One of the most mysterious and often misunderstood sayings in early Christian mystical literature is Saying 114 from the Gospel of Thomas, a Gnostic text discovered near Nag Hammadi in 1945. The passage reads:
“Simon Peter said to them, ‘Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life.’
Jesus said, ‘I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven.’” — Gospel of Thomas, Saying 114
At first glance, this verse seems sexist, even offensive. But when viewed through the lens of esoteric spirituality, it reveals a deeply empowering message about spiritual transformation, inner union, and non-dual realization.
The Surface Shock: Is This Misogyny?
It’s easy to read this passage and assume it expresses contempt for women. Peter’s statement, “women are not worthy of life,” seems to reflect the patriarchal bias of his time. But the Gospel of Thomas consistently challenges surface interpretations and invites the reader into deeper, symbolic understanding.
If we read the text literally, it does appear troubling. But that would miss the entire nature of Gnostic wisdom, which deals not in dogma or flesh, but in consciousness, symbols, and transformation.
Esoteric Meaning: Male and Female as Archetypes
In Gnostic and mystical traditions, male and female are often symbolic of spiritual states rather than literal genders.
- “Male” = Unified consciousness, spiritual awakening, divine intellect, the active force of the soul returning to Source.
- “Female” = The soul still immersed in duality, the world of form, fragmentation, and passivity, not inferior, but incomplete.
This symbolism appears across many traditions:
- In Taoism, it mirrors yin and yang: the interplay of stillness and movement, darkness and light.
- In Tantric Hinduism, it echoes the dance between Shiva (pure consciousness) and Shakti (creative energy).
- In Kabbalah, the unification of masculine and feminine aspects of the divine within the self is essential for spiritual ascent.
So when Jesus says, “Every woman who makes herself male will enter the Kingdom,” he is not speaking about gender at all, but about the alchemical journey of the soul toward wholeness.
Mary Magdalene as the Initiate
This saying also offers a veiled defense of Mary Magdalene, who appears frequently in Gnostic texts as a spiritually advanced disciple. Peter, perhaps representing the early Church hierarchy, resists her inclusion. But Jesus dismisses this bias and says he will lead her himself.
He says she will become a “living spirit,” showing that she is not only worthy, but capable of achieving the highest spiritual realization.
This pattern repeats in The Gospel of Mary, where Peter again doubts her role, and Jesus again affirms her. These stories may be symbolic of the soul’s feminine aspect (intuition, receptivity, wisdom) being rejected by the outer Church, but cherished by the inner Christ.
While the canonical Gospels rarely describe women as formal disciples or apostles, Jesus consistently treats them with dignity and compassion. In John’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene becomes the first witness to the resurrection and is entrusted with delivering the news—an extraordinary role that hints at her spiritual importance, even if not institutionally recognized.
The Path to the Kingdom: Inner Union
In mystical terms, to “make oneself male” is to bring the passive into balance with the active, the intuitive with the rational, the fragmented with the whole. This is inner alchemy, the sacred union within.
This teaching does not promote masculinity over femininity, it reveals that both are essential, and only through union can the soul transcend the illusion of separation and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
As the Upanishads say:
“When all duality ceases, the Self is realized.”
And in Zen:
“When male and female are both forgotten, then you will see your true face.”
A Message for the Modern Seeker
Rather than a rejection of women, Saying 114 is a radical affirmation: that any soul, regardless of form, can awaken. It’s an invitation to go beyond identity, beyond biology, beyond religion, and to seek the living spirit within.
You are not your body.
You are not your gender.
You are That which sees, That which awakens.
This passage, like many from the Gnostic texts, challenges the reader to rise above outer forms and embrace the inner Christ consciousness, the timeless awareness that alone leads to the Kingdom.