Thursday, October 22, 2020
JESUS & THOMAS!
10/22/2020
Hello, Everyone!
Here is another of those "read it if you wish" kind of letters,
but, in truth, that is the only kind of letter I write. Right?
Yesterday, a friend who Nancy and I have recently tried to help
make a transition in her life came by with a friend.
Her name is Glennie - and recently, Glennie, became homeless.
For awhile, Glennie stayed with us - until she could arrange
for a home elsewhere. Now, she has arranged for a home elsewhere
and she came by to say Hello and introduce a friend name Sarah.
Because Sarah seemed on the intelligent side of things,
seeking to pursue a Law Degree at our local
University of Wyoming, I decided to go out to the garage
and fetch a few pkgs I had mailed in 2018 to some folks
who returned them to me for reasons unknown.
I did not know for sure what was in the pkgs,
but I decided that I should pass them on to Glennie and Sarah.
It turned out that what I had mailed and was returned were copies
of my book - JESUS - ACCORDING TO THOMAS & MARY - AND ME.
I choose not to go into much of the detail about that,
but, in general, the Thomas of mention is one called
Didymos Judas Thomas - an alleged apostle of Jesus - and
the Mary of mention is one called Mary Magdalene.
These two are supposedly two of the apostles of Jesus
whose works were not included in the BIBLE - canonized
in the 4th Century to comprise an OLD TESTAMENT and a
NEW TESTAMENT with the new testament depending upon
being preceded by the old testament. I think the Gospels of
Thomas & Mary were excluded from the BIBLE because
they did not depend upon the OLD TESTAMENT for their relevance.
That, in essence, is why they were excluded from the
BIBLE.
I have long found that intriguing. I have long decided that
I should not ignore books about a man I have loved all my life,
Jesus, simply because they were ignored by some "old guys"
of long ago who had their own reasons to ban them.
Accordingly, I have comprised a work that includes
these old banned works and have sought to interpret
some of the verses to the degree I can - keeping in mind
that every interpretation of any verse must be personal
based upon one's own interpretation of life in general.
With that being said, I am deciding to share the first 7 of 114
verses of THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS below - along with my
interpretations of them. If you like what you view and
are somewhat intrigued as I have been with works that
were banned from being included in the BIBLE,
when the BIBLE was decided upon around 325
by a bunch of "old guys" who were convinced the
the NEW TESTAMENT has no meaning except that it be
a conclusion of an OLD TESTAMENT, then perhaps
you will enjoy taking a look at two of those gospels
that were banned. If so, feel welcome to order a copy of my
JESUS - ACCORDING TO THOMAS & MARY - AND ME.
I published it 2017 and sent copies of that one out in 2018.
Some were returned. That's OK. But because they were,
yesterday, I gave two that were to friends, Glennie & Sarah.
Who knows what Glennie and Sarah will do with them -
but that is not for me to fret about.
Perhaps they will like what they read -
and perhaps like the "old guys" of the 4th Century who
banned the Gospels of Thomas & Mary, they will choose to
set them aside and pay no attention to them.
To each his, or her, own. Right?
If interested, tap into my writings website - www.una-bella-vita.com -
and link to that work from that page - or enter "Francis Bessler"
in a search bar, preferably Amazon, and link to it there.
And since this personal email list is a very small one,
feel welcome to pass this along to whom you like.
Alright? Thanks!
In the meantime, I will share below the first 7 of perhaps the
single most wonderful book I have had the privilege to know
in this life. I was given a copy of THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS
by a co-worker and friend named Russ Pope in 1979.
I highly recommend it. I think it would serve as an
excellent book for a religious minded discussion club
to review and debate. If so, I am glad for whatever little
contribution I can make to that end.
By for now! Be in touch as you wish!
Gently,
Francis William Bessler &
wife, Nancy Shaw
Beginning:
These are the secret words which the Living Jesus spoke
and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote.
Verse 1:
And He said: Whoever finds the explanation of these words will not taste death.
