Early Christian Writings Gospel of Thomas Saying 90 Previous - Gospel of Thomas Home - Next

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Nag Hammadi Coptic Text Funk's Parallels
Matt 11:25-30, DialSav
65-68.

BLATZ LAYTON DORESSE

(90) Jesus said: Come to
me, for my yoke is easy and
my lordship is gentle, and
you will find rest for
yourselves.
(90) Jesus said, "Come
(plur.) to me, for my yoke is
easy (to use) and my
lordship is mild, and you
will find repose for
yourselves."
94 [90]. Jesus says: "Come
to me, for my yoke is
excellent and my authority
is sweet, and you will find
rest for yourselves!"

Visitor Comments Scholarly Quotes

When you understand the
message, that the way is
Love, God is Love, then you
know inner peace.
- Kay
The right teacher for YOU
--- follow his instructs,
which are carefully
prescribed byhim to be
exactly right for YOU and no
other, how can they not be an
easy yoke. There is not a
dervish who ever lived who
testified that he found The
Way to be hard. The term is
inappropriate. Lengthy? Yes.
Hard? Never
- Thief37
The converse is likewise
true, He who tries to force
oneself along the Way,only
creates turbulence. To
receive love, one must act
like one who is receiving
love. Even now, what a
miraculous thing this life is!
- Zooie
Funk and Hoover quote Sir 51:26-27 as the basis of this saying: "You should put your
neck into the yoke, and you should accept instruction, which you will find near at
hand. See for yourself how little I have labored; rather, I have found a great deal of
rest for myself." (The Five Gospels, p. 520)
Robert M. Grant and David Noel Freedman write: "Matthew 11:28-30, has a different
order and some different implications. 'Come to me, all you who labor and are
burdened [Thomas omits the italicized words], and I will give you rest [Thomas
changes this to 'you will find rest for yourselves']. Take my yoke upon you and learn
from me, for I am meek and humble of heart [omitted], and you will find rest for your
souls [selves]; for my yoke is easy and my burden [Thomas substitutes 'rule'] is light.'
Thomas wants the invitation to be addressed to Gnostics, not to those burdened by
the world (he twice omits 'burden') and he wants the emphasis to be placed on the
reward of rest, not on the yoke of Christ." (The Secret Sayings of Jesus, p. 184)
J. D. Crossan writes: "Thomas's version is not dependent on that of Matthew
(Sieber:139, as against Schrage, 1964:173). Instead, 'both go back to wisdom
traditions which have been subjected to gnosticizing transformations' (Betz,
1967:20). Koester has suggested that 'except for "lordship" instead of "burden" (Matt.
11:30) this shorter version could be more original than Matthew's' (1980b:246).
Bauer would agree and even consider that 'lordship' could be more original
(1961:105). I prefer to follow Koester rather than Bauer primarily because 'burden'
reappears in Pist. Soph. 95 and Dial. Sav. 141:3-6. Indeed, the force of the aphorism
seems intensified if there is some comparison made between heavy or difficult
burdens (from elsewhere) and light or easy burdens (from Jesus). I propose,
therefore, that, while Thomas's version is more original than that of Matt. 11:28-30, it
is not more original than Matt. 11:28 + 30 since Thomas lacks any equivalent to Q's
'all who labor and are heavy laden (burdened).'" (In Fragments, pp. 257-258)
90

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