Towards, unto, into and in Theos

There are a number of words that seem to catch this sense of ‘less’/’least’ and then progress onto ‘few’, ‘little’ and ‘nothing’. Clearly, they lie in contrast to some of the words we have considered heretofore, such as ‘much’, ‘many’, ‘great’, ‘greater’ and ‘all things’. A raft of antithetical terms seems to litter a discourse that Iesous engages in:

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your soul, what you shall eat; neither for the body, what you shall put on. The soul is more than food, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and Theos feeds them: how much more are you better than the birds? And which of you with being anxious can add to his height one cubit? If you then be not able to do that which is least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. If then Theos so clothes the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O you of little belief? And seek not what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, neither be of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the kosmos seek after: and your father knows that you have need of these things. But rather seek the kingdom of Theos; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Loukas 12.22-31)

I have highlighted the term ‘that which is least’ as this is the ostensible subject of this post. However, we might also consider the use of similar and antithetical language such as, ‘the soul is more than food’; ‘how much more are you better than the birds’; ‘how much more’ (with respect to clothing and the lilies); ‘you of little faith’; ‘all these things shall be added unto you’. There is a clear distinction being made between the apparent, and material, need for basic requirements and the absolute, and spiritual, necessity of the pursuit of understanding. The disciples, and their present necessities are greater, or more than, that which is of the natural creation. Their true feeding and clothing upon are more especially greater than the natural creation and, indeed, than the crowning glory of material wellbeing seen in the son of Dawid, which itself is surpassed by the natural beauty of the lilies. There is a promise that pursuit of spiritual understanding will be met with provision of material survival but, greater than this, the promise of clothing and feeding is an outcome of the pursuit of spiritual understanding. That is, that the disciple who seeks the things pertaining to the kingdom of Theos will receive the ‘all things’ that pertain to Theos and that such ‘all things’ can be described as clothing and feeding. That which is greater is the true, of which the lesser is the figure.

Obviously, the least of these terms is ‘no’ or ‘nothing’, just as the greatest of the terms mentioned in the previous post was ‘all things’.

And he said unto them, Why are you so fearful? how is it that ye have no belief? (Markos 4.40)

Here we see Iesous speaking to his disciples after having been woken up while he was asleep in the boat and a storm raged. He arises and causes the wind and waves to cease. In parallel passages the word ‘no’ (ouk ουκ) is not used but rather the word ‘little’ (oligos ολιγος) in a composite form of ‘you of little belief’ (oligopistoi ολιγοπιστοι).

And he says unto them, Why are you fearful, you of little belief? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. (Math.8.26)

The two narrations of what appears to be the same incident are relating the speech of Iesous subtly differently. There is a littleness of belief which is as though there were none, it is so insignificant. This composite term is used four more times in the New Testament with all the occurrences being Iesous’ reproof of one or more of his disciples.

Wherefore, if Theos so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, you of little belief? (Math.6.30)

We saw the parallel passage to this one above in Loukas 12. Of the five occurrences of this word, two describe the littleness of belief surrounding anxiety over daily necessities, two describe the failure to jettison doubt in the face of the overwhelming storm and their hopes of surviving it, and the fifth is a failure to understand the figurative speech of Iesous concerning the leaven of the Pharisaioi and Saddoukaioi:

Which when Iesous perceived, he said unto them, You of little belief, why reason you among yourselves, because you have brought no bread? (Math.16.8)

In all these occurrences the littleness of their belief is a state of a lack of understanding of the figurative and the true. They have anxiety over the carnal necessities of the day instead of being careful over the necessities of the inner man furnished by seeking the kingdom of Theos. In the two storm narratives their lack of belief is because they fear being overwhelmed by natural forces when the son of Theos is in their midst whereas they should be pushing towards the overcoming of those natural elements of the world by the overwhelming inundation of the spirit. In the third occurrence they are focused on the bread of the Pharisaioi and Saddoukaioi rather than what that figurative language represents, that is the teaching of these sects of the Ioudaioi. They are lacking in perception of the true by being focused on the figure as if it were the true. We will see in an upcoming blog how that the ideas of greater/much/many/all things and their antitheses, less/little and nothing are related to the ideas of metaphor and metonym, or in scriptural language, figure and true.

