IN THE WORDS OF JESUS–Part 816

ON LOVE; PART XDV

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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.

(46) Jesus says: “From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women there is no one who surpasses John the Baptist so that his (i.e., John’s) eyes need not be downcast.  But I have also said: ‘Whoever among you becomes little will know the kingdom, and will surpass John.’”

(47) Jesus says: “It is impossible for a person to mount two horses and to stretch two bows. And it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters. Else he will honor the one and insult the other. No person drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine. And new wine is not put into old wineskins, so that they do not burst; nor is old wine put into (a) new wineskin, so that it does not spoil it. An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, because a tear will result.“

(48) Jesus says: “If two make peace with one another in one and the same house, (then) they will say to the mountain: ‘Move away,’ and it will move away.“

(49) Jesus says: “Blessed are the solitary ones, the elect. For you will find the kingdom.  For you come from it (and) will return to it.“

(50) Jesus says: “If they say to you: ‘Where do you come from?’ (then) say to them: ‘We have come from the light, the place where the light has come into being by itself, has established [itself] and has appeared in their image.’If they say to you: ‘Is it you?’ (then) say: ‘We are his children, and we are the elect of the living Father.’If they ask you: ‘What is the sign of your Father among you?’ (then) say to them: ‘It is movement and repose.’” ¹⁴

In the last essay we completed our look at the forty fifth saying from the Gospel of Thomas and we discussed the Master’s words from here in conjunction with the similar sayings from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. From our perspective this idea of producing fruit and of the treasure of a man’s heart are of paramount importance insofar a the teaching of the Master on the proper focus of the Life of the man in the world who Truly desires the Kingdom and to be counted among the disciples of the Lord. Neither the Master nor His apostles use the word focus in their writings and although it can be found scattered through the Message Version of the Gospels, it is used in a different sense than we employ. Our idea of focus centers upon this idea of the treasure of one’s heart, what it is that IS important to a man and therefore what it is that he spends his energy on….what he attends to. And it follows then that the fruit that one bears in his Life is based in this sense of focus; worldly fruit, called evil or corrupt fruit by the Master according to the gospel writers, or spiritual fruit called good fruit by the Master. We should see ALL of this in these words from Thomas that we have been discussing:

(45) Jesus says: “Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs picked from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A good person brings forth good from his treasure. A bad person brings (forth) evil from the bad treasure that is in his heart, and (in fact) he speaks evil. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil.

Here in Thomas Gospel the idea of the parable is as important as it is in the accepted gospels and we should remember that it is not only the story that is parabolic but that it is most all that He says; wherever there is a spiritual idea encased in a more worldly example such as fruit. And again we should try to see that if Thomas’ works are Truly by the apostle and are Truly his recollection of the Master’s words, that these should be viewed in conjunction with the accepted works and some of their ideas used as the context for what Thomas has to say as Thomas offers us the sayings but not the context in which they are said by the Master. Any who earnestly read the Master’s words understand His perspective on fruit and should see that is is the measure if you will of a man’s spiritual advancement and it is as well as sign of discipleship as we read in the Master’s words that clearly tell us this:

• In the Parable of the Sower we find that the good soil, the soil that can be reckoned as the disciple and the aspirant, produces much fruit; these are such that keep His word; we read:
  • “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).
  • “And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred” (Mark 4:20).
  • “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth , some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:23).
• In clear language the Master tells us that it is in the bringing forth of that spiritual fruit that one IS His disciple as He says to His disciples: “Herein is my Father glorified , that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:8). And, to be sure that we can KNOW what this fruit Truly means, He tells us: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). Here we must add one plus one to get this idea that these are much related terms and that bearing fruit and continuing in His word are in essence the same thing.
• Jesus also tells His disciples that “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16). The overall idea here of being chosen is a complex one that we will not deal with here and now except to say that there is a deep and strong relationship between the Master and those who incarnate with Him as His ready help; these are not arbitrary men selected from the crowd who are ‘ordained’ and magically given Powers and gifts above others. These are rather advanced Souls who incarnate in this time and who bring with them the needed spiritual wherewithal to be able to take control of their lives in service to the Master when He calls upon them; this we have discussed in previous posts. Our point here today is of course fruit and their fruit is their example and their writing which are the results of keeping His word and yes, it does remain.

