Invocation

Om May no harm be done Here, May this desire be motivated by Love. May what is not beneficent wither to obscurity.

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The Gospel of Thomas (also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas) is extra to the canonical gospels in the New Testament of the bible. It was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945 among a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library. Scholars speculate that the works were buried and hidden after the declaration of a strict canon of Christian scripture, where any works that were not selected for inclusion in the new testament were ordered to be destroyed. Scholars have proposed dates of composition as early as 60 AD and as late as 250 AD as a collection of sayings of Jesus.

Our Commentary on Verse 047 of Thomas Gospel.

These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down.

Gospel of Thomas Saying 47 - Opposites cannot coexist.
Jesus said, "It is impossible for a man to mount two horses or to stretch two bows. And it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters; otherwise, he will honour the one and treat the other contemptuously. No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine. And new wine is not put into old wineskins, lest they burst; nor is old wine put into a new wineskin, lest it spoil it. An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, because a tear would result."

"It is impossible for a man to mount two horses or to stretch two bows”
Jesus’ intention is to teach the necessity of singleness of purpose in this life. More, Jesus is stressing the importance of being true to Mankind’s highest purpose in this life which is to find our way back to non-dual unity with the Divine.
One man cannot have two goals. For example, the purpose of a bow is to fire an arrow powerfully and accurately. That purpose cannot be honoured if he tries to “stretch two bows” etc. to fulfil some other desire.
The correct purpose for riding a horse cannot be achieved unless the rider is properly mounted on that one horse.

And it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters; otherwise, he will honour the one and treat the other contemptuously.
Likewise one man cannot faithfully be a servant to one, while faithfully serving another also.

No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine
It would be against purpose if the same man, while enjoying the taste of good wine also desired an inferior taste.

new wine is not put into old wineskins, lest they burst; nor is old wine put into a new wineskin, lest it spoil it.
Here, Jesus explains that the good intention of properly storing new wine would be lost if the wine were put into unsafe old skins, to serve another purpose of frugality or convenience etc.

”An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, because a tear would result."
Again if the proper intention were to care for the new garment, ie repair the garment to be as good as new, that care would be lost if an old patch that would not last were used to also satisfy another purpose of convenience, or cost.

Jesus is talking of Man following his true path with honesty and highest intention. The purity of virtue cannot be divided between loyalties.
Jesus’ meaning is, Man cannot serve both a worldly material desire and at the same time fulfil the desire for the kingdom of God.
Ultimately, mankind needs to recognise that finding the path back home to the kingdom of God as his highest purpose in this life. Having realised and accepted his purpose it should then become his one desire.

All verses of the Thomas Gospel.

Ohm   peace,   peace,   peace.