Thomas

Gnostic Studies The Gospel of Thomas 6/17/07 - 9/2/09 Topics 1. Preparations and prerequisites 2. It’s just that simple 3. The Kingdom 4. The communicated mind of God 5. The Divine nature in man 6. The impartation of Divine character 7. A new treasure 8. The angelic other 9. The unsuspected 10. The unfamiliar 11. Key words 12. An understanding 13. Of special interest 14. When the quest for truth becomes personal

Since I have spent so many years in the search for hidden truths within the canonized scriptures of Christianity, and since those studies culminated in the finished product of a book, I am left, still, with my questioning mind. The natural course of my quest, then, must necessarily turn to other documents. Of course, I speak of the works that were removed from, or never found their way into, the canon most of us are familiar with.

There are, within the staggering breadth of this category, many fine works. They are, unfortunately, held in disrepute. Since many were written hundreds of years after the time of Christ, their reputation, as a whole, rests upon the force-fed opinion of a group that, indeed, forms a very small percentage of mankind. Many people simply do not know the books exist.

Then again, of those who know of them, many are just not that familiar with them. It is at this point that opinions of these works coalesce around the established dogmas set forth by the socalled experts.

So, thoughts of the gnostic books hold that they were written by men removed from actual fact by a great many intervening years, that they were just men trying to sound smart, that they were men who borrowed from known works toward their own ends. However, personal, national, and religious agendas aside, in the end, their works have been categorized as just so much mysticism and intellectualism.

For me, the books fall well within the range of communications covered in my studies of the canonized Bible. What I will look for, in my new studies, is that the communication qualifies as a conveyance of the God-mind. It is altogether probable that the Holy Ghost may communicate to men whom the years have distanced, and of course, men will communicate what they have learned. Therefore the works outside of Christian canon have both my attention and respect. I will order this study from book to book, and I will begin with a personal favorite: The Gospel of Thomas.

In dividing what may be found in the book of Thomas, I have seen the easily recognizable comment, such as “Whoever has an ear, let him hear.� I have also found the obligatory match to canonized scripture (or that which may have been included to lend an air of authority) and I shall not much belabor those except where there is something new to explore in the gnostic version. I will look the more closely at those communications that are in the writer's own words; anything to be found will be found there. I will also devote much scrutiny to the wording and phraseology. So we begin, as the work claims, with the secret sayings (or the mystery conveyed by) the living Jesus.

1.Preparations and prerequisites. We find some good soil in passages 9, 20, 35, 48, and 55. Many of us are familiar with the parable of the mustard seed. Few of us have compared it to the parable of the sower. What if the sower had been sowing, instead of corns of wheat, the tiny and seldom considered mustard seed? Had it been sown on a rock, or on a road, or among thorns, we can guess the outcome. We recall that birds ate seeds from the road, and the rock was like an oven heated by the sun. We know that thorns will choke even good seeds, and as stated in passage 9, “worms” ate what grew there. Now, thorns grow in soil, but not necessarily good soil.

The seeds that produce a good crop are the seeds that are planted, and tended, in good soil. That is, of course, soil that is plowed and regularly weeded. We find our tiny mustard seed in passage 20. It is not cast on the road. It does not fall on the rock, or among thorns. We find our mustard seed in good soil, or in the wording of this particular passage: ‘prepared soil’. That is worthy of note, as it indicates a work done in advance of the work of sowing the seed. Jesus, in the canon, explained the parable of the sower to His disciples in the book of Matthew. The seed is the word, or communication, of the kingdom. The good soil is the soil that was prepared in advance; the prepared soil is the mind that pays attention, that listens to the word, that actually understands what is being said. Keep in mind that such a preparation has been an ongoing work, or a regular practice with a set goal: namely, receiving the communication.

A preparation may be also seen as a prerequisite. In the expression: ‘one must crawl before one can walk’, we see the crawling as a prerequisite to walking upright. If I wanted to eat at home, a prerequisite might be actually cooking the meal. Then again, a prerequisite to preparing the meal might be putting some water on to boil. We all know that ‘A’ comes before ‘B’. We all know that if we want our homes cooled in the summer, we had better keep the utilities paid up. Prerequisites are just a simple fact of life. Such is spoken of in passage 35. It is the same as the canon version, with the inclusion of the words ‘by force’ and ‘loot’. The wording in this passage seems up to date and applicable. It tells us quite plainly: “first things first.” It speaks of a strong man rather than an average man. One had better prepare well. In regard to having one’s way where another is established in strength, I am reminded That Christ told us, in the Bible, that He had come not to bring peace on the earth, but division. Indeed, Christ managed to effectively rest power from the established order, take those owned by a system, and give them both liberty and direction.

I will not say that it never happened, but I am not aware of any record of any individual casting a mountain or a Sycamore tree into the ocean by faith or agreement. We all know this Biblical verse; preachers use it quite often. However, in the version we find in passage 48 of the Gospel of Thomas, we see wording that is clearly presented, thus casting a new light on the much used topic of moving objects by faith. The Thomas version places the matter squarely within the realm of normal human capability. How these gnostic writers wrote, by which I mean the exact wording of their choice, is key. We seek the conveyance of the God-mind to distanced individuals, and by comparison of early and late versions of the same material, we derive an understanding of an understanding.

For two to make peace in a single house clearly references a prior division within that same house. There are levels inside this topic which must not go unspoken. The division and subsequent peace treaty in a house may be seen, indeed, as a building of many stories. A house

may be the temple of the body in which we make peace with God. It may also be, as first thoughts place it, a dwelling with multiple residents. House may, again, be seen as a body of authority such as ‘the house of Israel’, or a governing body, as when Americans say: ‘the House’.

In all such examples of levels, what we are actually taking note of is a multiplicity of views coming to terms of mutual consent. A pact is formed. A compromise has been reached. The wording of the Thomas version is this: they will say to the mountain, 'Move from here!' Clearly, the mountain is seen as the huge obstacle of discord. This passage is also analogous to Matthew 5:25 in which the advice is given to quickly agree with one’s adversary, and make peace while still in the way, so that one is not delivered to the legal system for retribution.

Finally, in passage 55, we get a much different view of an old and familiar reference, that is, carrying the cross of Jesus. Matthew 10:38 presents the cross ambiguously, or in other words each individual is supposed to take up ‘his’ cross. Mark says, ‘take up the cross’. Neither version in the canon gives us much real information. Is it an actual cross? Is it meant to convey the troubles, trials, and sorrows of an ordinary life? Should we consider our lives as extraordinary as the life of Christ? Is it exactly the same cross, or does the cross differ from individual to individual? The Thomas version is just slightly reworded, but enough so as to give a new, clear take on the cross. It reads: “and carry the cross as I do.” That places something as being common to different individuals, and treated in only one manner.

It is recommended that the reader obtain his or her own copy of the The Gospel of Thomas. There are many fine sites on the web where one may freely download any of the gnostic resource texts. Get your own copy of Thomas and keep it nearby as you read this study. While my usual practice is to present the text along with the study, there are areas in this study where my desire is that the reader take it upon himself or herself to not simply take me at my word, but read the text for themselves, and to compare their thoughts to mine.

2.It’s just that simple. Passages 8, 25, 26, 31, 32, 33, 36, 47, 57, and 90 expose and highlight the things we feel comfortable in already knowing. Imagine taking the cover off of your favorite couch and being surprised to see what it actually looks like. It might be said that, given enough time and thought, man may reinvent the old notion, that he will streamline it and present it in a more concise and simple format - or at least in a format appropriate for his day and age. We seekers say that thought is exactly what is conveyed to man. It is the spiritual communication that originates in God, and proliferates through the many vehicles of its transportation through the Holy Spirit, and through written and spoken messages between men.

It’s just that simple, and when we are presented with the raw simplicity of any matter, it always seems to take us by surprise. “Oh! Alright . . .” we say. But, some others will say, “Okay . . . whatever.”

Many will agree that, at the least, studying such works as the Gospel of Thomas will give us a better understanding of the Bible. In most cases, I think that is said in a dismissive manner.

When Contemporary Christians are faced with the choices of digging deeper, or being dismissive, they often choose the latter course. Their faith is summed up in the recitation of well worn sayings, upon which being said, the contemporary Christian will stroke the customary emotional response with a sagely nod. Digging deeper, on the other hand, is too much like actual work. Passage 90 is similar to the canonical version of the same, yet the difference in wording begs investigation. Who is not acquainted with the saying “Take My yoke upon you”? In the canonical version, we are admonished to learn of Jesus because He is meek and lowly in heart.

We are told that we will find rest unto our souls.

Anyone willing to roll up his or her sleeves can study this along with me. At first, we are presented with the image of an ox set to plow, or to bear a burden. We are told that the burden is light. Through this relationship we are to learn of Jesus, who claims to be like us: meek and lowly. It sounds like hard work, but not like a threat. The actual relationship is named in the Thomas version. Passage 90 calls it ‘lordship’. Further, the canonical version promises rest, and mentions our souls. This is where most people simply nod. Who bothers to investigate, or explain, what a soul actually is? But, what we assume in the reading is that we are promised rest ‘for’ our souls. The actual word is ‘unto’. Now, ‘unto’ is not causal, but rather directional, even processional, as in a thing that proceeds from one stage to another. ‘Unto’ the soul simply speaks of moving in that direction, heading that way. We still want a clear picture of what a soul is. In my studies of the Bible, I discovered that ‘soul’ is a concept that is sometimes applied rather generically. When man was made a living soul, for instance, the process amounted to the combining of body with life. That is exactly what the Thomas version conveys: “you will find rest for yourselves.”

Concerning the parable of the wheat and the tares, we recall that the two will be separated in the canonical harvest. Our assumption is that the angels know who to cull, and that in the early stages the wheat would be at risk in an attempt to remove the tares. This is so for two possible reasons: one, the wheat and the weeds grow too closely packed, and the pulling technique of the angels is not particularly precise; two, the weeds look just like the wheat. They are different, alien even, yet the angels cannot tell them apart from the real McCoy. I like the Thomas version because passage 57 employs a word that makes things clear: “on the day of the harvest the

weeds will be conspicuous.”

In passage 47, we find the sayings about slaves trying to serve two masters, about wine in old and new wine skins, about new patches on old garments. It is very similar to what can be read in the Bible. It is presented in the Thomas version in a clear and matter-of-fact manner, as if one is simply stating the obvious. There is also to be found a statement that we have never seen in the Bible. It is intended to show the impossibility of doing two things at once. It is a wholly believable statement based in common knowledge of that day and age, and it would have been no less true and certainly no less known by the people of Christ's day. The statement does not add anything new, yet the presence of the statement is a plausible enhancement that may have been communicated from the Holy Spirit: “A person cannot mount two horses or bend two bows.”

Passage 36 tells us that, sometimes, the parameters of life are set; they are beyond our control, and we actually step outside of our faith when we worry. The familiar Bible version tells us not to fret or worry about what we will eat or wear, but the Thomas version tells us not to worry “from morning to evening and from evening to morning,” which is an enhancement that clarifies the concept. In other words: people worry, that’s natural - but hey! - enough is enough.

Can we believe and worry at the same time? Is that not like trying to serve two masters? Many tend to fret over issues that cannot be changed with an effort, much less with worry. It is just this simple: “As for you, when you have no garment, what will you put on?” Nothing is nothing.

Then, on the other hand, that is: where something may actually be done - wherein our faith should stand unmoved: the original source of all that we come by - we really should not have to be told that the issues are one and the same. But, I am glad that the Thomas version makes sense of it all: “Who might add to your stature? That very one will give you your garment."

Passage 33 says no more or less than its canonical counterpart. At first, it appears to be concepts taken from separate sources and mixed together. On closer investigation, however, one may see how the concepts are related. What impresses me about the passage is that they are not simply thrown broadcast, but rather are tied together with the expression “after all.” In seeking the conveyance of things spiritual, one must recall that all wisdom is built upon understanding, that all understanding is built upon the acquisition and practice of knowledge. Bringing thoughts forward into more concise and clearly presented conceptualization adequately fits the bill.

In passage 32, we see the claim that, "A city built on a high hill and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden." Now, most of us are familiar with the Biblical counterpart that tells us a city on a hill cannot be hidden. It precedes the part where we are admonished to let our spiritual light be as evident as the city on a hill, or a light on a candle so placed as to afford illumination for all. The Thomas version in no way detracts from the canonical version. Rather it lends substance to man's quest for spiritual fortitude. Man not only struggles to be seen as upright; he struggles to remain upright in the face of continuing onslaughts from the baser worldly nature.

Speaking of being so fortified and positioned as to not fall, to me, makes perfect sense, and seems to be the thing that needs to be said.

Passage 31 gives us "No prophet is welcome on his home turf; doctors don't cure those who know them." We are familiar with the canonical first half. The use of the expression: “home

turf” seems to be only a modern variance. The latter concept, the Thomas half, gives the sense of an addendum meant to explain why a prophet would not be welcome. As such, it may be said that man is the agent of this communication. However, whether the writer derived this from another human, or made it up, so to speak, the spiritual base line of adding knowledge to knowledge is evidently maintained. The Holy Spirit administers the mind of God through the regular practice and exercise of knowledge.

Passage 26 adds “then you will see well enough” to the familiar saying of the splinter in a brother's eye. In the familiar saying, we need only remove what is in our eye first, and without further explanation, it seems to take on the import of whether or not we have the right to do such a thing. I think the Thomas version places the matter at a proper level.

