Texts in Conversation
Luke gives the saying about one blind person leading another as a question. Matthew and the Gospel of Thomas give it as a conditional statement, and the form in Thomas depends on the one in Matthew.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Matthew 15:14
New Testament
13 And he replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14 Leave them! They are blind guides. If someone who is blind leads another who is blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.”
Luke 6:39
New Testament
39 He also told them a parable: “Someone who is blind cannot lead another who is blind, can he? Won’t they both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.
Gospel of Thomas 1:34
Nag Hammadi
33 Jesus said, “What you will hear with your ear, proclaim from your rooftops. For no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket or in a hidden place; rather he sets it on a lampstand so that all who come and go will see its light.” 34 Jesus said, “If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.” 35 Jesus said, “It is not possible for anyone to enter the house of a strong man and take it by force unless he first binds his hands; then he will be able to plunder his house.”
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Notes and References
“... 37. Do not judge. The third section (6:37-42) of the Lucan sermon begins here. It corresponds to Matt 7:1-5, but there are several Lucan additions at this point: Vv. 37bc,38a,39a are redactional modifications; v. 39bc comes from another part of “Q” (=Matt 15:14), as does v. 40 (=Matt 10:24-25). [...] 39. he addressed to them a proverb. Lit. “he spoke” (see Notes on 4:23 and 5:36). This is a Lucan redactional introduction to these two verses. Can the blind lead the blind? Cf. Matt 15:14. Another form of the saying is found in Gos. Thom. § 34: “If a blind person leads a blind person, the two of them fall into a pit.” The conditional form here is dependent on the Matthean. The disciples are to be leaders of people, but they cannot be blinded guides; they must see the way first. ...”
Fitzmyer, Joseph A.
The Gospel According to Luke: Introduction, Translation, and Notes
(p. 641) Doubleday, 1981
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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