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Sri Shantananda Saraswati
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 064 of Thomas Gospel.
These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down.
Gospel of Thomas Saying 64 - A parable of mistaken identity
Jesus said, "A man had received visitors. And when he had prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite the guests.
He went to the first one and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said, 'I have claims against some merchants. They are coming to me this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to be excused from the dinner.'
He went to another and said to him, 'My master has invited you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a house and am required for the day. I shall not have any spare time.'
He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'My friend is going to get married, and I am to prepare the banquet. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused from the dinner.'
He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a farm, and I am on my way to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused.'
The servant returned and said to his master, 'Those whom you invited to the dinner have asked to be excused.' The master said to his servant, 'Go outside to the streets and bring back those whom you happen to meet, so that they may dine.'
” Businessmen and merchants will not enter the places of my father."
“He went to the first one and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said, 'I have claims against some merchants. They are coming to me this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to be excused from the dinner.”
the rest of the invited Businessmen or merchants found similar excuses not to accept their invitations.
'I have just bought a house and am required for the day. I ask to be excused'
'My friend is going to get married, and I am to prepare the banquet. I ask to be excused'
'I have just bought a farm, and I am on my way to collect the rent . I ask to be excused'
“The servant returned and said to his master, 'Those whom you invited to the dinner have asked to be excused.' The master said to his servant, 'Go outside to the streets and bring back those whom you happen to meet, so that they may dine.”
The difference between the invited guests is between the labels that people identify with.
Those who only know themselves as businessmen or merchants are those who do not know, or have forgotten, their true being.
Here, those “you happen to meet” represent those who remember their true identity as divine beings. Those who have maintained their awareness of the divine would choose gods invitation rather than worldly concerns.
The being or person that remembers their true identity as one with God, will still perform his duty as a businessman of course, but in truth he will remember who he truly is. Such a person would still choose a place at Gods table over the material world.
“Businessmen and merchants will not enter the places of my father.”
Those that cling to the material world have forgotten who they are. This world and all it contains consists of name and form only. The clay pot is really just clay in the form of a pot. That pot will decay. That pot will again return to just clay.
It is the same with all worldly material. This world and all the forms it contains will eventually die and decay to the dust of creation. The same is true of all the bodies of all the creatures that live on it.
Those that believe that all the shapes, forms, names and labels have true existence are suffering the delusion of duality.
In reality all that can truly exist timelessly is the singularity of Absolute Consciousness, or the Absolute or God.
Those who only saw themselves as businessmen etc. represent those who see reality in the things of this material world. Those deluded by duality are attracted to material concerns more than spiritual interest. It is these delusions that prevent them from choosing Gods invitation "will not enter the places of my father."
All verses of the Thomas Gospel.
Ohm peace, peace, peace.