Gospel of Thomas: Thomas 77

Thomas 77:   Jesus said, “I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.”

It is difficult to put into words how profound this saying is. It describes the nature of the Source of all things—the one Yeshua calls Father. Jesus refers to Himself as this thing, because He is, as we all are, connected to this Source. Through Its very nature, It is everything, because It is in all things. In those beings that come to recognise this truth It aggregates and grows. It then becomes conscious—It lives as a Spirit. The soul is made of the Source and exists in all humans. It lives when It implants into a prudent human, becoming a Spirit through the action of the collective consciousness (Holy Spirit).

Science has proven the universe is expanding, as it is evident that galaxies are moving away from each other. It follows that the universe came out of a single point in the emptiness of space, when everything in existence was in a singularity. Then, suddenly and inexplicably, this Light expanded. This was the ‘Big Bang’, which created everything we have in the physical universe. This hypothesis is supported by scientific evidence, but it still leaves us with many questions. Where did that tiny spot, which contained everything we know in the physical universe, come from? What was around that singularity—was it nothing? What is nothing, what is the black emptiness of space? These questions create more questions, which signal a potential that is difficult to fathom. As scientists delve into the possibility of other dimensions, we come to realise that the language used in the Gospel of Thomas (by Yeshua), is not dissimilar to a scientist describing their hypothesis. The language in Thomas is different to what a contemporary scientist might use because the context in which Yeshua spoke these words was archaic. It required Yeshua to present cryptic symbols and metaphors, which could be relatable to the common man. At the same time, some of the sayings needed to have an esoteric quality to ensure their longevity, reaching humanity in the twenty-first century.

Light comes from a source of energy. When Yeshua talks about ‘the light that is over all things’, He is referring to the energy flowing over, around, and through everything. We could compare this to contemporary String Theory, or the Higgs boson, which explains how the smallest of particles obtained their mass. The difference in Thomas 77 is that there is a consciousness present—making a link between the Source and the Son (all sentient beings). This consciousness should not be confused with the popular belief known as Intelligent Design. This idea links biblical myths and evolution. Essentially, this belief suggests that God is the designer of evolution. The problem with this notion is that it does not recognise the physical world as separate from the realm of the Spirit. The laws governing each of these are entirely dissimilar. The fact that the Light Yeshua speaks of is through all things in the physical world does not mean this thing is intentionally responsible for its creation (Thomas 97). There are manifestations of this Light in the natural world, but these are mere reflections. We saw this previously, in the two elements that form water. When separate they are one, but when joined they are two and a source for life, as in Thomas 11.

Christian faith explains the imperfections and chaos inherent in this world as resulting from a separation from God, through the action of the original sin. Gnostic Christians put forward the premise of an imperfect demiurge, which has created a place for his own glorification. His imperfection is reflected in the suffering people experience and, as a result, he was perceived as jealous and vengeful in nature. In the Gospel of Thomas, people are invited to accept that this world is a distraction from our true nature, which is unlike anything in this universe. The soul is something humans cannot see, or experience with any of their senses. This is why humans must separate the physical from the spiritual. At the same time, they must recognise that to escape the physical they need to minimise their suffering. Religion should not steer their decisions, which should be based on common sense about our reality, such as population control and responsibility for the environment. Praying to a God to change what is outside the realm of the Spirit is senseless. This is not an argument against the possibility of miracles. It is the recognition of the reality of the soul and the reality of the physical as separate states of being. The mechanism of the physical universe is different to the realm of the Spirit. Recognising this liberates people from much of their suffering. Seeing the nature of this world as having its own phenomena, apart from the realm of the Spirit, brings peace—we know that the Spirit flows through it. The imperfections and chaos in this realm are symptomatic of the nature of physical materials, which have a finite life. Beauty in this realm does not last, because of its inclination to decay. These four dimensions are only a reflection of what exists in other stable dimensions. This is where Yeshua comes from and where enlightened Souls move into.

When Jesus tells us we can ‘split a piece of wood’ or ‘lift up a stone’ to find the Source of all things, He is liberating us. People from the Abrahamic lineage are released from centuries of isolation, stemming from a belief in an authoritarian father, who had imperfect, human emotions. This is the god men created. Jealousy is an emotion driven by primeval urges for power and control over others. These emotions are rooted in the want of the alpha-male to be the sole genetic father to the groups’ young. A god who punishes by killing and causing suffering is a reflection of primal fear and anger. This god has nothing to do with the nature of God, the Father, which Yeshua speaks of. A vengeful god is in fact a creation of men, who have been influenced by the lion referred to in Thomas 7. Religious texts describing such a patriarchal god reflected the writers’ insecurities and primal heritage, not the reality of the Spirit and its nature. This shows us how the prophets and disciples were looking through a thick fog—this realm, the ‘powerful one’ in Thomas 98.

Seeing what God, the Source is like is liberating and profound. If we break down all materials into the smallest of known particles, we find there are spaces between these components too. These spaces are the fabric of the Source. It brings peace and calm when we connect with it, because it is a constant—unlike the chaos of the physical realm.  As mentioned in a previous commentary, people find solace and peace in rituals, as a pseudo connection to the Source. Rituals are calming due to their predictable nature. In times of great despair, religious rites and practices have great benefit, because people, momentarily, connect to this Source. Yeshua wants the connection to be constant. This is what He presents us with in the Gospel of Thomas—the steps toward the perpetual link. Through these words, we know Thomas 77 is the pearl the merchant has found in Thomas 76.

Read the Introduction to Gospel of Thomas 77th Pearl: The Perpetual Tree

Go to audio extracts from the book on YouTube