A Follower Refused

Αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις, ὁ Κύριος πρὸς τὸν παρακαλέσαντα ἀκολουθεῖν ἀπεκρίνατο, καρδιογνώστης ὑπάρχων, ὡς πλάσας καταμόνας τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων καρδίας. Καταμόνας δὲ εἴρηται, ὅτι οὐ δεηθεὶς ἑτέρου βοηθοῦντος ἐποίησε. Καὶ ὀρων δολίοις λογισμοῖς κεκρατημένον τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ ὑπὸ πνευμάτων πονηρῶν κατοικούμενον, καὶ ἀνεπιστρόφως πρὸς τὴν κάκωσιν ἔχοντα· καὶ τούτο χάριν τῆς οἰκείας συνουσίας αὐτὸν ἀπέπεμπεν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ἐπίμονον τῆς ἐκείνου φαυλότητος, σκανδάλου γένηται τοῖς πιστεύουσιν αἴτιον, πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀτενίζουσι, καὶ τῆς Δεσποτικῆς δυνάμεως καταψηφὶζομένος ἀσθένειαν, ὡς τὸν μαθητὴν μεταβαλεῖν πρὸς ἀρετὴν μὴ ἰσχυσάσης. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΙΖ' Παυλῳ Source: Migne PG 78.192a

'Foxes have their holes, and the birds of heaven their nests.' 1 The Lord answers him who asked to follow, He who knows the heart, for He alone shapes the hearts of men. 2 And it is said 'alone' because He does not need the help of any other to act. And seeing that the man was overrun by cunning and deceitful thoughts, and that he had wicked spirits dwelling within him, and that he was beyond recall from wickedness, He refused him for the sake of His company, lest the persistant baseness of the fellow be a cause of scandal to those who were faithful, and considering him carefully, they reprove the Domincial power for weakness, because He was not able to turn a follower to virtue. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 17, To Paul 1 Mt 8.20 2 Ps 43.22, 32.15