Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book III — On Inward Consolation·Chapter XIII. Of The Obedience Of One In Lowly Subjection After The Example Of Jesus Christ
XIII. The obedience of one in lowly subjection — after Christ's example
Christ's own obedience as the model. He who was Lord of all became servant of all; he who could command obeyed Joseph and Mary; he obeyed unto the death of the Cross. The disciple's obedience modelled on this descent.
Source context
- Theme
- lowly obedience modeled on Christ's self-emptying as the soul's path to inward freedom
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Pauline kenosis (Philippians 2:7–8)The Pauline kenosis — Christ emptying himself and becoming obedient unto death — provides the direct scriptural archetype for Thomas's counsel that the disciple must abandon self-will in imitation of Christ's own subjection.
- Sufi fana (self-annihilation)Sufi doctrine of fana identifies the dissolution of the ego-will before the divine will as the necessary precondition for union, a structural parallel to Thomas's insistence that obedience in lowliness clears the soul of self-assertion.
- Vedantic concept of dasya-bhava (servant-attitude)The Vaishnava devotional strand of Vedanta cultivates dasya-bhava — the attitude of the servant wholly dependent on the lord — as a formal analogue to Thomas's obedience-as-spiritual-discipline.
Chapter XIII. Of The Obedience Of One In Lowly Subjection After The Example Of Jesus Christ
OF THE OBEDIENCE OF ONE IN LOWLY SUBJECTION AFTER THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS CHRIST
"My Son, he who striveth to withdraw himself from obedience, withdraweth himself also from grace, and he who seeketh private advantages, loseth those which are common unto all. If a man submit not freely and willingly to one set over him, it is a sign that his flesh is not yet perfectly subject to himself, but often resisteth and murmureth. Learn therefore quickly to submit thyself to him who is over thee, if thou seekest to bring thine own flesh into subjection. For the outward enemy is very quickly overcome if the inner man have not been laid low. There is no more grievous and deadly enemy to the soul than thou art to thyself, if thou art not led by the Spirit. Thou must not altogether conceive contempt for thyself, if thou wilt prevail against flesh and blood. Because as yet thou inordinately lovest thyself, therefore thou shrinkest from yielding thyself to the will of others.
2"But what great thing is it that thou, who art dust and nothingness, yieldest thyself to man for God's sake, when I, the Almighty and the Most High, who created all things out of nothing, subjected Myself to man for thy sake? I became the most humble and despised of men, that by My humility thou mightest overcome thy pride. Learn to obey, O dust! Learn to humble thyself, O earth and clay, and to bow thyself beneath the feet of all. Learn to crush thy passions, and to yield thyself in all subjection.
3"Be zealous against thyself, nor suffer pride to live within thee, but so show thyself subject and of no reputation, that all may be able to walk over thee, and tread thee down as the clay in the streets. What hast thou, O foolish man, of which to complain? What, O vile sinner, canst thou answer those who speak against thee, seeing thou hast so often offended God, and many a time hast deserved hell? But Mine eye hath spared thee, because thy soul was precious in My sight; that thou mightest know My love, and mightest be thankful for My benefits; and that thou mightest give thyself altogether to true subjection and humility, and patiently bear the contempt which thou meritest."