Church Fathers Commentary Luke 12

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Pharisees indeed sought to trap Jesus in His words, so that they might lead the people away from Him. But this plan of theirs was reversed, for the people came to Him all the more. They gathered by the thousands and were so eager to follow Christ that they were stepping on one another. Truth is so mighty, and deceit is so feeble everywhere. This is why it is said that when a great multitude had gathered, so much that they were stepping on one another, He began to say to His disciples, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For they were false accusers; therefore Christ warned His disciples against them.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus: When leaven is praised, it is for composing the bread of life, but when it is blamed, it signifies a lasting and bitter maliciousness.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He calls their hypocrisy leaven because it perverts and corrupts the intentions of those in whom it arises. For nothing changes the characters of men as much as hypocrisy.

The Venerable Bede: For as a little leaven leavens a whole lump of dough, so hypocrisy will rob the mind of all the purity and integrity of its virtues.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Our Lord has introduced a very powerful argument for preserving simplicity and being zealous for the faith. We should not, in the manner of the faithless, practice one thing while pretending another in our words.

The argument is this: on the last day, our hidden thoughts—which accuse or else excuse one another—will be seen, revealing the secrets of our minds. This is why it is added, There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.

Origen of Alexandria: He says this, then, either concerning the time when God will judge the secrets of men, or because no matter how much someone may try to hide another's good deeds by discrediting them, good, by its very nature, cannot be concealed.

St. John Chrysostom: It is as if He says to His disciples: "Although some now call you deceivers and sorcerers, time will reveal all things and convict them of slander, while making your virtue known. Therefore, whatever I have spoken to you in the small corner of Palestine, proclaim these things boldly to the whole world, with confidence and casting away all fear." And for this reason He adds, Whatever you have spoken in darkness will be heard in the light.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, He says this because all the things the Apostles spoke and suffered in the past, amid the darkness of oppression and the gloom of prison, are now publicly proclaimed, since the Church is known throughout the world and their acts are read.

The words, shall be proclaimed on the housetops, are spoken according to the custom in Palestine, where people were accustomed to live on flat rooftops. Their roofs were not pointed like ours, but were flat and level. Therefore, He says proclaimed on the housetops to mean spoken openly for all to hear.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, this is addressed to the Pharisees, as if He were saying: "O Pharisees, what you have spoken in darkness—that is, all your efforts to tempt Me in the secrets of your hearts—will be heard in the light, for I am the light, and in My light whatever your darkness devises will be known. And what you have spoken in the ear and in private rooms—that is, whatever you have whispered into one another’s ears—will be proclaimed on the housetops, because it was as audible to Me as if it had been cried aloud from the rooftops."

In this you may also understand that the "light" is the Gospel, and the "housetop" represents the lofty souls of the Apostles. Thus, whatever the Pharisees plotted together was later revealed and heard in the light of the Gospel, with the great Herald, the Holy Spirit, presiding over the souls of the Apostles.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Unbelief springs from two causes: either from deep-seated malice or from sudden fear. To prevent anyone from being compelled by terror to deny the God he acknowledges in his heart, Christ rightly adds, And I say to you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and so on.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: This teaching does not seem to apply to absolutely everyone, but only to those who love God with their whole heart—those who can rightly say, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Those who are not like this are unstable and ready to fall. Moreover, our Lord says, Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. How, then, can it be anything but ungrateful to Christ not to repay Him for what we have received?

St. Ambrose of Milan: He also tells us that a death is not to be feared when, in exchange for it, immortality is purchased at a far more valuable rate.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: We must, then, consider that crowns and honors are prepared for the labors of those on whom people continually vent their indignation. For them, the death of the body is the end of their persecutions. This is why He adds, And after that have no more that they can do.

The Venerable Bede: The rage of those who cast the lifeless limbs of martyrs to be torn apart by wild beasts and birds is nothing but useless raving, since they can in no way prevent the omnipotence of God from reviving them and bringing them to life again.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe how our Lord makes His disciples superior to all by exhorting them to despise the very death that is terrible to everyone. At the same time, He also brings them proof of the soul's immortality, adding, I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: fear him, which after he has killed has power to cast into hell.

