Gospel of Thomas Saying 109

[gnostic ken]

What does Saying 109 say/mean to you?

109 Jesus said, The (Father's) kingdom is like a person who had a

treasure hidden in his field but did not know it. And [when] he died he 

left it to his [son]. The son [did] not know about it either. He took over 

the field and sold it. The buyer went plowing, [discovered] the treasure, 

and began to lend money at interest to whomever he wished.

................................

109) Jesus said, "The Kingdom is like a man who had a [hidden]

treasure in his field without knowing it. And [after] he died, he

left it to his son. The son did not know (about the treasure). He

inherited the field and sold [it]. And the one who bought it went

plowing and found the treasure. He began to lend money at

interest to whomever he wished."

............................

109.)

The kingdom is like a man who is ignorant of the

treasure hidden in a field. When he dies he

leaves it to his son who sells it.Being aware also

of the treasure within.The buyer will come, discover the

treasure while ploughing, and lend out money at interest.

.............................

109. Y'shua says: The Sovereignty is like a person who has a treasure

[hidden] in his field without knowing it. And [after] he died, he bequeathed

it to his [son. The] son did not know (about it), he accepted that field,

he sold [it]. And he came who purchased it--he plowed it, [he found] the

treasure. He began to lend money at interest to whomever he wishes.

.............................

(109) Jesus says:

(1) "The kingdom is like a person who has a hidden treasure in his field,

(of which) he knows nothing.

(2) And [after] he had died, he left it to his [son]. (But) the son did not

know (about it either). He took over that field (and) sold [it].

(3) And the one who had bought it came, and while he was ploughing

[he found] the treasure. He began to lend money at interest to whom he wished."

http://www.westarinstitute.org/Polebridge/Excerpts/thomas.html

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl_thomas.htm

http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/thomas.htm

http://www.ntgateway.com/noncanonical-texts/gospel-of-thomas/

[gnostic ken]

26 May 12, Clive said:

To me, this is probably the most difficult saying to get anything out of.
I hope that you or some of the posts you paste will give me something to go on.
Clive.

27 May, 12, I said:

I see the field as being dead religions which have the means of accessing the truth hidden in their dogma, rituals and sacred writings. The owners who don't know about the hidden treasures are the priests and high priests (preachers, gurus, popes, etc.) who only see the surface of the fields and never suspect the treasures are there. The one who bought it are those who plow for the hidden meanings and when they find them, they share them with others. The interest is the additional knowledge gained while sharing with others.

IMO.

Ken

[gnostic ken]

Wed Jan 30, 2013 6:30 pm, Oregon George said: 

Here again, as in the previous saying, we have something "hidden" which is
obviously quite valuable. It is hidden in a field, and the man who owns the
field has no knowledge of it. Likewise, his son has no knowledge of it. There
is no mention of these men working the field. The son, in fact, appears to sell
the field as soon as he inherits it. By implication, the third man is the first
of these three to actually plow the field. So, by working the soil, the
treasure is uncovered. Notice that here again, some effort is required before
something of worth is found. As the shepherd in GTh 107 needed to "go to such
trouble" to find his one sheep, so this man needs to work the field. As in
life, some effort or dedication is required to root out what most people seem
quite satisfied to ignore. The field is a metaphor for the universal mind. The
treasure is there always, waiting only to be dug up. It is hidden, not by a
testing or manipulative god, but by man himself, fearful of God's love.

The message of this parable is that the treasure is always at hand. The two
previous owners represent those who think that the answers to life's questions
are in the world, external to themselves, and somewhere out there. Their eyes
are perhaps directed to some hoped for event or future reward. They have no
idea what wealth is within their grasp. The third man does not wait, but plows.
He also has no idea of the wealth within, yet he plows. And by laboring where
the treasure is, he finds it. As in GTh 2, seeking leads to unexpected
grandeur. The treasure can never be anticipated by the ego mind. It is so
beyond the expectations defined by guilt and fear. Yet within the mind, lurks
the knowledge of God's love for his son. It is the ultimate treasure. Nothing
outside of it means anything, and in truth, nothing outside of this love is
real.

The final line, that the man "began to lend money at interest to whomever he
wished," is the metaphorical conclusion to a metaphorical parable. It simply
represents the idea that the hidden treasure is a gift that goes on giving. 
God's love, once found, extends beyond its immediate bounds. By extending this
love, more is returned than is extended. That is the law of love. In no way
should this line be taken literally, that the man is evil for lending money at
interest. The Jesus of this gospel is not a moralizing preacher. His focus is
on seeking first the Kingdom, not on promulgating narrow rules and precepts. 
Some commentators have cited GTh 95 to prove that Jesus disapproved of such
lending practices and that therefore, this man is evil. However, in that
saying, the instruction is to give away money without any expectation of getting
it back (see my essay on this). That is its focus. Though the preference is
for giving, no one is condemned for lending at interest. Such giving, whether
it is the giving of what one has or the giving of what one is, is merely a
prescription for knowing the fullness of the Kingdom. The terms in that saying
are meant literally, but in the broadest possible sense. In contrast, this
parable employs the final line to demonstrate metaphorically how immeasurably
profitable is the treasure of God's love, and what freedom it brings to the one
who seeks the Kingdom.

Thank you.

George Duffy
Corvallis, OR