Saying 112
Jesus said, “Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe to the soul that depends on the flesh.”
In this saying, Jesus warns us against both the flesh that clings or depends on the soul, and the soul that depends on the flesh.
We could make a big deal about how the flesh is an illusion and the soul is the true self, and that would be in line with everything else we have read so far in the Gospel of Thomas. But, the main point seems to be that the idea of thinking of these as two equal and separate concepts is the actual danger.
In other words, the flesh that depends on the soul is as wrong-headed as the soul that depends on the flesh for the very simple reason that there is no such thing as a separate body or soul.
This dichotomy is part of the illusion and therefore part of the problem itself.
So, if we primarily think of ourselves as physical bodies that depend on our spiritual souls, or if we think of ourselves as souls that inhabit physical bodies, we’re already headed in the wrong direction.
The reality, as Jesus has told us over and over again, is that the two must become one. The inside must become the outside, and the outside like the inside, until neither of those concepts remain.
We might consider rephrasing this saying in the positive: “Blessed is the flesh that becomes the soul, and blessed is the soul that becomes the flesh until flesh is soul and soul is flesh.”
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This commentary on the Gospel of Thomas is now in print and published under the title “The Quantum Sayings of Jesus: Decoding the Lost Gospel of Thomas.” Available now on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback.
Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has appeared on CNN, USA Today, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.” He hosts the Second Cup with Keith podcast, and co-hosts the Apostates Anonymous podcast, and the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast.
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