Gospel of Thomas

(13) Jesus said to his disciples, “Compare me to someone and tell me whom I am like.”

Simon Peter said to him, “You are like a righteous angel.”

Matthew said to him, “You are like a wise philosopher.”

Thomas said to him, “Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of saying whom you are like.”

Jesus said, “I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring which I have measured out.”

And he took him and withdrew and told him three things. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him, “What did Jesus say to you?”

Thomas said to them, “If I tell you one of the things which he told me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me; a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up.”

His disciples fall into the trap of attributing qualities to him and to spiritual teachers that are very ‘idealistic’. This is perhaps why Jesus asks the question in the first place i.e. to dispel their way of thinking about him and their relationship to him and also to empower themselves more.

I am not your master = Jesus not wanting to be in the role of a teacher or master even though the church have subsequently chose to worship him as one, against his wishes.

Of all the answers he receives, Thomas gives perhaps the best one as he does not formulate words to describe Jesus, so as he is the most open Jesus chooses him to forward his message on to the rest.

Throwing of the stones = Thomas will not tell the other disciples what they want to hear from Jesus so they will speak words(throw stones) which will be damaging and these ill words will consume them.

(14) Jesus said to them, “If you fast, you will give rise to sin for yourselves; and if you pray, you will be condemned; and if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. When you go into any land and walk about in the districts, if they receive you, eat what they will set before you, and heal the sick among them. For what goes into your mouth will not defile you, but that which issues from your mouth – it is that which will defile you.”

Fasting giving rise to sin = sin is another name for ‘desires’ so by extreme denial we create tensions and desires which are both unnecessary and sinful.

If you prey you will be condemned = the best way to prey is to meditate with a sense of giving up everything. Preying to influence events for others or the self does not show faith in the father who knows best.

Giving alms does harm to the spirit = giving alms involves giving to others as an act of virtue, either materially or in the sense of providing capabilities (i. e. education) for free and exists in a number of religions. The greatest gift we can give is spiritually and not materially, to do otherwise we have moved away from what is most important.

Healing the sick = not physically but spiritually. So following on from the above, in which we have identified that spiritual purpose is most important, ‘sickness’ is referring to the sickness of the soul (metaphorically) that has lost touch with its true purpose.

That which issues from your mouth will defile you = what we speak in error can have cause much suffering and damage to others so we must be on guard to say only that which is truthful, kind and necessary and spiritually relevant.