Church Fathers Commentary Luke 10

St. Cyril of Alexandria: God had made known through the Prophets that the preaching of the Gospel of salvation was to embrace not only Israel but also the Gentile nations. Therefore, after the twelve Apostles, another seventy-two were also appointed by Christ, as it is said, After these things the Lord appointed other seventy-two also.

The Venerable Bede: It is fitting that seventy-two were sent, because the Gospel was to be preached to that many nations of the world. Just as twelve were first appointed for the twelve tribes of Israel, so these seventy-two were also ordained as teachers for the instruction of the Gentile nations.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Just as the whole world revolves and receives light in twenty-four hours, so the mystery of enlightening the world by the Gospel of the Trinity is suggested in the seventy-two disciples, for three times twenty-four equals seventy-two.

Just as no one doubts that the twelve Apostles foreshadowed the order of bishops, so we must also understand that these seventy-two represented the presbytery (that is, the second order of priests). Nevertheless, in the earliest times of the Church, as the Apostolic writings bear witness, both were called presbyters and both were also called bishops—the former signifying “ripeness of wisdom,” and the latter, “diligence in pastoral care.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria: An outline of this ordinance was also set forth in the words of Moses, who at God’s command chose seventy men upon whom God poured out His Spirit. It is also written in the book of Numbers that the children of Israel came to Elim (which is interpreted as “ascent”), where there were twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees.

For when we flee to spiritual refreshment, we find twelve fountains—namely, the holy Apostles, from whom we drink in the knowledge of salvation as from the springs of the Savior. We also find seventy palm trees, representing those who were now appointed by Christ. For the palm is a fruitful tree with a sound core and deep roots, always growing by the water, yet at the same time putting forth its leaves upward.

It follows, And he sent them two and two.

St. Gregory the Great: He sends the disciples to preach two by two because there are two commandments of charity: the love of God and the love of our neighbor. (And charity cannot exist with fewer than two.) He thereby silently suggests to us that whoever does not have love for another ought not to undertake the office of preaching.

Origen of Alexandria: Likewise, the twelve were also counted off two by two, as Matthew shows in his enumeration of them. For it seems from the word of God that two being joined in service is an ancient custom. God led Israel out of Egypt by the hands of Moses and Aaron. Joshua and Caleb also, united together, appeased the people who had been provoked by the twelve spies. Hence it is said, A brother assisted by a brother is as a fortified city.

St. Basil the Great: At the same time, this implies that if any are equal in spiritual gifts, they should not allow a fondness for their own opinion to overcome them.

St. Gregory the Great: It is rightly added, before his face into every city and place, where he himself would come. For the Lord follows His preachers; preaching comes first, and then the Lord enters the tabernacle of our heart, since it is through the preceding words of exhortation that truth is received into the mind. Hence Isaiah says to the preachers, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight a highway for our God.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Lord had appointed the disciples for the sake of the multitude, who were in need of teachers. For just as our grain fields require many reapers, so the countless company of those who are to believe need many teachers. As it follows, The harvest truly is great.

St. John Chrysostom: But how does He call a work that is only now beginning a “harvest”? The plow has not yet been put down, nor the furrows turned, yet He speaks of harvests. For His disciples might waver and say, “How can we, so few in number, convert the whole world? How can foolish men reform the wise, naked men reform those who are armed, or subjects reform their rulers?”

Lest they be disturbed by such thoughts, He calls the Gospel a harvest, as if to say, “All things are ready. I am sending you to a gathering of fruits already prepared.” You can sow and reap on the same day. Just as the farmer goes out to the harvest rejoicing, so you must go out into the world with much more and greater cheerfulness. For this is the true harvest, which shows that the fields are all prepared for you.

St. Gregory the Great: But it is not without deep sorrow that we add, but the laborers are few. For although there are those who would hear good things, those who should spread them are lacking. Behold, the world is full of priests, but a laborer in God’s harvest is seldom found, because while we do indeed undertake the priestly office, we do not perform its works.

The Venerable Bede: Just as the great harvest is this whole multitude of believers, so the few laborers are the Apostles and their followers who are sent to this harvest.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Just as large fields require many reapers, so also does the multitude of believers in Christ. Hence He adds, Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest. Now, mark that when He said, Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into the harvest, He afterward performed it Himself. He, then, is the Lord of the harvest, and by Him and with Him, God the Father rules over all.

