The monastic significance of Luke 18.29-30: leaving things for God's sake

[Ken McRae]

Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting."

Dear Friends,

What is the meaning of this text, as you understand it? What does it mean to leave your "house," as the text says, and your "wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake?" Moreover, what is the "monastic" significance of this particular text? And are there any examples among the saints of those who did just that: left house, wife, and children for the monastic life? Please post the names and details of those who have done so. Many thanks.

Ken

[Paul Cowan]

Dear Ken,

This passage has confounded me as well. St. Peter was married but you only hear of his mother in law. what happened to his wife? Peter himself says, "Lord we have left all what is there for us?" (paraphrased) Does this mean he also left his wife or was she one of the female myrrh bearers or did she leave him for thinking he was out of his mind to stop working to support the household? Was she already dead by this time?

I understand this to mean that we are not to put anyone or anything above our service to the lord not are we though to abandon our responsibilities to our families. "He who loves mother or father more than I is not worthy of me" does not mean we stop loving our families, but to keep them in the proper place to our love for Christ. He must be loved first and above all others. Not that we don't love all others as He Himself says to love your neighbor as your self. We are not to self love ourselves more than Him.

I hope I got this right. As much as I would love to abandon all here and flee to Mount Athos for the rest of my life, I would be abandoning my responsibilities to my wife as husband and this would be evil in His sight. When I am freed from marriage after her death this possibility will be more open to me. But until then, I will love my Lord through my marriage.

Paul

[Michael Stickles]

St. Peter was married but you only hear of his mother in law. what happened to his wife? Peter himself says, "Lord we have left all what is there for us?" (paraphrased) Does this mean he also left his wife or was she one of the female myrrh bearers or did she leave him for thinking he was out of his mind to stop working to support the household? Was she already dead by this time?

According to what Paul says in I Corinthians 9:5, Peter took his wife along with him:


Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas?

Comparing this to Peter's question in Luke 18, my guess would be that he and the others left their families behind while they followed Christ during His earthly ministry, but they did not abandon their families; and after the resurrection these men took their believing wives along with them as they carried out their ministry. Having said that, I should note that I've not read patristic commentary one way or the other. I went to St. John Chrysostom's commentary on the parallel passage (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/200163.htm) in Matthew 19, but St. John spoke not at all to the idea of leaving behind one's family, concentrating instead on the idea of putting aside covetousness and the desire for wealth.


What does it mean to leave your "house," as the text says, and your "wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake?" Moreover, what is the "monastic" significance of this particular text? And are there any examples among the saints of those who did just that: left house, wife, and children for the monastic life? Please post the names and details of those who have done so.

I think that the general meaning is just what Paul said in his post (though, again, I'm speaking from my own understanding since I haven't come across a patristic commentary on this idea). I tried looking up the Greek word for "left" - aphiemi - but it has so many variations of meaning (forgive; permit; allow; leave, leave behind; send away; abandon; give up; omit; disregard for the moment; etc.) that I didn't get much clarification.

As for the monastic significance, Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver, in a discussion of monasticism (http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/monasticism/isaiah_orthodox_monasticism.htm), said:


An Orthodox monastic may not be married, for he has entered into the angelic life on earth. We know that the angelic life is on a higher plane than the married life. Therefore, one must leave his married life behind, if he desires the life of a monastic. This means that anyone, man or woman, may enter into the monastic life. Aside from persons who have never married, men and women who have become widowed or who through mutual agreement decide to enter into the cloistered life of a monastery or a convent, may do so.


As to the last part of the question, several saints did indeed leave everything, including wife and children, for the monastic life, and while many did so by mutual consent (with husband and wife going into different monasteries at the same time), some do seem to have "bailed out", so to speak. A couple of examples:

St. Euthymius the New of Thessalonika and Mt. Athos married at the insistence of his mother, but soon after the birth of a daughter he secretly left to enter a monastery. When he found out fifteen years later that his mother and wife were still alive and in good health, he let them know that he had become a monk and urged them to follow his example.
Venerable Peter of Constantinople was a soldier taken prisoner during a military campaign. Freed miraculously by St. John the Theologian, he left the world, including his wife and family, and entered a monastery.
I have read a number of similar accounts in books, but do not recall the names of those saints. As for the practice itself, it seems to me that one would have to be quite sure he was under the calling of God before leaving wife and children this way. Church canons provide for excommunication of a priest or bishop who leaves his wife "under pretense of piety"; I doubt the matter is any less serious for laymen wanting to become monks.

In Christ,
Mike

[Ken McRae]

I have read a number of similar accounts in books, but do not recall the names of those saints. As for the practice itself, it seems to me that one would have to be quite sure he was under the calling of God before leaving wife and children this way. Church canons provide for excommunication of a priest or bishop who leaves his wife "under pretense of piety"; I doubt the matter is any less serious for laymen wanting to become monks.

Many kind thanks to both yourself and Paul for taking the time to reply to this difficult question; though I found your reply, Mike, most helpful; and I very much agree with the caution expressed in the last paragraph (quoted above). Such a step should not be taken without the blessing of an elder, I should think.

Nor can I see how the Church's decision to grant a divorce could be misconstrued as a blessing to enter monastic life. The decision to leave or divorce one's spouse is an entirely seperate issue from the decision to enter monastic life. The discernment of one's calling to the monastic life would become very crystal clear during the extended period of trial which usually precedes tonsuring; (and, again,) which one should not procede with without the blessing of one's spiritual father (or elder).