The same can be said about treasure; here in Thomas’ words this is the only saying that uses this word in this way that we have seen by searching the text of his gospel and here too there is no context and this is a saying that does not quite stand alone but should be seen as part of the fabric of the Master’s ideas of what a man makes of importance to himself. Here in Thomas is the allusion that the good and the evil treasures are of one’s heart and the relevance to the fruit here is evident; the idea of the treasure of the heart however is spotty and can be best understood by seeing the Master’s complimentary words from the synoptic gospels and we did review many of these over the last two posts. We should note that Thomas concentrates his saying on the production of evil and here we should see that the idea if speech is not used in the end and in this we should see, as we discussed yesterday, that this idea from ALL the gospels IS NOT limited to speech but is inclusive of ALL one’s thoughts, attitudes and actions.

Each of the apostles uses these ideas of treasure and heart in different contexts and as we have discussed these are all tied together in the same meaning and the same intent which is that it is what a man holds dear, what is important….it is what he focuses upon, that becomes his treasure and it is this that either clouds or clarifies his consciousness or his heart and his vision. Perhaps the place where these ideas are the clearest are in Matthew’s Gospel where we read this as part of the Sermon on the Mount:

“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” (Matthew 6:19-21).

As we leave this saying let us look at the presentation of Thomas’ words from the Interlinear:

“Said Jesus (this) they don’t harvest grapes out of thorns, (and) they don’t gather figs out of (thistles); (for) they don’t give fruit (—), A good man, he brings a good thing out of his treasure; an evil man, he brings some evil things out of his treasure which is wicked, which is in his mind and  he speaks some evil things, (for) out, (—), of the excess of the mind, he-\-brings out some evil things” (Thomas 45 Interlinear Version).

Our next saying from Thomas’ Gospel is the forty sixth. Here we have another saying that has an equivalent in the accepted gospels and although this is presented differently, it does mean the same things and the some of these presentation differences are from the perspective of the translator and not necessarily the Coptic words. Since there is much difference in translations, we present what we have:

• Jesus said: “From Adam to John the Baptist there is among the children of women none higher than John the Baptist, for his eyes were not destroyed (?). But I have said: Whoever among you becomes small will know the kingdom and will be higher than John” (Blatz).
• Jesus said, “From Adam unto John the Baptist there has been none among the offspring of women who has been more exalted than John the Baptist, so that such a person’s eyes might be broken. But I have said that whoever among you (plur.) becomes a little one will become acquainted with the kingdom, and will become more exalted than John” (Layton).
• Jesus says: “From Adam to John the Baptist, among those who have been born of women, there is none greater than John the Baptist! But for fear that the eyes <of such a one> should be lost I have said: He who among you shall be the small<est> shall know the Kingdom and be higher than John!” (Doresse).
• Jesus said, “Among those born of women, from Adam until John the Baptist, there is no one so superior to John the Baptist that his eyes should not be lowered (before him). Yet I have said, whichever one of you comes to be a child will be acquainted with the kingdom, and will become superior to John” (Lambdin).
• Jesus says: “From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women there is no one who surpasses John the Baptist so that his (i.e., John’s) eyes need not be downcast.  But I have also said: ‘Whoever among you becomes little will know the kingdom, and will surpass John’” (Patterson and Robinson).
• Jesus said, “From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women, no one is so much greater than John the Baptist that his eyes should not be averted. But I have said that whoever among you becomes a child will recognize the (Father’s) kingdom and will become greater than John” (Patterson and Meyer).