St. John Chrysostom: But He afterward increased them greatly, not by adding to their number, but by awarding them power. He implies that sending laborers into the divine harvest is a great gift, by His saying that the Lord of the harvest must be prayed to for this reason.

St. Gregory the Great: By this, the people must also be encouraged to pray for their pastors, so that they may be able to do what is good for them and that their tongue does not grow lifeless in exhortation. For often, their tongue is tied because of their own wickedness. But just as often, it happens that the word of preaching is withdrawn from their rulers because of the fault of the people.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Luke next relates that the seventy disciples received from Christ apostolic learning, humility, innocence, and righteousness. They were taught to prefer nothing worldly over holy preaching and to aspire to a strength of mind that fears no terrors, not even death itself. He adds, therefore, Go.

St. John Chrysostom: For their comfort in the midst of every danger was the power of Him who sent them. Therefore, He said, Behold, I send you; as if to say, "This will be sufficient for your consolation; this will be enough to give you hope, instead of fearing the coming evils," which He signifies by adding, as lambs among wolves.

Isidore of Pelusium: This denotes the simplicity and innocence of His disciples. For He does not call those who were unruly and violated their nature by their wicked deeds lambs, but goats.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now these animals are hostile to each other, so that one is devoured by the other—the lambs by the wolves. But the good Shepherd has no fear of wolves for His flock. Therefore, the disciples are appointed not to prey upon others, but to impart grace. For the watchfulness of the good Shepherd prevents the wolves from attempting anything against the lambs. He sends them as lambs among wolves so that the prophecy might be fulfilled: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together.

St. John Chrysostom: For this was a clear announcement of a glorious triumph: that the disciples of Christ, when surrounded by their enemies like lambs among wolves, would still convert them.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, He especially gives the name of wolves to the Scribes and Pharisees, who were the religious leaders of the Jews.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Alternatively, heretics are compared to wolves. For wolves are beasts that lie in wait near the sheepfolds and prowl around the shepherds’ cottages. They dare not enter the homes of men; they look for sleeping dogs or absent or negligent shepherds. They seize the sheep by the throat to strangle them quickly.

Wolves are ravenous beasts with bodies so stiff that they cannot easily turn, but are carried along by their own momentum and are thus often deceived. Likewise, because of the inflexibility of their hard and obstinate minds, heretics seldom, if ever, turn from their error. While Christ, the true interpreter of Scripture, foils them, they unleash their violence in vain and are unable to cause harm.

It is said that if wolves see a man first, they, by a certain natural power, steal his voice; but if a man sees them first, they tremble with fear. In the same way, heretics lurk around Christ’s sheepfolds and howl near the cottages at night, for night is the time for the treacherous, who obscure the light of Christ with the mists of false interpretation. If they catch anyone with the subtle trickery of their arguments, they make him spiritually dumb—for a person is dumb who does not confess the Word of God with its proper glory.

Beware, then, that the heretic does not deprive you of your voice, and that you do not fail to detect him first, for he creeps in while his treachery is disguised. But if you have discovered his unholy intentions, you need not fear the loss of your holy voice. They attack the throat and wound the vital organs as they attack the soul. If you hear someone called a priest but know of his predatory actions, he is outwardly a sheep but inwardly a wolf, longing to satisfy his rage with the insatiable cruelty of destroying others.

St. Gregory the Great: For many, when they receive the authority to rule, are aggressive in persecuting their people and displaying the terrors of their power. Lacking deep compassion, their desire is to appear as masters, completely forgetting that they are fathers. They turn an opportunity for humility into a display of their own power.

We must, on the other hand, consider that just as lambs are sent among wolves because they maintain a spirit of innocence, so we should make no malicious attacks. The one who undertakes the office of a preacher ought not to inflict harm on others but to endure it. Although at times righteous zeal may demand that he deal harshly with his people, he should still, in his heart, love with a fatherly affection those whom he outwardly corrects with censure. A ruler sets a good example of this when he never submits his soul to the yoke of earthly desire. Hence, it is added, Carry neither purse nor scrip.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus: The essence of this is that people ought to be so virtuous that the Gospel makes as much progress through their conduct as through their preaching.

