SAYING 76
Jesus said, “The kingdom of the Father is like a merchant who had a load (of goods) and found a pearl. That merchant was wise. He sold the load and bought for himself the pearl alone. You also, seek after his treasure which does not fail (but) endures, where moth does not come to eat nor worm to destroy.”
As familiar as this saying is to those of us who have read the Synoptic Gospels of the New Testament, the essential meaning of this parable in Thomas is quite similar to those, but with a slightly different application.
In both Matthew and Luke, the parable is merely about the incalculable worth of the Kingdom as compare to the riches of this world and the instruction is for us to give up our worldly possessions – which rust and fade – to acquire the Kingdom of God which endures forever.
However, in Thomas, the saying suggests a bit more than this. For example, we know that Jesus is always wanting to draw our attention to the reality of Oneness and the illusion of separation. He also wants us to recognize our True Self and to deny our False Self [Ego].
So, with that in mind, the various elements in this parable take on new meanings.
For example, the merchandise represents the false ego self, whereas the pearl and the treasure represent the True Self within us all; the part of us that is intertwined with the Divine presence of God. Selling the merchandise is a metaphor for letting go of our ego self and embracing our True Self. The “worms” and the “moth” mentioned here are a reference to the literal worms which eat our flesh when we die, and literal moths which consume the physical adornments that cover our bodies. These worms can, and do, “eat” our flesh, but they cannot eat our True Self which is beyond their reach. The moth cannot devour our True Self either, because it has no physical form.
The meaning of this saying, unlike the others found in the New Testament, is that our ego self must be abandoned in order to acquire the treasure of our True Self within where nothing can die or decay or be destroyed by outside forces.
We are in eternal union with the Divine Spirit of God and nothing can change that. Our realization of this reality is what awakens us to the Kingdom of the Father which is within each and every one of us.
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What do other religions get right?
For too long, people of faith have focused more on pointing out where other religions get it wrong. So, what if we decided to focus more on all the ways those other religions get it right? This path might end up leading us deeper into understanding, connection, friendship and peace.
With this in mind, Quoir Publishing has partnered with Patheos to assemble voices from different religious backgrounds who have learned to listen to people outside their own faith traditions. We hope that the wisdom they share with us here allows you to become more open to the truth and beauty to be found outside your own faith community.
Contributors include: Brandon Andress, Martin Brooks, Allison Dafferner, Matthew J. Distefano, Hurunnessa Fariad, Keith Giles, Caleb Gilleland, Heather Hamilton, Travis Henry, Sandhya Jha, Dr. Safi Kaskas, Ejaz Naqvi, MD, Duncan Pile, Gregory Smith, Fred Stella, and Kevin Sweeney.
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Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has appeared on CNN, USA Today, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.” He hosts the Second Cup with Keith podcast, and co-hosts the Apostates Anonymous podcast, and the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast.
His latest book, SOLA DEUS: What If God Is All Of Us? is available now on Amazon in Paperback and Kindle HERE>
Find out more about online courses HERE>
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