Love your brothers
and your sisters, for everyone is a facet of the Divine
V25 We are all One
The instruction to love your brother has a different context in Thomas. Your brother is as much a part of the Unity as you yourself are. When you fail to love him then it is the Divine itself that you fail to love. 'Brother' in a Thomas context includes the brotherhood of all nations, all colours, and all genders. It includes all species, mother earth, and the cosmos itself. Nothing is excluded.
V95 Give freely
Loving your brother starts and ends by being there for him in whatever guise he may require. If someone needs your coat then let him have it. If someone needs your time then again let him have it. Loving your brother recognises that the right words at the right time can change the course of a life. A small acknowledgement of how well someone looks or how good they are at something costs nothing. When we ignore the plight of another, when we turn away from them, we turn away from the Divine itself. Of course if everyone lived according to such a code then no-one would ever want for anything. In the Gospel of Thomas Jesus prohibits us from passing the buck. If we want a better world then make a better world. It's on us.
