gospel of Thomas 105

Jesus said, "He who knows the father and the mother will be called the son of a harlot."

A harlot is a promiscuous woman, a woman who has sex freely with many men, or it can also mean a prostitute. And in many societies, especially in the time of Jesus, there was really not much distinction between these two things. It was frowned upon for any woman to be promiscuous, whether or not she was a prostitute. So to be called a son of a harlot is an insult. And here Jesus, I feel, is making a bit of a joke, as well as making some important points.

He who knows the father and the mother is one who knows God. God is the father and the mother. God is neither male nor female. God is all. God is non-dualistic. Whereas the masculine and feminine are a duality; the mother and the father – they form a duality. And God is what happens when we go beyond duality.

So he who knows the mother and the father is one who knows God. And that, of course, is what Jesus is leading us to. He wants us to know God. He knows the peace that comes with that. He knows the fulfilment. He understands that that's the only way to truly be alive, and to feel happy.

So why does he say this, that one who knows God will be called the son of a harlot? And I think there are two reasons.

One is this joke: of course, God is not in a marriage with something else in order to create you. We come forth from God, but not with sex. Yes, sex happens between our biological parents, but we are creations of existence. And that creative act is asexual, it doesn't involve sex at all. So there's no marriage involved. There's no contract. We've just come into creation like that, out of the playfulness of existence – like a promiscuous woman, just enjoying sex. No marriage, no big contract. And of course, sometimes a child is born, a love child, really. It's a beautiful thing. But society frowns upon it.

So, of course, God is not in a marriage in order to create. The creation happens. We come into being, just like that, simply, playfully.

And of course, such creation is happening all the time. People being born all over the place, and not just people: animals, plants, beings of all sorts being created, living a while, dying, disappearing. It's the great dance of life. And this, this vitality, this sheer fertility of life, has this promiscuous feel.

God is not picky and choosey. He doesn't say you have to be a certain way to come into existence. He doesn't say you have to have a certain colour skin, a certain gender. He doesn't say you have to be of a particular sexual orientation, or have a certain colour hair or eyes, or speak a certain language. No, everything is possible, and everything is okay. This is promiscuity. Life is thoroughly promiscuous. God is the most promiscuous thing imaginable. Creation is promiscuity.

So that's why, if we know God, we are indeed sons and daughters of a harlot. It's a jokey way of putting it. But there's an important point there.

But I feel there's a second message in this beautiful little teaching from Jesus, and that is to do with the spiritual journey. When we set foot on it, seeking our fulfilment, our flowering, our enlightenment; seeking God; seeking truth – you can put whatever words you like around it, it's all the same thing – when we set foot on this journey, we may feel that we're heading for something wonderful. And we are. But if we think that other people are going to thank us for it, or like us because of it, we are deceiving ourselves.

Many people are not treading this path. Many people are living a life without spirituality, and deep within them, there's an aching hole. Something is missing. And though they may feel that in the background, they don't know what is missing, and they're probably not very conscious of it at all. But when someone begins to touch God, when one begins to reunite oneself with the essence of life, then one is beginning to transform. One is turning from a seed into a tree. One is flowering. And other people will sense this. And although it's a beautiful thing, it's the most challenging thing that someone who is not pursuing their spirituality can face.

A buddha, a christ, is the biggest challenge possible. It's saying, this is what you can be, this is your potential; look at me, and become this; this is your life, the life that is waiting for you; don't pass it by; don't miss out on life; don't make your deathbed the greatest regret of your existence; seek now; set foot on the path, and you, too, can become christ.

But if somebody resists that message, that implicit message – just the existence of a christ carries that message – and if somebody resists that, there will be great anger. That resistance will come out as anger. And probably, that anger can come as a term of abuse: you son of a harlot; you bastard.

This is what happens when someone is confronted with something they are not ready to see. There's a great conflict inside, and it erupts as anger. So Jesus is warning us here: yes, pursue the spiritual path, meet God, but don't expect everyone to love you all of a sudden. Most will probably hate you for it.

I mean, look at Jesus himself: he got nailed to a cross. That might not happen to you physically, but it will happen energetically. Many of your friends will turn their backs on you. Your lovers will begin to despise you. Anything can happen with regard to other people, and it's not all rosy, not by a long way.