Tasting death is fearing death, not experiencing it. It is living in fear of death and what may come afterward. Whoever finds the explanation of these words will have wisdom and will not fear death anymore than they will fear life. Life and death are part of a continuum. To know one is to not fear the other. Death only continues life. It does not end it. So what is to fear about death – unless that which is in life now is not desired to be continued after death. If we do not want to continue as we are, then we better change what we are – or how we are – because death will not stop what goes before. It is only like an intermission between one life and the next.
Verse 2:
Jesus said: Let him who seeks, not cease seeking until he finds, and when he finds, he will be troubled, and when he has been troubled, he will marvel and he will reign over the All.
Essentially, Jesus offered that we should seek until we find. He added that when we find – the answers for which we seek – we will be troubled. I think that is because the answers we seek are probably contrary to what most think is the truth. It is indeed troubling to face the possibility that we have not been living the truth. It was true when Jesus lived and it is still true today.
What does Jesus mean by “reign over the All”? He offered that when we have found the truths for which we seek, we will marvel and reign over the All? What did he mean by that? Good question; but I think the key to “reign” is in the word “marvel." By marveling what we know and see, we will reign over the All – or better perhaps – with the All. To know ourselves as the “sons of the Living Father” as is offered in the next verse is to marvel at what we know because the reality is so amazing. If we truly find ourselves, we can only marvel about what we find – and it is in marveling about what we find that makes us like kings. It is not in commanding others that we are kings. It is in marveling about the truths of life that we find security – which is what being part of a “kingdom” is all about. Right?
Verse 3:
Jesus said: If those who lead you say to you: “See, the Kingdom is in heaven”, then the birds of the heaven will precede you. If they say to you: “It is in the sea,” then the fish will precede you. But the Kingdom is within you and it is without you. If you (will) know yourselves, then you will be known and you will know that you are the sons of the Living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty and you are poverty.
Jesus offered that we should not be fooled if someone tells us that Heaven - The Kingdom - is over here or over there. He said that the Kingdom is inside of us and outside of us and that if we would only realize it, we are "sons of the Living Father." Amazingly, traditional Christianity would have us believe that Jesus is the "only son of God." The Jesus of Thomas tells us in the Gospel of Thomas that we are all sons of God - or children of God. It is one of the great errors of traditional Christianity that Jesus was the only son of God when, in truth, he was only a son of God - along with the rest of us.
In offering that the Kingdom is within us and without us – or outside of us – that pretty much says “everywhere." Doesn't it? Many have the idea that the Kingdom (of Peace) is elsewhere and that after life we may find it, but Jesus is arguing here that the Kingdom we may think is elsewhere is right here and right now. If we do not know that, then we act without awareness and are ignorant – or as Jesus offers, are in poverty. We who act like God is not already inside us are poor because we lack the riches of wisdom. If we realize that God is everywhere, then we would act accordingly. We would know we are “sons of the Living Father” – or children of the same.
In a very real way, we are the Living Father because we come from Him or It. We have to be sons of the Living Father because anything that comes from the Living Father has to be part of the Living Father. That makes us all sons. “Son” here is not saying “masculine." It is only saying “like God." A “son” is like his “father." If we are from God, we are “like God” because we are made in the likeness of God. But that is not just we who are human. That is everything in Creation because everything that is created comes from God. How can we not marvel about that?
Verse 4:
Jesus said: The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a little child of seven days about the place of Life, and he will live. For many who are first shall become last and they shall become a single one.
I think Jesus was arguing here that life is continuous. The old becomes the new, but the new only extends as a continuation of the old. Personally, I think Jesus believed in reincarnation and there will be verses that imply that beside this one, but even without incarnation, whatever comes after is only a continuation of what went before. A “child of seven days” represents the new – a beginning of a new life. “Old in days” represents the end of life – the old. When Jesus says “for many who are first will become last,” it is only a way of saying that what is last will become first.
Last is old. First is new. But, as he says, they shall become a single one. That is to say, the new will continue in the same mold as the old. The new soul will be reborn, as it were, but will only continue the paths of a former existence. That is really the true nature of judgment. Lots have in mind that judgment is being punished by someone outside of ourselves, but I think Jesus realized it is not punishment from without, but continuation from within. If that does not tell us to get it right so that we do not have to continue the wrong, nothing will.
