Saying 92 - We Do Not Seek What Jesus Wishes To Tell Us

Nag Hammadi Coptic Text

BLATZ (92) Jesus said: Seek, and you will find; but the things you asked me in those days and I did not tell you then, now I desire to tell them, but you do not ask about them.

LAYTON (92) Jesus said, "Seek and you (plur.) will find. Yet, now I am willing to say the things which you used to ask me about and which I did not say to you; and you are not seeking them."

DORESSE 96 [92]. Jesus says: "Seek and you will find! But the things you have asked me about during these days and which I have not told you up till now, I now want to tell you, so that you will not have to seek them any longer."

 

Funk's Parallels

POxy654 2
[Jesus says], "Let one who [seeks] not stop [seeking until] one finds. When one finds, [one will be astounded, and having been] astounded, one will reign, and [having reigned], one will [rest]."

GThom 2
Jesus said, "Let one who seeks not stop seeking until one finds. When one finds, one will be disturbed. When one is disturbed, one will marvel, and will reign over all."

GThom 94
Jesus [said], "One who seeks will find, and to [one who knocks] it will be opened."

Luke 11:9-13
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Matt 7:7-11
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Matt 21:18-22
Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

John 15:16-17
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.

John 14:12-14
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

John 16:20-28
Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

Mark 11:20-25
And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

GHeb 4b
He that marvels shall reign, and he that has reigned shall rest.

DialSav 9-12
His [disciples said, "Lord], who is it who seeks, and [...] reveals?" [The Lord said to them], "He who seeks [...] reveals ... [...]." [Matthew said, "Lord, when] I [...] and [when] I speak, who is it who ... [...] ... who listens?" [The Lord] said, "It is the one who speaks who also [listens], and it is the one who can see who also reveals."

DialSav 20
The Lord [said], "[... stronger] than ... [...] ... you ... [...] ... [...] ... to follow [you] and all the works [...] your hearts. For just as your hearts [...], so [...] the means to overcome the powers [above] as well as those below [...]. I say to you, let him [who possesses] power renounce [it and repent]. And [let] him who [...] seek and find and [rejoice]."

 

Scholarly Quotes

Helmut Koester points out a parallel with John 16:4b-5:

"Those things I did not tell you from the beginning when I was with you. Now I am going to the one who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'"

(Ancient Christian Gospels, p. 121)

J. D. Crossan writes:

"As in the preceding instance, only the seek/find stich is present; but now it is accompanied by another saying whose meaning is not exactly clear. More significant for my own purpose is the fact that the stich's version here is in imperative/future format and thus in the second person."

(In Fragments, p. 100)

Funk and Hoover write:

"Just as Thom 2:2-4 is an expansion of the basic saying in 2:1, so here 92:2 is an editorial comment on 92:1: it apparently refers to Jesus' earlier refusal to tell the disciples all his secret knowledge, coupled with the reprimand that his current disciples are not seeking true knowledge. The editorial comment undoubtedly refers to the knowledge (gnosis in Greek) that was important in this branch of the Christian movement."

(The Five Gospels, p. 521)

Gerd Ludemann writes:

"This verse calls on the reader not to give up the search, even though signs of neglect are becoming evident (v. 2b). Gnostic existence is grounded in a 'religion of searching'."

(Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 635)

 

Visitor Comments

Re Gerd Ludemann's comment, perhaps the right time to ask questions and seek answers is when we are afraid to ask questions and seek answers. If we are not afraid, perhaps we do not know what we are asking and, this being so, the answer would be of little use to us. In the search the question and answer become, perhaps, two sides of the same coin.
- Brick in the wall

Readiness
- Thief37

The answers will be given to us when we are ready [or in an appropriate space] to hear them.
- R. Bowen