St. Gregory the Great: For the preacher of the Gospel ought to have such trust in God that, even though he has not provided for the expenses of this present life, he should be completely convinced that these will not be lacking. This is so that his mind, while occupied with temporal things, does not neglect the spiritual needs of others.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Thus, He had already commanded them to have no anxiety for themselves when He said, I send you as lambs among wolves. He also forbade all concern about things external to the body by saying, Take neither purse nor scrip. Nor did He allow them to take anything with them that was not attached to the body. Hence, He adds, Nor shoes.

He not only forbade them to take a purse and a traveler's bag, but He also did not allow them to be distracted from their work by interruptions, such as greetings on the road. Hence, He adds, Salute no one by the way. This had been said long ago by Elisha. It is as if He said, "Proceed straight to your work without exchanging blessings with others," for it is a loss to waste time on unnecessary things when it is more suitable for preaching.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Our Lord did not forbid these things because the practice of benevolence was displeasing to Him, but because the priority of pursuing devotion was more pleasing.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus: The Lord also gave them these commands for the glory of the word, so that it would not seem that they could be overcome by worldly enticements. He also wished them not to be preoccupied with speaking to others.

St. Gregory the Great: If one wishes to take these words allegorically, the money kept in a purse is hidden wisdom. Therefore, he who has the word of wisdom but neglects to use it for his neighbor is like someone who keeps his money tied up in his purse. The traveler's bag, however, signifies the troubles of the world.

The shoes, made from the skins of dead animals, signify the examples of dead works. Therefore, he who undertakes the office of a preacher ought not to carry the burden of worldly affairs, so that this weight on his neck does not prevent him from rising to preach heavenly things. Nor should he look to the example of sinful works, lest he think to protect his own actions as if with dead skins—that is, lest, because he sees that others have done these things, he imagines that he is also free to do the same.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Our Lord also wants nothing merely human in us. For Moses was commanded to take off his human and earthly shoes when he was sent to deliver the people.

But if anyone is perplexed as to why in Egypt we are ordered to eat the lamb with our shoes on, while the apostles are appointed to preach the Gospel without shoes, he must consider this: a person in Egypt must still beware of the serpent’s bite, for there were many poisonous creatures in Egypt. He who celebrates the Passover in a symbolic way may be exposed to the wound, but the minister of the truth fears no poison.

St. Gregory the Great: Now, anyone who offers a greeting along the road does so as a matter of circumstance, not for the primary purpose of wishing someone well. In the same way, he who preaches salvation to his hearers not out of love for the heavenly country but from seeking a reward is like one who offers a greeting along the way. This is because he desires his hearers' salvation only incidentally, not as his main purpose.

St. John Chrysostom: Peace is the mother of all good things; without it, all other things are useless. Our Lord therefore commanded His disciples, on entering a house, to first pronounce peace as a sign of good things, saying, Into whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house.

St. Ambrose of Milan: This means that we should truly convey the message of peace, and that our very first entrance should be attended with the blessing of peace.

St. John Chrysostom: For this reason, he who presides in the Church gives peace, saying, Peace to all. Now, holy men ask for peace not only in their mutual interactions, but also for the peace that belongs to ourselves. For we often wage war in our hearts and are disturbed even when no one troubles us; bad desires also frequently rise up against us.

Titus of Bostra: But it is said, Peace be to this house—that is, to those who dwell in the house. It is as if he says, “I speak to all, both the great and the small, yet your salutation should not be addressed to those who are unworthy of it.” For this reason, it is added, And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it.

This is as if he says, “You shall indeed utter the word, but the blessing of peace will be applied wherever I deem men worthy of it. But if anyone is not worthy, you are not mocked; the grace of your word has not perished, but is returned to you.” And this is what is added: But if not, it shall return to you again.

St. Gregory the Great: For the peace which is offered by the mouth of the preacher will either rest on the house, if there is anyone in it predestined to life who follows the heavenly word which he hears, or if no one is willing to hear, the preacher himself will not be without fruit. The peace returns to him, as the Lord gives him the recompense for the labor of his work.

But if our peace is received, it is fitting that we should obtain earthly supplies from those to whom we offer the rewards of a heavenly country. Therefore, it follows: And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give. Notice that He who forbade them to carry purse and scrip allows them to be an expense to others and to receive sustenance from their preaching.

St. John Chrysostom: But so that no one might say, “I am spending my own property to prepare a table for strangers,” He first makes them offer the gift of peace, to which nothing is equal, so that you may know that you receive greater things than you give.

