28 Jesus said, "I took my place in the world, and I appeared to them in the flesh. I found all of them drunk; I found none of them thirsty. My soul ached for the sons of men, because their hearts are blind and do not see; for they came into the world empty, and they seek to leave the world empty, too. But now they are drunk. When they shake off their wine, they will repent."
Here the Messiah aches for repentant mankind, but there is no hint of a promise; only a lament that they are drunk / empty / blind. There is no sobering / filling / sight-giving Savior here.
29 Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty."
Here the gnostic/Greek idea of the flesh being evil comes through loud and clear. How could something as wonderful as the spirit cause something as vile as the flesh to come into being? And even more unbelievable, how could something as vile as the flesh cause the spirit to come into being? But the flesh is not evil because it is flesh, it is evil because of sin. Sin has been destroyed in Christ, and when we rise in the great resurrection, there will still be flesh (Job 19) but there will be no sin, no stain, and no corruption. Once again we see that in gnosticism, there is no Christ -- there is only a corruption of Christian wisdom.
30 Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him." [Matthew 18:20]
This passage has come down in various corrupt forms, all of them drifting far afield from the original Biblical record. The early Syrian church father Ephraim quoted something between this passage and the Bible's account (Harmony of the Gospel 14). Far from a statement about the Trinity, this is a riddle for which there is no answer in the gospels.
31 Jesus said, "No prophet is accepted in his hometown; no physician heals those who know him." [Mark 6:4, Luke 4:23-24, John 4:44]
32 Jesus said, "A fortified city built on a high mountain cannot fall, nor can it be hidden." [Matthew 5:14]
Both of these sayings are essentially as they appear in Scripture, except without the context.
33 Jesus said, "What you hear in one ear, and then in the other ear, proclaim from your roofs. [Matthew 10:27] No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl, nor do they hide it. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone who enters and leaves the house." [Matthew 5:15, Mark 4:21, Luke 8:16; 11:33]
I wonder whether this passage troubled gnostic teachers. It goes against the basics of gnostic and many modern religions, that the message should be proclaimed in public; the word of God is a message for everyone to hear. Don't chain it up in a library. Don't hide it under a layer of dust under the coffee table. Share it!
34 Jesus said, "If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit." [Matthew 15:14; Luke 6:39]
This passage was probably applied by gnostic teachers to suit their doctrine. For us, the Bible tells us over and again to "test the spirits" -- know who it is we are following. We put our leaders to tests, and we test what they teach by going into the Bible and comparing their words with the word of God.
35 Jesus said, "It is not possible for anyone to enter the house of a strong man and take it by force unless he ties his hand; then he will be able to ransack his house." [Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:27; Luke 11:21-22]
The analogy of the robber can be taken two ways: Jesus bound Satan in order to reclaim what was already his (in this case, the robber "steals back" what was already stolen). But the way Jesus applies this passage in Matthew is in the context of how the devil does and does not work. In order to take us captive, Jesus says, he has to tie us up first. It doesn't happen without our knowing that it's going on.
That's why John warned us:
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:26-28)
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