The word ‘little’ from the composite ‘you of little belief’ is the word oligos (ολιγος) and is regularly translated ‘few’ when it occurs in the New Testament and is regularly juxtaposed with the word ‘many’.

Enter in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. (Math.7.13,14)

In this and a number of other passages the ‘few’ and the ‘many’ are the apparent numbers that are going to attain unto salvation in comparison to those who are not. In this chapter it is preceded by the injunction to ask, seek and knock for that which is required in order to be satisfied by Theos. This pursuit of spiritual understanding is something that characterises the ‘few’ and, if sought, will be rewarded with finding understanding unto aionian life. The ‘many’, contrariwise, are not striving to take this difficult path but pass, with ease, along the path taken by the vast majority. The few are the ones who begin the journey by finding the gate.

The few and the many can be similarly antithetical, as they are above and also as in the phrasing that ‘many are called but few are chosen’. However, sometimes the ‘few’ can be causal for the ‘many’.

And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Iesous says unto them, How many loaves have you? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. (Math.15.33,34)

In this relating of the feeding of the four thousand, a great many people are fed by a small quantity of fish and bread, administered by a few disciples. This event is a living metaphor, an anticipatory figure. The many people will be satisfied by that which is ‘little’. The feeding of those who will inherit life, a multitudinous throng, are fed by a small amount. Firstly, the one person of Iesous, manifesting the one father, in his mediation of that spiritual food to a few of his followers. These themes are present in the Old Testament where the principle of Yahweh saving by little is not uncommon. Gide’on and his three hundred who saved the host of Yisra’el from the hands of Midyan. Dawid, who slew the mightier Golyath with a small stone and the Pelishty’s own sword before turning this one victory into a rout of the army of the Pelishtym. Yahweh delights in saving the many by little, ultimately by one man manifesting his name.

The idea of few can be seen in the light of, and antithetical to, the words panta (παντα) and apanta (απαντα), meaning ‘all (things)’. In this context we see the few – oliga (ολιγα) – being, in the plural, a quantity of things or people.

But I have a few things against you, because you have there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication…Notwithstanding I have a few things against you, because you suffer that woman Iezebel, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. (Revelation 2.14,20)

Sadly, and ironically, here the ‘few things’ are undermining the ‘all things’ that should be in the minds of these believers. It is these few things that are in danger of overthrowing their belief and causing it to become ‘little’ or, indeed, not at all.

We can, as in the case above, see the few and the many being upended. We might reflect that it is few, even one, that saves the many but that these few are imbued with the many things of Theos’ mind that occasion such salvation and that the many are lacking anything but little understanding before they can be filled with the abundance that stems from the few’s mouth(s).

As it is written, He that had much had nothing over; and he that had little had no lack. (2 Corinthians 8.15)

Here Paulos is encouraging the Corinthian believers to consider the plight of their poor brothers in Ierousalem. He alludes to, and quotes from, the narrative concerning the manna. At that time, those who could go out and gather much did and those who could gather less did what they could do. Only then was it measured out to a required amount so that no one lacked. The ‘little’ is that which those who were unable to do so gathered. It is a quantification of the amount of bread. This passage very much mirrors the behaviour of the ekklesia in Ierousalem in the days following pentecost when they had ‘all things’ in common. It is a figurative, and material, indication of the true, and spiritual (that is of the spirit) things which they shared.

‘Little’ is also used as a measure of distance, which is highly significant as the underlying trajectory of the subject matter in these blogs is that of a journey, a direction towards Theos.

