GENIUS FORUMS

sky wrote:

Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

This quote suggests that the sage is much like a child; the characteristics of a child that resonate with the sage is the child’s innocence, humility, sense of wonder, curiosity and never-ending interest in further understanding the world around him.

The difference between a sage and a child is that a sage is not naïve. A sage can easily spot a con man or someone who is full of shit whereas a child is easily duped by dishonesty.

And there is the sense of purity within the child’s mind because it has not been contaminated or conditioned by false beliefs/ideas and habits/addictions.

Basically the sage is the experienced child.

In my opinion, it means you don't have habitual tendencies.

It's just another text highlighting conversion, baptism and rebirth into a new dimension of life. If you take these things too literal, too human, other texts would mean crawling back into the womb, or making gaga sounds (see also John 3:1-5). That would be a major misunderstanding and corruption.

First the immediate context: it was a reply to the following question asked to Jesus

Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

Although the popular translations suggest something else, it was most likely a baby which he raised as visual aid, the original Greek leaves plenty of room to this possibility and would be more consistent with other texts about being born again.

Some passages in Thomas give more insight in the overall meaning.

4. Jesus said, "The person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life, and that person will live.

37. His disciples said, "When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?"

Jesus said, "When you strip without being ashamed, and you take your clothes and put them under your feet like little children and trample then, then [you] will see the son of the living one and you will not be afraid."

46. Jesus said: From Adam to John the Baptist there is among the children of women none higher than John the Baptist, for his eyes were not [corrupted]. But I have said: Whoever among you becomes small will know the kingdom and will be higher than John.

Hi Ryan,

This quote suggests that the sage is much like a child; the characteristics of a child that resonate with the sage is the child’s innocence, humility, sense of wonder, curiosity and never-ending interest in further understanding the world around him.

I think a sage's humility, much like a child's, is unique due to it's openness. Laid bare for all to see, child and sage are kings of their own world, not caring for the judgements of other's, they know the truth. They live in their thought, no one else's. Difference being, the sage doesn't let the mother of the world beat him into submission. He stands, bare yet mysteriously ornate to those with eyes. To those without eyes, only the bejeweled are ornate, covered in the icy grip of death. The sage lives beyond death by living through it. He usurps the mother of the world, sometimes by becoming the mother of the world, feeding it of his flesh. Sometimes he smiles stoically through it all, holding the world in the flower in his hand. He becomes the ultimate by living beyond expectations. Every word of his makes you question not only what he is, but what you are. Nothing is more hated.

Bryan