"Lose your life to find it." Jesus and John appear to be monastic... how do you see it?

Question

The book at http://gospelenigma.com makes a strong case that Jesus and John the Baptist and the Apostles were monastic and were encouraging others to seek God who is unseen... which is a monastic endeavor.

It appears to me that Jesus pulled the apostles away from their families. How do you see it?

Answer 1

I see it according to what the Scriptures have to say.

Matthew 8:14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever.

1 Corinthians 9:5 Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas (Peter)?

1 Corinthians 7:2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Some few people have been given the "gift of celibacy" but not many.

Matthew 19:9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." 10 The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry."

11 But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."