97 The empty jar

LG97

Jesus said:
The kingdom of the father is like a certain woman,
who carried a jug on her back, full of flour.
And so, going her way, still far from home, an ear broke from the jar,
and the flour flowed behind her on the road.
She did not notice it and was not aware of any harm.
When she got home, she put the jug down and found it empty.

This logion is of great beauty again. It is a beautiful image of a woman who is on her way, spiritually understood. In Gnostics, women are often the symbol of the human soul, of inner knowing.

This woman carries on her back a jug full of images, dogmas, teachings and everything else. It is a heavy burden, and not exactly the light yoke of Thomas 90.

She was still far from home, says this logion, so she was still separate from herself and from the Source.

Along the way on her spiritual path something happens. The ear of the jar breaks off. The hold that the images, the dogmas and the teachings had on her weakened, and without her realizing it she let go.

And then there comes a moment when she suddenly experiences that she coincides with herself. She has come home, one with the Source. And her jar is empty. So she no longer needs to carry it with her. She is free.