Now, who among us is not familiar with sayings like: love your neighbor as yourself, or, love your enemy and pray for them which despitefully use you? The message of Christ, in the canon, includes admonitions to love one another and forgive. We are told that God's love and forgiveness toward us mirrors our love and forgiveness toward each other. Mentioned in the list of who we should love are: strangers, neighbors, enemies, and fellow workers in the service of righteousness. To find our friends mentioned, we must go to the Gospel of Thomas. In passage 25 we are told, "Love your friends like your own soul, protect them like the pupil of your eye."

This admonition seems to be an understatement, or something said that really should not have to be said. This passage instructs us to love our friends in real ways, not just in word. It’s fine to verbalize our love of friends, but if we do not stand for them in times of need, we are no friends at all. Compared to what we find in the canon about neighbors and enemies, I want to ask in light of the Thomas passage, is it a friend that makes the love, or is it love that makes the friend?

Finally we come to passage 8. Passage 8 is a parable about a fisherman drawing his net to shore, but the canonical counterpart is not the parable about the net, which speaks of the final day, but is actually the parable about the pearl of great price. Here is what passage 8 says: "The person is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of little fish. Among them the wise fisherman discovered a fine large fish. He threw all the little fish back into the sea, and easily chose the large fish. Anyone here with two good ears had better listen!" I like the part that goes: ‘and easily chose’. It’s just that simple. If I was faced with a choice between a net full of little fish (more work, less meat) or one large fish (less work, more meat) . . . well folks, the choice is clear.

3.The Kingdom. Passages 16, 54, 75, 96, 99, and 113 help us glimpse two different but related kingdoms. Most of us have at least a passing familiarity with the kingdom concept. We have heard of the ‘Kingdom of God’, and we have heard of the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’. We have an expression: ‘Kingdom Come’, which speaks of a distant future outcome. The general misconception is that the good will go to heaven and the bad will go to hell. (Where do the ugly go?) People say, “You better not lie; liars go to hell.” Actually, the canon tells us that liars will be outside of the New Jerusalem, which is on the earth. Thomas gives us new thoughts to think.

In passage 16 Jesus said, "Perhaps people think that I have come to cast peace upon the world. They do not know that I have come to cast conflicts upon the earth: fire, sword, war. For there will be five in a house: there'll be three against two and two against three, father against son and son against father, and they will stand alone." What does this tell us about the Kingdom of God? The well read will immediately recall the canonical counterpart to this passage. I think it wise to pause here for a closer look as this passage speaks of the preparations for the coming kingdom, and those who will enter. The expression ‘cast conflicts upon the earth’ gives us the image of a farmer who takes a handful of seed and casts them upon the field. I want you to realize that not only the field ready for harvest, but also the field newly planted are both one and the same within the kingdom. Fire, sword, and war are seeds that will produce the harvest. By placing believers at odds with non-believers Christ produces people who will ‘stand alone.’ One might think of God shaking the tree to see which fruit is ripe enough to fall. This is worthy of note as it is the 'alone' who will enter in according to passage 75. Jesus said, "There are many standing at the door, but those who are alone will enter the bridal suite." In a crowd of hopefuls there are those who are solitary. How very interesting! This seems to be at odds with the massive throngs in the mega-church of our day and age.

Now, just what exactly is a kingdom? The short answer is that it is something that rules or governs by a singular power. Kingdoms ruled by kings are not always places. In the canon, Christ informed us that the ‘Kingdom’ was within and without. In other words, the kingdom was also inside the individual - as a state of being. Christ tried to communicate that kingdom by using parables such as the Thomas passage 96. 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." The process described in this passage is similar to the process of a seed falling into the ground to die and produce an ear of many similar seeds.

Speaking of things that swell, in passage 54 Jesus offered "Congratulations to the poor.”

He did so because, as He explained to them, “to you belongs Heaven's kingdom." Now I find it intriguing that the poor of the earth ‘own’ the kingdom. When the kingdom is mentioned in Thomas, it is not so much a kingdom called heaven, which is our general take on the common expression ‘kingdom of heaven’, but rather, it is a kingdom belonging to, or owned by, heaven.

My studies have shown me the connection, and here I show you: the kingdom is owned by heaven; the kingdom is owned by the poor of the earth; the kingdom is to be found inside the individual as well as outside; a kingdom is a seat of power from which a king rules. The swiftest swell is to be found among the ranks of the poor; they are the loaves. Hide a little hope among them and see how they rise. A single rule in each makes the multitude one.

The kingdom that belongs to heaven is also the kingdom that belongs to the believer's Father. We know from the canon that all who are led by the Spirit, or mind, of God are the children of God. We are curious to see the kingdom. Most people place the kingdom far away from them, in the future, as in our saying “kingdom come.” Still, we are told that the kingdom is to be found within and without. If asked to step onto their porches and look up and down the street upon which they live, most people will be hard pressed to recognize the kingdom. They will see other houses, flowers, lawns, people walking. Yet, the kingdom is there before them. The kingdom exists within the individual, and also between individuals. The space between two individuals is space within the actual present kingdom. The grass that grows, grows in the kingdom; flowers that bloom, bloom in the kingdom. The external kingdom is in place, and is held together by its denizens, each of which is infused with the inner kingdom. Passage 113 says this about looking to the future for the kingdom that belongs to heaven: "It will not come by watching for it . . . Rather, the Father's kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don't see it."

It came up earlier that the solitary individual was the one who would enter the kingdom, and this would be the result of placing the many in contrast to those who were “alone.” What we are looking at then is the individual who takes a deliberate stand in his or her life. That individual is one who has made a choice not to be like the masses, to move away from practices and standards held in reverence by the common throngs. If the multitudes do it, the stand alone individual will choose the opposite direction to go in. If the crowds like it, the stand alone individual will find it common, and will seek something special. Now, among crowds, I am inclined to include the Mega-church. They are a multitude known for their predictable common practices. While they may devote themselves to the social and emotional practices of weekly church, they are nevertheless the ones who can only see the other houses, the lawns and flowers, and people walking up and down. It is those who stand alone who will enter the kingdom, indeed, who even look for it. For a more accurate description of who the stand alone individuals are, we turn to passage 99. The disciples said to him, "Your brothers and your mother are standing outside." He said to them, "Those here who do what my Father wants are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter my Father's kingdom."

4.The communicated mind of God. There are passages that are similar in structure and content to the canonical versions. These passages compliment the canonical, but more than that, they are passages that indicate the communicated mind of God. Much on this topic has already been covered in my study of the canon. In that study, it was seen that man, through the communicated mind of God, was in fact becoming more and more like God; it was seen that the very nature of the communicator was being communicated. We see that message augmented in Thomas. Man is a work in progress. Yes, mankind is moving forward, but has yet to arrive.

In passage 41 Jesus said, "Whoever has something in hand will be given more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little they have." In the canon, it is ‘whoever has’ and ‘whoever has not’. In the canon, it is ‘given’ and ‘taken’. To the untrained eye, these separate verses will seem but reworded versions of the same concept. In order to see just how different they actually are, one must not only open the spiritual eye, but one must get up close. In the canon, one either has it, or it is just not there. It is like a thing out of our control, such as being born with good looks. As an example, the canon would have us to know that if we are born lovely, we will be given more of the same; if we are born without good looks, what we do have or seem to have will be taken from us. Also the indication, of what exactly is given and taken, does not offer much to chew on. It seems simple and even singular. It is as if you have a dollar, a dollar will be added, but if you have a quarter, a quarter will be subtracted.

The Thomas passage presents more than simple contrasting actions, it presents an involved process, an active application of forces exerted against individual lives. Also, the implication is of greater scope than merely to have or have not. What we see in the Thomas passage is an indication that those who have, use what they have. To have ‘something in hand’ implies the practice of what is held. It is as if the individual that holds a hoe in his hand will be given ongoing training out in the field. On the opposite end is the poor lout who holds no hoe in his hand. He might have something in hand, but it is the wrong kind of something. It is something useless like a broom. (No matter how often you sweep the ground, you will always find more dirt.) Now, this guy could be given the illusion of usefulness, along with a feeling of job security, if he had been allowed to sweep the fields. Or, this fellow could have had his broom replaced with a hoe so that training could commence. The Thomas passage not only indicates that the broom was taken from the individual, but that he or she is actively resisted. The individual is, in the words of the passage, ‘deprived’. Even if the person is trying, it seems, he or she is thwarted at every turn.

An example of this would be that I personally chose to write “In passage 41 Jesus said” as if it carried the weight of canonical scripture. To many, the issue of ‘was it Jesus or was it just some joker writing hundreds of years after the fact’ is all that they choose to see. Yes, I’m speaking of individual choices and inclinations. Individuals with character traits of a fireman will always make choices that draw them toward that vocation. A policeman character will be drawn into police work. If you have the inclination of a fireman, you may be given a badge, but don’t look for a gun. The very minute to minute aspects of life will lead the fireman away from the gun and toward the hose. Our natural choices are built upon. If you choose God's hoe, then you are meant to work in His field. If your inclination is not toward God's field, then no effort on your

part will bring you there - your own inclinations will be used to thwart your every move. Those who choose to land on the issue of whether or not Jesus speaks through the Gospel of Thomas will never fly higher. Those who choose to accept that God is all powerful may hear the voice of their Lord almost anywhere.

Let us view the communicated mind of God as that field of which I wrote. If you chose the hoe, it is a safe bet that you have some kind of interest in planting seeds. If you chose the broom, even if you enjoy working in the field, sweeping the dirt off seeds just planted is counterproductive. Your best efforts are always misplaced. After all, as Jesus said, one either gathers or scatters; one is either on the Lord's part or against him.

Now, you may have an inclination toward the mind of God, and many of us do, but what are we up against? We may make all the right choices, but there are people out there making wrong choices that work contrary to all our efforts. As soon as we plant a seed, some joker comes along with a broom, and it is our fault for letting them know where we are going. Our labor is two-fold. Not only must we work for the Lord, but we must work against the broom wielders.

In passage 39 Jesus said, "The Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden them. They have not entered nor have they allowed those who want to enter to do so. As for you, be as sly as snakes and as simple as doves." This sort of seems like the canonical version with a wholly unrelated verse tacked on at the end. Yet, it makes perfect sense. The path to greater knowledge is blocked by some so that those who want in cannot find an opening, but snakes are often found in such hidden areas. Those wanting in are advised to be like snakes, to find that unsuspected chink in the wall and slither through. Direction is given, I think, in the admonition to proceed in a manner that is simple rather than overly complicated.

Does passage 39 reference a back door? Or, maybe not a back door, but a door nonetheless. Jesus described Himself as the door. And it appears that knowledge of this and that, like a key, will unlock that door.

In passage 59 Jesus said, "Look to the living one as long as you live, otherwise you might die and then try to see the living one (unity, network, connectivity), and you will be unable to see." This is an interesting passage indeed. It does not speak of eternal life, but of a connection that is broken by death. Perhaps, this passage is the answer to that age-old question: “Why am I here?� The connection to the living one is accessible because of, and through the life imparted.

In passage 89 Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Don't you understand that the one who made the inside is also the one who made the outside?" This is clearly a reference to mankind's preoccupation with the corporeal. The outside of the cup is mere fanfare and gesticulation, ceremony and parade. It is more the washer than the cup. What we drink comes from the inside of the cup.

Here’s a long one. In passage 21 Mary said to Jesus, "What are your disciples like?" He said, "They are like little children living in a field that is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Give us back our field.' They take off their clothes in front of them in order to give it back to them, and they return their field to them. For this reason I say, if the owners of

a house know that a thief is coming, they will be on guard before the thief arrives and will not let the thief break into their house (their domain) and steal their possessions. As for you, then, be on guard against the world. Prepare yourselves with great strength, so the robbers can't find a way to get to you, for the trouble you expect will come. Let there be among you a person who understands. When the crop ripened, he came quickly carrying a sickle and harvested it. Anyone here with two good ears had better listen!" It is interesting that the ousted occupants are described as wearing the field they have moved into. They have so wrapped themselves in the field that it is like a garment. In order to give it back, they must take it off. Now, it’s easy to get caught up in the familiar part about the robbers moving into our possessions and wearing what is ours, therefore we should be prepared to strongly defend whatever we have gained. However, we should remember that this description is about the disciples of Christ. They wear something that is not their own; they should prepare with great strength to guard it against the world, which would take their spiritual advancement and defame it with worldly abuses.

In passage 45 Jesus said, "Grapes are not harvested from thorn trees, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they yield no fruit. Good persons produce good from what they've stored up; bad persons produce evil from the wickedness they've stored up in their hearts, and say evil things. For from the overflow of the heart (the mind) they produce evil." One may see the connection to the canonical counterpart. The wording is very different, and yet, just as with the canon, the core message is about the overflow of the heart - that is to say, the mind. This passage speaks plainly of the good or the evil as being a matter of accumulation. In other words, the good person is not just good, but is so due to the process of time, and storage of good things within, and that, it must be seen, is a deliberate act. The bad person, also, acts deliberately, storing bad things within. All in all, this passage speaks of mentality, of the mind, which we believe to be a spiritual intrusion, or a matter of possession. One may be possessed by, or in possession of, either righteousness or rebellion.

