ON LOVE; PART XDXXVIII
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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.
(58) Jesus says: “Blessed is the person who has struggled. He has found life.”
(59) Jesus says: “Look for the Living One while you are alive, so that you will not die (and) then seek to see him. And you will not be able to see (him).“
(60) <He saw> a Samaritan who was trying to steal a lamb while he was on his way to Judea. He said to his disciples: “That (person) is stalking the lamb.” They said to him: “So that he may kill it (and) eat it.” He said to them: “As long as it is alive he will not eat it, but (only) when he has killed it (and) it has become a corpse.” They said to him: “Otherwise he cannot do it.” He said to them: “You, too, look for a place for your repose so that you may not become a corpse (and) get eaten.“
(61) Jesus said: “Two will rest on a bed. The one will die, the other will live.” Salome said: “(So) who are you, man? You have gotten a place on my couch as a <stranger> and you have eaten from my table.” Jesus said to her: “I am he who comes from the one who is (always) the same. I was given some of that which is my Father’s. I am your disciple! Therefore I say: If someone becomes <like> (God), he will become full of light. But if he becomes one, separated (from God), he will become full of darkness.“
(62) Jesus says: “I tell my mysteries to those who [are worthy] of [my] mysteries. Whatever you right hand does, your left hand should not know what it is doing.“
In the last essay we finished our look at the sixtieth saying from the Gospel of Thomas where we found that much of the attention that is placed here by the commentators is in regard to those parts that have little relevance to the Master’s message. This is much the case in many of the commentaries for the accepted gospels as well as attention is given to the trivial aspects while many a message goes by unnoticed and much of the blame for this is the literal way that these sayings are viewed. An example is the parable that we recently discussed, the Parable of the Ten Virgins or the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins as it is called by some; here the attention is on the Virgins and the ideas of the who has and who does not have oil for their lamps while the greater Truth IS in the idea that they should have oil and ALL who read should see the need to ever be ready. In this case the Virgins represent the Kingdom of God and in this idea alone we should be able to see that their part is just story and the eschatological approach to this is but the doctrines of men. It is difficult to reason this parable into right understanding seeing that the Virgins ARE the Kingdom in this story and when we tie this to the fact that the Master IS offering this parable to His disciples alone, men who should KNOW ALL of these ideas and who are presumably already accounted worthy of the Kingdom of God, it can become ever more unclear. However, when we can see in our own lives the constant sense of being human and can admit to the constant pull toward the things of the world and our own attachment to some of these things, we can likely understand the Master’s point which is that even as disciples as these men ARE they should be ready; they CAN NOT put off the completion of their journey, they must seize the opportunity here and now.
The Kingdom of God IS within each of them as it is within us ourselves and it is the struggle to fully realize this that we face as aspirants and as disciples. The disciples here then can be seen as the Virgins, the Kingdom pulsating within them, and the bridegroom can be seen as the end, not necessarily of time but more so the time their own demise and perhaps we can see here that the end is not the only reality; perhaps another is that the bridegroom is the time that comes when they NEED the fullness of their own realization of divinity and Power….a time when they NEED such Power and when they may be unprepared. This is how we see this parable and by contrast this is the first part of John Gill’s interpretation which goes on for many pages but which can be seen as summarized in these words:
Then shall the kingdom of heaven; The Gospel church state; (See Gill on Matthew 13:24) either as it would be a little before the coming of the son of man to take vengeance on the Jews; or as it will be a little before his second coming to judgment: for the parable is manifestly connected with, and refers to the preceding chapter, which chiefly treats of Jerusalem’s destruction: but though the Jews were in great security before their utter ruin, yet it does not appear that the Christian church was then in such a lukewarm, drowsy, and sleepy condition, as this parable represents; and since, in the latter part of the preceding chapter, there are some hints of Christ’s second and last coming; when the servant found doing his Lord’s will, will be greatly honoured, and the wicked, cruel, and licentious servant will be severely punished; and since, at the close of this and the following parable, there is a very lively description given of the last judgment; as also, because it appears elsewhere, that such will be the formal, lukewarm, cold, indifferent, secure, and sleepy state of the church, before the second coming of Christ: it seems right and best to understand this parable, and the following, as having respect to that: and that the design of it is to show, what will be the case of professors at that time; the difference between nominal and real Christians; how far persons may go in a profession of religion, and yet, at last, be shut out of heaven: as also the suddenness of Christ’s coming; the necessity of being ready for it; and how watchful the saints should be, that they be not surprised with it. Now some time before this, the Gospel church state, or the body of professing Christians, will be likened unto ten virgins.
