Gospel of Thomas | Thomas 97

Thomas 97: Jesus [said], “The [Fathers] 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.”

In Thomas 97, Yeshua explains the creation of this universe. Just as in Thomas 96, Yeshua uses the symbol of the woman to make a link to the creative aspect of God, the Source—the one Jesus calls Father. The meal, also used in making bread, which we see in Thomas 96, represents the material substance of the universe – all the galaxies, stars, and organisms within it. In this universe, the stars are like the grains creating the meal. The natural action of stars burning releases elements, which create life as we experience it in this realm. Human bodies are composed of these elements, also known as stardust. In this way, the processes we see in nature mirror the realm of the Spirit.

Thomas 97 explains an action that is symbolic of the creation of our universe and negates Intelligent Design. Christians who support the notion of Intelligent Design would argue that God had carefully planned out creation and its ongoing evolution. This is not to suggest there is no influence from the realm of the Spirit on the material universe. However, the truth we see in Thomas 97 is that this realm is incidental to the actions of the Source. The Father (Source) is an energy composed of Light. It has immeasurable creative potential (the woman carrying the jar of meal). As the possibilities of existence are countless, they have manifested in many varied forms. When the Source (Light) moved out into the abyss (the distant road) Its expansion released layers (meal) from Itself. This Light took the form of physical matter, which we see in our universe. This was a passive action, not an intentional, premeditated one (‘she didn’t know it’). When the woman returns home, she notices the jar is empty. This is the realisation from the Spirit realm that an expansion had occurred and a new layer had been created—this universe. Through this action the creation of the material universe occurred, but the Father’s invisible Light is here too (Thomas 83 and 77). This Light constitutes the kingdom, It is all around us, but humans do not recognise It (Thomas 3). Through the actions described in Thomas 96, we see that the Father—the aspect of the Source of all things that issues forth Its Light (becoming visible in humans but ‘is hidden by his Light’ [Thomas 83]), seizes the opportunity to place fragments of Itself within bodies. These are the souls that may become enlightened Spirits. The souls are the leaven the woman in Thomas 96 places within dough (sentient bodies capable of growing through creative thinking). Successful links between the Source and souls are made through the collective consciousness (Holy Spirit), which is the aspect of the Father having intent. It is the thing of creativity, empathy and compassion.

The influence of God, the Source can be cited through Rudolf Steiner’s book, ‘Cosmic Memory: prehistory of earth and man’, which presents an explanation of how our world and all the creatures that live on it came into being. He does this using a spiritual text known as the ‘Akasha Chronicle.’ From this ethereal text, Divine wisdom is revealed to the one who is able to delve into its recording of the past, present, and future. This text is what Steiner uses to explore how the Earth and man came about, beyond what science (of his time) was capable of doing. Essentially, he taps into an intuitive wisdom to explain the implanting of the soul into the body. One can detect influences from Hindu theology in the essays (chapters) through the references to ether or the etheric body, which is the consciousness that influenced creation and that may be experienced as the aura of the soul. Moreover, one can see a Gnostic influence in this text. This demonstrates Steiner’s struggle to reconcile traditional Christian edicts with intuitive logic and his contractions regarding his integrity, as he felt pressure from traditional science. In the chapter, ‘The Hyperborean and Polarean Epoch’ (Ibid p. 107-118) we see Steiner describe the formation of life in a way that has parallels to what scientists have concluded—that all life forms started from single cell organisms. Some twenty-five years after Steiner’s death, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey showed that the ‘primordial soup’ theory could indeed create amino acids, which are the building blocks of life. Steiner presents how and why the cells formed in the primordial soup when he writes:

‘The soul or astral ancestors of man were transported to the etheric earth. So to speak, they sucked the refined substances into themselves like a sponge, to speak coarsely. By thus becoming penetrated with substance, they developed etheric bodies. These had an elongated elliptical form, in which the limbs and other organs which were purely physical-chemical, but they were regulated and dominated by the soul. [Emphasis added]’

(Ibid p.110).

As in most of Steiner’s aforementioned text, this excerpt explains how physical life started, beyond the conventional, scientific hypothesis. Conventional science suggests accidental combinations of chemicals and environment caused life to spontaneously happen. As mentioned earlier in 77^th Pearl: The Perpetual Tree, it is an injustice to humanity that Steiner did not have access to the Gospel of Thomas, as it certainly would have added clarity to the grey areas in this form of spiritual science (Ibid p. 69). The information provided by Steiner gives us the confidence to know that we are indeed connected to God, the Father (the Source of all things). The knowledge of how the physical realm has been influenced by the spiritual realm is evidence of our link to this Source. This knowledge is supported in the Gospel of Thomas, through 77^th Pearl: The Perpetual Tree.