In passage 93, "Don't give what is holy to dogs, for they might throw them upon the manure pile. Don't throw pearls [to] pigs, or they might ... it [...].", pigs and dogs represent a type of base and worldly individual, the type that would rob you of the wholesome things you possess and wear them as if just so much more of their worldly spoils, thus profaning what is good and right. Pigs will eat anything: it is all the same to them. Dogs will take something clean to the dung pile, or, they will try to lower what is good to the state of things they already have a taste for. In speaking of those things that are spiritual, those gains that are better than worldly gains, it is best to hide them from the world; they will mean nothing to the world, but the world will only use your spiritual gains to your own detriment.

In passage 72, we find something familiar, yet curious in the wording. A [person said] to him, "Tell my brothers to divide my father's possessions with me." He said to the person, "Mister, who made me a divider?" He turned to his disciples and said to them, "I'm not a divider, am I?" In the book of Luke, Jesus said, “Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?” In the Thomas passage, Jesus turned to his disciples for exoneration, as if He had been accused of a crime. To be a judge or divider, to have such authority, was still base, worldly, and unsavory.

This passage highlights the possible feelings personally attached to Christ’s station.

5.The Divine nature in man. More than the indication of communicated divinity, some passages show rather more clearly that divinity as an integral component in the universal makeup of man's character. Let us, then, approach the divine nature in man.

In passage 46, 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." Of course, we see the resemblance to that verse of canon that speaks of the Baptist and those born of a woman. Beyond that, we glimpse the exaltation of the sons of men. In the opinion of Christ, John the Baptist was the best among mortal man. The rest of us should humble ourselves before him, should bow the head and avert the eyes. And yet - it appears that we may obtain greatness that was out of John’s reach. Or perhaps, John was the end of an era in the development of mankind, that is to say, the last of the old line or model. The new line is the child line, or, born of God line. Spiritual matters are only understood spiritually, and therefore, in order to recognize the Father’s kingdom, one must be in possession of those spiritual tools that are only imparted as part of the package deal - part and parcel of the Godmind.

In passage 62 Jesus said, "I disclose my mysteries to those [who are worthy] of [my] mysteries.” That particular avenue which leads an individual toward the truth is only open to the individual who is open to that particular avenue. The divine nature in man is like a puzzle board with half the pieces already in place. When choosing which piece will go in next, one must defer to the ‘divine fit’ - which demands spiritual pieces. Will a worldly piece fit? No. Some of these communications will resonate with certain individuals, and that is because of the inner nature. To use professions as an example: a cop will understand cop code, but don’t expect me to. A cop will not understand two Doctors talking shop. To communicate spirituality, the receiver must be properly attuned. The passage might have read, “those fit for my mysteries” or “those who look for mysteries”.

In passage 109 Jesus said, "The (Father's) kingdom is like a person who had a treasure hidden in his field but did not know it. And [when] he died he left it to his [son (:Israel)]. The son [did] not know about it either. He took over the field and sold it. The buyer went plowing, [discovered] the treasure, and began to lend money at interest to whomever he wished." We see here that of all the people who had anything to do with the treasure, it was only useful to one. It was useful because he found it. He found it because he worked for it. There is treasure in your field. Is your hand on the plow?

6.The impartation of Divine character. If, because of your nature, it never occurs to you to work the field, you will never uncover the secret treasure. To place spiritual acquisition in the parlance of the gaming industry, one would say, ‘you can’t win if you don’t play.’ God is imparting His nature into man; the message is being sent, but one may not receive a round peg into a square hole. The worldly seek worldly treasure. Whatever they find they lose, because a transient treasure is lost from the beginning. God has provided us things that will last: they are treasures of the divine character of God. In passage 76 Jesus said, "The Father's kingdom is like a merchant who had a supply of merchandise and found a pearl. That merchant was prudent; he sold the merchandise and bought the single pearl for himself. So also with you, seek his treasure that is unfailing, that is enduring, where no moth comes to eat and no worm destroys." This is a lot like the canon. So, what needs to be said? God’s kingdom is both within and without - meaning: it is also in your head. Our minds process enormous amounts of information, and we deal with many issues, most of which are either personal or taken personally. It is not uncommon for us to drop an issue that we merely accept in favor of one in which we can believe. We constantly upgrade, usually to content for which we feel more impassioned. Our many issues are the merchandise of this passage, for we daily attempt to ‘sell’ others on the excellence of what we hold close and dear. It is a natural thing, in the process of time and age, to weed the garden, to streamline, consolidate, and lighten the load. Since we are already innately searching for that single pearl, should we rebel at ourselves or our efforts? Should we rebel at labels such as ‘religion’ or ‘moral’? No. What we should do is get up off our backsides and search purposefully and with zeal. Why? Because we look for something that is already inside of us. But, let us look at this passage in another way. God deals with a great load of individuals, and naturally He will streamline, consolidate, and lighten His load. When He finds that pearl of great price, will it be you?

In passage 104 They said to Jesus, "Come, let us pray today, and let us fast." Jesus said, "What sin have I committed, or how have I been undone? Rather, when the groom leaves the bridal suite, then let people fast and pray." What does this communication convey about the divine character? One would naturally identify that divinity in Christ based on the response ‘What sin have I committed, or how have I been undone?’ But, however clever we may be in the identification of one already tagged as divine, we fail miserably in taking the next step. If divine character is found in the Son of Man, then by extension, it is also found in the Children of Men, in the Sons of Man. The central question for both the son and the children is ‘How have I been undone?’ This question presupposes a state prior to being undone, which in turn presupposes a process that leads to undone-ness. It is a process whereby the nature and character of divinity is hidden or covered. Whatever you have taken up to cover the character of Christ within you, just remove it and the light will shine again. It will be seen again, as the canon states, that you have the mind of Christ.

In passage 64 Jesus said, "A person was receiving guests. When he had prepared the dinner, he sent his slave to invite the guests. The slave went to the first and said to that one, 'My master invites you.' That one said, 'Some merchants owe me money; they are coming to me tonight. I have to go and give them instructions. Please excuse me from dinner.' The slave went to another and said to that one, 'My master has invited you.' That one said to the slave, 'I have

bought a house, and I have been called away for a day. I shall have no time.' The slave went to another and said to that one, 'My master invites you.' That one said to the slave, 'My friend is to be married, and I am to arrange the banquet. I shall not be able to come. Please excuse me from dinner.' The slave went to another and said to that one, 'My master invites you.' That one said to the slave, 'I have bought an estate, and I am going to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come.

Please excuse me.' The slave returned and said to his master, 'Those whom you invited to dinner have asked to be excused.' The master said to his slave, 'Go out on the streets and bring back whomever you find to have dinner.' Buyers and merchants [will] not enter the places of my Father." In the canon, this parable speaks of missed opportunities, opportunities to receive what has been freely offered. The Thomas passage speaks more clearly of the nature of those invited.

It indicates what those individuals are looking for. When ‘buyers and merchants’ are referenced, they are people who regularly ‘practice’ what they do. They are not accidental buyers and merchants; they are always buying houses and estates, and collecting rent. That is what they seek. They are always going away for a day and leaving instructions because their business consumes them. Their choices tend toward the most familiar. By contrast, those who receive the invitation are they who look and wait for such - that is also a practice. If you seek the divine, you will find that in your nature. Your character will be custom made for the invitation.

7. A new treasure. Finding the divine nature, especially within oneself, is like finding a treasure. It is, in such a case as this, rare to find treasure accidentally. If you are looking for the world, you will not find the spirit. Even if you are not looking for the world, you will not find the spirit unless you are looking for the spirit.

Three men enter a house in which is a hidden room filled with treasure. One sits in the living room doing nothing. Another searches rooms only to settle in the kitchen. The smart one begins by knowing that he is looking for a room that is hidden. Imagine buying the treasure map and having no money left over for a shovel. The new spiritual treasure is found only by the active, prepared seeker. The treasure is found in places that the buyers and merchants of the world do not frequent. The smart one that knew he was looking for a hidden room, wandered into the living room where the first sat doing nothing. He examined the walls until he found the secret room. He moved the book case and just walked right in. With the secret treasure room wide open, still the first person sat in the living room doing nothing.

In passage 5, Jesus said, "Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. [And there is nothing buried that will not be raised.]" In the canon, we are told that we can know all spiritual matters by comparison to physical counterparts. In Thomas, that knowledge is presented as so many clues on a treasure map. It goes without saying that many come near the truth. In fact, they look right at it, but they never suspect that it has anything more than face value. Those to whom the truth of spirituality is revealed are they who study a matter. They wrestle with it until, as Thomas says, they know what, exactly, is in front of them. Does every bookcase hide a treasure room? We shall find out.

In passage 43, His disciples said to him, "Who are you to say these things to us?" Jesus answered, "You don't understand who I am from what I say to you. Rather, you have become like the Judeans, for they love the tree but hate its fruit, or they love the fruit but hate the tree." Here, we see the nature of some who search for truth. We note, first, that it is possible to know clearly the divinity within the man Jesus simply by the communication of his mouth, for that communication is divinity: the words come from, or issue out of God. They are God. (And the Word was God). But, mankind struggles to see the big picture. It seems that if he manages to see the spiritual, it is at the expense of all else. Man will see the one or the other, but until he can incorporate both, he sees nothing.

In passage 38, Jesus said, "Often you have desired to hear these sayings that I am speaking to you, and you have no one else from whom to hear them. There will be days when you will seek me and you will not find me." We seek those who have something to offer. If we look for a dealer in fine antiques, it is because we seek fine antiques. If we look for the only source of truth, it is because we thirst for it. But when the fountain is dry, we still stand in front of it, watching and waiting. Now the kicker: if there is no one but Jesus from whom we may hear these things, what does that say of the nature of the man who speaks truth? Yes, we may drink from our brothers and our neighbors, for divinity and truth are imparted to them, and the sweet waters that rise from that inner spring are there for all of us.

In passage 61, Jesus said, "Two will recline on a couch; one will die, one will live."

Salome said, "Who are you mister? You have climbed onto my couch and eaten from my table as if you are from someone." Jesus said to her, "I am the one who comes from what is whole. I was granted from the things of my Father." "I am your disciple." "For this reason I say, if one is whole, one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness."

Clearly, one’s orientation is spoken of here. When two recline on a couch, which is made for one, they are, in a sense, one. Depending on the quality of the union, the one will either live or die.

Salome expressed that quality of union that leads to death; she labeled Jesus as being of her - in other words, she claimed that he was on her bandwagon, or riding her coat tail, in that he had climbed up on her couch and was helping himself to her substance. He corrected her by turning the tables. She was not his windfall; he was a gift from God for her. To understand the true direction of attachment, Salome, or any other of us, is one with the gift granted from God, and thus one with God. Salome was the seed thinking the field was planted in her. When Jesus corrected her, then came the admission: I am your disciple. We have an expression - ‘where are you coming from’ that speaks of an individual’s head waters. Jesus did not ‘come from’ this part or that part, but from the whole. He was one with God. To be from the whole made him whole; to be from the one made him one. For an individual’s orientation to change from the fragmented to the whole, that person’s direction of union changes from death and darkness to light and life.

In passage 63, Jesus said, "There was a rich person who had a great deal of money. He said, 'I shall invest my money so that I may sow, reap, plant, and fill my storehouses with produce, that I may lack nothing.' These were the things he was thinking in his heart, but that very night he died. Anyone here with two ears had better listen!" Listen up! Prepare all you want, but, if you are preparing for the world you will leave behind, you are really wasting your time.

As a man thinks, so is he. And what comes from the abundance of the heart? Evil comes from the evil treasure of the heart, and good from the good treasure of the heart. This man was choked by the pleasures and concerns of this present world; his mind was filled with this present world. He brought no fruit to perfection; he entered his future unprepared.

In passage 91, They said to him, "Tell us who you are so that we may believe in you." He said to them, "You examine the face of heaven and earth, but you have not come to know the one who is in your presence, and you do not know how to examine the present moment." Passages 91 and 92 belong together. In passage 92, Jesus said, "Seek and you will find. In the past, however, I did not tell you the things about which you asked me then. Now I am willing to tell them, but you are not seeking them." What kind of people followed Jesus? They were seekers who gave up, searchers who did not look at everything. They had a discipline in which they had attained, and in which they practiced a certain level of proficiency. It was a practice they could have applied more liberally, but they did not. They did not apply it to the signs of the times; they did not apply it to the present moment, and when Jesus was ready to impart answers, they had already fainted in the way. Yet, the truth remains: one who has the strength to continue seeking will find what he seeks.

In passage 86, Jesus said, "[Foxes have] their dens and birds have their nests, but human beings have no place to lay down and rest." I am glad to see that this passage employs the context of ‘human beings’ in place of ‘son of man’. I have long held to the truth that the appellation of ‘son of man’, by extension, included the ‘children of men’. The impression given in the canon is one of Jesus’ destitution (as in vow of poverty) but we recall that many people

supported his ministry with their personal substance. As used in this passage, the appellation of ‘human beings’ leads us to the understanding that our lot is not in this world, as with the animals, but elsewhere. There is a rest to come.

In passage 106, Jesus said, "When you make the two into one, you will become children of Adam, and when you say, 'Mountain, move from here!' it will move." Man is a work in progress.

He is going places, but will he reach his destination? Man’s nature, as he journeys forward, is fragmented. Within the mind of man are good and evil; from the mouth of man issue both good and bad communications - which, of course, either build up or tear down the minds of others.

