In January I dropped a post on the 24th saying in Thomas’ gospel. I’ve given some thought to that saying and it occurs to me that it is broader and more complex than a simple reading would have us believe. Here is how I think of this saying now.
The 24th saying is one example within Thomas’ writings where I had thought that the answer provided by Jesus to the question posed by the disciples did not actually belong to the question asked (like where the answer to saying 6 is found in saying 14). After reflection I’m not certain that is so. Here is the 24th saying:
(24) His disciples said to him, “Show us the place where you are, since it is necessary for us to seek it.”
He said to them, “Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he lights up the whole world. If he does not shine, he is darkness.”
On first glance the answer seems unrelated to the question; or does it? It could be that both the question and the answer are much more complex than a simple reading suggests. .
The answer could be perfectly aligned with, and responsive to, the question if it was Jesus’ intent not to tell them of a specific place, but rather how to find the place. After all, the disciples stated that ‘it is necessary for us to “seek it” not “that it is necessary for us to find you”. So it is a place that they seek by asking this question. The answer Jesus gives is responsive to those that are looking for a place. Granted, Jesus doesn’t tell them (or us) where the place is but does tell us that “men of light” have the ability to find the way. (Actually, “lights up the whole world” carries a greater connotation than using the light to find a path to a single objective, but is applicable none the less.)
Another workable solution to the Q&A is plausible if the operative word in the disciples question is the word “show”. Now the response is even more aligned to the question asked. And, again, Jesus doesn’t show them the place, but rather tells them how to show it to themselves.
Reading the saying using this logic provides us with a path to the wisdom that Jesus is sharing about how to find the place. But, importantly, the answer in this saying goes beyond the disciples question. The words used interlock with a number of other sayings in Thomas’ gospel.