Titus of Bostra: Alternatively, since you are not appointed as judges of who is worthy and who is unworthy, eat and drink what they offer you. But leave to me the judgment of those who receive you, unless you happen to know that the son of peace is not there, for in that case you should perhaps depart.

Theophylact of Ohrid: See, then, how He taught His disciples to ask for support, and wished them to receive their nourishment as a reward. For it is added, For the laborer is worthy of his hire.

St. Gregory the Great: For the very food that supports him is part of the laborer’s wages. In this life, the wage begins with the labor of preaching, which in the next life is completed with the sight of truth. We must consider that two rewards are due for our one work: one on the journey, which supports us in our labor, and the other in our heavenly country, which recompenses us at the resurrection.

Therefore, the reward we receive now should work in us in such a way that we strive more vigorously to gain the reward that follows. Every true preacher, then, should not preach in order to receive a reward in the present time, but should receive a reward so that he may have the strength to preach. For whoever preaches in order to receive the reward of praise or riches here deprives himself of an eternal reward.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Another virtue is added: that we should not move about readily, changing from house to house. For it follows, Go not from house to house. This means that we should preserve consistency in our love toward our hosts and not lightly break any bond of friendship.

The Venerable Bede: Now, having described their reception in different houses, He teaches them what they should do in the cities: namely, to associate with the good in all things, but to keep from the society of the wicked in everything. As it follows, But into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Although the provisions may be few and poor, ask for nothing more. He also tells them to work miracles, so their word will draw people to their preaching. Therefore, He adds, And heal the sick that are therein, and say to them, The kingdom of God is come nigh to you.

For if you first heal and then teach, the word will prosper, and people will believe that the kingdom of God has come near. They would not be cured unless by the working of some divine power. But also, when they are healed in their soul, the kingdom of God comes near to them, for it is far from the one over whom sin has dominion.

St. John Chrysostom: Now notice the excellence of the Apostles. They are instructed to say nothing relating to material things, such as Moses and the Prophets spoke of—namely, earthly goods—but certain new and marvelous things: namely, the kingdom of God.

Maximus the Confessor: It is said to have “come near,” not to show the shortness of time (for the kingdom of God comes not with observation), but to indicate the disposition of people toward the kingdom of God. This kingdom is potentially in all believers, but actually in those who reject the life of the body and choose only the spiritual life—those who are able to say, Now I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He next teaches them to shake off the dust from their feet when the people of a city have refused to entertain them, saying, Into whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, shake off the dust.

The Venerable Bede: This is either a testimony to the earthly toil they had endured in vain for them, or it is to show that, far from seeking anything earthly from them, they do not even allow the dust from their land to cling to them.

Alternatively, the feet represent the labor and travel of preaching, while the dust with which they are sprinkled represents the lightness of worldly thoughts, from which even the greatest teachers cannot be free. Those, then, who have despised the teaching turn the labors and dangers of the teachers into a testimony of their own condemnation.

Origen of Alexandria: By wiping off the dust of their feet against them, they in a way say, “The dust of your sins will deservedly come upon you.” And notice that the cities which do not receive the Apostles and sound doctrine have streets, according to Matthew: Broad is the way which leads to destruction.

Theophylact of Ohrid: And just as those who receive the Apostles are said to have the kingdom of God come near to them as a blessing, so those who do not receive them are said to have it come near to them as a curse. Therefore, He adds, Notwithstanding, be you sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh to you. The coming of a king is for punishment to some, but for honor to others. Hence, it is added concerning their punishment, But I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom, etc.

Eusebius of Caesarea: For in the city of Sodom, angels were not without entertainment, as Lot was found worthy to receive them into his house. If, then, at the coming of the disciples into a city, not one person is found to receive them, will that city not be worse than Sodom?

These words persuaded them to boldly attempt the rule of poverty, for there could not be a city or village without some inhabitants acceptable to God. Sodom itself could not exist without a Lot being found in it, at whose departure the whole city was suddenly destroyed.

The Venerable Bede: The men of Sodom, although they were hospitable in the midst of all their wickedness of soul and body, yet no such guests were found among them as the Apostles. Lot was indeed righteous in both seeing and hearing, yet he is not said to have taught or worked miracles.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Our Lord warns us that those who have refused to follow the Gospel will meet with a heavier punishment than those who have chosen to break the law, saying, Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!