St. Ambrose of Milan: For our natural death is not the end of punishment. Therefore, He concludes that while death is the end of bodily punishment, the punishment of the soul is everlasting. God alone is to be feared—He to whose power nature sets no limits, but is itself subject—adding, Yes, I say to you, Fear him.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Observe here that death is sent upon sinners as a punishment, since they are tormented by destruction in this life and afterward cast down into hell. But if you examine the words closely, you will understand something further. For He does not say, “who casts into hell,” but who “has power to cast.” Not everyone who dies in sin is immediately cast down into hell; sometimes a pardon is given because of the offerings and prayers made for the dead.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Our Lord, then, had instilled the virtue of simplicity and awakened a courageous spirit. Only their faith was wavering, and He rightly strengthened it by adding, with respect to things of lesser value, Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? It is as if He said, "If God does not forget the sparrows, how can He forget a human being?"

The Venerable Bede: The dipondius is a coin of the lightest weight, equal to two asses.

Glossa Ordinaria: Now, that which is one in number is an ass in weight, but that which is two is a dipondius.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But perhaps someone will ask, "How is it that the Apostle asks, Does the Lord care for oxen?" An ox, after all, is of more value than a sparrow. But to care for something is one thing, and to have knowledge of it is another.

Origen of Alexandria: Literally, this signifies the swiftness of divine foresight, which reaches even to the smallest things. Mystically, however, the five sparrows rightly represent the spiritual senses, which perceive high and heavenly things: beholding God, hearing the divine voice, tasting the bread of life, smelling the perfume of Christ’s anointing, and handling the Word of Life.

These senses, being sold for two farthings—that is, being held in low esteem by those who consider everything of the Spirit to be perishable—are not forgotten before God. In contrast, God is said to be forgetful of some people because of their iniquities.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, these five senses are sold for two farthings—that is, for the Old and New Testaments—and are therefore not forgotten by God. The Lord is always mindful of those whose senses are surrendered to the word of life so that they may be ready for spiritual food.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Alternatively, a good sparrow is one that nature has equipped with the power of flight. Nature has given us the grace to fly, but pleasure has taken it away, burdening the soul of the wicked with worldly things and shaping it into something carnal and earthbound. The five senses of the body, then, if they seek the nourishment of base earthly things, cannot fly back to the fruits of higher actions.

A bad sparrow, therefore, is one that has lost its ability to fly through the fault of grovelling in earthly things. Such are the sparrows sold for two farthings—that is, at the price of worldly luxury. For the enemy offers his captive slaves, so to speak, at the very lowest price. But the Lord, the rightful judge of His own work, has redeemed us, His noble servants whom He made in His own image, at a great price.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: It is His concern, then, to know the life of the saints diligently. This is why it follows, But the hairs of your heads are all numbered. By this He means that He has the most accurate knowledge of all things that relate to them, for the act of numbering reveals the meticulous nature of the care He exercises.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Lastly, the numbering of the hairs should not be understood as a literal act of counting, but as a sign of God's capacity for knowing. Yet it is right to say they are numbered, because we count the things we wish to preserve.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Mystically, a person's head is their understanding, and the hairs are their thoughts, which are all open to the eye of God.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, by the head of each of the faithful, you must understand a manner of life worthy of Christ, and by the hair, the works of bodily mortification, which are numbered by God and are worthy of divine regard.

St. Ambrose of Milan: If, then, such is the majesty of God that not even a single sparrow or the number of our hairs is outside His knowledge, how unworthy it is to suppose that the Lord is either ignorant of the hearts of the faithful or despises them enough to consider them of lesser value. Therefore, He concludes, Fear not then, you are of more value than many sparrows.

The Venerable Bede: We must not read this as "you are more numerous," which relates to a comparison of number, but as "you are of more value," which means you are of greater esteem in the sight of God.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria: Now I ask the Arians: if God, as if disdaining to create all other things, made only His Son and delegated all else to Him, how is it that He extends His providence to such trivial things as our hair and the sparrows? For whatever things God exercises His providence over, He is also their Creator by His own Word.

The Venerable Bede: It was said above that every hidden work and word will be revealed, but He now declares that this revelation is to take place in the presence of the heavenly city and the eternal Judge and King, saying, But I say to you, Whoever shall confess me, etc.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He has also well introduced faith, stimulating us to its confession, and to faith itself He has placed virtue as a foundation. For as faith is the incentive to fortitude, so fortitude is the strong support of faith.

St. John Chrysostom: The Lord is not then content with an inward faith, but requires an outward confession, urging us to confidence and greater love. And since this is useful for all, He speaks generally, saying, Whoever shall confess me, etc.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now Paul says, If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. The whole mystery of Christ is conveyed in these words.

