Subject: The Gospel of Thomas Part One
Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thomas (TAHM uhs) twin.-one of the twelve apostles of Jesus; also called Didmus, the Greek word for "twin." Thomas is probably best known for his inability to believe that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. For that inability to believe, he forever earned the nickname 'doubting Thomas. According to tradition, Thomas spread the gospel in Parthia, and Persia, where he died. Later tradition places Thomas in India, where he was martyed. The Mar Thomas church in India traces its origins to Thomas. It is equally important to observe how different the "Gospel of Thomas" is from the gospel-form employed in the Christian church. In Thomas there is no attempt at providing a historical framework for the ministry of Jesus, there are no miracles; there is no compassion, there is no correlation with the old Testament prophecy. Indeed there is no action of any kind. This means that the final editor of Thomas understood the word "gospel" in the sense in which it sometimes occurs in Matthews, Mark to refer to the message of Jesus about the kingdom of God..
Example: Saying number one. True interpreter is he who does not cease from seeking until the finds. (Matthew 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-10) Saying (14) Jesus rejects fasting, prayer and alms-giving, and then saying"if you so into any land and wonder in the region, if they receive you, eat what is set before you, heal the sick among them; for what goes into your mouth will not defile you, The "land and region" are Thomas substitute for city of Luke 10:8, a verse from which receiving and eating what is set before one are derived; heal the sick among them comes from Luke 10:9, though in Thomas it is quite irrelevant to the subject of dietary laws, with which the rest of the saying is concerned.
(1) And he said, "Whoever finds the interpretation of these saying will not experience death. "Whoever hears these words shall never taste death." John 8:51 Verily, verily, i say unto you, if any one keeps my word, he shall never see death.'
(2) Jesus said:'Let him who seeks not cease until he finds, and when he finds he shall wonder; wondering he shall reign, and reigning shall rest."
(3) Jesus said, "If those who attract you say, "See, the Kingdom is in the sky; then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you,"It is under the earth; then the fish of the sea will precede you. Rather, the Kingdom of God is inside of you,and it is outside of you. Those who become acquainted with (themselves) will find it; and when you become acquainted with yourselves, you will understand that it is you who who are sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty. Luke 17:21 "The kingdom of God is not is not coming with signs to be observed ; nor will they say, "Lo, here it is!" or "There! for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you!
(4) Jesus said, "The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a small child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will become last, and they will become one and the same." (Greek) Jesus said "'Let the old man who is full of days not hesitate to ask the child of seven days about the place of life; then he will live . For many that are first will be last, and last first, and they will become a single one."
(5) Jesus said, "Recognize what is in your sight,and that which is hidden from you will become plain to you. For there is nothing hidden which will not become manifest.' (G) Jesus said: "Recognize what is before your face and that which is hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden which shall not be made manifest, nor buried which shall not be raised. (Matthew 10:26) "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known." (Mark 4:22) For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light." (Luke 12:3) Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known."
(6) His disciples asked him and said to him," How do you want to fast? And how shall we pray? And how shall we give alms? And what kind of diet shall we follow?" Jesus said,"Do not lie, and do not do what you hate, for all things are disclosed before truth. For there is nothing hidden which shall not be shown forth."
(7) and (8) Matthew 13:47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind: 13:48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad."
(9) (Matthew 13:3) And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. (13:4) And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. (13:5) Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, (13:6) But when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. (13:7) Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. (13:8) Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (13:9) He who has ears, let him hear." (Mark 4:2) And he taught them many things in parables,and in his teaching he said to them: (4:3) "Behold! A sower went out to sow.(4:4) And as he sowed,some fell along the path,and birds came and devoured it.(4:5) Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up,since it had no depth of soil; (4:6) and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. (4:7) Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it,a and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty fold and sixty fold and a hundredfold, And he said," He who has ears to hear,let him hears." (Luke 8:4) And when a great crowd came together and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable" A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path,and was trodden under foot,and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture, And some fell among thorns;and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." As he said this is, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
(10) Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the world,and see, I am guarding it until it blazes." (Luke 12:49) "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!
