The Gospel of Thomas Fully Interpreted: Logion 71 to 80
Logion 71
Jesus said, “I shall destroy this house, and no one will be able to build it […].”
Interpretation:
It is made clear in John 2:19-21 KJV that when Jesus spoke of the temple he was speaking of the temple of his body.
When Jesus spoke these words he was speaking of sacrificing his spiritual body; his soul and no-one would be able to resurrect it. Only Love, Truth and Understanding could do that. These things are the Way, the Truth and the Life which form the perfected soul.
See in John 2:19-21 KJV: Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
See also in Matthew 24:2-4 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Logion 72
A man said to him, “Tell my brothers to divide my father’s possessions with me.” He said to him, “O man, who has made me a divider?” He turned to his disciples and said to them, “I am not a divider, am I?”
Interpretation:
It is the father only who has the authority to judge the distribution of his possessions to his children. The man wasn’t left anything to inherit, and so he was coveting his brother’s inheritance. The brother’s father had not given Jesus any authority to judge who gets what, so he was not made a divider.
This logion relates to Luke 12:13-15 KJV, which is followed by a parable, explaining that you cannot take worldly possessions with you when you leave this world, and so they have no worth to the soul.
Luke 12:13-15 KJV: And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Logion 73
Jesus said, “The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Beseech the Lord, therefore, to send out laborers to the harvest.”
Interpretation:
The harvest is Truth, and the laborers are the soul’s seven spirits of Understanding (angels) that reap the Truth and give life to it.
The harvest happens at the end of the soul’s world within, it is the time of the soul’s death and rebirth that results in enlightenment and transcendence.
See also in Matthew 19:37 KJV: Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.
Logion 74
He said, “O Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the cistern.”
Interpretation:
Jesus was referring here to the temple where the blind guides were teaching the Law/Word, without the Spirit.
In scriptures knowledge is food, and water is spirit.
Logion 75
Jesus said, “Many are standing at the door, but it is the solitary who will enter the bridal chamber.”
Interpretation:
The door represents a doorway in the mind that leads the soul into paradise, (Heaven) which is the higher mind. It is also the bridle chamber where the soul becomes the groom to the righteous mind, and the two become one once more.
‘When you stand alone (solitary), with nothing that the world can take from you, and only Love in your heart, it is then that the doorway to heaven will open for you.’ William.
Logion 76
Jesus said, “The kingdom of the father is like a merchant who had a consignment of merchandise and who discovered a pearl. That merchant was shrewd. He sold the merchandise and bought the pearl alone for himself. You too, seek his unfailing and enduring treasure where no moth comes near to devour and no worm destroys.”
Interpretation:
The kingdom of the father is the mind. The merchant is of course a reference to the soul that exists within and is a part of the mind.
The merchandise is of course the knowledge contained in the mind.
There is a general misunderstanding that pearls represent wisdom, but anyone who has read Job 28 KJV in the Bible would know that wisdom is far more precious than pearls, gold or precious stones.
A pearl represents a Truth hidden and growing in the darkness, and until it is discovered and brought into the light, it will remain a mystery.
A pearl begins forming when a piece of grit enters the oyster and begins irritating it. Likewise when a Truth enters the subconscious mind and remains hidden, it will irritate the Self until it is discovered and brought into the Light of Understanding in the conscious mind, where it will reveal its beauty and worth.
Interpreting scriptures is like opening oysters, some are difficult and you never know what you will find.
The pearl that the merchant found was knowledge of the Self, and that knowledge was worth more than all the other knowledge contained in his mind.
Seek and you will find, and in finding you will have come to know yourself, and nothing will ever take that from you or harm that knowledge.
See also in Matthew 13:44-46 KJV: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Logion 77
Jesus said, “It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the all. From me did the all come forth, and unto me did the all extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.”
This logion contains six statements, so I will separate and interpret them one at a time.
Interpretation of:
It is I who am the light which is above them all.
