Analogue 15: The Image of the Lamb

 Do not reject the Lamb, for without him you will not be able to find the doorway, and no one can enter the presence of the King stripped bare.

SYNOPSIS

• Analogue 15 seems like an aside, a bracketed analogue containing two aphorisms which are highly metaphoric and tied together by the image of the doorway or entrance. 
• Entrances are Liminal places, sometimes called “thin places.” 
• Doorways to temples are an important metaphor often filled with symbolism containing messages for the one who wishes to or cannot enter. These images raise questions regarding who is ready, invited inside, and properly attired? 
• The lamb image, found throughout the ancient Abrahamic traditions and texts, is important because of the pastoral nature of that culture, 
• This image is drawn from a multiplicity of references: The sacrificial lamb, Psalm 23 and the shepherd, the parable of the lost sheep which was found, and the story of the lamb being carried on a man’s shoulders in the Gospel of Thomas. 
• Do not reject "lamb-like" characteristics, because it is these that will allow you to find your way to a doorway (a place of entry) into the Sovereign Realm and its Source. 
• The symbolic features of the second aphorism have to do with a King or a Sovereign and the possibility of appearing in the throne room before that One properly clothed. In the ancient world of monarchical rule, the figure of a king is obviously an image of significant authority. 
• A form of royal sovereignty is used as a predominant metaphor throughout ancient cultures standing for the highest authority from which all other lesser authorities are derived. 
• A kingdom is a prominent symbol in the wisdom stream of Yeshua’s teaching (also found in the Hymn of the Pearl) describing the sovereign realm of the heavens. 
• A doorway exists into that realm, and one must enter it properly clothed. 
• This teaching reminds us of theme of the "robe of light"—a garment made up of light introduced as a central feature of Analogue 13 and then described on the Mount of Transfiguration where Yeshua is robed with light. 
• Coming to the Source fully clothed (or naked without a robe of light) is an ancient metaphor repeated here. It is found in many other visionary recitals.

COMMENTARY

Temple Symbolism and the Image of the Lamb 

This small analogue is filled with many metaphors and mysteries of its own. All of them, it appears, are related to Jewish temple worship, perhaps in remembrance of the first Temple of Solomon and its lost traditions. The community of the early Jewish followers of Yeshua lived in a time when those traditions were absent in Herod’s remaking of the second Temple. Margaret Barker’s research suggests that there was a yearning among many first century Jewish worshippers for an alternate to the Herodian traditions and for a return to a more original Temple worship. This opposition to the second Temple and its practices is perhaps the context for this saying. 

Ritual sacrifices were, of course, a part of the ancient system, but there were many other understandings of the meaning of these metaphors and, in particular, the image of the Lamb. At the center of this image is the innocence and vulnerability of a creature which was commonly offered up and sacrificed on an altar on behalf of the people. Yeshua was clearly seen as both innocent and self-giving, taking on, at least in part, the role of the lamb: giving himself away for a greater good. Philip bids his readers not to overlook these essential attributes, for they are the keys giving access into that Realm which Yeshua proclaims and manifests. This image is, of course, not unlike the innocence of a child who comes without defense into the Father’s realm.

The Hidden Doorway 

In contradiction to the ways in which it is normal for human beings to gain access to power (or sovereignty) through the use of coercion and force, Yeshua presents another path. His is a hidden doorway into the throne room of divine Reality and its sovereignty, one which shall bring great consternation, a stumbling block to many because it is counterintuitive to the normal ways of earth. Typically, we do not have eyes to see or understand this strategy. The population of Yeshua’s time was expecting the Messiah to take control by force and to exercise formal, political authority. If one determines that the characteristics of the Lamb form the secret of the Logos, then humankind is doubly blind to him—we do not easily see the hidden nature of the Logos in creation, and when we do, we are certainly not inclined to understand its selfgiving, lamb-like nature. 

The truth in that these secret teachings, the truth of the hidden things, is that one must go through this narrow “camel’s eye” and then be robed with Light. The proper clothing for heaven’s realm is not flesh and blood per se, or a garment symbolizing human authority and power, but the attire of one clothed as a light-robed being. To gain this robe of light, one must cast off the trappings of normal power and accept the regalia of the lamb’s power—innocence and vulnerability. It is a strange teaching, perhaps not unlike what was portrayed in the Star Wars Epics when full power appeared in the diminutive creatures who knew and wielded a powerful force in seeming weakness, or in the Lord of the Rings trilogy where enormous responsibility was given not to humans or other beings of great strength but to what appeared to be to the utterly vulnerable and weak hobbits.

The Power of the Powerless 

This is strange territory for humankind. It is counter-intuitive and confusing to us, and yet it is the sacred and secret key that gives access to the realm of heaven, and only those who are humble of spirit and self-giving can grasp it and have access to heaven’s power. This is the power of the powerless rather than the powerful. The question is, in the ages and centuries of human history, are there examples of those who have gone through this narrow gateway and gained access? Perhaps we only know who they are by their later fruits or by looking forward into the future to see their lasting affects upon the human world. Only then can we see who truly wielded the authority of heaven and who failed the test and missed the opportunities for true spiritual sovereignty and greatness. 