At this point, it is necessary to explore further the parallels we see in the natural world and how it mirrors aspects of the inner realm.. Physical phenomena in this realm are not, of themselves, signs of what the Source is like. This premise is in error; it is why we have the problems derived from the Abrahamic religions. We have previously noted how water, symbolically, mirrors the soul, through the combination of two elements. The soul is seeking to connect with God, the Source, in order for the one to become two. In Thomas 96 and 97 we see the Father’s Kingdom is like a woman who brings life (the soul), through the introduction of leaven and the accidental scattering of meal. Does this mean that women and men are different creations and serve different purposes? At first glance it would seem that this is the case, if we take what we observe in this life as our only point of reference. Through the Gospel of Thomas and 77^th Pearl: The Perpetual Tree we can move beyond this limited premise. In Thomas 22, we see that we cannot think in such simplistic terms. There is no difference in male or female when it comes to the Spirit. What we see in Thomas 96 and 97 is an explanation of one aspect of the same thing. The Father and the Mother are, in this sense, from the same point of origin, but these aspects of the Source have different actions.

Consider the way humans reproduce (without medical intervention). It requires the entry of the male (father) into the female (mother) for the seed (body) to be placed within the womb for gestation. Symbolically, these actions are like the female (creative) aspect of the Source seen in Thomas 96 and 97. The male (father) aspect is the Light, or energy, which we might think of as the Soul inside the body, like the foetus placed inside the womb (leaven inside the bread). The idea of a male and female aspect is not a new one. This can be seen within the Wicca tradition and Kabbalah, for example. In the context of the Gospel of Thomas, we now recognise that the Father/Source has not designed the male and female with intent. It has been a necessary evil, because this is the way this realm functions. These biological organisms (patterns) are not the end point. They are the reflections of different aspects of the Source, which are divided in this realm. Yeshua asks that we change our perception of these phenomena in Thomas 22. When they are two, they are in the realm of the Spirit (Thomas 11). When they are one, they are in their divided form, perceived as male and female. In Thomas 22, Yeshua asks that people see male and female as one (the genderless Soul)—then humans are able to join with God, the Source, becoming two.

Marginalised groups, such as homosexual, transgender, and intersex individuals, reveal to humanity a truth. Science has proven that genes determine sexuality. The reality that transgender and intersex people, whose brain is not the gender of their bodies, is fact. These traits are not choices. This kind of orientation and body dysmorphia happens among other creatures of this world. Sadly, a number of religions have used their narrow view of gender to convince others that their typecasting is something God has ordained. They make what is determined by nature into sin. In fact, it has nothing to do with sin. To attempt to force these marginalised individuals to fit such narrow stereotypes is damaging to the relationship they could have with God, the Father. They are representative of a kind of beauty, a kind of beauty that is cerebral, because they are manifestations of truth. It is a truth about this realm and how it mirrors the inner realm. Through Thomas, we see there is no male or female division of gender in the Father’s Kingdom. These reflections become a rare and enigmatic truth seen in this fractured realm. Judgement of others is not what Jesus wants of us (Thomas 6 and 14). When people release others, and themselves, from all notions of sin, they are free to grow. This is why it is important to see the reflections in this realm for what they truly are. The human soul, along with the meal, has been scattered upon a distant road, a universe of great diversity and wonder. The universe reflects the creative energy of the Father’s Light. When humans accept all things for what they are, people will create a place of peace, where souls are united through the collective consciousness.

Gospel of Thomas | Thomas 107. Humanity (Sheep) Scattered Into The Universe

Thomas 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 ninety-nine.’”

The use of the word love makes a link to the way humans behave toward someone they are drawn to, on a deeper level. The largest sheep is symbolic of what we are—souls on the journey to becoming enlightened Spirits. When humans become enlightened Spirits, they are the largest sheep, desired above all others. Yeshua tells us the Father’s Kingdom is like a shepherd who seeks His most beloved sheep. This is a revelation about the way God the Source is drawn to Its Light, which has accumulated within humans to become the largest sheep (a Spirit). The toil is a metaphor for the journey through this universe—from the time when the Source initially expanded outward, to the time when Yeshua’s Spirit was thrust through the inner realm, into this one (Thomas 98). This is God the Father, the source of all things, working towards a reunion with the thing It had lost.

As with other sayings in the Gospel of Thomas, we see Thomas 107 presented in its original form. In The New Testament Gospels of Matthew 18:12-13 and Luke 15:4-6, we see the parable of Thomas 107 interpreted in a persuasive, hyperbolic manner, which denigrates the revelations within these words. The New Testament authors present this parable as a promise that God will come to save the sinner (the stray sheep), bringing them back to the fold. The implication is that humanity has gone astray, because they are no longer worthy of God. This stems from the Original Sin of disobedience, through the mythological story we see in Genesis. This lack of obedience was then redeemed through Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son Isaac, to Yahweh (God). This train of thought comes from the misguided understanding, within Christian denominations, that people are the design of a Creator God, from whom they have turned away. Even though they have done this, He will still love them when they come back to Him. In the Gospel of Thomas, we see that this parable actually talks about the desire God (the Source) has to join with human Spirits. This conclusion is logical when we read and meditate on all of these sayings collectively, thereby noticing the thread that has been laid down for us, by Yeshua. One of the most significant threads is the Source’s Light, which is over and through all things (Thomas 77). We have not walked away from It; we have not gone astray through our own will (Thomas 97). We are the Light that can grow (Thomas 96) and become the siblings of Yeshua (Thomas 99). In the Gospel of John, this parable becomes a discourse by Jesus, about the sheep recognising Him. This author was passionately concerned with making people accept that Jesus was the Christ. He could willingly lay down His life, just as He could raise it up again. This is why we see the story of Lazarus appear in John. As discussed previously, it would seem that the author(s) of John had visions of refuting what existed in the Gospel of Thomas. They attempted to do this by casting aspersions upon Thomas’s understanding and belief in Yeshua as the risen Christ. In the Gospel of Thomas, it is clear that Yeshua was human, flesh and bone. His body was destroyed, but His Soul was raised up, to become a Spirit, resurrected to the Source. His Spirit dwells in another realm/dimension, which humans cannot experience while in this existence.

