As of
February 22, 2017 it will have been 1 year since Jesus’ message has
been revived: The Kingdom of God is
at Hand! I am grateful for the nearly 30,000 page views of my posts
over the past year and also am overwhelmed that Jesus words have gone
“throughout the countryside” (Saying 14) via distance lands such as Germany,
France, Russian and even a few readers from China. In celebration of God’s
wonderful works, I shall give an overview of 30 commentaries which I have
written on sayings in Thomas. Also,
in due course I will give a resource page which will provide links to the key
essays. My goal for the next year is to continue to blog 1 post per week. At
some point the various essays may go into a book format. Thanks to each reader who has made this blog a success!
Students are invited to study the previous commentaries:
Also,
see:
24) The
followers 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 go to James the Just,
for whose sake heaven and earth came into being”
---Saying 12
Historically,
this is the most important saying in the Gospel
of Thomas as it:
- Dates the Kernel of Thomas to before 62 A.D. since this is when James the Just—the brother of Jesus died.
- This saying was included as Thomas came to Syrian communities (probably around 100 A.D.) since the authority of this gospel comes from James, the brother of Jesus.
- In a sense, James is the real author of the Gospel of Thomas since he was one of the first eyewitnesses to the Risen Jesus (see I. Cor. 15). Apparently, Jesus other brother, Judas (who was nicknamed “Judas the Twin” to avoid confusion with another Judas), complied these saying from speeches which Jesus gave which were post-Easter. Also, note that James started the first followers of Jesus in Jerusalem and all of Jesus original followers were Jews who kept the Sabbath.
25) “If your
do not observe the Sabbath as a Sabbath, you will not see the Father”
--Saying 27
This saying
demands followers of Jesus keep God’s Holy Day, the 7th day of the
week, which God blessed and made sacred (see Genesis 2:1-3). This saying is
consistent with the above saying, Saying 12 in that the original followers of
Jesus obeyed Jesus and honored God’s Holy Day. The commandment is to keep the
Sabbath as a Sabbath. I would understand this to mean to detach from the
worldly affairs such as working a job. Also, I believe it would be consistent
with Jesus’ commandment to unplug screens such as television sets, apple
phones, computers, and the like. The focus is on fasting from the world and
stay focused on God. Note that I would not take this to an extreme so that if a
genuine emergency arose (such as going to the hospital), this would be okay.
The key is to set aside Saturday as a day of rest. If you attend services on Sunday and do not honor the Sabbath you
are not worthy of God!
26)
“Fortunate are those who have heard the word of the Father and have truly kept
it”
--Saying 79
Here Jesus
is clear: Salvation comes from doing the will of the Father. God does not need
you to believe in him. Instead God calls for praise. And one praises God
through obedience to his word. Indeed, to worship God it must be in “Spirit and
Truth.” Also, Jesus does not need you
to believe in him; instead, what is necessary is “to bear the cross as I do”
and follow me! (Saying 55).
27) His
followers said, “Show us the place where you are, for we must seek it.” He said
to them, “Whoever has ears should hear. There is a light within a person of
light, and it shines on the whole world. If it does not shine, it is dark”
--Saying 24
The place of
consciousness of Jesus is in the light. This is an energy center or chakra
located just above the head. Here one
can see that the Ego is being used by dark forces to control human beings.
When there is light, it will shine around the world and as an insight is experienced by a large enough
people, it would become embedded into the world’s consciousness. This is what
is happening to the Thomas Immortality
Project: The light is shining on Jesus’ original message—The Kingdom of God
is at hand! But each follower must do his part to share the good news (Saying
33).
28) “Whoever
is near me is near the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the
Kingdom”
--Saying 82.
Jesus’s very
presence is enough to set the world on fire. His words are life! This is why
every follower of Jesus will want to daily study his words: Through the act of
saying the words aloud, one is near God’s Kingdom. In time, as there is a
commitment to the Jesus Way (and no other), there will arise a spiritual union
with Jesus as one becomes Jesus’ twin (see Saying 108). Also, see Constructing
the Immortal Will by Being Near the Fire.
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