gospel of Thomas 45

Jesus said, "Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A good man brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man brings forth evil things from his evil storehouse, which is in his heart, and says evil things. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things."

I have mixed feelings about this saying by Jesus. It focusses a lot on evil, and I wonder really what word he used in his own language. So much of Christianity in the Dark Ages focussed on how evil we all are: we are sinners. For me, this was a great tragedy – focussing so much energy on the bad, without seeing that we have good in equal measure, within us.

Here Jesus explains his analogy. Thorns and thistles do not produce fruit. And so it is within each of us. When we are in a dark space, when our heart is heavy and malevolent – wishing ill to our fellow human beings and other living beings – when we are in such a state, then we cannot produce anything good.

And so it is on the spiritual journey. If we hope for benediction, if we hope for grace, if we hope for enlightenment, then first we have to clean our heart. We have to do our homework. We have to look inside ourself and see what is really there.

Ordinarily, we suffer from time to time in life. And unless we are very fortunate, these sufferings leave a trauma. They leave a scar within us. And sometimes these scars lead us to react in hostile ways to those other beings around us. It is part of the work, the spiritual journey, to sort out this mess.

I don't use the word evil myself. We're just conditioned: by parents, by society, by misfortune. And it takes great courage, and to begin with a great effort, to see all this within us; and to start cleaning it, cleaning it out; being vulnerable once more. 

This good that Jesus speaks of – this goodness – what is it? It's a heart that has no ill will towards others. It is one who is once more innocent. We can all become innocent again. We can all regain that paradise. But it does take an effort. Once we are in a mess on the inside, it will stay a mess, and no good will come, until we go to the trouble of looking inside, and cleaning out our dark spaces.

There are many ways to do this. There are group activities and teachings. My favourite process is called the Path of Love. I recommend it for everyone. It's a one week process, very intensive, and it gives everyone a chance to really look inside themselves, find their yearning, their deepest yearning; and clean out all the rubbish that is hiding that. It really is a cleansing of the heart.

And for me, this is what this saying by Jesus is pointing towards. First, we need to clean ourselves; clean our heart; become once more non-malevolent. Only after we've done such work are we in a space to receive grace. We are totally unreceptive until such a time. So let us follow the implicit advice that Jesus is giving here, and become clean first, clean on the inside. And from that space, all is possible.