Love in the Gospel of Thomas

Love in the Gospel of Thomas

Saying 25
“Jesus says: "Love thy brother like thy soul; watch over him like the apple of thine eye." “:

Matt 22:39 The second, like it, is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’

This commandment was new, in that the Law, under which Jesus and his disciples were at that time, commanded a person: “You must love your fellow [or neighbor] as yourself. ) It called for love of others as of oneself but not for a self-sacrificing love that went even to the point of giving one’s own life in behalf of another. Jesus’ life and death exemplified the love this new commandment called for.


This verse does not occur in the New Testament. However, the mode of expression does have parallels in the Old Testament: Lev 19:18, Deut 6:5, Deut. 32.10; Ps. 17.8; Prov. 7.2." Love your brother as yourself: Cp Luke 10:25-29, Matt 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34, Rom 13:8-10, Gal 5:13-15, Jam 2:8.

In answer to the question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Lk 10:25), Jesus cites this verse: "Love your brother as yourself" (Lk 10:27). When this answer brings out the follow-up question, "And who is my brother?" (v 29), Jesus responds by telling the parable of the good Samaritan (Lk 10:30-37). In his parable Jesus makes it very plain that "brother" must not be restricted to 'fellow believer', but that it includes especially those with whom we feel we have little in common -- even those whom the most "upright" Jews despised -- the Samaritans!

In taking this broadly inclusive point of view, Jesus is only following the context of the Lev 19:18 citation: in Lev 19:33,34 it is clear that "brother" includes the "alien" -- that is, the Gentile: "Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt."

"The key words 'brother' and 'eye' link Logia 26 and 25. Logion 26 corresponds to Matt. 7.3-5; Luke 6.41-42) and as the simpler construction may also represent parallels in the Old Testament. But it is also conceivable that Thomas has simplified an earlier saying, the centre of which was reproof of the brother, and put self-correction at the centre."

Saying 26
Jesus says: "The straw that is in thy brother's eye, though seest; but the beam that is in thine own eye, thou seest not! When thou hast cast out the beam that is in thine own eye, then thou wilt see to cast out the straw from thy brother's eye."

See saying 5: recognize what is in front of you = remove the beam from your eye. You have to be able to see what is hidden before you can help other people do so (remove the splinter from your brother's eye).

Saying 43
43)  His disciples said to him, "Who are You, that You should say
these things to us?"     <Jesus said to them,> "You do not realize who I am from what I say to you, but you have become like the Jews, for they (either) love the tree and hate its fruit or love the fruit and hate the tree."

Here the Jews are the Pharisees that is the leaders of the Jews who love the tree but hate its fruit that is love spiritual teaching but hate spiritual practices. What Jesus is saying here is that we must not become double-minded or two faced about our faith.

55)  Jesus said, "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother cannot become a disciple to Me. And whoever does not hate his brothers and sisters and take up his cross in My way will not be worthy of Me."

The word “hate” ought to read “put aside” we have to put aside our families to become a disciple of Christ if one wants to become bone of Christ's bone, and flesh of His flesh, they must "leave father and mother, and be joined unto the husband.

107) Jesus said, "The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for you more than the ninety-nine.'"

The word care links this saying back to saying 25 Love thy brother like thy soul
our love for our brothers and sisters in the faith should be with tender affection thus caring