The term ‘children of Adam’ here is apt, for Adam was at first whole. When Jesus came to the world from the One, being from and one with the whole, he was whole - and as we read in our Bibles, he walked on water, raised the dead, healed the sick, and did many other miraculous deeds all from the virtue of his wholeness. Man, too, has that divine nature, it just hasn’t come together yet. Unless we strive to make it happen, it will not happen: our divine nature will remain fragmented and useless. We must incorporate both corporeal and spiritual into a single, undivided nature.

In passage 107, Jesus said, "The (Father's) kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine and looked for the one until he found it. After he had toiled, he said to the sheep, 'I love you more than the ninetynine.'" What a passage! The shepherd did not leave the majority for just another sheep: it was his largest sheep. That should remind you of the merchant who got rid of his merchandise and bought the pearl. It should also remind you of the expression ‘seek and you shall find’ for the shepherd looked, not a little, but until he found it - it was hard work; he actually toiled. It should, finally, remind you of the crowd that stood outside, but only the one who stood alone (stood out, perhaps) was the one who went inside. It is interesting that the shepherd confessed his love for the biggest, and possibly the best, sheep but did not confess his love for the ninety and nine. In common human experience, we tend to care more for those things we work the hardest to achieve. As reminders go, let me add one more - for I am also reminded of the fisherman who ‘easily’ chose the biggest fish in the net: the one that stood out, or by its virtue, stood alone.

In passage 100, They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to him, "The Roman emperor's people demand taxes from us." He said to them, "Give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, give God what belongs to God, and give me what is mine." We are familiar with the duality of the canon version. In the Thomas version, a third item is added, and it is striking. Jesus said give me what is mine. What was it, exactly, that Jesus demanded for himself? What was it that he claimed as his own? In the canon, he always passed the buck, so to speak, back to God. For instance, it was not Jesus who spoke but God, or, whoever accepted him accepted his father. Off the top of my head, the only time I can recall where he claimed to have anything in the canon was in John, at his last supper speech. There, he claimed to have received his disciples from God. Apart from the broader issue of all things being created by and for him, I think what Jesus demanded in the Thomas passage was nothing less than his student's full attention. In other words, don't be distracted, or overcome, by the smaller worldly issues.

8. The angelic other. In regard to finding the treasure of divinity within oneself, I would like to highlight one aspect of the divine nature in particular. That aspect is fire. God, as we recall, has said of himself that he is a consuming fire. Christ, as we recall, was described in burning, white-hot colors, with his eyes like lamps of fire. More toward the mankind end of the spectrum, angels are described as ministers of fire. Fire, then, speaks of the nature of God, his son, and his servants. It speaks of divine nature.

In passage 10, Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the world, and look, I'm guarding it until it blazes." It has ever seemed to me that the canonical counterpart of this passage speaks of divisions, war, and woes for mankind - the shaking of the tree, one might say. Indeed, certain scriptures speak of family members at odds, while certain others speak ones inability to be worthy as long as they love their family more than Christ. In the Thomas passage, we see something of a new and higher level. If fire speaks of the divine nature, then Jesus is saying that he is casting the divine nature of God upon the world. He has come to communicate divinity to mankind. That is an amazing message. What is more amazing is that he states that he is the guardian of the flame, to make sure it does not go out. He states that he is not only guarding it, but working with it in anticipation of it becoming even larger, hotter, more consuming.

In passage 82, Jesus said, "Whoever is near me is near the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the (Father's) kingdom." This is a new-found treasure; we add it to our chest of treasures, by which I mean, we catalog what was already there. The communication and the communicator are one. God is a consuming fire that shall refine silver and burn away the dross.

Jesus has set the world aflame. That fire will catch, and race around the world unchecked. That fire will rage, after which, the landscape will be much changed. Are you helping Jesus spread The Word?

9. The unsuspected. We see the type of passage that begins in a familiar way, but seems to go off track. It seems to be the kind of passage that seeks to add notoriety, and a sense of mystery to the work. In other words, we might call it a gnostic ‘ace in the sleeve’. Let me define that for you. An ace in the sleeve is a hidden component that, when added, makes for a winning hand.

In passage 9, Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to something and tell me what I am like." Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a just messenger." Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher." Thomas said to him, "Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like." Jesus said, "I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended." And he took him, and withdrew, and spoke three sayings to him. When Thomas came back to his friends they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?" Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the sayings he spoke to me, you will pick up rocks and stone me, and fire will come from the rocks and devour you." This is a socially indicative passage. It speaks of the communicated mind of God on the social levels - where men bump into each other. To Peter, Jesus was a teacher on the messenger level, evinced by the fact that Peter was able to compare messengers with messengers. For Matthew, Jesus was a teacher on the wise philosopher level. Because Thomas was unable to make any kind of comparison, for him, Jesus was not a teacher on the social levels. Yet, Jesus took him apart and taught him something (three sayings). These sayings were of a higher order, as we see in Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended. The bubbling spring, of course, is the Holy Spirit. Thomas had tasted of that, and his desire for more led him away from the social levels and set him on a higher path. It is a curious coincidence that the thing Christ is tending (water) is the thing he guards (fire) in another passage.

Thomas’ response to his friends is interesting. The response that Thomas gave, while not indicating the three sayings, still seems to be divided into three parts. Perhaps these parts are clues, or x-marks where we may dig, if we are so inclined. What does the Thomas response say to us? First, communication (wind): Thomas stands past the cleansing of water, and is one like Jesus described to Nicodemus: a zephyr known only in passing. Second, imparting the sayings to his friends would be on a par to casting pearls before swine: they will take the sayings and Thomas and try to drag them back to the worldly, social, earthy levels as indicated by rocks and stoning. Third, fire (the flame that Jesus is guarding until it blazes) is seen to spring up from the earth, thus linking the beginning and end.

10. The unfamiliar. We come to those passages that are unfamiliar. They do not match; they have no easily recognizable parallel. Our first thoughts might be: “Oh, now, they’re just making that up as they go!” We must not lose sight of the power of communication. We look to see where the God-mind may have been conveyed. An insight may not always seem to be like other communications. If the words are different, we tend to think something different has been said. Yet, when we dig a little deeper, we may note similarities in the underlying bedrock.

In passage 97, Jesus said, "The [Father's] kingdom is like a woman who was carrying a [jar] full of meal. While she was walking along [a] distant road, the handle of the jar broke and the meal spilled behind her [along] the road. She didn't know it; she hadn't noticed a problem.

When she reached her house, she put the jar down and discovered that it was empty." This is no Aesop’s fable, kids. It is an apt description of spiritual communication. Let us look at it point by point. First is the kingdom that belongs to the father: God has been called the God of knowledge.

Second is the comparison to a woman: a woman is used in the communications of the book of Proverbs to portray wisdom. The distant road is number three in our list; it may represent both the corporeal world in which we live, and also the path of life itself. That the woman reached her house presupposes that she left it first, on her way to get something. Thus indicated are the cycles of our existence. Wisdom goes, wisdom comes - there is something left behind for all of us. Now to the important clue: why not milk or wine; why was meal used in this parable? Well, of course, meal is used to make bread, and as we know, Christ (the Word) offered himself as the bread of life: as he broke bread at the last meal, so he was broken that we might ingest the kingdom.

Meal, or bread, is used because it speaks of the daily maintenance of our lives. Now, the point of daily maintenance is to build one up a little, to carry one forward along the entire path of life.

In passage 98, Jesus said, "The Father's kingdom is like a person who wanted to kill someone powerful. While still at home he drew his sword and thrust it into the wall to find out whether his hand would go in. Then he killed the powerful one." Practice. Training. Making strong. One moves forward on the path of life by attained levels, just as children acquire education by attained grades. Had the person in this parable wished to conquer a weaker opponent, he might already have been at the proper level, and required no additional building up or maintenance to get where he wanted to be. The structure of this parable shows two things: the wisdom to prepare, and the desire to reach higher and achieve more.

In passage 79, A woman in the crowd said to him, "Lucky are the womb that bore you and the breasts that fed you." He said to [her], "Lucky are those who have heard the word of the Father and have truly kept it. For there will be days when you will say, 'Lucky are the womb that has not conceived and the breasts that have not given milk.'" We still concern ourselves with the communicated mind of God. There are two conveyances in this passage. One is of the world, the other of the spirit. In the communication of the world, we see a line of thought that is common even in our day. What did the woman’s message, in fact, convey? Her remark, though intended as praise, was a common thread that runs through all worldly thinking. The thread places emphasis on such matters as personage, personality, attitude, achievement, and power. The woman’s remark was the remark of a fan; she called Jesus a superstar. She used the word ‘lucky’, which can mean blessed. Jesus’ rebuttal was of the spirit. He so much as said to the woman, your lucky will someday become your unlucky. It will not grow and progress forward, but will turn back on itself. As blessed states go, the true blessing is found in receiving, and building up the

word of the Father within oneself. The blessing is found in daily spiritual maintenance.

In passage 53, His disciples said to him, "Is circumcision useful or not?" He said to them, "If it were useful, their father would produce children already circumcised from their mother.

Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become profitable in every respect." Again, we see a question centered in worldly thinking answered with a spiritual answer. Circumcision is a body modification like tattoos and piercings. It concerns nothing but the body. If it was of any physical benefit, such as in propagation through natural selection, mankind would have developed it naturally. The response of Jesus is that the true profit in modification is found only on the spiritual plane. We should trim away all that is not of the God-mind.

In passage 28. Jesus said, "I took my stand in the midst of the world, and in flesh I appeared to them. I found them all drunk, and I did not find any of them thirsty. My soul ached for the children of humanity, because they are blind in their hearts (minds) and do not see, for they came into the world empty, and they also seek to depart from the world empty. But meanwhile they are drunk (view as a cyclical condition). When they shake off their wine, ( worldly preoccupations) then they will change their ways." The confederate army had a theme song. One line went: “In Dixie land I’ll take my stand to live or die in Dixie.” Many soldiers died for their convictions. It was that important to them. In this passage, the mind of God took a stand; it manifested in Jesus, and Jesus died for God’s important cause.

It is much like a spiritual father with a rebellious worldly teenager. Teenagers are so full of themselves that most communications meet with resistance. The children of humanity in this passage are so drunk on their own worldly will that they do not thirst for spiritual instruction, but, thank God for the cyclical nature of our reality. When man rises up from his wine, as he must always do in the morning, and he shakes off the pain and paralysis of former gluttonies, he may then be approached. I find it interesting that it is said of mankind, not only that he enters life without preparations, but that he willfully approaches death without preparing for what is to follow.

In passage 24, His disciples said, "Show us the place where you are, for we must seek it."

He said to them, "Anyone here with two ears had better listen! There is light within a person of light, and it shines on the whole world. If it does not shine, it is dark." The disciples wished that Jesus would plainly declare his position, that is, his spiritual level; they wanted to come up to where he was. He told them how easy it is to reach the higher levels: you add light. Without that, you remain in the dark lower levels. Compare that to what is said in first John 3: “He that does righteousness is righteous, even as Christ is righteous.” It is just that easy to advance. An important point in this passage is that the light that is within has a purpose that is based in its practice. Light shines; if it doesn’t, it isn’t. One must use, practice, and handle the light they obtain, or else it slips through their fingers. The best part of man is not meant to be kept, but given to others.

In passage 102, Jesus said, "Damn the Pharisees! They are like a dog sleeping in the cattle manger: the dog neither eats nor [lets] the cattle eat." I admire a swearing, cursing, fist raising savior who is impassioned, and saturated with a single cause. That being said, it seems that certain people among us are simply in the way. They have made themselves at home in that which makes others strong. They possess and hold that which is meant for distribution. They make no use of it themselves, and when we approach, they bark, growl, and bite. What will it

take to make them move?

In passage 103, Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who know where the rebels are going to attack. [They] can get going, collect their imperial resources, and be prepared before the rebels arrive." Preparation is the theme of this passage. The rebels are approaching change.

The imperial resources are spiritual instructions, and the practice of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. If you do not know on your own where the rebels are marching to, then you must hear it from some one else. If you are not inclined to listen, you will be overwhelmed.

11. Key words. When it comes to sayings that seem completely strange, our best approach is the comparison of key words.

In passage 58. Jesus said, "Congratulations to the person who has toiled and has found life." Let us compare certain words in this text to words from other, more familiar, texts. Let us begin with the word ‘found’. From canonical scripture, we recall the saying: ‘seek and you will find’. We know, therefore, that for something to be found, a person must actively seek - it will not happen automatically. If I find myself sitting here writing about hidden truth, it is only because my practices stem from the impassioned intent of the mind. Let us look at the word ‘toiled’. From canonical sources, we are reminded of the saying: ‘strive to enter the straight gate, for straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it’. If you want your blessing, you may have to wrestle with your angel all night long.

In passage 42. Jesus said, "Be passersby." Now, of course, this does seem to fly in the face of many of Christ’s canonical teachings; we recall the parable of the good Samaritan, for instance. We recall that the good sheep on the right hand visited folks in prison and hospitals, and otherwise involved themselves in good toward their fellow man. But here, we must also recall the parable that tells us not to cast our pearls before swine; so then, we compare the term ‘passerby’ to the term ‘cast not’. I remember an incident of my youth where a man got involved, albeit with good intent, in the affairs of others to his own hurt an embarrassment. He saw a man beating his wife on the street, and stepped up to her defense. When he knocked the man to the ground, both he and the wife became enraged with the interloper, and thoroughly trounced the misguided do-gooder. Too many people are immersed in the matters of this present life: that is, in what others say, and what others do. They place such low end matters on an ‘all-important’ pedestal. They do not belong there, and we should not be so involved in such matters. To be passersby, we must concern ourselves with matters that truly count for something - not matters of the world, which all shall pass away, but, matters of the spirit, and communication of the nature of our father.