(11), (12), (13), (14)
Luke 10:8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you,eat what is set before you; heal the sick. (Matthews 15:11) Not that what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. (Mark 7:14) "Hear me, all of you,and understand: there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of man are what defile him." (Roman 14:14) I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for any one who thinks it unclean."
(15), (16)
Matthew 10:34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes will be those of his own household. (Luke 12:51) Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three, they will be divided,father, father against son and son against the father, mother against daughter and daughter against he mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
(17) Jesus said,"I shall give you what no eye has seen and what no ear has head and what no hand has touched and what has never occurred to the human mind." 1 Corinthians 2:9 But, as it is written, what no eye ha seen, ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."
(18) and (19), (20)
Matthew 13:31-32"'The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. (Mark 4:30-32) And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? it is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the deeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and become the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." (Luke 13:18-19) He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? it is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the bird of the air made nests in its branches."
(21) Mary said to Jesus,"Whom are your disciples?
(Matthews 24:43) But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. (Luke 12:39-40) But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour." (Mark 4:26-29) And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how. The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
(22)
(Matthews 18:3-5) and said, "Verily, I say unto you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child,he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 'Whoever receives one such in my name receives me;" (Luke 18:16-17) But Jesus called them to him, saying,"Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Verily, I say unto you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." (Mark 9:43-48) And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell. Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched."
(23) Jesus said, "I shall choose you, one of a thousand,a and two out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one." (24) His disciples said to him, 'Show us the place where you are, since it is necessary for us to seek it." He said to them, 'Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he lights up the whole world. If he does not shine, he is darkness." (Luke 11:34-35) Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is sound, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, our body is full of darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright,as when a lamp with its rays gives you light."
(25) Jesus said, 'Love your brother like your soul, guard him like the pupil of your eye." (26) Jesus said, "You see he mote in your brother's eye, but you do not see the beam in your own eye. When you cast the beam out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to cast the mote from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:3-5) Why do you see the speck that is on your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye.? Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is the log in your eye. You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye,and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." (Luke 6:41-42) Why do you see the speck that is in your brother eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "brother,let me take out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye,and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye."
(27) Jesus said,"if you do not fast as regards the world, you will not find the kingdom. if you do not observe the Sabbath as a Sabbath, you will not see the Father." Jesus said:'unless you fast to the world, you shall in no way find the Kingdom of God; and unless you sabbatize the Sabbath, you shall not see the Father. "Except you fast from the world and its evil ways, you will in no wise find the kingdom; and except you keep the Sabbath and cease your haste to gather riches, you will not see the Father in heaven.
(28) Jesus said, "I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in flesh, I found all of them intoxicated;I found none of them thirsty, And my soul became afflicted for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not have sight; for empty they came into the world, and empty too they seek to leave the world, But for the moment they are intoxicated. When they shale off their wine, then they will repent. "Jesus said,"I stood in the midst of the world, and in the flesh I was seen by them, and I found all drunken, and none among them thirsty. And my soul grieved over the souls of men, because they are blind I their heart and see not."
(29)
Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders .Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty." (30) Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with Him." Jesus said: "Where there are two, they are not without God,and when there is one alone, I am with him.' (Matthews 18:20) 'For where two or three are gathered I my name, there am I in the midst of them."
(31) Jesus said, 'No prophet is accepted in his own village; no physician heals those who know him. Jesus said: 'A prophet is not acceptable in his own country,neither does a physician work cures upon those that know him." (Matthew 13:57) And they took offense at him,But Jesus said to them,"A prophet is not without honor save in his own country and in his own house." (Mark 6:4) And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor,except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." (Luke 4:24) And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country." (John 4:43-44) After the two days he departed to Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country."
Yours In Christ Jesus,
Andrew Blackman
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