📖 Scripture Readings: Genesis 1:24-2:3 | Isaiah 2:3-11
🪜 The Ladder of Divine Ascent – Step 3: Exile
The Journey Requires Leaving Home
All great stories start with a departure. The hero must set out on a journey into the unknown, leaving behind security, comfort, and familiarity. This pattern, known as “the hero’s journey,” appears frequently in literature, mythology, and history.
Think about it:
- Frodo Baggins departs from the Shire and enters a perilous world in order to destroy the One Ring.
- Luke Skywalker abandons his quiet life on Tatooine and trains in the swamps of Dagobah before emerging to fight Darth Vader and destroy the Empire.
- Simba was exiled to a barren wasteland after Mufasa’s death, living in obscurity before returning to reclaim his throne.
- Hercules endured exile and grueling trials (a metaphorical desert) before completing his Twelve Labors and rising to glory.
We admire people who do this. There’s an old adage that says:
“You are celebrated in public for the disciplines you apply in private.”
This is why we love montages of the hero training alone—Every Rocky movie features a montage of Rocky Balboa training alone, pushing himself to the limit to be ready for his final fight. In Batman Begins we have the montage of Bruce Wayne training in isolation with Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Shadows, enduring physical and mental trials in a remote Himalayan setting. In Disney’s Mulan, the song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” accompanies a training montage where Mulan, disguised as a man, struggles alone to prove herself among the recruits. Her solitary effort to climb the pole with weights marks her transformation before she leads the army against the Huns.
Whether it’s Rocky running up the steps in Philadelphia or Daniel LaRusso waxing cars, painting fences, and catching flies with chopsticks in Karate Kid, we are inspired by the hero going into exile to be prepared. We admire it because deep down, we know that greatness requires separation.
The same is true in the spiritual life.
This is why Step 3 on the Ladder of Divine Ascent is Exile.
Step 3 of The Ladder of Divine Ascent
St. John Climacus describes exile as a voluntary separation from one’s homeland, family, and worldly attachments—not merely as a physical act, but as a profound inner detachment from everything that hinders the soul’s ascent to God.
“Exile means that we leave forever everything in our own country that prevents us from reaching the goal of the religious life.”
This step calls us to flee from distractions, temptations, and comforts, just as Lot fled from Sodom. It is a state of becoming a stranger to the world, cultivating humility, simplicity, and an unceasing longing for God.
St. John warns us, however, that exile is not easy. The world will always try to pull us back. This is why he says:
“Run from places of sin as from the plague. For when fruit is not present, we have no frequent desire to eat it.”
Exile is a call to flee from sin, to embrace solitude and spiritual focus, and to prepare our hearts for heavenly peace.
Exile is not just a theoretical concept—it is woven into the fabric of creation and etched into the very pattern of salvation history. From the beginning, God has called His people out of one state of being and into another—from disorder to order, from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light. This movement requires a break from the past, a willingness to step into the unknown before entering into God’s promise.
We see this first in Genesis, where mankind is created in the image of God yet must journey toward full communion with Him.
Then, in Isaiah, we see the call to leave behind pride and self-sufficiency, to ascend the mountain of the Lord, and to walk in His ways. These passages illustrate why exile is necessary—not as a punishment but as a passage to something greater.
Genesis 1:24-2:3 – The Sixth Day and the Sabbath Rest
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’ … And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested.” (Gen. 1:26, 2:2)
On the sixth day, God creates mankind and gives him dominion over creation. Humanity is given a purpose—to cultivate, to rule, to walk in communion with God.
But then something profound happens: on the seventh day, God rests.
Rest is not laziness—it is completion.
We cannot enter into God’s rest unless we first detach from the world and step into the wilderness of exile.
Adam and Eve were meant to grow into full union with God, but they sought to shortcut the process, grasping for divinity on their own terms.
We do the same thing.
- We want growth without struggle.
- We want wisdom without discipline.
- We want heaven without exile.
But God’s order is clear: the pattern of exile must come before glory.
Exile is where God refines us.
Isaiah 2:3-11 – The Call to Ascend God’s Mountain
Isaiah describes exile as a necessary step before we can ascend:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord… that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” (Isaiah 2:3)
But what keeps us from climbing?
Pride. Comfort. Attachment to the world.
“The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.” (Isaiah 2:11)
If we cling to this world, we remain stuck. But if we are willing to leave it behind, God will lift us up.
The "Desert" Before Greatness
Throughout history, every great servant of God has undergone a period of exile before their mission began.
- Moses fled Egypt and spent 40 years in the desert before leading Israel to freedom.
- David lived in caves, exiled and hunted, before becoming king.
- John the Baptist lived in the wilderness before preparing the way for Christ.
- The Apostle Paul spent three years in Arabia after his conversion before beginning his ministry.
Why?
Because exile is where God refines us.
“You have to go through the desert… so that the voice of God can be heard in the silence.” — Metropolitan Anthony Bloom
Exile strips away distractions. It removes pride. It forces us to rely on God alone.
And when we come out of it, we are transformed.
Christ Embodied Exile Before His Glory
Jesus Himself modeled this step.
Before His earthly ministry, He left His throne in glory—where He was perpetually worshipped by angels—to become incarnate in a world of suffering and death.
Then, before beginning His public ministry, what did He do?
He went into the wilderness for 40 days.
This pattern—leaving, enduring the desert, and returning transformed—is the path to holiness.
“The Son of God became man so that men might become sons of God.” — St. Athanasius
If even Christ Himself embraced exile before stepping into His mission, how much more should we?
The Scriptures Call Us to Exile
Jesus made it clear: following Him requires radical detachment.
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37)
“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)
“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” (1 Peter 2:11)
We are strangers and pilgrims in this world. Exile is not just a phase—it is the Christian life.
Exile is the path to Paradise.
Final Thought: Will You Step into Exile?
Many of us want resurrection without crucifixion. We want glory without sacrifice.
But exile is the path to the Kingdom.
Jesus Himself said:
“Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
Today, take one step into exile.
What is God calling you to leave behind?
What will you gain when you finally let go?
Reflection Questions
- Where is God calling you to step out of comfort?
- What habits, attachments, or fears are keeping you from spiritual exile?
- How can you embrace discomfort for the sake of growth?
Stop Self-Rejecting and Start Succeeding
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