Saying 98: The Assassin
The kingdom is like a man who wanted to kill someone powerful. At home he drew his sword and drove it into the wall to test whether his hand was strong enough — then he killed the man.
Commentary
The most shocking parable in the collection and, again, unique to Thomas. The point is rehearsal and honest self-assessment before acting, in a metaphor no canonical editor would have kept.
Parallels
This saying has no close parallel in the canonical gospels. Roughly half of the Gospel of Thomas is material of this kind, found nowhere else in the early Christian record.
Sayings on the same themes
- Saying 57 Saying 57: The Wheat and the Weeds A man sowed good seed; his enemy sowed weeds among it at night. He would not let his workers pull the weeds…
- Saying 8 Saying 8: The Wise Fisherman A fisherman hauls up a netful of small fish, finds one fine large fish among them, and throws all the small ones…
- Saying 113 Saying 113: The Kingdom Spread Out on the Earth Asked when the kingdom will come, Jesus says it will not come by watching for it; no one will say "look, here"…
- Saying 21 Saying 21: Children in a Field Not Theirs Mary asks what the disciples are like; they are like children living in a field that is not theirs, who give it…
- Saying 107 Saying 107: The Largest Sheep A shepherd with a hundred sheep lost the largest one. He left the ninety-nine and searched until he found it, and then…
- Saying 96 Saying 96: The Leaven The Father's kingdom is like a woman who took a little yeast, hid it in dough, and made large loaves of bread.