Leo Tolstoy: His Spiritual Journey and Inner Struggles

In the mount sermon, Christ tried to correct the mistakes of an erroneous education system and to give his listeners a fair concept of his kingdom and his people. But he never directly attacked people’s errors.

He saw the misery brought to mankind by sin, but he never faced them with a vivid description of their state. He taught them things that were far better than anything they had ever learnt. Without denying their perspectives on the kingdom of God, he let them know the conditions they had to fulfill to enter this kingdom. So he let them discover for themselves the reality of this kingdom and draw their very own conclusions.

Having a system of values within his soul, Tolstoy renegades his very own novels and decided to write only books that have a biblical morale. Because Tolstoy had the good habit of keeping a diary, in which he used to put down every event and impression in his life, as well as his inner struggles, to the smallest details, we can easily follow his spiritual journey.

His gospel-based moral ideals had attracted him like a burning flame, although he often failed in fulfilling those ideals in his personal life. Yet Tolstoy’s journey remains a written proof of his struggle to literally follow the Mount Sermon. Thus, for instance, he read the parable given by Jesus to the rich young man.

The Holy Gospel tells about a certain rich man who asked the Savior a question: "And a ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18, 18).

The Savior showed this rich young man that, in order to enter the kingdom of God, he had to observe the rules given by God through Moses. The young man replied that he had obeyed those commandments ever since his youth. Upon hearing this, Jesus answered: "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me" (Luke 18, 22).

By these words, the Savior showed the man the high path of fulfillment which is above the commandments. In other words, the Savior actually said: "If you want to enter the kingdom, keep all commandments given by God to Moses. And if you want to achieve spiritual fulfillment, sell all your fortune, give the money to the poor and follow Me.".

Here is an excerpt from his famous novel, "The Resurrection", written around 1899.

They say, he thought, that this Bible contains the solution to all questions. So, opening it, he began to read at the place at which it opened itself—Matt. x., 8. After a while he inclined close to the lamp and became like one petrified. An exultation, the like of which he had not experienced for a long time, took possession of his soul, as though, after long suffering and weariness, he found at last liberty and rest. He did not sleep the whole night. As is the case with many who read the Bible for the first time, he now, on reading it again, grasped the full meaning of words which he had known long ago, but which he had not understood before. Like a sponge that absorbs everything, so he absorbed everything that was important, necessary and joyful.

"That is the principal thing," thought Nekhludoff. "We all live in the silly belief that we ourselves are the lords of our world, that this world has been given us for our enjoyment. But this is evidently untrue. Somebody must have sent us here for some reason. And for this reason it is plain that we will suffer like those laborers suffer who do not fulfill the wishes of their Master. The will of the Lord is expressed in the teachings of Christ. Let man obey Him, and the Kingdom of the Lord will come on earth, and man will derive the greatest possible good.

"Seek the truth and the Kingdom of God, and the rest will come of itself. We seek that which is to come, and do not find it, and not only do we not build the Kingdom of God, but we destroy it.

"So this will henceforth be the task of my life!"