12. An understanding. My intent in this study has been to reach an understanding of what lies just below the surface of the work, and to compare those results with the results of my study of the canon. When I see the things, here, that I discovered in my former study, the excitement is real. To see the same underlying truths elevates me to my next loftier peak, where I may see plainly that the mind of God is spread out upon the whole earth.

In passage 7, Jesus said, "Lucky is the lion that the human will eat (not has eaten: this is an issue of choosing), so that (this expression indicates the initiation of a chosen process) the lion becomes human. And foul is the human that the lion will eat, and the lion still will become human." This passage speaks of the ingestion, or the incorporation of the nature of God into man.

God is the lion, and the man, who by impassioned intent seeks, finds, and incorporates God's nature into his own, will be one with the lion. Refer to the canonical ‘I and the father are one’.

God's work has been, and will continue to be, the work of realizing himself into the reality of man by the communication of his mind into our brain, his nature and character into our personality. The man who will not ingest the lion, who rejects and refuses all things spiritual will become the offal and refuse that is swept up and discarded after a violent and messy end. Still, for all their rejection and resistance, the lion will be man.

In passage 4. Jesus said, "The person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life, and that person will live. For many of the first will be last, and will become a single one." (One and the same: alpha and omega) Ask and it shall be given to you. If that child could give us a coherent answer, we would be wise to ask. This passage reaches deep, and says much. For instance, life has a place where it may be found. Both the old and the young may share it, and where it is, both the first and the last may be united. Life, itself, passes through many selves and identities. Toward the end, many of us who have been will be again. We will bring with us what the latter need. Our separate identities will join into a single identity by the sharing of the same life in exactly the same way. The fruit of experience, old and new, will be ingested by life itself, and then life will begin the cycle anew. In the canonical ‘ask, seek, & knock’, we see the cycle of life. The young, who need knowledge, must ask, and what they have must be given to them. The mature in knowledge, seek on their own those things which are needful. They find, they use, they accomplish, for they have come to understand the work and their place in it. Those so full of understanding as to be called wise, and it has taken them a lifetime, will knock at the cyclic door, where the end is but a beginning and the last another first; they shall be opened to. They shall enter and pass through the place of life.

In passage 15. Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman, fall on your faces and worship. That one is your Father." We speak of the ingestion of that which is spiritual by that which is corporeal. What we have, we must be given. It must be transmitted to us, else we have nothing to incorporate. For us to see one who is not born of a woman, we must use something more than eyes of flesh and blood, for we look at an invisible spirit. This passage is short, but it says a lot. The born again are certainly not born (in that particular birth) of any woman. They are born of the invisible, spiritual father. He is one, and we are one in and with him. We become one with our brothers and sisters who are one with the invisible spiritual father.

Thus, we are one, and born again, not of visible flesh, but of invisible spirit. Many of us, then, share the one spirit. We who were, now are, and will bring in those who will be. The first condition and the last condition are one. May we see our father in ourselves? What is Jesus

saying about himself in this passage?

In passage 17. Jesus said, "I will give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched, what has not arisen in the human heart." If no eye has seen it, it is invisible. If no hand has touched it, it is not solid. If no ear has heard it, it is a communication of a higher order. If it has not already arisen in the heart (the mind), then it is something new. If such things are to be imparted to us, they must pass through receiving apparatuses that are not physical, and they must then reside in places that are part of us, just not corporeal.

In passage 18. The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us, how will our end come?" Jesus said, "Have you found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end will be where the beginning is. Congratulations to the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death." What each of us must understand, what each of us must receive into our spirit, is our place in the whole scheme of things. We strive to see the big picture.

What is it like to stand at a beginning? Having lost all, and having had to start over from scratch many times in my life, I can tell you what a beginning has been for me. It has been loss, certainly, but it has also been a light-headed sense of freedom, an open road with endless possibilities, where everything is new again. What would it be like to always face the beginning?

The end is always there, but because you are filled with endless possibilities, you don’t experience the end as an end.

In passage 19. Jesus said, "Congratulations to the one who came into being before coming into being. If you become my disciples and pay attention to my sayings, these stones will serve you. For there are five trees in Paradise for you; they do not change, summer or winter, and their leaves do not fall. Whoever knows them will not taste death." At first, to see this passage, one may think of it as disassociated sayings thrown together, but, I suspect they are actually related. We are moving into areas where the concept of linear time will fail us. Indeed, without a concept of serial (looped) time, the first sentence will seem nothing more than a play on words.

Most people subscribe to the concept of linear time, and they focus most of their energies on their little corner, on the present. That is the same as saying that the past and the future are not parts of their job description - which is irresponsible.

Only in serial time is it possible to come into being before one comes into being. As Charles Fort said, “One measures a circle beginning anywhere.” That point where one begins will always be the point that one comes back around to. That point, in time, is the Alpha and Omega, both beginning and end. For Jesus to claim that title, he must realize that he has been this way before. This sentence may hint at reincarnation, but his words clearly indicated “the one.” Possibly, this sentence may indicate the one spirit within. To interpret this sentence in this way may explain prophecy, not as looking ahead, but as memory left over from the last time through the circuit.

So then, how does the first sentence relate to the second sentence? If they ingest his sayings, make them a part of their general make-up, then they share that one inside of them who has already been, and has come around again. And now, we want to pay especial attention to the word ‘stones.’ Indeed, to most people, to people who subscribe to the linear concept of time, the sayings of the living Jesus will never be ingested, or internalized. They will never be disciples, and the words of truth will be about as useful to them as stones on the ground. The only way in which these stones, these sayings of the living Jesus, may be of any possible use is if they are

ingested and made a part of one’s nature, character, and personality. As an aside, I would like to remind many that the word ‘stone’, in old times, was used to indicated a testicle. Now, if that is what Jesus spoke of, it all comes back around to the same thing: as it is said in the book of 1st John 3:9, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed (the secretion from his stones) remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” So now, by internalizing the words, we share in the one who has already been. Also, because we share the nature of our father (his seed remains in us), we share in paradise. If so, then there are, in paradise, five evergreen trees that are there just for us. What is there purpose? I will not go into that here; I will simply say that these five trees (and perhaps their purpose(s)) may be named in Joel 1:12. To know these trees, to be knowledgeable of them and familiar with them will lead one away from the ingestion of death. Possibly this is that point that one comes back around to before beginning to trace the circle again.

In passage 84, Jesus said, "When you see your likeness, you are happy. But when you see your images that came into being before you and that neither die nor become visible, how much you will have to bear!" Shades of ‘The Great Reflection’! This passage speaks of the things I wrote about in my previous study. The topic: images and reflections. A likeness may be considered as either a reflection or an extension. When we look into a mirror and see our reflection, we’re happy - according to this passage. Well, what about the really ugly man who looks into the mirror? Will he be happy to see his face? The end result of this line of reasoning seems inconclusive. Let us take another approach. When a father looks at his son and sees himself - that is, he sees what he has taught his son, sees those things he believes in being practiced and upheld, he is truly pleased. When the son looks at himself and sees his father, he is happy. He sees where he comes from and what he is made of. I, for an example, am proud to bear certain traits of my Dad - I keep him alive that way, for I have in me all the good things of him.

Now, in all of this, I have only been speaking of a single likeness, one reflection of one image. In this, I have so much as said that the image sees the reflection and the reflection sees the image.

The passage is constructed after that fashion. See: the first half is about the image seeing the reflection; the second half is about the reflection seeing, not a single image but rather, more than one image. How many images, we are not told, but we may take a lead from the parent / offspring angle. Let us say that the son looks not just at the father but also at the mother. He sees two images. If he extends that to include grandparents, we are then talking not merely of two images, but as many as six.

Now, let us turn to the spiritual content of this passage. A man - that is to say, the corporeal reflection - sees multiple images of where he comes from and what he is made of. The passage indicates that he is anything but happy. What is it, then, that he must bear? What is the weight that he struggles to bear up under? What must he endure, or what must he give of himself to see what he sees? We say we come from God, that God is our father, and that alone, that in and of itself, makes us happy - but, God is not the only image we see; there are other images.

In my book, The Great Reflection, I put forth the concept of the ‘angelic other’. I presented that as a spiritual identity to which we are connected, or from which we may count ourselves as corporeal extensions. If we must come to a realization of multiple images, the ‘angelic other’ concept may no longer fit the bill. How, then, may we view multiple spiritual images? I recall from the canon that certain spiritual imagery painted a picture of creatures with four faces. Also, there were creatures around the throne of God who seemed more animalistic

than humanoid. Should we view multiple images as Someone the father and someone else the mother, with the possibility of someone the grandparent 1 and grandparent 2? May we view multiple images as a progression of upgraded spiritual images - as one image made better or more each time we pass through death and offer up our harvest? Or, does it only point to a less than euphemistic approach - that our roots lie not only in God, but also in the devil? Are we meant to contain within ourselves the eternal struggle between good and evil? Why, for instance, are we shown in the book of Revelation that the devil is not destroyed, but rather held back for a time and then released again? There are so many questions, so many considerations - how much we will have to bear!

In passage 50, Jesus said, "If they say to you, 'Where have you come from?' say to them, 'We have come from the light, from the place where the light came into being by itself, established [itself], and appeared in their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?' say, 'We are its children, and we are the chosen of the living Father.' If they ask you, 'What is the evidence of your Father in you?' say to them, 'It is motion and rest.'" Consider the incorporation of the larger by the smaller. Consider the plurality of oneness. Consider the dual-nature of reality. Can you imagine drinking a glass of water and becoming a glass of water? Can you imagine that if another drinks from that same glass, the two of you become that same glass of water? Can you imagine the beginning and the end as drinking, and becoming drinkable? In the canon, Christ (the Alpha and Omega) offered himself as the bread of life. If we truly are what we eat, as the expression goes, then to eat the bread of life makes us to become the bread of life. Are you edible?

Two things caught my eye. One: ‘and appeared in their image’ and two, ‘your Father in you’. About the former: if I said that I came from the light, and appeared in their image, you might naturally zero in on the word ‘their’. Two possible interpretations present themselves. The first is that Christ, as in “I am the light”, is only one light in, say, an entire society of lights. The second is that the light, as a spiritual quality, takes the host it possesses as it’s image in this world. As to ingestion, we want to know the evidence of the spiritual father being inside of us.

That evidence is worded in the simplest possible manner - the evidence is the very nature of reality. Consider, for example, the motion and the rest involved in the process of breathing.

In passage 51, His disciples said to him, "When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world come?" He said to them, "What you are looking forward to has come, but you don't know it." This is another passage relating to serial time; it is also a passage relating to ingestion. One must ask: does the system ingest its constituent parts, or do the constituent parts ingest the system? On the one hand, the system will internalize the nature of its parts. On the other hand, we will internalize the nature of the system. Who knows - perhaps this is a case of Ying and Yang. As to serial, or looping, time, what the disciples are looking forward to indicates their subscription to linear time. They look forward to the rest, or the kingdom and paradise promised to those who endure unto death. The linear view is that we are born, we live, we die; once we get to the rest after death, we, like that pink bunny, just keep going and going.

The serial view incorporates the acknowledgment of cycles such as the four seasons. Winter is the rest after fall, spring is the re-commencement of our journey before the arrival at our destination, our summer. To put the cycle of death and renewal into perspective: Jesus, in the canon, said, “If they do this in a green stick . . .” Apparently, the disciples were ignorant of the higher implications. Their rest, the Father’s kingdom, was nigh at hand.

In passage 52, His disciples said to him, "Twenty-four prophets have spoken in Israel, and they all spoke of you." He said to them, "You have disregarded the living one who is in your presence, and have spoken of the dead." Did Jesus call himself a prophet? Was he saying that he was number 25? When he spoke of the living one, was he setting the spirit in contrast to the flesh? The one thing we know for certain about Jesus is that he pointed us in the direction of the one. The one is spirit; the spirit is life. If Jesus was saying he was number 25, it was solely due to ingestion of the living one. If he was not claiming to be number 25, then he was simply directing his disciples to what they should have on their minds more than dead prophets. The living spirit of God comes again and again, inhabiting man, possessing man, using man as the vehicle for the dissemination of knowledge.

In passage 30, Jesus said, "Where there are three deities, they are divine. Where there are two or one, I am with that one." This is another passage that speaks to us of ingestion. It is a passage that sets in contrast the first group from the second, but at the same time ties the two groups together. Consider the first group: three deities; they are divine. What might he mean by the word? Does divine indicate completeness? Do these deities have no more need for the human element? Consider divine as meaning full, or having been filled. They have ingested all they wanted, and are now replete. Then, there is the second group of deities; they are two in number, perhaps there is only one of them. Jesus counts himself as a part of that group, but just how does he figure into the make-up of it? Who are these incomplete deities? What is meant by the word ‘with’? He said he was with that ‘one’. How did he intend us to receive that word? Let us look at the several possibilities. First, we have two deities who are not divine, but the addition of Jesus changes that in some way. Second, whether the second group is one or two, Jesus is with that ‘one’. That means that one is one, and two is one - therefore, the ‘one’ of which he speaks is a quality that does not depend on the number of members in the group. That ‘one’ that Jesus is with, I think, is the one living spirit of god. Three, divine may indicate the one communicated to, incorporated within, and agreed upon between the three who are divine. Remember that in the canon, the spirit agrees in one.

