Teachings revolving around the Unjust Steward Parable, from the Gospels of Thomas and Philip.

What is Your Own

Hold what is your own,
and more will be given.
The acorn’s tree is offered freely,
as the smallest carries the whole.

Become small,
and know,
treasures are held
in inconspicuous vessels.

Give what you have
Receive what is yours

Children play all day
in a field they do not own.
At evening they hand it back,
nothing held as their own.

With two masters,
in this world and the next,
give what you have,
receive what is yours.

Make no one sad,
whether great or small.
Bring peace to those
who take pleasure in goodness.

Trade the passing
for the lasting,
faithful in much.

Give what you have
Receive what is yours

True riches are gift,
that which is your own,
on the far side of letting go.

William Britten

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Logion 41
Yeshua says…
To the one who has something in hand,
more will be given.
To the one whose hands hold nothing,
even that “nothing” will be taken away.

Gospel of Thomas, Logion 41, L Bauman

The Unjust Steward Parable

There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? … I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. … And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely … And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

— Luke 16:1–13

Two Masters

Yeshua said:
A man cannot ride two horses nor bend two bows.
A servant cannot serve two masters, for he will honor one and disdain the other.
No one drinks an old wine and then desires a new one.
New wine is not put into old wineskins, for they will crack.
Old wine is not put into new skins, for it will spoil.
A patch of old cloth is not sewn onto a new garment, for it will tear.
Gospel of Thomas, Logion 47, LeLoup

The Ledger

They showed him a gold coin and said,
“Caesar’s agents demand tribute from us.”
He said to them,
“Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.
Give to God what is God’s.
And give me that which is mine.”
Gospel of Thomas, Logion 100, L Bauman

A Borrowed Field

Miriam said,
“Then tell us, Master, what your students are like.
How would you describe them?”

He answered,
“They are like small children
living in a field not their own.
When the landlords return and demand,
‘Give us back our field!’
the children return it by simply stripping themselves
and standing naked before them.

So then, I must also tell you this:
If a householder knows for sure
that thieves are coming to steal his goods,
he will keep careful watch before they get there
to prevent them from tunneling in and taking his possessions.

You too, from your beginnings,
must keep a watchful eye on the cosmos,
binding great power to yourselves
so that thieves cannot find a way to get to you.
Pay attention then.
Any outside help you look for they will try to seize first.

May there be someone among you who truly understands this.

So listen carefully, if you have an ear for this!
When the fruit was ripe, ready to burst,
the harvester came quickly, sickle in hand, and took it.
Gospel of Thomas, Logion 21, L Bauman

Son and Heir

A slave longs only for freedom and not for his Master’s fortune, but a son is not only a child of the Master, he is an heir with claim to his father’s wealth. Likewise children of death are not only dead, death is their only inheritance. Heirs of life, on the other hand, are themselves alive, and they can inherit both life and death. The dead, however, inherit nothing, for how can a dead person become an heir? But if those who are dead should inherit life, not only will they live, they will never die.

Gospel of Philip, Analogue 2, W Bauman / Sayings 2–3, LeLoup

What belongs to the father belongs to the son, but while he is still young, he is not entrusted with all that is his. When he is mature, his father gives it to him.

Gospel of Philip, Analogue 21 (W Bauman / Saying 37, LeLoup

Least Vessels

No one hides a thing of great value in a vase which is too visible; treasures are hidden in inconspicuous pots. So it is with the soul, which is precious, and incarnated in perishable matter.

Gospel of Philip, Analogue 11, W Bauman / Saying 22, LeLoup

A pearl thrown into the mud does not lose its value … in the eyes of its owner, its value remains unchanged. So it is with the sons of God; wherever they are, they are just as precious to their Father.

Gospel of Philip, Analogue 30, W Bauman / Saying 48, LeLoup

Receiving and Giving

Faith is receiving, and love is giving. None can receive without faith, and none can give without love.
Gospel of Philip, Analogue 27, W Bauman / Saying 45, LeLoup

…nothing can receive incorruptibility that is not grounded in a filial relation; if someone does not know how to receive, how can they give?
Gospel of Philip, Analogue 56, W Bauman / Saying 99, LeLoup

…if he or she receives the gift of the sacred Spirit, then that Name has also been received as a gift, which can never be taken away, whereas a loan can always be recalled.
Gospel of Philip, Analogue 39 , W Bauman

Warnings

Yeshua said:
The Kingdom of the Father is like the woman who carried a jar of flour.
After she walked a long way, the handle of the jar broke and the flour began to spill behind her along the road.
Heedless, she noticed nothing.
When she arrived, she set down the jar and found it empty.
Gospel of Thomas, Logion 97, LeLoup

Whoever is a slave against their will has the possibility of becoming free. But the one who has become free by the grace of the Teacher, and who has chosen to be a slave, how could they then choose to be free again?
Gospel of Philip, Analogue 62, W Bauman / Saying 114, LeLoup

Blessings

Above all, it is befitting not to make anyone sad, whether they are great, small, faithful, or unfaithful… then, to bring peace to those who take pleasure in goodness.
Gospel of Philip, Analogue 64, W Bauman / Saying 118, LeLoup

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Quotations from the Gospels of Thomas and Philip are from Lynn C Bauman, Ward J Bauman, Cynthia Bourgeault, The Luminous Gospels (Praxis 2008)

Jean-Yves Leloup, The Gospel of Thomas, Inner Traditions, 2005

Quotations from the Gospel of Philip from Jean-Yves LeLoup, Gospel of Philip, (Inner Traditions: 2004)

Read the Impression introducing the Gospel of Thomas. 

Read the Impression introducing the Gospel of Philip

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