The Test of Obedience

Once a man who wanted to become a monk came to see Sisois of the Thebaid. The hermit asked him, "Have you any ties in the world."

He said, "I have a son."

Sisois said to him, "Go and throw him in the river, and then you can be a monk."

He went to throw his boy in the river, but Sisois sent a monk to stop him. He was already holding his son ready to throw him in, when the brother said, "Stop! What are you doing?"

He said, "The abba told me to throw him in."

The brother said, "Now the abba says, do not throw him in."

So he left his son, and came back to the hermit; and tested by such obedience he became a strong monk.

~~The Binding of Isaac silkscreen print by Tamar Messer