There is a great deal of difference in translation here both in the ideas of the eyes and the phrasing of becoming small which is rendered in the synoptic gospels as “he who is least”. The Interlinear renders this as:

• Said Jesus this: “From \-Adam, upto Johann the Baptist, among the begotten of women, no one is raised up above Johann the Baptist, so that to break(lower) (viz!) his eyes; I spoke, however, this he who will come to be among you he being a little one, he will know the Kingdom and will be raised up above Johann” (Interlinear).

Let us look at some of the available commentary of this saying which is not a difficult one in view of the synoptics but is made very cumbersome by the varied translations:

• Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: “This saying is adapted from Matthew 11:11-12 (Luke 7:28), where we hread that ‘No one has arisen, among those born of women, greater than John the Baptist; but the least [smallest] in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he’; the next saying begins with the words ‘From the days of John the Baptist’ – Thomas seems to have used these words as the model for his expression, ‘From Adam to John the Baptist.’ Thomas also changes ‘in the kingdom of heaven’ to ‘will understand the kingdom.’ The words, ‘so that his eyes will not’ (Doresse supplies ‘lose themselves’) are incomprehensible.” (The Secret Sayings of Jesus, p. 158).
• R. McL. Wilson writes: “The Synoptic parallels here are Matthew xi. 11 and Luke vii. 28, but the words here rendered ‘so that his eyes will not be broken’ have so far baffled the commentators. Grant and Freedman plausibly suggest that the opening words are modelled on the following verse in Matthew (xi. 12), in which case Thomas has re-written the saying. One possible line of interpretation may be to link this saying with logion 22 and with the Synoptic sayings about children and the Kingdom. The enigmatic words about eyes may, perhaps, have some connection with Matthew vi. 22 f., the passage about the ‘single eye’; eyes that are broken (or divided?) are no longer ‘single.’ If this be so, the saying would be a mosaic of Synoptic elements, but here we have clear signs of redaction, possibly of textual corruption, and almost certainly of confusion on the part of the translator. It must be remembered that our present Coptic text is probably a translation of a translation, and that in both versions it has been subjected to the vagaries of the scribe; moreover, the sayings have passed through a process of oral tradition, whether or not they are derived from our Gospels, and were originally uttered neither in Greek nor in Coptic, but in Aramaic. When we add the probability of redaction at the hands of one or more editors, who had ends of their own in view, the difficulties in the path of the investigator are manifest.” (Studies in the Gospel of Thomas, p. 62).
• Funk and Hoover write: “This saying is another version of a Q saying that appears in Matt 11:11//Luke 7:28. Fellows designated this saying gray, as they did the Q version. The first part of this saying, praising John, could well come from Jesus (his followers, who became rivals of the followers of John, would probably not have inveted it), but the second half suggests a time when John the Baptist was being devalued by the Christian movement.” (The Five Gospels, p. 498).

As we close for today we post the sayings from Matthew and from Luke in their contexts so that we can have a firm foundation for discussion in the next essay:

• “And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come” (Matthew 11:7-14).
• “And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:24-28).

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 repeat here a Quote of the Day that we spent much time with over the course of our essays. In this affirmation we find the Truth of discipleship as we have been ever been expressing and here we can relate our themes of the last few days; “take no thought” for the things of the world and that we approach the Kingdom and discipleship in the nature of the little child, in humbleness, meekness, unashamed in any way and unassuming. The message that this imparts for us today IS that it IS the Soul that is at work in the world of men as it expresses to some degree the purpose, power and the will through Life in this world. These words are from a meditation offered to his students by our Tibetan brother and in which we find greater understanding of the message of the Master. This IS Truly the way of the disciple.

My Soul has purpose, power and will; these three are needed on the Way of Liberation.

My Soul must foster love among the sons of men; this is its major purpose.

I, therefore, will to love and tread the Way of Love.

All that hinders and obstructs the showing of the Light must disappear before the purposes of the Soul.

My will is one with the great Will of God; that Holy Will requires that all men serve.

And unto the purposes of the Plan I lend my little will.

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/