The Ascetical Message of Jesus
“So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with
twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and
cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, ‘Let me
kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you’” (1 Kings 19:19-20).
This is the call of Elisha to be Elijah’s follower. Elisha asks permission to first say
farewell to his parents. He then slew the oxen and cooked them on the wood of their
yoke, indicating thereby his intention to leave his former life behind him and begin a new
life as a follower of Elijah.
The call which Jesus gives us is similar but still more radical. He does not even
allow a would-be disciple to say farewell to his family. One said to him, “‘I will follow
you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one
who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:61-
62). We see here the radicalism of Jesus’ call. It implies a radical renunciation of our
former way of life, a sharp break with ordinary life. It is a call to a completely new and
different way of living. Most people try to eliminate this radicalism and compromise
with ordinary living. They try to serve two masters (Matt. 6:24), accommodating
themselves to a comfortable but compromised life, divided between God and the
pleasures of the world. They do not like to hear Jesus’ radical teaching that we have to
renounce a worldly life to be his disciples.
But Jesus’ call is clear. “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father
and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he
cannot be my disciple … So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has
cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26, 33). There is more than one way of doing this, but
to try to follow Jesus without this radicalism and renunciation is to misunderstand his
call.
Many today would like to remove asceticism from Jesus’ message. They want to
be his followers in everything but this. There are even those who would like to remove
asceticism from monastic and eremitic life. Yet asceticism is the foundation for
mysticism and contemplation. Renunciation of the world and its delights is the first step,
the foundation upon which everything else is built. This is how one loves God with all
his heart, with an undivided heart. Without this sacrifice, this first step, it is impossible to
serve only one master (Matt. 6:24) and love God with all one’s heart, mind, soul, and
strength (Mark 12:30).
Nowadays this is the message most people need to hear, for most have rejected it,
and so they are building their house on sand. They lack a foundation. We need to
remember what The Imitation of Christ is constantly saying: “The more you withdraw
yourself from the consolation of all creatures, the sweeter and more blessed consolations
you will receive from your Creator” (3.12.5).
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