Can we see here how the idea of the Virgins as the Kingdom plays no real part in this summary and if we read on we will find the complete reliance upon the literal story in this commentary as well as that this whole idea is played against some eschatological end. For us, we should see ourselves as striving to be these Virgins, expressions of the Kingdom of God in the world, waiting for the bridegroom to arrive; and we should understand this bridegroom as the end of our days or the beginning of our opportunity and KNOW that we must be ready, we must be prepared to serve as disciples of the Lord. This IS our duty and our responsibility because we have chosen this way….this IS our work and we CAN NOT let the ways of the world, its attractions and its attachments, dissuade us from our goal. This IS of course no easy task and in this difficulty we can likely find the reason for these parables as told by the Master to His disciples alone.
Much the same ideas can be found in the fifty ninth saying from the Gospel of Thomas which we discussed a few posts back along with some words on this same Parable of the Ten Virgins. We repeat much of what we had said here but in a different tone because this is an important part of our True understanding and our work; we must be able to see the reality of these parables and to understand them if they are going to be of any use to us in our spiritual growth. There is a great spiritual reality in every one of these parables and stories of the Master and here we should see our own growth in understanding as we move along the Path to the Kingdom; while we do not see this much differently than we did in In the Words of Jesus part 146 nearly two years ago, we do see it much deeper ways as we see the importance of understanding these ideas as we grow closer to our goal. In Thomas’ saying the general idea IS the same without the parable and we should understand here that this again is addressed to His disciples by the Master so that they understand this idea of being ready from the perspective of their own demise, that it can come at any time and that they must be ready because once one passes from this world, the opportunity is ended for this Lifetime. This is not how commentary sees this of course and neither do they see the sixtieth from Thomas as we portray it which is how we came to this discussion today.
In the sixtieth the commentaries attend to the carnal thoughts in which there is little or no spiritual value and they miss totally the import of the saying itself which is, simply put, that the disciples must do as we see in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, they must hold steady, be ready, and complete their work of accomplishing the fullness of discipleship. Here in this saying by Thomas we should see that the disciples must achieve their repose which IS, as we see this, to achieve the fullness of Kingdom of God and the fullness of discipleship. We find that this word reflects that state of repose as that of: peace, stillness, tranquility and harmony, that place where the disciple can say “I have overcome the world“; this IS his resurrection and the freedom that the resurrection affords. It is in this state that one need no longer be concerned with anything of the world and, like the Wise Virgins, the disciple no longer be susceptible to falling back into the attractions and the attachments of worldly life which is here stated as “lest you become a carcass and be devoured“….that is devoured by our own carnal self.
Returning now to the sixty first saying where we again have parabolic words with much spiritual import; here we decided to break this down into smaller parts because of the variations that we see in the translations; again, our parts are:
- Jesus said: “Two will rest on a bed. The one will die, the other will live.” Salome said: “(So) who are you, man? You have gotten a place on my couch as a <stranger> and you have eaten from my table.“
- Jesus said to her: “I am he who comes from the one who is (always) the same. I was given some of that which is my Father’s.“
- “I am your disciple! Therefore I say: If someone becomes <like> (God), he will become full of light. But if he becomes one, separated (from God), he will become full of darkness.“
In this first part we can see a hint of the Master’s words to His disciples above and a relationship in theme to these words from Luke’s Gospel: “I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left” (Luke 17:34-36). From a spiritual perspective we should be able to see the idea here that there are those in every setting who are striving toward the Kingdom and others who are not and that this is the dividing line; those taken are those who can express the Truth of the Kingdom through their Life in the Earth, this is the one who lives on the bed or the couch; and, the ones that are left, are left in the world because they strive not, these are dead in the ways of the world. Here again some ARE ready and some ARE NOT. Based in the way that this is phrased in Matthew’s Gospel, these words from Luke’s are seen in an eschatological way although here in Luke there is a steady building of a reality that begins with the Master’s revelation that the “Kingdom of god is withing you” (Luke 17:21) and ends with the thought for those listening that: “Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it” (Luke 17:32-33). This is not our topic here today but the right reading of these words from Luke’s Gospel is again that the disciple be ready at ALL times and that he free himself from the cares of the world.
