Thomas 1:82 … To be near Fire (12/05/16)
“Whoever is near Me is near Fire”
~ Jesus (Gospel of Thomas 82)
First & foremost, it is crucial to remember than each & every New Testament reference to “fire” is actually a reference to cleansing, not a reference to punishment – is a reference to the discomfort that comes from breaking free of old attachments and outdated fears, not to the suffering that comes from literally writhing in a lake of flames (a la Revelation 20:14-15 & Revelation 21:8) … And this interpretive model is not only supported by the other times Jesus mentions “fire” in the Gospels (see Matthew 13:42, Matthew 18:8, Mark 9:47-48, Luke 12:49, Gospel of Thomas 10), but also by the way he describes his heavenly Father as an innately non-punishing God of perfect Love (see Matthew 5:58 + 1 John 4:18), and as well by the way he describes the fundamentally selflessly Loving Truth of the Way of his Life (see John 13:15-17, John 14:12-26, Matthew 5:40-44, Matthew 25:35-40 et al).
As such, if we are to do Jesus (and others; indeed even God Himself) the most honor, it is critical for us to err on the side of seeing the best in his words, not their most dysfunctional … This is the way to worship their essence most purely, and this is the way to comprehend (and thereby come to emulate) their Way of Love most perfectly.
And this is why Jesus says that those who come near him will be “near Fire” – not that they will begin to “burn” themselves via his mere presence, not that they will “catch fire” from speaking with him or speaking of him or listening to him or even worshiping him. No, those that choose to come “near him” (in our case, those who choose to open themselves humbly to — and enact courageously — what he preaches in the Gospels) will simply come near the purifying flames of his selfless, ego-incinerating Way – nothing more, nothing less.
The flames of Christ do indeed “glow”, of course, they do indeed illuminate a radiant selflessness that all those witnessing can choose to See and then emulate them, and yet the only way for anyone to “catch fire” – the only way for anyone to burn purely like Jesus burned – is to depart from his presence (see Matthew 26:31-35), focus away from him, look towards others in need, and then actively self-sacrifice in order to bring Peace &/or Joy to the same.
Amen … Let it be so.
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