For we must first confess that the Word born of God the Father—that is, the only-begotten Son of His substance—is Lord of all. He is not one who had gained His Lordship from without and by stealth, but who is in truth by His nature Lord, just as the Father is.

Next, we must confess that God raised Him from the dead, who was Himself truly made man and suffered in the flesh for us; for as such He rose from the dead. Whoever then will so confess Christ before men, namely, as God and the Lord, Christ will confess him before the angels of God at that time when He will descend with the holy angels in the glory of His Father at the end of the world.

Eusebius of Caesarea: But what will be more glorious than to have the only-begotten Word of God Himself bear witness on our behalf at the divine judgment, and by His own love to draw forth—as a recompense for confession—a declaration upon that soul to whom He bears witness? For He will give His testimony not as one abiding outside the person to whom He bears witness, but as one dwelling in them and filling them with light.

But having confirmed them with good hope by such great promises, He again rouses them by more alarming threats, saying, But he that denies me before men, shall be denied before the Angels of God.

St. John Chrysostom: In condemnation a greater punishment is announced, and in blessing a greater reward, as if He said, "Now you confess and deny, but I will do so then, for a far greater recompense of good and evil awaits them in the world to come."

Eusebius of Caesarea: He rightly declares this threat so that no one should refuse to confess Him because of the punishment. This punishment is to be denied by the Son of God, to be disowned by Wisdom, to fall away from life, to be deprived of light, and to lose every blessing—and to suffer all these things before God the Father who is in heaven, and the Angels of God.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now, those who deny are, first, those who in a time of persecution renounce the faith. Besides these, there are also heretical teachers and their disciples.

St. John Chrysostom: There are other ways of denying as well, which St. Paul describes, saying, They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him. And again, If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. Also, flee from covetousness, which is idolatry.

Since, then, there are so many ways of denial, it is plain that there are also many ways of confession. Whoever has practiced these will hear that most blessed voice with which Christ greets all who have confessed Him.

But mark the care in the wording. For in the Greek he says, Whoever shall confess in Me, showing that a person confesses Christ not by his own strength, but by the aid of grace from above. But of him who denies, He said not "in Me," but "me." For although he denies while being destitute of grace, he is nevertheless condemned, because the destitution is his own fault, or he is forsaken for his own fault.

The Venerable Bede: But lest from what He says—that those who have denied Him will be denied—it should be supposed that the condition of all was alike (that is, both of those who deny deliberately and those who deny from infirmity or ignorance), He immediately added, And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But if our Savior means to imply that if we speak an injurious word against a common man, we will obtain pardon if we repent, then there is no difficulty in the passage. For since God is by nature merciful, He restores those who are willing to repent. But if the words are referred to Christ, how is someone who speaks a word against Him not to be condemned?

St. Ambrose of Milan: Truly, by the Son of Man we understand Christ, who by the Holy Spirit was born of a virgin, seeing that His only parent on earth is the Virgin. What then? Is the Holy Spirit greater than Christ, that those who sin against Christ should obtain pardon, while those who offend against the Holy Spirit are not thought worthy to obtain it? But where there is unity of power, there is no question of comparison.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria: The ancients indeed, the learned Origen and the great Theognostus, describe the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as when those who have been counted worthy of the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism fall back into sin. For they say that for this reason they cannot obtain pardon, as Paul says, It is impossible for those who have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost to renew them again, etc.

But each adds his own explanation. Origen gives this as his reason: God the Father indeed penetrates and contains all things, but the power of the Son extends to rational things only; the Holy Spirit is only in those who partake of Him in the gift of Baptism. When, then, catechumens and heathens sin, they sin against the Son who abides in them, yet they may obtain pardon when they become worthy of the gift of regeneration. But when the baptized commit sin, he says that their offense touches the Spirit, after whose coming they have sinned, and therefore their condemnation must be irrevocable.

But Theognostus says that he who has gone beyond both the first and second threshold deserves less punishment, but he who has also passed the third will no longer receive pardon. By the first and second threshold, he means the doctrine of the Father and the Son, but by the third, the partaking of the Holy Spirit. According to St. John, When the Spirit of truth is come, he will lead you into all truth. This is not as though the doctrine of the Spirit was above that of the Son, but because the Son condescends to those who are imperfect, while the Spirit is the seal of those who are perfect.

