The Real Lesson from the Parables

submitted by EddieC from self.WritingsOnTheWall

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[–]EddieC[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (14 children)

Saying 5:
"Recognize what is before you,
and what is hidden from you will be revealed to you;
for there is nothing hidden that will not be made manifest."
 

[–]Jiminy 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (13 children)

Classic Gnosticism.

They tried to attract followers with promises of mysteries revealed. Made them feel important. I look at Scientology where they reveal the alien Xenu runs everything if you get high in the organization. 33 degree Freemasons get told something, top Jesuits get told something. It's all bullshit. The message of Jesus is very simple and there's no need to complicate it. Gnosticism reveals god is evil, it's really satanism.

[–]EddieC[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (12 children)

Here's another version of Saying 5:
"Understand what is right in front of your face,
and all the secrets will be revealed to you.
There is no secret that will not be revealed."

 
This Saying is simply saying:
review what is observable i.e. empirical evidence ('what is before you') for knowledge; in other words: "science it".
 

[–]Jiminy 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (11 children)

So is that a defect and later in the text it says to have faith? It'd make sense for the twin to say two different things. Dualism. Materiel world created by demiurge is evil. Non material world is good.

[–]EddieC[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (10 children)

Saying 8:
"The human being is like a sensible fisherman who cast his net into the sea
and drew it up from the sea filled with little fish.
Among them the sensible fisherman found a large, fine fish.
He threw all the little fish back into the sea, (and) he chose the large fish effortlessly.
Whoever has ears to hear should hear."

 
Jesus must have asked his fishermen audience:
"Tell me, what's wrong with this story?"

 
Can you hazard a guess what their retort would have been?
 

[–]Jiminy 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (9 children)

That's in Matthew so no need to only read this from Thomas. They wouldn't retort, fishermen often want the biggest fish and throw smaller ones back. The small fish have a defect. The parable has to do with Jesus the fishermen gathering up good people (big fish) for the kingdom of heaven and bad people or small fish do not in the final judgement.

[–]EddieC[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (8 children)

Saying 8:
"The human being is like a sensible fisherman who cast his net into the sea
and drew it up from the sea filled with little fish.
Among them the sensible fisherman found a large, fine fish.
He threw all the little fish back into the sea, (and) he chose the large fish effortlessly.
Whoever has ears to hear should hear."
 

Jesus must have asked his fishermen audience:
"Tell me, what's wrong with this story?

 
A seven year-old daughter of a fisherman in the audience must have tugged at her mother's clothes and said:
"Mum, won't a sensible fisherman have used a net with bigger holes (i.e. bigger mesh net)?
That way the little fishies won't have been caught and frightened (i.e. traumatized) by the fisherman.
And, it would have been easier and faster to pull just the big fish.
What a silly fisherman.
Mum, I don't trust this guy."

 
And Jesus upon hearing this, would have declared as he smiled at the girl:
"This child has understood and spoken well. Be like this child!"
 

[–]Jiminy 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

Not sure where you came up with that. Why are we overthinking and putting words in Jesus mouth over this gnostic gospel.

[–]EddieC[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Not sure where you came up with that.

 
By reading the words and trying to match them against real life experience.

 

Why are we overthinking and putting words in Jesus mouth over this gnostic gospel.

 
Reading the parables uninterpreted and uncontextualized in the Gospel of Thomas,
I had the nagging feeling: "something is not quite right", and with just a little closer look, the discrepancies leapt at me.
At first it was one parable, then all of them.
That's how I came to the point/conclusion made in the post above.
 
I can continue with Sayings 96 and 107, but maybe you would like to have a stab at them.
 

[–]Jiminy 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

I think you have ears but aren't hearing me 👍🏻