Verse 5:
Jesus said: Know what is in thy sight, and what is hidden from thee will be revealed to thee. For there is nothing hidden that will not be manifest.
There is tremendous depth in this one. It is one of my favorite quotes of all time. It says so much. “Know what is in thy sight” tells us to know our lives, know about them, know them inside and out, know ourselves. It is to say that which is knowable is worthy of being known. To know in a spiritual sense is to become one with, to have a sense of union. You cannot know something or someone and not be part of them. Knowledge of self leads to knowledge of others. Ignorance of self leads to ignorance of others.
I am not sure that the word “revealed” is a good word for what Jesus is trying to say here, but in essence, he is saying that if we know what we can see, we can experience what we can’t see. Perhaps the better word would be “inexperienced” in place of “hidden." What is hidden is really that which is inexperienced. He is offering that we can “experience” or “know” that which we can’t see – God – by knowing and appreciating what we can see. That makes sense. If God is making us – as I think Jesus believed – then we can “experience” God by loving that which God is making – us. We are a manifestation of God. We are a manifestation of the hidden God.
Lots think that they can know God as God is, but no one who is finite can know that which is infinite. God is infinite. We will never know God “face to face” on the same level; but we can know God by knowing and loving that which God is making – us. Pretty simple, huh?
Verse 6:
His disciples asked Him, they said to Him: Wouldst thou that we fast, and how should we pray, (and) should we give alms, and what diet should we observe: Jesus said: Do not lie and do not do what you hate, for all things are manifest before Heaven. For there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed and there is nothing covered that shall remain without being uncovered.
What a verse this one is! When asked if they should fast and give alms, one would have thought that Jesus would have encouraged doing just that for the sake of the soul; but our Jesus of Thomas did not so much as tell his disciples not to fast and give alms and pray, but that none of those things are important; though in one of the following verses (Verse 14), he does say don't do these things because doing them will actually hurt you spiritually. Telling the truth and respecting the truth is all that is important for the soul.
Why would Jesus suggest that praying is not very useful? Because generally one prays to a God outside of him or herself. Jesus knew that God is not outside of us for us to have to pray for Him or It or Her to come to us. If I pray to God with the hope that God is going to do something for me as a result of my prayer, then I am ignoring that God is already inside of me. If we pray, I suppose we should pray to only those outside of us - like perhaps saints or angels. It may be just fine to pray to that kind, but to pray to a God Which is inside of you does not make a whole lot of sense. Does it?
Then Jesus adds that there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed, for all things are manifest before Heaven. Seems like we already covered that idea in the previous verse, but I think it is to say that spiritually we can't fool the truth. We can pretend that we are something we are not in this world that we see, but in the world of spirit, our real thoughts and attitudes are what judge us. We can't stay hidden in a spiritual sense because our real attitudes and spirits judge us. Like I mentioned in a previous verse, I don't think any of us should concern ourselves with judgment from another upon us. I think we should only be concerned about being in tune with ourselves - or we should care about ourselves being in tune with the things that really matter like the attitude of equality of being.
Verse 7:
Jesus said: Blessed is the lion which the man eats and the lion will become man; and cursed is the man whom the lion eats and the lion will become man.
I think it only means that blessed is the one who is angry who is converted by one who is at peace. The lion stands for something fierce or angry and the man stands for one at peace - in this verse at least. Cursed am I if I allow someone who is not at peace to convert me to his angry or hateful ways. That is all Jesus is saying here.
I think this is one of the clearest dictations, as it were, that it is not smart to become a soldier to oppose a soldier. Jesus would not agree with that stance. Thus, he could not approve of war because to go to war and be willing to kill another who may be out to kill me, I would have to become what I resent. That is allowing the lion to eat me and make me as it is. Not smart!
Verses 8 through 114 - to be continued.
If you like what you have read,
you will love what you will read.