If, then, blasphemy against the Spirit is unpardonable not because the Spirit is above the Son, but because remission of sin is for the imperfect while no excuse remains for the perfect, it follows that since the Son is in the Father, He is in those from whom the Father and the Spirit are not absent, for the Holy Trinity cannot be divided. Besides this, if all things were made by the Son and all things consist in Him, He will Himself be truly in all, so that it must necessarily be that he who sins against the Son sins against the Father and the Holy Spirit also.

Holy Baptism is given in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, those who sin after baptism commit blasphemy against the Holy Trinity. But if the Pharisees had not received baptism, how did He condemn them for having spoken blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, of whom they were not yet partakers? This is especially puzzling since He did not accuse them simply of sin, but of blasphemy. These two differ, for someone who sins transgresses the Law, but someone who blasphemes offends against the Deity Himself.

Furthermore, if there is no remission for offenses committed after baptism, how does the Apostle pardon the penitent at Corinth? And how does he travail in birth over the backsliding Galatians until Christ is formed in them again? And why do we oppose Novatus, who does away with repentance after baptism? The Apostle to the Hebrews does not reject the repentance of sinners in this way. Rather, lest they should suppose that, like the rites of the Law, there could be many daily baptisms under the veil of repentance, he warns them to repent but tells them that there could be only one renewal, namely, by Baptism.

With these considerations, I return to the dispensation which is in Christ, who, being God, was made man. As very God, He raised the dead; as clothed with the flesh, He thirsted, labored, and suffered. When anyone, then, looking to His human aspects, sees the Lord thirsty or suffering and speaks against the Savior as if against a man, they sin indeed, yet may speedily receive pardon on repentance, alleging as an excuse the weakness of His body.

And again, when anyone, beholding the works of His Deity, doubts the nature of His body, they also sin grievously. But these too, if they repent, may be quickly pardoned, seeing that they have an excuse in the greatness of the works. But when they attribute the works of God to the Devil, they justly undergo the irrevocable sentence, because they have judged God to be the Devil, and the true God to have nothing more in His works than the evil spirits.

To this unbelief, then, the Pharisees had come. For when the Savior manifested the works of the Father—raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, and deeds such as these—they said that these were the works of Beelzebub. They might as well say, looking at the order of the world and the providence exercised over it, that the world was created by Beelzebub.

As long as they erred in knowledge regarding His human aspects, saying, Is not this the carpenter’s son? and, How does this man know things which he never learned?, He endured them as sinning against the Son of Man. But when they grew more furious, saying that the works of God are the works of Beelzebub, He no longer endured them. In the same way, He also endured their fathers as long as their murmurings were for bread and water. But when they made a calf and imputed to it the divine mercies they had received, they were punished. At first, multitudes of them were slain; afterward, He said, Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.

Such, then, is the sentence passed upon the Pharisees: that in the flame prepared for the devil, they shall be consumed with him everlastingly. He did not say these things, then, to make a comparison between a blasphemy spoken against Himself and one against the Holy Spirit, as if the Spirit were greater. Rather, with each blasphemy being uttered against Him, He shows that one is greater and the other is less. For in looking at Him as a man, they reviled Him, and they also said that His works were those of Beelzebub.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Thus, it is thought by some that we should believe both the Son and the Holy Spirit to be the same Christ—preserving the distinction of Persons with the unity of the substance. This is because Christ, who is both God and man, is one Spirit, as it is written, The Spirit before our face, Christ the Lord. This same Spirit is holy, for the Father is holy, the Son is holy, and the Spirit is holy. If, then, Christ is each, what difference is there, except that we know it is not lawful for us to deny the divinity of Christ?

The Venerable Bede: Or else: whoever said that the works of the Holy Spirit are those of Beelzebub, it will not be forgiven him, either in this world or in the world to come. This is not to deny that if he could come to repentance, he could be forgiven by God. Rather, we believe that such a blasphemer, by the necessity of what he deserves, would never come to forgiveness, and therefore would never come to the fruits of a worthy repentance. This is according to the scripture, He has blinded their eyes, so that they should not be converted, and I should heal them.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But if the Holy Spirit were a creature, and not of the divine substance of the Father and the Son, how does an injury committed against Him entail so great a punishment as is denounced against those who blaspheme against God?