In this material world it is the Sun that is the light above us all, likewise in the spiritual world within (the mind), it is the light of the Father, (the Self’s righteous desire) that is above all that is in the mind. The symbol of the Father is the Sun. It has been used throughout history.
It is because the soul of Jesus was one with the Father that he could also say; I am the light which is above them all.
Interpretation of:
It is I who am the all. From me did the all come forth
The soul of Jesus and every other spiritual being is formed within and from the substance of the mind.
It is the mind that is referred to as the all.
Interpretation of:
From me did the all come forth
The soul is the Self’s image in the mind, and in the beginning that image existed in a state of righteous desire, and it was from that image that the all came forth.
The soul was given dominion over the inner world to create and use according to its desire. Therefore everything within the soul’s domain came forth from the soul.
It is the soul that manifests all that is in its domain (mind) and they are manifested for its own pleasure.
Interpretation of:
and unto me did the all extend.
Everything that the soul creates in the mind comes back to affect the soul, like an echo. The soul reaps what it sows. It is wise to sow only what is good and right.
Interpretation of:
Split a piece of wood, and I am there.
Wood comes from trees, and in spiritual terms wood represents knowledge. This is why Jesus was referred to as carpenter. So split a piece of wood means finding the Truth in knowledge. Jesus said; ‘I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life’. You see the Truth can be found in the soul of Jesus.
Interpretation of:
Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.”
In spiritual terms a stone represents a Truth.
The cornerstone of the soul’s temple is one of Truth, and it is by this stone that the rest of the temple is made accurate, strong and perfect. It is the most important stone in any building.
Beneath that stone are the foundations on which it is laid. They are the foundations of understanding, and when the understanding is solid and immovable they are referred to spiritually as rock.
It is understanding that supports and gives life to the Truth. It is upon this rock that Jesus built his church.
There is no greater faith found in a soul than one who has both Truth and Understanding.
See also in John 8:12 KJV: Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Logion 78
Jesus said, “Why have you come out into the desert? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a man clothed in fine garments like your kings and your great men? Upon them are the fine garments, and they are unable to discern the truth.”
Interpretation:
The desert is a place of sand, a place where Truth has no solid foundations, a place hostile to life. Jesus was of course thinking about the temple and its teachers.
They who came to listen to him were expecting to see a man shaken by the winds of desire, a man dressed in fine garments of power. Such men could not even understand the Truth.
People should not judge a man’s worth by the worldly clothes that he wears, but rather by his spiritual clothes.
See also in Matthew 11:7-14 KJV: And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
Logion 79
A woman from the crowd said to him, “Blessed are the womb which bore you and the breasts which nourished you.” He said to her, “Blessed are those who have heard the word of the father and have truly kept it. For there will be days when you will say, ‘Blessed are the womb which has not conceived and the breasts which have not given milk.'”
Interpretation:
In adoration of Jesus the woman from the crowd praises his mother. Jesus replies by praising his father.
For those who have not heard the word of the father or kept it, there will be days for those like the woman from the crowd, when they will wish they had not been born.
It can be seen even today in the church that the Mother and the Son are praised much more than the Father, and indeed it is the priests who have taken the name father for themselves in defiance of the scriptures.
See also in Luke 23:29 KJV: For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Logion 80
Jesus said, “He who has recognized the world has found the body, but he who has found the body is superior to the world.”
Interpretation:
To recognize this material world is to become aware of what exists outside of the space that your physical body occupies. Therefore recognizing the world also leads to finding the physical body.
Likewise: To recognize the spiritual world within (the mind) is to become aware of what exists outside of the space that your spiritual body (soul) occupies. Therefore recognizing the mind also leads to finding your soul.
He who has found the physical body is superior to the material world.
Likewise: He who has found the spiritual body (soul) is superior to the spiritual world (mind).
Contemplate the following for each world:
I am here, that is there
I am the observer, not that which I observe.
I am the thinker, not the thought.
I am that I am and not that which exists outside of I.
I am the creator and ruler of my own inner world.
Self over mind; Mind over matter.