One hidden teaching in this Gospel, then, answers the question, what type of mind or nous (consciousness) can wield the powers of the heavenly Kingdom while on earth? As in the Sermon on the Mountain, this Gospel contains the insight that the mind and heart of the Sovereign is given not to the mighty and great but to the ones who carry the consciousness and qualities of the lamb, that is, to the poor and the humble of spirit. This is a form of consciousness and a way of being that chooses to take up the characteristics of lamb-like innocence. This inner reality is sourced not on earth per se, but in the sovereignty of heaven itself. We might also juxtapose this image with that of the metaphor of the Lion of Judah, who becomes the Sovereign of that realm but whose actual power lies not in its lion-form but in its lamb-like characteristics (Revelation 5:-14, 7:17).

Throne Room Attire 

The fundamental question concerns not only the use of this kind of energy and power on earth, but the way in which human beings approach the centers and sources of cosmic power in the heavens. The analogue considers the proper and necessary garments or clothing with which one is attired when he or she nears the Sovereign power of heaven. We know, of course, that there are protocols that surround places and people who hold power and authority on this earth. To enter a courtroom, a throne room, the presidential suites and other centers of power, one must be properly clothed and behave in a certain manner. This is not simply tradition, it has to do with decorum and demeanor appropriate to what one is approaching and the kind of authority that is centered there. 

We have perhaps all had dreams of being in public places unclothed and ashamed of our nakedness. Imagine the shock of being in the divine Presence aware that one is not properly prepared or attired. There is some relationship, then, to understanding that proper clothing and the demeanor of the lamb are related to one another. Perhaps it is humility that covers one’s soul. Or it is likely that, following the previous description of the Transfiguration, this analogue has in mind the radiance of a light-filled and transformed being that shines out to cover all potential nakedness. However we come to understand these metaphors, they are not a fantasy but a reality as we draw near to the transcendence of Ultimate Reality.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION 

1. You may be familiar with Western atonement theology which sees Jesus as like a lamb sacrificed to appease God’s wrath and die for the sinner. In these systems, God is perceived as needing the blood sacrifice of an innocent in order to assuage the divine anger and our guilt. How is what is described in this analogue different from the teachings of atonement theology? 
2. Have you ever been close to a lamb? How would you describe its characteristics? 
3. Throne rooms and robes of light are not unknown to us, but they are also not major symbols in modern democratic societies. How would you interpret or understand them now in the context of modern civilization and its governments unless you live in a Constitutional Monarchy? What cinematic representations of these metaphors might you have witnessed? What resonances do they have for you? 
4. Read I Corinthians 15 and its description of a celestial body. Does that description help you understand this analogue in any way? Journal your insights. 
5. Have you ever had a dream in which you were naked or only partially clothed among crowds of people? What did you feel in the dream? Where do you imagine this feeling comes from? 
6. What is the physical, emotional, and psycho-spiritual significance of nakedness or of being stripped bare?

Notes for Reference and Study 

A. Pastoral peoples of the Middle East have a historical bond with sheep, goats and cattle. These animals are a central part of the normal (often nomadic) way of life in the Middle East both now and when these texts were composed. Denizens of that world were intimately familiar with the characteristics of these animals, especially village people living in rural areas. The metaphors using these animals made perfect sense in that context but perhaps are not as easily accessible to us now. They are nonetheless important in understanding these and other early Christian texts, like the Gospel of Thomas, where similar references to such animals are found. 

B. It may be easy to assume that the references to the lamb are about the sacrificial systems of the ancient people of the Middle East, especially since they appear throughout early Hebrew religion. For Christian readers it may seem that this reference to the lamb is about the Christ and his crucifixion as a necessary sacrifice made to God (as typically described in the West). However, this is not necessarily so. It may be more significant to think about the particular and unique qualities of this small creature as a young and living animal. This approach is supported perhaps by an earlier observation in the Gospel of Philip concerning animal sacrifices as a human institution created primarily by humans and unworthy of the authentic worship of the living God. In Analogue 7 animal sacrifices are clearly called into question in some way. This is made explicit in Analogue 32 which echos earlier sentiments and declarations in the prophetic and wisdom traditions where the divine voice distinctly expresses repugnance about the sacrifice of animals (Isaiah 1:11-15, Jeremiah 6:20, Hosea 6:6, Amos 5:21-23, I Samuel 15:22). All these references imply that such sacrificial systems are man-made and ultimately of no consequence to God, calling their spiritual efficacy into question. By understanding this interpretation, a case could once again be made that the Gospel of Philip sets itself against the metaphors used by the Apostle Paul to explain the death of Yeshua as a sacrifice made to God in atonement for sin, instead of as a self-offering out of his own heart enacted on the basis of the eternal principles of love. 

C. Questions about proper clothing and attire continue to be a theme which was introduced earlier in this Gospel. Both veiling and unveiling, clothing and nakedness, material clothes and clothing by light are discussed in some detail. Humans are very concerned about their appearance and the proper, even stylish, coverings of their bodies. Our sense of ourselves and our own body-image is part of our social interactions and behavior having to do with fashion and trends in attire. It could be said that we are a fashionobsessed species, spending much of our wealth and energy adorning our outer physical form. Vast worldwide industries are created upon fashions in clothing, cosmetics and cosmetology. Rather than seeing this as simply a part of our common interest in our outer physical appearances, Analogue 12 and 13 introduce this as essential feature in understanding our inner spiritual form. This topic will continue to be a focus throughout the Gospel, see for example Analogues 42, 43, 59, 70.

Notes on the Translation

1. The word reject could also be translated by such terms as despise, disdain, scorn, hold in contempt, or disparage.
2. Stripped bare is literally stripped naked.