So then here we have a reality that there are some who are taken, some who will live spiritually, and that there are others in the same room, on the same bed, who will be left dead in the ways of the world. It is to this perhaps that Salome reacts in asking these next questions of the Master. This word that is rendered in the Greek, as Salome, is only found in this saying in the Gospel of Thomas and here we should note that there is no True understanding of who this may be. We can assume that this is the same Salome that is referenced in Mark’s Gospel as one who is attendant at Jesus crucifixion and tomb but this is but an assumption and, if this is the same woman, this encounter with the Master here in Thomas recollection is likely their first meeting. Overall the question is rather meaningless and it is rather self explanatory; she wants to KNOW who the Master IS and this not necessarily in the context of the question stated but in the context of His prior statement. Better understood could be that the question is ‘who are you that you come here and say such things’ and this from a perspective of amazement and not disdain.
In this next part IS the Master’s answer and there are some differences in translation that we should note:
- “I am he who comes forth from the one who is equal; I was given of the things of my Father” (Blatz).
- “It is I who come from that which is integrated. I was given (some) of the things of my father” (Layton).
- “I am he who has been brought into being by Him who is equal <to me:> I have been given what belongs to my Father!” (Doresse).
- “I am he who exists from the undivided. I was given some of the things of my father” (Lambdin).
- “I am he who comes from the one who is (always) the same. I was given some of that which is my Father’s” (Patterson and Robinson).
- “I am the one who comes from what is whole. I was granted from the things of my Father” (Patterson and Meyer).
- “I am he-who-exists out of-he-who-is-equal; they-gave to-me out of-that-of-my-father” (Interlinear Version).
This Coptic word that is rendered as equal in the Interlinear appears only in this saying so that there is no other place to test its translation. Other translators interpret this equal into integrated and undivided with some maintaining the idea of equal in reference to the Master himself adding the idea of “equal to me”. ALL of these can be seen as reference to the God as can the idea of the “the one who is (always) the same” or the idea given as “from what is whole” and this idea of God is made a certainty in the next words about the Father. While this IS True and likely enough to move forward with, the idea from Doresse is rather intriguing. We KNOW the Truth of this rendering from the Master’s words in John’s Gospel that “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) and this can be implied in the seemingly incomplete wording from the Interlinear saying “I am he-who-exists out of-he-who-is-equal“. This rendering from Doresse then gives us the much stronger point. We should note that there is a comment at the end of the Interlinear translation that says: “394.5 ‘they gave to me’ = passive (‘I was given’)” and while we do not understand the relevance of why the alternate IS used in the text, this way of looking is the more suitable to our understanding and is the way that most of the others have rendered it.
The question here then IS ‘who are you that you come here and say such things’ and the answer IS that ‘I am the manifestation of the Father and what IS His IS mine’ and this brings us back to John’s Gospel where we read:
“Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:25-29).
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 present here again what we call the Lord’s Prayer and do so as it relates to our ideas above on the Millennium Development Goals. One could say that it is the responsibility of God to take care of these billions of people but this one would be short sighted and unawares of the Truth of the Master’s words and the Word of God. In the Truth that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11) we should see that He did not do this to these people, it is the natural way of the Plan of God that puts men where they can best progress and in this time of much escalated population growth we find the situations that we find. From the Master’s words on Love and in sayings like that from John which clearly tells us that: “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:17-18); we should be able to see our own role here and, for those of us who can believe that we are aspirants to discipleship, we should be able to see it ever clearer in this prayer as we pray that His Kingdom would come, the Kingdom that is within us ALL, and that His Will be done which IS our Will if we are among those who DO keep His words and strive toward the realization of the Kingdom of God for He does tell us clearly that “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). And, we should note that the ideas of us and we in the rest of this prayer are in reference to ALL men, ALL of the nearly 7.2 billion that are here in this Earth today….and so IS the idea of OUR.
- Our Father, which art in heaven,
- hallowed be thy name;
- thy kingdom come;
- thy will be done,
- in earth as it is in heaven.
- Give us this day our daily bread.
- And forgive us our trespasses,
- as we forgive them that trespass against us.
- And lead us not into temptation;
- but deliver us from evil.
- [For thine is the kingdom,
- the power, and the glory,
- for ever and ever.]
- Amen.†
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/
- † From the Gospels of Matthew and Luke; this version is from the Book of Common Prayer of 1662