In passage 66, Jesus said, "Show me the stone that the builders rejected: that is the keystone." The dictionary defines keystone this way: the wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch that locks the other pieces in place, something on which associated things depend for support. Most of us have settled on Jesus the cornerstone; we think of cornerstone as the one that bears the plaque with an inscription. This passage shows us something new, and vital. One: a keystone is one rock among many. Two: a keystone is not at the bottom, as in a cornerstone, but is actually at the top of an arch (a door). Three: those other rocks that depend on the keystone for support, are also in the door – a part of the way in. They rise up toward the top, and their aspiration depends on the keystone to remain upright and in place. There are always builders rejecting stones. They are looking for similar stones that fit together well. They are not meant to show great flexibility; that is a quality of the architect. The builders look for identical square stones, and are thus best suited for the erection of walls. Those builders who do not reject the stone, must be on a level closer to the intent of the one with the design in mind.

In passage 67, Jesus said, "Those who know all, but are lacking in themselves, are utterly lacking." We all know people who are 'book smart'. The information they impart seems slightly

out of place. Those of us who seek God, seek what God imparts – a viable knowledge that is very much a part of who we are. When the God of knowledge communicates to us, more than mere trivia is transmitted. God communicates his very nature and character into us. To be utterly lacking is a broken state. When you switch on the electricity and the bulb does not shine, you replace it with one that functions.

In passage 70, Jesus said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you [will] kill you." How often have we read where Jesus tells someone, 'your faith has made you whole', or, 'today you will be with me in paradise'? Those great things Jesus did for people: the miracles from the smallest right up to salvation itself, had a real counterpart inside each person. We are told that we are either condemned or justified by the words we speak. Communication is key. If God has communicated himself into your mind, then you have that within which can save you. If you don't have that, you have nothing. So without God within, you are filled with the world. Friends of the world are enemies of God. It is like oil and water – they just don't mix. Therefore, one either has the mind set of the world, or the mind set of God. We receive from one or the other, and as we receive, we impart in kind. Is there an appreciable difference between the two mind sets – that is: how we communicate? Yes. Jesus said plainly that whoever is forgiven much (saved), the same has within the mind set of God: love. Not only does that person have it, but that person has used it much, has communicated the same to others.

In passage 69, Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who have been persecuted in their hearts: they are the ones who have truly come to know the Father. Congratulations to those who go hungry, so the stomach of the one in want may be filled." We are familiar with the beatitudes.

In the canon, we read the familiar expression: 'Blessed are the', and there follows a list of conditions. We see the poor, thirsty, hungry, etc. Each is a physical need that is met by a spiritual agency. We see other conditions in the list; we see meekness, humility, righteousness in action – all of which are higher spiritual states in physical man. These states will be rewarded. We see sacrifice on the order of that which we saw in our lord. Those who are martyrs and those who are persecuted for their higher spiritual condition of righteousness in action will be rewarded. In the canon, these people are told 'blessed are you', but there are other ways to say that very thing.

They may be told, for example, 'happy are you', or as in the gospel of Thomas, they may be told 'congratulation's. You may ask, how is this passage a new found treasure? How is it different from the canon? I answer that to be persecuted in one's heart is a condition on an order much higher than physical persecution. It is a higher spiritual condition than meekness, humility, and righteousness. What this passage speaks of is the head water (the source) of these other spiritual states. What is indicated here is nothing less than the conscience. As such, it is prerequisite not only to these other spiritual states, it is the only avenue by which we may truly know our Heavenly Father. It is the source; it is our beginning, and first step, but it is also a need. We struggle with issues that others do not; we hunger for food that others reject. If we will call ourselves 'born of' God, then the persecutions of our hearts are the pangs of our birth.

In passage 74, He said, "Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the well." It is interesting to note that the many are around the trough rather than the well. Water is brought up from a well, and then delivered to a trough for drinking. Therefore the one who draws, and those who drink are set in contrast to one another. Now then, if there is nothing in the well to draw up, the trough goes dry. Sheep will always gather at the trough; that

is their source of water, and it is not within their power to draw for themselves. The water must be communicated from the well to the trough. So – if the well is empty, that is an un-good condition. We speak of empty wells, dry troughs, and sheep that gather by the trough because that is the only place they know of to go to. The deeper indication, however, is not of sheep. This reference is about you. Why do you continue to gather at a dry trough? Why don't you go to the well and draw your own water? And, lets just comment on the well. If someone is drawing for you, but what is communicated to the trough fails to satisfy your need, then you need to find a better well.

In passage 77, Jesus said, “I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.” New-found treasure, this is, and impressive. This passage made it all the way to Hollywood, and got itself into a movie. Yes, this one is impressive enough to make the secular community sit up and take notice. Let us examine what is communicated through this passage; we seek spiritual communications. It begins like the canon, and I think most of us are familiar with the verse that speaks of the light of the world. This light, however, references another matter. Now, we've been taught that an issue is established by the agreement of two or three witnesses. We have three witnesses in this passage. The word 'all' is found four times in connection to the light. First is the claim that Jesus is the light over all things – and things may include people, minds, hearts, and souls. It may also include societies, races of people, and worlds. The word 'over' is key to this passage, as it speaks of authority in regard to 'all thing's. It may also be viewed as the source of all things, the beginning or foundation of all things.

Corroborating this initial claim is the second claim. Not only did Jesus claim to be the light, and that light the source of all things; he claimed to be 'all' things. The light is seen, then, to infuse everything that exists, and thus enclose all within its authority and jurisdiction. Indeed, he amends his claim thus: all things originated from the light and returned to the light. The word 'attained' speaks of the process of becoming, whereby the thing that came forth from the light grows, evolves, and becomes more and more like the light, until at last, it is the light. The word 'attained' is extremely important; it shows us someone who is able to stand beyond and well past the future, someone who is able to speak of the future in the past tense. Now, the famous part of the passage, the movie-star part steps up to take a bow. “Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.” The secular world may put this forth as 'Jesus the amorphous element' that is found everywhere, but, we are concerned here with spiritual communications. Both parts of this section of the passage describe labor; they speak of work.

What we take note of are the actions of splitting wood and lifting stones. So then, Hollywood would have us find Jesus between two pieces of wood, and under a rock. It ascribes to him empty space. But, is there another way to see this? Perhaps Jesus is to be found in the labor. In the canon, he said, 'where one or two are gathered together, there am I'. In the first half of this passage, we saw one part that spoke of work, that was the part of attaining. While chopping wood and moving rocks are common enough, even somewhat small, they are, nevertheless, parts of the whole. Man is communicated from the source; the source is communicated to man. Will man, someday, become a spiritual communication?

In passage 78, Jesus said, "Why have you come out to the countryside? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a person dressed in soft clothes, [like your] rulers and your powerful ones? They are dressed in soft clothes, and they cannot understand truth." Our understanding of the canon instantly brings John the Baptist to mind. This passage may or may

not refer to the Baptist, however, the first two statements are connected by the word 'and'.

Whether the person addressed is the Baptist or Jesus, the sense of this passage is that the individual the crowd came to see is expected to be both a reed shaken by the wind, and someone dressed in soft clothing. The crowd has come to the rough countryside; they have left the comforts of the city – so instantly, Jesus sets the two ends of the spectrum at odds. There is the rough end where something quite plain and ordinary, like a reed, is stirred up by something powerful yet unseen, like the wind. Then, there is the soft end where the rulers of the people dress well, look impressive, but are seldom moved – else the crowd would have gone to them instead of to the countryside. They left and went to the rough end, but they still expected something on the order of what they were already used to. Jesus told the crowd, 'you can't have your cake and eat it too'. Smooth and easy are a lot alike. The crowd went to the rough end but they wanted something easy – something they did not have to work for. That was not to be found in the countryside. The very image of a reed shaken by the wind is one of someone who is fragile being troubled by something overpowering. How does a reed stand in a gale? To stand even a little under such conditions requires an adamant spirit, and much labor. This all begs the question: are you really interested in the truth? Are you wanting enough to wrestle it to the ground and hold on for dear life? It will not be easy, so leave your soft clothing behind. When you come over to the rough end, have your soiled sleeves rolled back, and be ready to work.

In passage 80, Jesus said, "Whoever has come to know the world has discovered the body, and whoever has discovered the body, of that one the world is not worthy." In this passage, the thing that lifts one up and sets him apart is knowledge. One will not come by this knowledge accidentally. One must use and practice it daily; one must strive to use each new addition to their knowledge base as a tool that will further pry loose the gem set in the center. To know the world is equal to the discovery of the body. What that 'body' represents is not plainly shown. Yet, the body is here set forth as something greater than the world. The individual in this passage is one who has attained a higher level than worldliness. To know the world may not be the same as to know worldliness. This passage, this concept deserves more attention than this study can afford. I truly hope someone will take it up. Whoever you are, what you discover will belong to all of us.

In passage 56, Jesus said, "Whoever has come to know the world has discovered a carcass, and whoever has discovered a carcass, of that person the world is not worthy." This passage will serve to explain passage 80. A body is not always a carcass, but a carcass is always a body. What makes a body a carcass? The absence of life. Therefore, to know the world is to know that it is dead. What makes a carcass a body? The infusion of life. For a person to reach this level of understanding, more than knowledge of the carcass is present. This one has also obtained a knowledge of the life. Since only the living may know, we may say that life is selfaware. Now, the body is populated with individuals who are only alive; they are still on the carcass level. In order to reach that next level, self-awareness must be communicated. I do not speak of the self-awareness that is acknowledged by the body, but of that which is above the body. I know who I am, but that is really only identification, and distinguishing between individuals. Something new must be communicated. The old individual must be infused with newness to become the new individual. The old individual knew nothing new. The newness that must be communicated is the mind and nature and character of God. In passage 81, Jesus said, "Let one who has become wealthy reign, and let one who has power renounce it." This brings to mind the rich young man of the canon. Jesus advised him to

get rid of his possessions. He went away sad. This passage presents two extreme ends of an issue. These ends are at odds, but, we are told here how to achieve balance. On the one end, you have worked hard and gotten wealth. You now have the means to effect change. You can buy more clout than the opposition can. You can be king. On the other end, power corrupts. Titles are vain and empty. You find it all too easy just to pay the soldiers, and not concern yourself with their work. But, there was a point, before the trappings of power took over, when you were humble. You just wanted to do good. You had reached your wealth through hard work, selfsacrifice, and dogged disciplined. You had something to offer. Had you just stopped there, and not let power set in! There is the point where balance is found: to rule, but to cast away the crown.

In passage 114, we find this. Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life." Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven." This passage is often dismissed, out of hand, as being sexist.

Feminists will read this, and automatically rise up on their toes, as if through Pavlovian conditioning. I must admit, it does seem a hard line that Peter defends. I am mildly surprised.

But, then I recall that norms were different back then. Women were viewed as property in the most utilitarian sense of the word. We do not hold with such views today, but we wonder, why Jesus did not argue our point for us. He seems to beat around the bush, and take a more circuitous path. Peter argued that only men were worthy of life. Jesus responded that he would coach Mary in how to be like the men, so that she could then be worthy of life. He went on to say that any woman that makes herself a man will, by doing so, enter the kingdom of Heaven. We must look closely at what we see, else we will not see it at all.

It seems the consensus was that men deserved the life that Jesus offered, but not women.

That life which he taught is connected directly to the goal which was named the kingdom of Heaven. Furthermore, I do not get the sense that a man or a woman was being considered in the physical sense, but rather in a spiritual sense, and as I always say: spiritual is mental is spiritual.

If it was neither the sex nor yet again the physical body that was in question, what exactly was the criteria? We see it clearly in the expression: 'living spirit'. By this, we understand that the life that any of them hoped to be worthy of was an addition of spirit (or, mind) to the body. The criteria then was a type of mind: the mind of the man, or, the male inclination. We see that the female was not rejected for limitations so much as for a contrary inclination. However, that inclination is within the reach of womankind, and any woman who chooses that direction is fit for the kingdom. Historically, men have monopolized the arenas of religion, philosophy, and spirituality. As each of these is an arena of thought and communication, we are clearly directed to the nature of Heaven. That it is a kingdom plainly presents God, as the canon states, as a God of knowledge.

In passage 87, Jesus said, "How miserable is the body that depends on a body (world), and how miserable is the soul that depends on these two." Here, we are presented with new insight into the soul of man. We are shown, after a fashion, what it may and may not be. This passage lays three cards on the table. They are 'body 1', 'body 2', and 'soul'. What we are shown in this passage is the sad state of a soul that depends on the two bodies. What is not mentioned here is spirit or life. The soul, therefore, is something separate from body, body, life, or spirit. By contrast, we may imagine a soul that depends, not on the two bodies, but upon the spirit and life.

