Section 42

1But we said to him, “Lord, how can each of us be all three?”

2He said to us, “Truly I say to you, you shall be called fathers because, with a praiseworthy heart and in love, you have revealed to them the things of the kingdom of heaven. You shall be called servants because they shall receive the baptism of life and the forgiveness of their sins from my hand through you. You shall be called masters because you have freely given them the word and admonished them, and when you admonished them, they turned back. You were not afraid of their riches or ashamed before them, but you kept my Father’s commandments and fulfilled them. You shall have a great reward with my Father in heaven, and they shall have forgiveness of sins and everlasting life and shall share in the kingdom of heaven.”

3We said to him, “Lord, even if each of us had ten thousand tongues with which to speak, we could not thank you for promising us such things.”

4Then he answered us, “Only do what I tell you, just as I myself have done.”