And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw Iakobos the son of Zebedaios, and Iohannes his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedaios in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. (Markos 1.19,20)

This narration follows the calling of Petros and Andreas, who were also fishermen and they, similarly, forsook their nets to become Iesous’ disciples. Iesous is on a journey along the shore of the sea of Galilaias when he calls these disciples. It is also by the shore of the sea when another indication of distance occurs:

And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. (Loukas 5.3)

‘Little’ is the amount of distance required for him to pass by the second set of brothers to call them, and ‘little’ is the distance he required to separate himself from the many that required his instruction. He was in a boat with the other ‘few’, just as Noe was in the ark:

Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of Theos waited in the days of Noe, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. (1 Petros 3.20)

We see a little distance between the two sets of partner fishermen called to follow Iesous. Little distance, just enough, to separate Iesous, and his ability to teach the people, from the multitude on the shore hearing his words. Few people found to have enough, that is much, understanding to be saved and to save the few that they took within the ark in order to create a new creation to multiply and fill the earth from those small beginnings.

Beyond distance, there is also the notion of time, and the insubstantive nature of things pertaining to this life and the passage of that time. This is not overly common and, indeed, there are other terms that focus on time; however, the littleness of this age is contrasted with the ‘all things’ of the age to come:

But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto eusebeia. For bodily exercise profits little: but eusebeia is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. (1 Timotheos 4.7,8)

The contrast here concerns ‘towards little’ and ‘towards all things’. Paulos is teaching Timotheos the fundamental nature of sound words and their antithesis, profane and old wives’ fables. Sound speech is fundamental to an exercise towards (pros προς) eusebeia. We looked at this term in a previous blog where we examined a number of words beginning with the word eu (ευ), meaning ‘well’ or ‘good’. We saw that these words were, uniformly, to do with reciprocal behaviour and speech. The same is true of eusebeia, which is formed with this word plus the suffix for the word ‘to worship’. Eusebeia is a description of manifestation, as in 1 Timotheos 3:

And confessedly great is the mystery of eusebeia: who was manifest in flesh, justified in spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the nations, believed on in the kosmos, received up into glory. (1 Tim.3.16)

the manifestation of Theos in anointed is the revelation of the mystery of eusebeia. Iesous was involved in willing reciprocal manifestation of the father. We need to endeavour to do the same. Exercise in this through sound words, the sound words of the Lord’s teaching, leads on to the ‘all things’ of Theos’ mind. Exercise in profanity or indeed the exercise of the body is profitable in the direction of ‘little’. This same directional terminology is used in another place:

Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appears for a little, and then vanishes away. (Iakobos 4.14)

There is a dual sense here, the vapour appears only briefly but it is also an insubstantial thing, a transient phenomenon, wholly unlike the persistent existence of Theos, and the persistent and ubiquitous identity of Theos.

We can see the littleness of insubstantial thoughts and speech when compared to the abundance of the sound words of Theos being insubstantive in their persistence whereas the word of the Lord abides unto the age.

Another word which also covers the idea of little, few or small is the Greek word mikros/mikron (μικρος/μικρον), which is also used to describe time:

A little while, and you shall not see me: and again, a little while, and you shall see me, because I go towards the father. Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he says unto us, A little while, and you shall not see me: and again, a little while, and you shall see me: and, Because I go towards the father? They said therefore, What is this that he says, A little while? we cannot tell what he says. Now Iesous knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do you enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and you shall not see me: and again, a little while, and you shall see me? Amen, amen, I say unto you, That you shall weep and lament, but the kosmos shall rejoice: and you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail has sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the kosmos. And you now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man takes from you. (Iohannes 16.16-22)

Here, we see the word mikros/mikron (μικρος/μικρον) used in a similar way to the last usage of oligos (ολιγος) we looked at. There is a stronger and more fundamental sense of time going on here but underpinning it is the lesser significance of the things that have passed, the time of their grief and lack of understanding of what has happened and its similarity, that is the pains of childbirth. The disciples, evidently, do not grasp the necessity for the suffering and death of anointed, which is shortly to happen, that is in a little while. Similarly, once overwhelmed by their grief and lack of understanding, there is a short space of time, three days, before they understand the need for his death and subsequent resurrection, and its attendant rejoicing. Similarly, there is a short space of time when the woman is overcome by pain before the emergence of the man child into the kosmos. There is no word for ‘time’ used here. This is because, although the passage of time is clear, the significance of the passing of these moments of suffering pales in the face of the persistent joy which is to follow.