A sheep is a creature that is inclined to go wherever its nose may lead it, or where the tail of another sheep might encourage it to follow. Having considered this trait, we can see that the sparks (souls) which emanated from the Source went onto the distant road (Thomas 97). The Light (meal) poured out of the jar, following the woman who represents the creative power of God the Source. Put simply, our souls are intrinsically connected to God the Father and we followed its expansion into the abyss. Through the nurturing of the collective consciousness (Holy Spirit), we are found. While consciousness is an intrinsic quality of humanity, it has taken eons for it to be fully recognised for its singularity. Yeshua delivered these secret teachings so that we may appreciate how we are all linked to the thing He came from. In becoming aware and meditating on this union, humans have found the Comforter, the collective home. In this galaxy, the human soul is desirable to God the Father, as are other beings that house the Light of the Source.

It is important that we recognise the condition of humanity. People have an inclination to deny the truth of what they really are because of their primal heritage. In the major faiths that claim Abraham as their lineage, we see obedience as a foremost point of concern. Indeed, the story of Abraham (Genesis 22:1-18) revolves around his willingness to sacrifice his only son to Yahweh (God). In this mythical character, we are supposed to see the ideal human, who is totally accepting of Yahweh’s will, even if it means taking his son’s life. Toward the end of this part of his story, Abraham is about to sacrifice his son Isaac. At this point, Yahweh’s angel stops him and tells Abraham that he was being tested—because he followed the will of God, his lineage would prosper and grow. To replace Abraham’s son on the sacrificial altar Abraham finds a ram stuck in bushes. It is not a coincidence that a sheep becomes the sacrifice. In the context of the Gospel of Thomas, we can see that the sheep represents the generations preceding John the Baptist and Yeshua. The sheep, that the Father loves above all others, was being destroyed at human hands. This attitude continued, to a lesser degree, after Yeshua. In this way, people’s tendency to place God outside of themselves has actually distanced them from the truth. This tendency stems from peoples primal heritage, which saw them create mythologies based on their literal observations of the natural world, overlaid onto the spiritual realm.

The inherent fear humans had of the night and the chaos seen in natural disasters, gave people a picture of an authoritarian, alpha-male god. This god had an opposing other in a fallen angel, becoming known as Satan. If it was not God the father punishing his children, it was the jealous Satan creating obstacles for people, because humans were God’s favored creation. (For an explanation of who the satan was see commentary for Thomas 21.) Such a patriarchal god is foreign to Jesus. The Father He speaks of is not one based on primitive four-dimensional observations. What then was Jesus casting out of those people supposedly possessed of demons? Demons are entities that have lost their way or rejected the Light. They fear the Light of the Source (Thomas 61), because their ego will not allow them to be one with the collective. They are the ones charmed and consumed by this realm (Thomas 7). All humans have demonic remnants and these characteristics stem from the creature people evolved from. Their beastly, antagonistic tendency is evidence of the primal man in battle with the collective consciousness (Holy Spirit). It is analogous to the chaotic transition that some humans experience as teenagers. The source of all things, the one Yeshua calls Father, extends past the fourth-dimension of time into all other dimensions. People can only experience this when they are liberated from the concept of self. 77^th Pearl: The Perpetual Tree is the catalyst for the realisation that the sheep is no longer the sacrifice. This wisdom opens the eyes of the human to the Father’s Light—the one who seeks to embrace us, not destroy us.

Without looking at the Gospel of Thomas as a whole, and recognising the metaphors that have an interconnecting thread, it is easy to look for the obvious meaning. Yeshua knew this would be the case within His contemporaries. At the beginning of this gospel we see the author include a subtle warning. The reader is told that these are the secret sayings the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded. For Yeshua’s actual purpose and message to be revealed to the world it was necessary for Him to give these cryptic sayings to one of His disciples. It is also important to recognise that in the opening statement it says, it was the living Jesus that spoke these words. This is a subtle way to reinforce that these are the words Jesus (Yeshua) actually spoke—they are not edited or paraphrased comments. Their cryptic nature of more than half of these sayings made them inaccessible to the authors of the canonical texts. The Gospel of Thomas is a symbolic representative of the shepherd in this realm. These words have come to find us—the sheep desired above others.