The Venerable Bede: Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum—and Tiberias, which John also mentions—are cities of Galilee situated on the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret, which the Evangelists call the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias. Our Lord mourns over these cities because, after such great miracles and wonders, they did not repent. They are worse than the Gentiles, who break only the law of nature, since after despising the written law, they also did not fear to despise the Son of God and His glory.

Therefore, it follows, For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. By sackcloth, which is woven from goat hair, he signifies a sharp remembrance of previous sin. By ashes, he hints at the consideration of death, by which we are reduced to dust. And by sitting down, he implies the humility of our conscience.

We have seen in our own day the Savior’s word fulfilled, since Chorazin and Bethsaida did not believe, even though our Lord was present among them. In contrast, Tyre and Sidon were friendly to both David and Solomon and later believed in the disciples of Christ who preached the Gospel there.

St. John Chrysostom: Our Lord mourns over these cities for our example, because shedding tears and bitter lamentations over those who are unresponsive to grief is a powerful antidote, serving both for the correction of the unresponsive and for the remedy and consolation of those who mourn them.

He draws them toward what is good not only by lamenting over them but also by alarming them. Therefore, it follows, But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. We ought to listen to this as well, for He has passed sentence not on them alone but on us also if we do not receive the guests who come to us, since He commanded His disciples to shake the very dust from their feet.

Elsewhere, when our Lord had performed many mighty works in Capernaum and had lived there Himself, the city seemed to be exalted above the others, but through unbelief, it fell to destruction. Therefore, it follows, And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. This shows that the judgment is in proportion to the honor received.

The Venerable Bede: This sentence allows for two interpretations. The first is that you will be thrust down into hell because you proudly resisted My preaching, meaning that the city could be understood to have raised itself to heaven by its pride.

The second interpretation is that because you are exalted to heaven by My dwelling in you and by My miracles, you will be beaten with more stripes, since you refused to believe even in these. And so that no one would suppose this interpretation applied only to the cities or people who saw the Lord in the flesh and despised Him, and not also to all who now despise the words of the Gospel, He proceeds to add, He who hears you hears me.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: By this He teaches that whatever is said by the holy Apostles must be received, since he who hears them hears Christ. An inevitable punishment, therefore, hangs over heretics who neglect the words of the Apostles, for it follows, and he who despises you despises me.

The Venerable Bede: This means that everyone who hears or despises the preaching of the Gospel should learn that he is not hearing or despising merely the individual preacher, but our Lord and Savior—and even the Father Himself. For it follows, And he who despises me despises him who sent me. For the Master is heard in His disciple, and the Father is honored in His Son.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But if the word of God also reaches us and appoints us to the Apostles’ place, beware of despising us, lest what you have done to us should reach Him.

The Venerable Bede: It may also be understood as follows: He who despises you, despises me—that is, he who does not show mercy to one of the least of My brothers does not show it to Me either. But he who despises me (by refusing to believe in the Son of God) despises him who sent me. For, I and my Father are one.

Titus of Bostra: At the same time, in this He consoles His disciples, as if He were saying, “Do not ask, ‘Why are we about to suffer reproach?’ Let your speech be moderate. I give you grace; the reproaches meant for you fall upon Me.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria: It was said above that our Lord sent out His disciples sealed with the grace of the Holy Spirit. As ministers of preaching, they received power over the unclean spirits. But now, upon their return, they confess the power of Him who honored them, as it is said: And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject to us... They seemed to rejoice more that they were made workers of miracles than that they had become ministers of preaching. But they should have rejoiced more in those whom they had won over, as St. Paul says to those who were called by him, My joy and my crown.

St. Gregory the Great: Now our Lord, in a remarkable way, sought to curb the pride in His disciples' hearts by relating the account of the fall suffered by the teacher of pride. He did this so that they might learn from the example of the author of pride what they should dread from the sin of pride. Thus, He says, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

St. Basil the Great: He is called Satan because he is an enemy to God (for this is what the Hebrew word signifies), but he is called the Devil because he assists us in doing evil and is an accuser. His nature is incorporeal, and his abode is in the air.

The Venerable Bede: He does not say, "I see now," but refers to a past time: "I saw," meaning when Satan fell. By the words as lightning, He signifies either a headlong fall from the highest places to the lowest, or that now, having been cast down, he transforms himself into an angel of light.

