“Do you want to look for the kingdom? Then search in yourself. There you will find it. And when you find it there, you will look at the world in a different way. Then you will see the kingdom all around you. Whoever realizes “the kingdom” within himself will be able to recognize that same kingdom throughout the world. Not because then the world has changed, but because you look differently.
The “seeing” kingdom, in the cosmos, in nature, in your fellow human beings, is not a distant observation of an objective truth, it is an active way of “seeing”, of looking with your heart. First take the beam out of your own eye, then you will see another world, the world that is connected to the state of your inner self.
That is really a revolutionary answer for that time, and perhaps for all times. With this, Jesus presents a completely new view (yes, view). This answer makes the Jesus of the Thomas gospel unique. This Jesus is a great person with a great vision.
This Jesus speaks in Jewish terms, but his message is universally human.
But, wait a minute, what exactly is that kingdom within yourself? How can we find the way to the kingdom within ourselves?
Ask a child; see the following logion.
Explanation for the translation
It is usually translated here: “… the kingdom is in you and outside of you.” That sounds nice, but the Coptic original literally says, “the kingdom is in your interior and in your eye.” “Inner” and “eye” together are not a nice contrast literary, so there is a great temptation to make it “inside” and “outside”. But then one loses sight of the meaning of the original (yes, out of sight!). In my opinion, the original says emphatically that you will see the state of your inner being reflected in the world around you. Whoever realizes “the kingdom” in himself will therefore be able to recognize that same kingdom throughout the world and also in other people.“ – Bram Moerland lg3