What a happy state that must be! Still, this passage has not clearly defined what a soul is. Here is my take. In the creation story, God created a living soul by adding life to a body. Soul, therefore, is the sum of all its parts. A soul is the overall identity: it is the persona. This passage presents us with an identity that is missing some of its parts. It depends on the two bodies. Now, we are keen to recognize the first body, but what exactly are we to make of the second body? Quite simply, it is the world. Refer back to the passage that speaks of the carcass.

In passage 88, Jesus said, "The messengers and the prophets will come to you and give you what belongs to you. You, in turn, give them what you have, and say to yourselves, 'When will they come and take what belongs to them?'" New treasure, indeed! Who are these messengers and prophets? They are the more spiritually attuned. They are the ones who communicate the mind of God. They are the body in which the mind of God lives and works. I dare even to name them angels. What this passage speaks of is the traffic of communication; that traffic moves in two directions. When a messenger comes to you, his communication adds to you; it changes you. What we should be delighted to note, however, is that what we are given is not something that is foreign, nor is it something new. It already belonged to us. But traffic moves in two directions; you are not the only one to be affected by the coming of the messenger.

It turns out that you have something to give in exchange. It can't be helped. But, there comes a time, and a stage in our spiritual evolution, when we begin to look forward to the communication. It also has evolved. Where once it was a hand shake, it is now a kiss. We realize that our mirrored communication already belonged to God.

13. Of special interest. The consideration of certain passages in this text strains the limits of our interpretive skills. Even in our Bacchanalian culture certain passages shock us out of our inebriate complacency. Our eyes focus, and we begin to take a closer look. We ask questions. We are reeled in, hook line and sinker, and are drawn helplessly up to the answer.

In passage 12, the disciples said to Jesus, "We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?" Jesus said to them, "No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being." What a glowing recommendation. Just who was James the Just? It has been asserted that James was the full brother of Jesus, the half brother of Jesus, and the cousin of Jesus. It has been asserted that James was at the last supper, and that he was at the crucifixion along with his mother Maria (one of the three Marys). It has been asserted that James was both a High priest and a pillar of the early Christian church in Jerusalem. We see then that a High Priest in Jerusalem had a blood relationship and close ties to Jesus. It seems most likely that James was a cousin to Jesus, as was John the Baptist. Note the trinity of J: Jesus, John, and James. Note also the trinity of M: Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.. Note that James is found complete in the name: Jerusalem, whereas Jesus and Mary each have only three letters.

What interests us, here, is the glowing recommendation given by Jesus. Of somewhat lesser interest is the directive given the apostles: that no matter where they find themselves, they are to go to James. That is a startling statement. To what may we compare it? It is like saying, wherever in the world you find yourselves, go, or return, to Jerusalem. If we were to say, wherever you are, turn to James, James would not be there – he resided in Jerusalem. He was the High Priest there. And, how cool was it that Jesus was related to both a prophet and a High Priest? Would it be just a bit of a stretch to say, wherever you are (spiritual evolution-wise) aim for the level of James: make James your mark? James was held in great esteem by many divergent groups. He was a man whose word could be banked on, whose opinion was highly prized, whose wisdom was actively sought out. His reputation as a just man had a broad base across many factions. He was in fact a liaison between the temple and the church, between Judaism and Christianity.

However, was the glowing recommendation directed toward simply the physical presence of the man, or his social standing, or his reputation? What if the recommendation was intended for the spiritual James? I do not see heaven and earth coming into existence for only the man but maybe for the man plus. John was the last of the line: the best that old mankind could be.

Then came Jesus, our example, to show us what to do spiritually. James was doing it. James had received and practiced the God-mind. James had reached a balance, or straight line, between his corporeal identity and his angelic other.

In passage 37, his disciples said, "When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?" Jesus said, "When you strip without being ashamed, and you take your clothes and put them under your feet like little children and trample them, then [you] will see the son of the living one and you will not be afraid." They asked the man in front of them, the man they already saw with their eyes, when will you appear to us, and when will we see you. At first, such a question seems absurd. Then, we see that they ask after the invisible man, the inner man. We see that the apostles had been made aware of the God-mind, yet they struggled with it. They did not

truly see the God-enhanced inner man that Jesus taught. Jesus answered them by stating they needed to reach a certain state of mind. He placed that state of mind in stark contrast to their current social and emotional restrictions. Their fear had been holding them back. What were they afraid of? Were they afraid of the 'son' that stood before them, the 'son' that was to be revealed in them, or of the living one? Perhaps, they were most afraid of letting go.

In passage 108, Jesus said, "Whoever drinks from my mouth will become like me; I myself shall become that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to him." The 'me' and the 'him'.

This passage is divided into three parts. In part one, becoming 'like' Jesus is achieved simply by drinking from Jesus' mouth. What flows from his mouth? He told us in the canon. His communication came directly from God (and the word was God). It is a case of becoming the cup you drink from. If you pour water from one cup into another, the second does become exactly like the first. In part two, Jesus will become that person: that person will be a Jesus.

Whereas the first cup was filled, and known as the full cup, and the second cup was known to be empty, the second cup is now known in exactly the way that the first cup was known. It is a mirror image. If I (the 'me') drink from the filled cup that is Jesus (the 'him') and become filled, my identification changes. I look into the mirror and see Jesus instead of myself. Part two speaks of a process that has reached its end: Jesus will turn into that person. The 'me' is replaced. In part three, because of the culmination of the process, hidden things will be revealed to the 'me' – but wait, the 'me' is now 'him': the source of those hidden things.

In passage 85, Jesus said, "Adam came from great power and great wealth, but he was not worthy of you. For had he been worthy, [he would] not [have tasted] death." I like this description of Adam. By extension, it is a description of God. God is described as great power and wealth; Adam was the mirror image of great power and wealth. I speak of power and wealth in the spiritual sense. I speak of the communicated mind of God. Notice, if you will, shortly after creation, Adam named the animals. God had not only created Adam, but had given him a head start. Adam was a reflection of God in that he exercised the God-mind. Not only that, but in Adam were to be found both the nature and character of God – that is where Adam came from.

That is where we are headed. Adam came from life, and chose death. We came from death, but choose life.

In passage 83, Jesus said, "Images are visible to people, but the light within them is hidden in the image of the Father's light. He will be disclosed, but his image is hidden by his light." Again, we look at the communicated mind of God within man – that part that is given to us by God, that part that mirrors God, and that part of us that God speaks to. We look around and see other men and women. Rarely do we consider what lies behind the image. This passage is a chain; it shows the links from one end to the other. There is the light of the Father – then there is the image of that light – then there are the lights that are found in the lesser images (us). Here we are, each of us with light inside us, but that light may only be discovered within a greater image.

That image may be discovered by, behind, or within his light. Inside of that image we find our lights, but inside that image is the light of God. Are our lights the light of God, or, is the light of God our lights? Kinda makes sense – 'communicated-mind-of-God-wise'. Why is the face of Christ hidden by his light? If that light that is in us is the nature and character of God, then it is our light that hides the face: that particular image is to be revealed in us.

In passage 6, His disciples asked him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How

should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe?" Jesus said, "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed." On the spiritual level, we are informed that all things whether actions, or thoughts, are open to God, and to the God-mind. On a practical level, we are advised in the simplest of terms, religious-observance-wise, namely: don't speak falsely and don't live falsely.

In passage 14, Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits. When you go into any region and walk about in the countryside, when people take you in, eat what they serve you and heal the sick among them. After all, what goes into your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth that will defile you." As if to further explain passage 6, Thomas supplies us with this. All the things we do and say, aside from being totally exposed to the God of knowledge, in heaven where he rules, bear directly on our angelic other. Extreme ups on this side will be extreme downs on that side. One must find a balance. Jesus suggests a less rigid approach, one that practices flexibility and strives toward balance.

Passage 27 says "If you do not fast from the world, you will not find the (Father's) kingdom. If you do not observe the sabbath as a sabbath you will not see the Father." Sparkling!

What a gem! The words of God are communicated to men. The mind and nature of God are communicated into men. Those treasures that were given to the Hebrews were meant to guide them higher. Instead, men drew those gifts down into the human nature, and into worldliness. To fast physically has its benefits. It is a far greater benefit we derive when we push ourselves back from the table of worldly treats. Spiritually speaking, we always look forward, never seeing what lies behind. To see what lies behind, we simply turn ourselves around. Here's the neat thing: when we turn around, all that is behind us becomes all that is in front of us. Take a look at the final statement. The Hebrews observed the sabbath, but not as a sabbath. Every time they observed it, their backs were to it, and since it was behind them, they could not see its true glory.

In passage 95, [Jesus said], "If you have money, don't lend it at interest. Rather, give [it] to someone from whom you won't get it back." To achieve gain on this side is to find loss on the other. What are you really doing to yourself? In this, let us compare human nature to the nature of God. Does God lend sunshine at interest? Is life required for life? No. Everything that God gives, he gives freely. We've been given a grant, not a loan. The Godly individual, therefore, in freely receiving the mind of God, must work the works of God. In passage 11, Jesus said, "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. During the days when you ate what is dead, you made it come alive. When you are in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?" This passage is a great spiritual treasure for it speaks of our heavenly counterparts. Each section in this passage acts to unearth more treasure. The sky and outer space above it, first of all, are not constants. They, like all else on this side, are trapped in a cyclical parade of destruction and re-creation. The fruit of all this labor may not be found in this realm, but elsewhere. The second statement in this passage is explained by the third. Death and destruction are fuel for the engine of life. The things we eat are dead, and yet, they maintain our life. They enhance and add to it, but are not part of that life. We may, therefore, compare life, as a concept of spirituality, to the body that ingests food. Spiritual life manipulates corporeality, and incorporates the useful elements, discarding the rest. And, what

is the fourth statement? Does it suggest that the light (our spiritual or angelic counterpart) is licking his lips in keen anticipation? Or – might it suggest that a day will come wherein we are the light? I submit that on that day we will be able to answer the age-old question: “Why am I here?” Finally, we are asked what we will do when we incorporate our corporeal half back into the whole. I suggest that it will fan life from an ember to a blaze.

In passage 22, Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, "These nursing babies are like those who enter the (Father's) kingdom." They said to him, "Then shall we enter the (Father's) kingdom as babies?" Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]." How may nursing babies be compared to those who enter the kingdom of God? Obviously, the disciples could not see past the baby-ness of those infants. They considered that they might have to begin at the bottom, in heaven, and work their way up. Now, even though Jesus indicated a plurality of infants, what he pointed to was the singularity of each. Here, it is good to remember that the 'stand-alone' is the one who finds and enters the kingdom. In comparing an infant to one who stands apart, we will obtain new insight into such individuality. In a group of infants there is no society; there is nothing held in common between them. There are only a number of separate infants. Each infant has a relationship only with its mother. The baby has a singularly unadulterated connection to its source. The mother and the infant are in fact a singularity. They are one. The infant has come out from the one, is of the one, draws its life from the one. It is the most fundamental and basic type of singularity, upon which is seen no overlay of distinction. In our reality we distinguish one from the other, when in fact they are the same. We overlay with new standards that occlude and diminish our individual oneness. Man and woman – there is no difference. Jew and Palestinian – there is no difference. The things that seem to matter to us matter not at all. The oneness is still the oneness, and until we can look beneath all our selfimposed trappings and see that, there is no hope of spiritual advancement.

In passage 49, Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who are alone and chosen, for you will find the kingdom. For you have come from it, and you will return there again." Speaking of babies, here you are. You have discovered that you are a stand-alone. You are chosen. You are that singular child of oneness whose source, nourishment, and direction of growth will always be intrinsically tied to the one. You are the one who stands apart from the doomed crowd; you will ask, you will seek, you will knock. You are the singular individual who will find the entrance into God's kingdom. You may be compared to the baby that is laid to its mother's breast. Talk about 'you are what you eat'!

In passage 23, Jesus said, "I shall choose you, one from a thousand and two from ten thousand, and they will stand as a single one." We come back to the rare individual. Those who are chosen will be few. They will not hold with the multitudes, for the crowds are dismissed.

There is literally a gulf between the common crowd and the stand alone individual. There is a basic and fundamental difference that separates them. In regard to passage 49, the stand alone individuals are they who come from the kingdom. They are also the ones who find the kingdom.

Therefore, they are the ones who seek the kingdom (seek and you shall find). They live in the world, but the world does not live in them. They place the proper emphasis on issues of import.

They are drawn to spiritual issues, which are found beyond the veil of corporeality. They must exercise spiritual senses to perceive spiritual issues. They ask the right questions, and thus are given answers that elude the common crowd. They knock at the right doors, and thus are permitted access into areas that the masses may not enter. It is not so much that the masses are banned from these places – they are simply not interested.

I like this verse. It shows me a different way to count. Of course, all the chosen shall stand as a single entity. They shall be one. They will think, speak, and act alike. But then, in the common crowd, each individual thinks, speaks, and acts alike. They like to think they are unique; they prefer to view themselves as independent. But, the voice and rhetoric of their unique independence is the same from one individual to the next. The wolf that preys upon the flock returns to its own bleating pack.

But as to the counting, one is chosen from a thousand, and while we might naturally assume that two would be chosen from two thousand, that is not the case. Two is chosen from ten thousand. Therefore, three will not be chosen from twenty thousand, but from a hundred thousand – the rare becomes increasingly rare.