Titus of Bostra: He says that He saw it as the Judge, for He knew the sufferings of the spirits. Or, He says as lightning because by nature Satan shone like lightning but became darkness through his own inclinations, since he changed what God made good into evil within himself.

St. Basil the Great: For the heavenly Powers are not naturally holy; rather, they receive their measure of sanctification in proportion to their participation in divine love. As iron placed in the fire does not cease to be iron—even though, by the intense application of the flame, it takes on the effect and appearance of fire—so also the Powers on high have a holiness implanted in them from their participation in that which is inherently holy.

For Satan could not have fallen if he had been by nature incapable of evil.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Alternatively, the words I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven mean a fall from the highest power to the uttermost powerlessness. Before the coming of our Savior, he had subdued the world to himself and was worshiped by all people. But when the only-begotten Word of God came down from heaven, he fell like lightning, since he is now trodden underfoot by those who worship Christ. As it follows: Behold, I give you power to tread upon serpents...

Titus of Bostra: Indeed, serpents once figuratively bit the Jews and killed them because of their unbelief. But One came who would destroy those serpents—namely, the Brazen Serpent, who is the Crucified One—so that if anyone looked on Him in faith, he would be healed from his wounds and saved.

St. John Chrysostom: Then, so that we would not suppose this was spoken of literal beasts, He added, And over all the power of the enemy.

The Venerable Bede: That is, "I give you the power to cast out every kind of unclean spirit from the bodies they possess." And concerning the disciples themselves, He adds, And nothing shall by any means hurt you. This can also be taken literally. For Paul suffered no injury when attacked by a viper, and tradition says John was not harmed by drinking poison.

But I think there is this difference between serpents, which bite with their teeth, and scorpions, which sting with their tails: serpents signify men or spirits who rage openly, while scorpions signify those who plot in secret. Or, serpents are those who poison virtues at their beginning with evil persuasion, while scorpions are those who seek to corrupt virtues that have been brought to perfection.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, serpents are those that hurt visibly, such as the evil spirits that tempt to adultery and murder. But scorpions are those that injure invisibly, such as in the sins of the spirit.

Gregory of Nyssa: Pleasure is called a serpent in Scripture. By its nature, if a serpent can get its head through an opening, it drags its whole body after it. In the same way, nature has given humanity the necessities of life. But through these necessities, pleasure assaults the heart and perverts it toward the indulgence of excessive adornment.

In addition, it brings covetousness in its wake, which is followed by lust—the very tail of the beast. And just as it is impossible to pull a serpent back by its tail, so too we cannot remove pleasure by starting with its final expression, unless we have first closed the initial entrance to evil.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria: But now, through the power of Christ, young men mock the pleasure that formerly led the aged astray, and virgins steadfastly trample on the desires of serpent-like pleasure. Some also tread upon the very sting of the scorpion—that is, of the devil—which is death; not fearing destruction, they become witnesses of the Word. Many, giving up earthly things, walk with a free step in heaven, not dreading the prince of the air.

Titus of Bostra: But because the joy He saw them expressing savored of vainglory—for they rejoiced that they were, so to speak, exalted and a terror to men and evil spirits—our Lord therefore adds, Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you...

The Venerable Bede: They are forbidden to rejoice in the subjection of the spirits, since they themselves were flesh. For casting out spirits and exercising other powers is sometimes not because of the merit of the one who performs the miracle, but is accomplished through the invocation of Christ's name, either for the condemnation of those who mock it or for the benefit of those who see and hear.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Why, O Lord, do You not permit people to rejoice in the honors You confer, since it is written, In your name shall they rejoice all the day? But the Lord lifts them up to greater joys. Thus, He adds, But rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

The Venerable Bede: It is as if He said, "You should rejoice not in the defeat of evil spirits, but in your own exaltation." But we should understand that when a person does either heavenly or earthly works, he is thereby, as if recorded by name, forever fixed in the memory of God.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For the names of the saints are written in the book of life not with ink, but in the memory and grace of God. Indeed, the devil fell from above; but human beings, who are from below, have their names inscribed above in heaven.

St. Basil the Great: There are some who are written not in the book of life but, according to Jeremiah, "in the earth," so that there is a kind of double enrollment: one to life, and the other to destruction. But since it is said, Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, this is spoken of those who were once considered worthy to be written in the book of God. In this way, a name is said to be written down or blotted out when we turn from virtue to sin, or from sin back to virtue.