Thomas now stepped up to Judas Iscariot and reproached him for daring to present his foolish ideas about money to Me (!?—), since in spirit I was Jehovah Himself and performed deeds possible to God alone.
Judas says to him, ‘You are still as dim-witted as you always were! Either you believe every old wives’ tale, or, when the mood takes you, you believe nothing at all. You neither think nor calculate. When you took fish to market, you not infrequently sold the small ones like the large ones, so that the buyers laughed in your face. But as you always were, so you are now: you neither think nor calculate, but keep living so nicely and foolishly from day to day, according to your old habit.
I have been here in this great prophet’s company for only a few hours, and it is my sacred duty to examine him and learn as much as possible about his disposition and the purpose of his appearance. You have already been with him for roughly half a year, and therefore must know him better than I do. But because you already know him, should I make no effort to know him at least as far as you have known him up to now?’
Thomas says, ‘Surely you are not going home again tomorrow, since you want to learn everything today? It is good that the Lord finally began walking, or by tomorrow you would still not have finished settling the matter of your foolish money. The Lord is right! Accursed money will bring you death, because you see so much magnificence in it. The Lord told you clearly enough what value money has and how it does a person the greatest harm in spiritual life. But you have long been wiser than God Himself, and can therefore crown your wisdom even before God. Just take care that one day you do not choke on all your wisdom!
But why do you reproach me for my fish trading? I always sold my fish first, while with your good teachings you had to carry half of yours home again. I sold large and small alike, ten for two pfennigs, and could always have sold five times as many if I had brought that many to market. So I think I plainly calculated better than you, who fancy yourself wiser than God but are a miser and seek your whole salvation in money. Truly, I would not give a stater for such wisdom!’
Somewhat taken aback, Judas says, ‘Everyone speaks as he understands it.’ Thomas says, ‘That is true: in your stupidity you understand the matter stupidly, and so you speak accordingly. But look over there instead, where a poor man is lying by the road. Give him your purse, and for the first time in your life you will act with complete wisdom.’
Judas says, ‘I shall take good care to leave that undone. For no one has ever given me anything in the true sense of the word and its meaning, and so I give no one anything either.’
Thomas says, ‘That is a very praiseworthy principle; it deserves to be cursed from the outset! I tell you, with such principles you will not get very far with this Healer and Master of ours; I guarantee you that. He is supreme generosity itself, and you are a miser without equal. What a fine match!’
Judas says, ‘Once I have worked on him thoroughly, and he recognizes how one must live in the world to be a respected person, he will curb his generosity somewhat. Besides, it is no feat to be generous at the expense of those who have something and prepare good meals for one’s disciples. Listen, if I find fools like this young host, I too will be as generous at his expense as anyone can be. But let this Jesus, who has been desperately poor from birth, maintain and feed his multitude of disciples from his own means alone. Then it will immediately become clear how generous he will be, and whether he will not dismiss all these followers as soon as possible.’
Thomas says, ‘I tell you nothing but this: you belong entirely to the devil, for only the devil can speak as you just have! It sounds as though there were some understanding in it, but that is not so; the matter is quite different, and your speech is a most shameless lie in all the world. I regret having shown you the way here. Many hundreds of people were in Sychar, and all were fed from the heavens. And in a few moments He had rebuilt Irhael’s ruined house so that it is now surely by far the most splendid house in the town. And you, most foolish person, presumptuous beyond all bounds, wish, as though you were a sage of sages, to prove to me—who with these bodily eyes of mine saw the heavens open and countless hosts of God’s angels ascending and descending—that Jesus is a poor wretch who lives well at others’ expense! O you poor fool! He, to whom alone heaven and earth belong because He established them through His omnipotence, would need my treasures or yours to live in this world, where He makes the fruits grow and ripen? O you blindest fool! Go to Sychar, convince yourself of everything, and then come back, and we will see whether you still talk as foolishly from day to day as now.’
Here Judas interjects and says quite laconically, ‘Did you see all that with your own eyes? Or did you perhaps also borrow a pair of ox eyes and a pair of donkey eyes, so that you could take in so many extraordinary things at once? Besides, I am glad this sage of Nazareth also became acquainted with beautiful Irhael, who, as I heard only recently, is said to be living with her sixth man, since all five earlier ones, so to speak, died against her body. With such a lovely beauty, heaven may indeed have stood nicely wide open for all of you! Yes, yes, Irhael has already transported many a man into all the heavens; why should she have made an exception for you? But I will nevertheless not go to Sychar on her account, for I keep the law of Moses and therefore will not concern myself with such sinful things.’