In passage 105, Jesus said, "Whoever knows the father and the mother will be called the child of a whore." Well, here I go. Right on the heels of the baby/mother explanation, I take a deep breath – and toss out the mom. I had just discussed the infant in a singular connection to its mother, and I used this to explain the 'stand-alone' relationship to God. But, now I must focus our attention on the purity of oneness. The key word in passage 105 is 'know'. When we look at the word know, we must see more than basic identification. We must see the personal familiarity of a relationship, as in the relationship of a husband and wife. With such an intimate knowing between them, the addition of any other knowing amounts to adultery. We may then view additional familiarity as pollution. If you placed to your lips a cool drink of clean water, you could say that there was a definite connection, a definite familiar knowledge, and through that familiar knowledge an incorporation of two into one. However, what if, just as you took your first sip, I place a drop of ink in that water? That drink, you must admit, would no longer be pure.

It would no longer be desirable. How sad! Most people take the most refreshing drink, and pollute it. We overlay our spiritual truth with the falsity of the world. That cool spiritual drink is our relationship with God. The additions we make amount to infidelity.

In passage 101. "Whoever does not hate [father] and mother as I do cannot be my [disciple], and whoever does [not] love [father and] mother as I do cannot be my [disciple]. For my mother [...], but my true [mother] gave me life." This is what we find in the canon, but with an addendum. The canon version only mentioned hate, whereas this version adds love. It becomes a clear concept when both are together. At issue is where we place the emphasis, or, how we view the matter, as in what is most important. Anyone can walk down a road, but not everyone reaches a destination. Using Jesus' approach as our guide, we must not love the worldliness in our existence more than the spirituality in our existence. Christ suggested that we honor and uphold spirituality, that we give it its proper place, and its due, for that is the source of life, not the world, not the flesh.

In passage 3, Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the

fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty." Luke 17:23 & 24, in the canon, shows us that many people will go in many directions on the topic of Christ's return. We are advised not to join ourselves to such crowds. When Christ returns, it will be plain to all. Attached to the topic of Christ's return are issues regarding the saved, and their entrance into heaven. The Gospel of Thomas addresses that end of the spectrum.

Each of us must take care to know the truth through personal study. We have many church leaders – they do not all agree. Some will try to lead us in one direction while others favor something quite the opposite. The illustration, in Thomas, of the birds and the fish entering the kingdom before we do is striking. But, Jesus not only tells his disciples how they will enter, he speaks of the nature of what they will enter. It is very much like the canon in regard to the kingdom being within and without. Irregardless of whether the birds and fish will be there first, what all shall enter is first a reality that is outside the individual, or in other words, the physical kingdom. It is all around us even now, yet many leaders do not recognize and admit it as a part of God's kingdom. I guess they are holding out for something 'more glorious'. Secondly, what one must enter – if one is able, is the inner kingdom. Again, leaders are holding out for a condition that is separate from the human condition. Self-awareness is part of the entry ritual, for to know is to be known. The greatest treasure we will ever discover is the one that we dig up out of ourselves. How splendid it will be to find that our inner man is actually Jesus – what a grand and triumphal entry into our father's kingdom! At that point we may look around at the old world and see the new kingdom of God. On the other hand, if we do not dig up the inner treasure, we remain impoverished. The poverty of this present world is the single individual who looks everywhere but inside himself.

In passage 110, Jesus said, "Let one who has found the world, and has become wealthy, renounce the world." The worldly view is one of separation; the spiritual view is one of integration. The seeker has discovered that the spiritual and the corporeal are meant to exist in unison. They are meant to walk hand in hand – yet, the worldly view places them at arm's length.

If one should look at this passage and think that the worldly must give up all worldliness, and negate all progress up to that point – well, that is still only the old worldly separatism. To renounce the world is to remove all obstacles to the union of spirit and flesh – namely, the way we think.

In passage 111, Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will roll up in your presence, and whoever is living from the living one will not see death." Does not Jesus say, "Those who have found themselves, of them the world is not worthy"? To know yourself is to be known; to find yourself is to be found, or chosen. In all of this, a link is established. What does it mean – and we speak of those who find themselves connected – that the heavens and earth will roll up in their presence? Images come to mind. Those who went to arrest Jesus fell back from his presence when he said, I am he. Quiet a presence! More so that we should partake of it. Another image: something that rolls 'up'. We might be tempted to think of a scroll – but, scrolls roll inward: both ends toward the center. I see a shade. When we pull it free from its locked position, it rolls up, and we may see through the window. The light streams in. Now, There is a link, a connection, made through the window (our eyes). We draw our life from 'the' life. What we see clearly, that remakes us – we are filled with what streams into us, and that life is the light that streams through the window once it is no longer obscured. We find out that we are better than we were –

that we have been fit for a better future. We are different, and that becomes obvious to those who have not known the change. The world is not worthy of the connected, and that plays out in many ways: communication between the two is lost, the connected are accused of stand-offish behavior, those with the presence mix like oil with the great sea of unconnected, limited individuals. But, why is this? It is because there are two schools of thought. The new school admits the light, and takes a stand for integration of matters traditionally seen as opposites. The old school maintains its stand for segregation of spiritual and worldly.

14. When the quest for truth becomes personal. Within the Gospel of Thomas are passages that seem familiar, yet are cast in a wholly different light. Something in the communication sparks in us a new and more urgent sense of the matter.

Passage 65 says: "A [...] person owned a vineyard and rented it to some farmers, so they could work it and he could collect its crop from them. He sent his slave so the farmers would give him the vineyard's crop. They grabbed him, beat him, and almost killed him, and the slave returned and told his master. His master said, 'Perhaps he didn't know them.' He sent another slave, and the farmers beat that one as well. Then the master sent his son and said, 'Perhaps they'll show my son some respect.' Because the farmers knew that he was the heir to the vineyard, they grabbed him and killed him. Anyone here with two ears had better listen!" In all, the Thomas passage seems to coincide with the canon. It is a tale of mankind attempting to take the kingdom by force. It is an indictment against the worldly view, mammon, and human nature.

The Thomas version does not mention that the ‘certain person’ sends in his army to destroy those who murdered his son. The canon does bring that point into play. Because that is missing from the Thomas version, one must see the shift in focus. It is not about the punishment for their evil deed, only about the doers. This passage can explain worldly reasoning. Man removes obstacles by force. That they did what they did may also indicate the absence of a legal contract. What surprised me in this passage was what the ‘certain person’ said: His master said, 'Perhaps he didn't know them.' This could mean that the servant did not know, in the master’s estimation, the right group of people to go to, and having gone to the wrong group, offended them and got a beating. The possibility that it was the master’s assumption that he had misjudged the people with whom he dealt opens an area for much debate.

Now, knowing exactly what a verse of scripture means is not a skill that everyone possesses. Meaning is always a matter of interpretation, and interpretation is not the problem; consensus is the problem. However, we have already been led to understand that it is not what the common masses believe, but what the stand alone individuals discover that will be the golden ticket.

Passage 1 tells us: "Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death." So then, we may easily see that among the many possible interpretations that are held to be true, there is still room for the new, the viable, interpretation - the one that will gain admittance. It intrigues me, concerning passage one, that even as far removed from the canon as this writing of Thomas is, a connection to the results of my canonical studies is clear and present: That is, of course, that life, and eternal life, are obtained through knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

When faced with comparisons between dissociated books, it may appear that the latter has merely copied from the former. To arrive at such a thought is an impediment to further investigation.

In passage 94, Jesus [said], "One who seeks will find, and for [one who knocks] it will be opened." Now, at first glance, this seems no more than a loose and incomplete version of the canonical scripture most would hold to. However, Thomas has more to say to seekers about seeking, and passage 2 is truly one to pause on for extended study. "Those who seek should not

stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. [And after they have reigned they will rest.]"

Passage 2 presents a step by step process with one event leading into the next, one consequence building into the next. The advice to seek is not half-hearted - indeed, one is exhorted to do all within ones power to find, never to cease seeking until the object is obtained.

This speaks of a mighty commitment, but it is a commitment that will produce unforeseen results; one may say that it will uncover a treasure of shocking relevance. It is an understatement that one would marvel at such discoveries, at such brutal truths. Yet, these will be tools for the individual to set him or her above, or even over, the common individual. Such tools may even be viewed as keys which the stand alone may use to enter the rest of God. Passage 2 is a truly remarkable passage.

In passage 34, Jesus said, "If a blind person leads a blind person, both of them will fall into a hole." The canon uses the image of a ditch, as in wandering off the beaten path. Does the word ‘hole’, in the Thomas version, bear any relevance? Let us make a simple search of the thesaurus. Hole: vacuum, void, abyss, and gulf - as in between us and you there is a great gulf fixed.

One of the concepts from my previous studies concerned fake people, and was taken from Daniel, in his prophecy about the statue, and from Christ’s parable about the wheat and tares. Having already touched on it once or twice, I would like to add passage 40 to the list. Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted apart from the Father. Since it is not strong, it will be pulled up by its root and will perish." The tares were allowed to grow up with the wheat until the end.

The tares at an early stage were too intermingled or similar to the wheat for the weeding process to be feasible. The prophecy about the statue gave us the image of iron and clay mingled. The text can be found in chapter two, specifically verses 42 and 43. It speaks of broken clay mingling with the seed of men as if they were men. Therefore the seed of men is to be compared to the strong iron, and the broken clay is to be compared to “not strong”. What is a grapevine apart from God? Does the passage speak of a wannabe nation, or religion, or does it speak of a class of elite rulers who must meet their end?

When we think of the end, we think of an earth destroyed, and a heaven to enter - at least that is the common assumption. My studies have discovered that the issue is not so much a contrast between earth and heaven as places, but between earth and heaven as states of being. In passage 44, Jesus said, "Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will not be forgiven, either on earth or in heaven." Now, that seems to say only what the canon says, but the canon is worded somewhat differently, and it is needful here to compare the wording of the canon to the wording of the Thomas passage. The canon says something on the order of, ‘neither in this world nor the world to come’. In comparing ‘this world’ to ‘earth’ and ‘the world to come’ to ‘heaven’, one must not be too quick to settle on the obvious. Rather, one should see the fact that the kingdom owned by heaven, from which a God of knowledge rules, is not just external, but also internal. The flesh comes and goes, waxing and waning in small cycles; the spirit builds and builds in increments so vast that the mind boggles at the panorama. Passage 71 speaks of fleeting corporeality when Jesus said, "I will destroy [this] house, and no one will be able to build it [...]."

Let us not, therefore, harbor vague notions of indistinct and non-specific souls. Let us, rather, acknowledge the mind of God that has been planted within us, and the eternal harvest of spirituality. Passage 73: Jesus said, "The crop is huge but the workers are few, so beg the harvest boss to dispatch workers to the fields."

In passage 29, Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, that is a marvel, but if spirit came into being because of the body, that is a marvel of marvels. Yet I marvel at how this great wealth has come to dwell in this poverty." What is the 'wealth'? It is the communicated mind of God, it is the divine character and nature of God within man. This is a passage in which Jesus speaks of marvels, and to the studied ear, he speaks in processional terms. To come into being because of is to follow something, proceed from, develop, or evolve for a specifically related purpose. The Dandelion, for example, evolved to take advantage of the wind. It is a marvel that Jesus uses the word 'if'. One might be led to think that the son of God is not so knowledgeable that he must resort to musing on the nature of existence. But, no – he simply speaks the extremes in the language of man – for man can believe one or the other, but not both.

Man might see the body of man as a dependent of the spirit, or he might see the spirit as an answer to corporeality and sin. Jesus marveled, however, that the spirit chose to coexist with flesh. Neither preceded, neither followed, but they are meant to exist as one.

Passage 112 is similar to 29. Jesus said, "Damn the flesh that depends on the soul. Damn the soul that depends on the flesh." It is quite simple, really. If either depends on the other, the dependent is not pulling its weight. It is hanging on and letting the other do all the work. What must be sought is equality across the board. A singular duality. An equality of diversities. A spiritual corporeality, and a corporeal spirituality.

Passage 60 says: He saw a Samaritan carrying a lamb and going to Judea. He said to his disciples, "that person (has his arms, rope, hope, intent, expectations) around the lamb." They said to him, "So that he may kill it and eat it." He said to them, "He will not eat it while it is alive, but only after he has killed it and it has become a carcass." They said, "Otherwise he can't do it." He said to them, "So also with you, seek for yourselves a place for rest, or you might become a carcass and be eaten." What an amazing passage! Jesus tells us there are two types of life, and that the one life is merely fuel for the other. The type that will become fuel for the other must first undergo a change – it must die. Go back to the Bible, and read all those verses about the death of the wicked. Seems they are merely fuel to stoke the engine of regeneration. His final assessment, and advice to his disciples should make us stop in our tracks and reconsider. A man, and thus a man's spirit, will settle in one of two places. It will either find a place of satiation, comfort, and nourishment, whereby it may continue to thrive, or it will die and become the fuel for those who continue to grow. On a higher level, God sees before himself two types of man. He sees the vehicle which he may inhabit and drive forward, and he sees the carcass that will be thrown into the lake of fire, into the furnace that keeps the wheels turning.

In passage 68, Jesus said, "Congratulations to you when you are hated and persecuted; and no place will be found, wherever you have been persecuted." This is a hopeful message. One should not be sad that the place he was can no longer be found. He should be glad. Each lost place is like a step along the road of life – if I may wax philosophic – we cannot go back to stand in former footprints, but we may know with certainty that each lost step means one less labor toward our goal. We are that much closer. If no place at all is found, we have arrived, our persecutions are at an end.