The Lord hath directed my mouth by his Word, and he hath opened my heart by his Light.
And he hath caused to dwell in me his deathless life, and permitted me to speak the fruit of his peace.
To convert the souls of those who are willing to come to him, and to lead captive a good captivity for freedom.
I was strengthened and made mighty and took the world captive, and the captivity became to me for the praise of the Most High and of God my Father.
And the Gentiles were gathered together who had been scattered abroad, but I was not polluted by my love (for them), because they had praised me in high places.
And the traces of the light were set upon their heart; and they walked in my life and were saved, and they became my people for ever and ever. Alleluia.
Whether this Ode was written by Jesus or by someone writing what Jesus would have said, we cannot know. But we can certainly appreciate its truth as the testimony of one who has attained enlightenment in Christhood.
The Lord hath directed my mouth by his Word, and he hath opened my heart by his Light.
Two of the basic factors of our existence are Sound and Light. The Word, the Cosmic Creative Vibration, is manifesting as our various levels of vibratory energy. Inherent in that Vibration is the impulse to evolve to perfection. Therefore our personal Word in the sense of will and intelligence is guided by that greater Word which draws us ever upward along the scale of evolution that culminates in the realization of our divine nature. At first we only know the realm of the Word, of Vibration, but in time the second factor begins to reveal itself. And that factor is the Light of Consciousness which is our inmost reality, for light and spirit are the same. When the heart opens at the touch of Divine Light just as does the flower at the touch of sunlight, then realization is near. The Word is outside and the Light is inside, yet they are the one Spirit. We are all the Work of God, the Opus Dei.
And he hath caused to dwell in me his deathless life, and permitted me to speak the fruit of his peace.
We are always immortal, but we experience mortality and identify with it, fearing death that is only a mirage. So the “dwelling” in us of God’s deathless life is the advent of spirit-consciousness into our awareness. It is a discovery rather than an attainment.
The “fruit” of this realization is “spoken” inwardly and outwardly through our inner and outer lives. It is not speaking, but demonstration-manifestation.
To convert the souls of those who are willing to come to him, and to lead captive a good captivity for freedom.
Neither God nor gods (perfected masters) can convert anyone who is not willing to tread the upward path to God-realization. Those who have any other interests may pursue them until they realize there is only one truly attainable goal: liberation of the spirit. That is just the nature of things. But when our will is aligned with God, when we say with Jesus: “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42), our transformation becomes possible
Three times in the Bible we find the expression “captivity captive” (Judges 5:12; Psalms 68:18; Ephesians 4:8). It means to vanquish all that which enslaves or captivates us, to capture and banish it forevermore from our life sphere. Then we will be established in total freedom of spirit. Psalms and Ephesians refer to “ascending on high” to accomplish this. Simply put, when we evolve our consciousness into higher levels we will gain the mastery over that which presently masters us. Yoga is the means of our evolution.
I was strengthened and made mighty and took the world captive, and the captivity became to me for the praise of the Most High and of God my Father.
We ourselves can become the glory that is given to God when we become “more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).
And the Gentiles were gathered together who had been scattered abroad, but I was not polluted by my love (for them), because they had praised me in high places.
“The Gentiles” refers to the uncontrolled and often chaotic energies that disrupt our attempts at higher life and consciousness, but if they, too, are “lifted on high” through their purification and refinement, they will be our praise and glory whereas once they were our shame.
And the traces of the light were set upon their heart; and they walked in my life and were saved, and they became my people for ever and ever.
When all aspects of our makeup are touched by the light of the spirit-self, they enter into harmony with our upward development and are themselves carried upward and liberated in/with us and become “ours” forever in our complete mastery over them.
Read the next article in The Odes of Solomon for Awakening: The Odes of Solomon: 11