The Gospel of Thomas (Part 9)

Translated by Thomas O. Lambdin

41

Jesus said, “Whoever has something in his hand will receive more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived even of the little he has.”

I suspect this pertains to faith.

For the disciple, faith is rarely blind. Only toward the end does one have to take conscious ‘leaps of faith’. Until then, faith develops from a growing respect for the teachings and for the great man who discovered them. As one progresses through the scriptures, what once seemed impossible gradually becomes plausible, and eventually real. For students on the left-hand path — the intellectual path of the alchemists — faith must be developed this way. Faith for the rational thinker grows laboriously, but layer upon layer, like concrete poured over stone, it eventually becomes a bastion of gnosis: the philosopher’s stone.

Those who lack faith, despite all their material success, will die spiritually without progress.

42

Jesus said, “Become passers-by.”

This reminds me of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, where the Buddha contrasts a person who owns a hotel with their guests. The teaching is to abandon attachment to personal importance. Let go of self-concept; rest in being empty of self.

Recognize this lifetime is but one of infinite incarnations reaching into timeless beginning. Our true mission is not material success but to comprehend existence deeply enough to motivate the almost impossibly deep changes needed to escape cyclical rebirth.

Once one cuts the first five gross fetters, one becomes like a tourist — on their final earthly vacation. Though fear of death and suffering remain until arahantship, knowing one’s last existence provides freedom to take life less seriously.

Here Jesus urges us to identify with that which simply comes and goes — impermanent, unreal, and ultimately unimportant.

43

His disciples said, “Who are you, that you should say these things to us?”

Jesus said, “You do not realize who I am from what I say to you. You have become like the Jews, for they either love the tree and hate its fruit, or love the fruit and hate the tree.”

Jesus highlights the problem of duality. Beings trapped in saṃsāra are doubly deluded. The disciples question Jesus’s authority, yet if they were free of delusion, they would see his authority directly — not through dualistic teacher-student roles.

Jesus cannot define what he is using dualist terms without creating illusions of hierarchy. These fairly advanced disciples struggle to accept the radical truths he presents. The reference to the Jews likely reflects adherence to religious routine that has lost spiritual depth.

He summarizes the twofold trap of dualism and ego: people love rigid principles but deny the consequences, or delight in sensory experiences while denying moral responsibility.

44

Jesus said, “Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the Son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either on earth or in heaven.”

To explain this, one must understand scapegoating.

Primitive cultures offered sacrifices — first animals, later humans — to appease gods or expiate communal guilt. Killing required a psychological compensation; part of the kill was returned to the divine. The larger the guilt, the greater the sacrifice.

Jesus says metaphorically: don’t sacrifice scapegoats — blame me. Guilt and requests for help are mental. There’s no need to harm animals; blame Jesus — who can bear it. He forgives, not to erase the past but to liberate us from guilt that fuels ongoing bad behavior.

Even blasphemy against God or Jesus is forgiven, but careless speech has consequences. Aggressive, manipulative, deceitful speech creates its own karmic debt. Verbal karma is real, though lighter than physical karma — yet still powerful.

Thus, Jesus teaches: though God and Jesus forgive genuine repentance, karmic consequences from unwholesome speech remain unavoidable.

45

Jesus said, “Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A good man brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man brings forth evil from his evil storehouse, which is in his heart, and speaks evil things. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things.”

To grow spiritually, one must develop deeper perspective — evolving from instinctive animal existence toward full realization. This requires preparation. While spiritual teachings are never wasted, the capacity to process them depends on insight, motivation, and mental calm. Habitual anger, for example, prevents jhāna development — though there are twisted forms of ‘evil jhāna’ where obsession fuels unwholesome absorption.

Goodness arises from recognizing karmic consequence and refusing to perpetuate suffering. Good actions demand personal sacrifice, but with practice, one realizes the store from which this sacrifice is drawn is easily replenished. Thus, selfless acts become second nature.