This word is also used in similar contexts to oligos (ολιγος), such as in distance:

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou. (Maththaios 26.39)

Iesous has separated, step by step, from his disciples. He has taken them into the garden and then gone further with three of them, then he goes further, then he returns to that place two further times to commune with the father. In a blog which is focused on a journey, this narrative is especially pertinent. The apparent insignificance of the distance is not matched by the significance of the moment and the pertinence of the incremental stepping away from his disciples and the movement towards the father and the performing of his will. Iesous’ journey of separation from flesh and movement towards Theos is reaching its climax here and in the next hours. He is committing to joining his will with the father’s to pass through the temporal struggle for the permanence of joy with him.

Besides its use as a definition of time and distance, mikros/mikron (μικρος/μικρον) is also used to depict the ideas of smallness in respect of people, being as children, and of height in the case of Zakkaios:

And he sought to see Iesous who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. (Loukas 19.2)

Zakkaios was materially a small man but his ‘stature’ though insignificant materially could become much greater in Iesous, where stature denotes a growth and maturity in understanding that is often associated with physical development in a child.

This term is also used of children:

And said, Amen I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receives me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe into me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (Math.18.3-6)

Iesous characterises those that humble themselves, to come and learn of him and believe into him, as little ones, as little children. It is essential to become little in one’s own eyes and to recognise that, as carnal creatures, we are insubstantial before Theos and approach unto anointed to learn of him and to endeavour to become him to enter into the kingdom.

Lastly, this word, on account of dealing with those of lesser significance, deals with the idea of ‘least’ as an antithesis to ‘great(est)’.

And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of Theos? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it grows up, and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. (Markos 4.30-32)

Here we see the distinction between ‘least’ and ‘greatest’. That which appears to be small, of the least significance, grows into that which is great. Firstly, those who will inherit that kingdom are the least in estimation in this age and, secondly, they must make themselves small, and humble themselves, before Theos. They can then, in becoming him, become great. This increasing in stature, of understanding, before Theos is effected by the mediation of his word.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them for (unto) a Theos, and they shall be to me for (unto) a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 8.10-12)

This quotation in Hebrews 8 is from Yeremyahu 31, where the construction ‘I will be to them for ‘elohym and they shall be to me for a people’ is at the heart of the meaning of Yahweh’s name, using the rare ‘I will be’ form from Exodus 3, where the meaning of Yahweh’s name is described. The construction of the ‘to’ and ‘for’ twice is mimicked in the Greek of Hebrews 8 where the Greek eis (εις) is employed, strengthening the ‘unto’/’unto’ relationship of ‘elohym with his people. Those who will come to know him are from the least and the greatest and they may become the greatest although beginning as the least but all, in that glorious age, will know Yahweh if they are to be recipients of his new covenant and are to have their sins forgiven.

This idea of ranking is present in the last word we shall consider – elakistos (ελαχιστος):

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Maththaios 5.19)

We have seen that that which is great is of the mighty ‘el, unto whom we should be travelling towards. He mediates such abundance of his thoughts to us. We must become small in our own eyes, and in his, to eventually become great, in him. We have seen ‘nothing’, through to the ‘little’ and the ‘few’ to the ‘least’. All these things speak to us of that which is antithetical to the greatness of Theos. Our littleness can remain as such, or it can increase with the blessings of greatness from above. As such we, like him, can become the little/few from which much and the great is made. Increasing in understanding from that little belief where the figure and true were not grasped we can press on in the journey towards living in the figure in the hope of inheriting the true.