety sixth, is a proverb that is found in the accepted gospels in a different form. Again we can see the influence of the synoptic versions on some of the translations rendered here for this saying; listing our normal group we find:
- Jesus [said:] “The kingdom of the Father is like a woman. She took a little leaven, [hid] it in dough, (and) made large loaves of it. He who has ears, let him hear” (Blatz)
- Jesus [said], “What the kingdom of the father resembles is [a] woman who took a small amount of leaven, [hid] it in some dough, and produced huge loaves of bread. Whoever has ears should listen!” (Layton).
- Jesus says: “The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman who put a little yeast [into three] measures of flour and made some big loaves with it. He who has ears let him hear!” (Doresse).
- Jesus said, “The kingdom of the Father is like [a certain] woman. She took a little leaven, [concealed] it in some dough, and made it into large loaves. Let him who has ears hear” (Lambdin)
- 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” (Patterson and Robinson).
- Jesus [said], “The Father’s kingdom is like [a] woman. She took a little leaven, [hid] it in dough, and made it into large loaves of bread. Anyone here with two ears had better listen!” (Patterson and Meyer).
- Said-JS85 this: “the-kingdom of-the-father, she-compares to-a-woman; she-took a-little-bit of-leaven; she-hid-it/him in-(a)dough; she-made-it/him (into)some-great(loaves) of-bread. He-who-has-ear of-him, let- him-listen” (Interlinear Version).
We note here how some of these readily adopt ideas from the synoptic versions of this saying and most place emphasis on the idea to the size of the loaves using adjectives as large, big and even huge to make the point. The Interlinear here has two different renderings as did the last saying and here it is the earlier one that adds the idea of loaves while the later version does not but says simply great breads with large added in parenthesis as an alternative rendering of great. This is the second saying in which we have discovered a significant difference between two versions of the Interlinear, one from 2002 and the other from 2009, which both appear to be from the same author. In the beginning of our task of discussing the sayings from the Gospel of Thomas we used the later version and retyped the sayings as there is no facility to copy; we then discovered the earlier version which is in the form of a copyable PDF and began using that. Going forward we will use both and for this saying the revised Interlinear tells us: “[Said] IS85 this: the kingdom of the father, she is comparable to a woman; she took a little bit of leaven; [she hid] in (some) dough; she made him (into) some great (large) breads. He who has ear of him, let [him] listen” (Revised Interlinear). We should not that the words in [] are so in the Coptic text and are either missing or damaged as there is a piece torn out of this manuscript page. With the use of the word great and the elimination of the idea of loaves, we can get a better feel for the meaning here as it is related to the similar ideas from the synoptics which we read as:
- “Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” (Matthew 13:33).
- “And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” (Luke 13:20-21).
We should note a distinct difference in the comparison between Thomas idea and that of the synoptic writers. In Thomas the Kingdom is likened to the woman who leavens and in Matthew and Luke the Kingdom is likened to the leaven itself. Here we can surmise again that Thomas sees something different in the Master’s words than do the others or else perhaps these are intended to be two different sayings; we would opt for the former. The available commentary from Thomas Gospel tells us:
- Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: “This parable about the kingdom of the Father, like the one which follows it (Saying 94), compares the kingdom with a woman. The original version, in Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:20-21, compared the kingdom of heaven or of God with the leaven which she used. Thomas’s emphasis, as usual, is on the action of the Gnostic, not on the work of God.” (The Secret Sayings of Jesus, p. 187).
- R. McL. Wilson writes: “Here the kingdom is likened not to the leaven, as in the Synoptics, but to the woman. Grant and Freedman see here a change of emphasis, from the work of God to the action of the Gnostic, but it may be no more than a transmission-variant. More important is the pointing of the contrast between the little leaven and the large loaves; here it is possible that, as Cerfaux suggests, we have an echo of the Synoptic twin parable of the Mustard Seed, but this presupposes that Thomas made use of our Gospels.” (Studies in the Gospel of Thomas, pp. 96-97).
- Joachim Jeremias writes: “Again we are shown a tiny morsel of leaven (cf. 1 Cor. 5.6; Gal. 5.9), absurdly small in comparison with the great mass of more than a bushel of meal. The housewife mixes it, covers it with a cloth, and leaves the mass to stand overnight, and when she returns to it in the morning the whole mass of dough is leavened.” (The Parables of Jesus, p. 148).
- Funk and Hoover write: “This is a one-sentence parable in its Q version (Matt 13:33//Luke 13:20-21): ‘God’s imperial rule is like leaven which a woman took and concealed in fifty pounds of flour until it was all leavened.’ Matthew and Luke agree word-for-word in taking the parable over from Q. Thomas, on the other hand, seems to have edited it slightly: the explicit contrast between a little leaven and large loaves has been introduced into the parable. This contrast, found also in Thomas’ version of the parable of the lost sheep (107:1-3) and the parable of the fishnet (8:1-3), is alien to the genuine parables of Jesus.” (The Five Gospels, p. 523).
- Gerd Ludemann writes: “These verses have a parallel in Matt. 13.33/Luke 13.20-21 (=Q). Their dependence on the Q parable emerges from the abnormal expression that the woman hid (one would have expected the verb ‘knead’) the leaven in the flour. Moreover in the parable in Thomas the woman and her activity are at the centre, and she is meant to be the model for the readers. Finally, at the end the size of the loaves is emphasized (cf. 8.1-3; 107.1-3).” (Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 636).
These are varied thoughts on Thomas words as they relate to the Master’s words as reported by Matthew and Luke. Here, in all these versions, we should remember that the whole of this saying is parabolic and it is intended to show forth something of the Kingdom of God. The references to the ideas of Gnostic versus the work of God are to us not applicable and the emphasis placed upon the idea of loaves can be discounted as the word IS added in translation. We should also see Mr. Ludemann’s idea of the size of the loaves being a central point as his opinion as we take this word as great and this IS how this word is translated in the many other places is it used; it is seldom rendered as large by any except in the eighth saying in regard to the fish where the Interlinear still maintains this as great. From our perspective, in seeing the idea of great over large, huge or big, and in eliminating the word loaves, we can likely make the same sense of this saying with either the woman or the leaven being the comparison to the Kingdom. To help us we will take advantage of some words from the Apostle Paul who says: “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). To this we can add these other words from the Master: “And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod” (Mark 8:15) which is offered in a more complete form by Luke who tells us that the Master says “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1). In the one here we get the addition of Herod so that we see that it IS NO ONLY the Pharisees and in the other we have the additional understanding of what that leaven may be.
In these words from the Master and from Paul we should have a better idea of the range of what leaven can mean in addition to making bread which, in our subject saying, is only the carnal example. And we should remember here as well that the whole of this saying concerns the very nature of the Kingdom. Here then whether we see the woman representing the Kingdom of God within using that leaven to cause the Kingdom to grow or if we see the idea that the leaven IS representing the Kingdom of God within and that the Kingdom IS growing by the action of the woman, or the man, in thew world who is using that leaven, we are seeing much of the reality of this saying whose intent it is to show the growth of the Kingdom Within.
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!
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
- 14 The Gospel of Thomas; Translated by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson; http://gnosis.org/
