gospel of Thomas 7

Jesus said, "Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man."

I have absolutely no idea what Jesus was talking about in this little saying. And this is one of the difficulties of spiritual teaching at this level. Everything has to be said in analogies, parables, hinting at the truth. And sometimes, that hint will resonate and we will see the moon that the finger is pointing at. But at other times, a parable won't resonate within us at all. It's an individual thing.

Probably the lion that Jesus is talking about is referring to something else. But who knows what? It could be something grand and wild and free, majestic. Or it could be something untamed, an animal that is somehow seen to be below a human being. Much of the Old Testament puts humanity above the animals. But no living master would see life this way. It is clear to everyone who has become enlightened, that the animals are also enlightened beings, living in their natural state. They may not have as much conscious awareness of it all. But that's unimportant.

So to the enlightened ones, including Jesus, there is no hierarchy between the species. Humans are no greater, and no lesser, than the other animals. We are on a par with the lions. And maybe this is all he's trying to say: But actually, we are equal. The lion and the man are not separate. And neither one is better than the other.

And consuming things. It's unlikely that Jesus was talking about physically consuming a lion. Or the lion eating a human being. More likely this consumption somehow relates to our surrender, and our dissolving into all that is.

But I don't quite see it. I don't quite get it. So, this one I leave to you. To interpret as you will. And your interpretation will be just as valid as mine. So trust it. See what comes to you from this little saying of Jesus.