The Venerable Bede: Nor, however, are all those who say that the Spirit is not holy, or is not God, but is inferior to the Father and the Son, involved in the crime of unpardonable blasphemy, because they are led to do it through human ignorance, not a demonic hatred, as the rulers of the Jews were.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, if it were said here, "Who has spoken any blasphemy whatever against the Holy Spirit," we ought then to understand "all blasphemy." But because it was said, "who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit," it should be understood of someone who has blasphemed not just in any way, but in a manner that can never be pardoned. For so when it was said, The Lord tempts no man, that is not spoken of every kind of temptation, but only of a certain kind.

Now let us see what that kind of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is. The first blessing of believers is the forgiveness of sins in the Holy Spirit. The impenitent heart speaks against this free gift. Impenitence itself, therefore, is blasphemy against the Spirit, which is forgiven neither in this world nor in the world to come, for repentance gains that forgiveness in this world which will avail in the world to come.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But the Lord, after having inspired such great fear and prepared people to resist those who depart from a right confession, then commanded them not to worry about what they should answer. For those who are faithfully disposed, the Holy Spirit, as their teacher dwelling within them, frames fitting words. From this it follows: And when they shall bring you into synagogues, take no thought how or what you shall answer.

Glossa Ordinaria: Now he says "how" with respect to the manner of speaking, and "what" with respect to the matter of intention: how you shall answer those who ask, or what you shall say to those who wish to learn.

The Venerable Bede: For when we are led before judges for Christ’s sake, we ought to offer only our will for Christ, but in answering, the Holy Spirit will supply His grace, as it is added, For the Holy Spirit will teach you, etc.

St. John Chrysostom: But elsewhere it is said, Be ready to answer every one who shall ask you for a reason of the hope that is in you. When a contest or strife arises among friends, He bids us to think carefully, but when there are the terrors of a court of justice and fear on every side, He gives His own strength so as to inspire boldness and utterance, not dismay.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Since, then, our weakness is twofold—either we shun martyrdom from fear of punishment, or we cannot give a reason for our faith because we are ignorant—He has excluded both. He excluded the fear of punishment when He said, Fear not them which kill the body, and the fear of ignorance when He said, Take no thought how or what you shall answer, etc.

St. Ambrose of Milan: The entire preceding passage is given to prepare us to endure suffering for confessing the Lord, to have contempt for death, to hope for our reward, or to announce the punishment that will await the one to whom pardon will never be granted. And since covetousness is generally inclined to test virtue, a precept and an example are also added to destroy it, as it is said, And one of the company said to him, Speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Since these two brothers were arguing about the division of their father's inheritance, it follows that one intended to defraud the other. But our Lord teaches us that we should not be focused on earthly things, and He rebukes the one who called Him to divide the inheritance, as it follows: And he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

The Venerable Bede: He who wishes to impose the trouble of dividing lands upon the Master, who is praising the joys of heavenly peace, is rightly called “man,” according to the scripture: whereas there is envying, strife, and divisions among you, are you not men?

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now the Son of God, when He was made like us, was appointed by God the Father to be King and Prince on His holy Mount of Zion, to make known the Divine command.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He rightly avoids earthly things, having descended for the sake of divine things. He does not deign to be a judge of disputes or an arbiter of laws, since He holds the judgment of the quick and the dead and the power to recompense our works. You should consider, then, not what you seek, but from whom you ask it; and you should not rashly assume that greater matters are to be disturbed by lesser ones.

This brother, therefore, is deservedly disappointed for desiring to occupy the Steward of heavenly things with corruptible matters. Among brothers, no judge should have to intervene; natural affection should be the arbiter to divide the inheritance. And in truth, immortality, not riches, should be the inheritance for which people wait.

The Venerable Bede: He takes the opportunity of this foolish petitioner to strengthen both the crowds and His disciples with a precept and example against the plague of covetousness. This is why it follows, He said to them, Take heed, and beware of all covetousness. He says “of all” because some actions may seem to be done honestly, but the internal judge decides the intention with which they are done.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Or, He says “of all covetousness,” meaning both great and small. For covetousness is futile, as the Lord says, You shall build houses of hewn stone, and shall not dwell in them. And elsewhere, Yes, ten acres of vineyards shall yield one bath, and the seed of a homer shall yield an ephah. But it is also futile in another way, as He shows by adding, For a man’s life consists not in the abundance, etc.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Our Lord says this to rebuke the motives of the covetous, who seem to accumulate riches as if they were going to live for a long time. But will wealth ever make you live longer? Why then do you so clearly endure hardships for the sake of an uncertain future? For it is doubtful whether you will even reach the old age for which you are collecting treasures.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Having said that a person's life is not extended by an abundance of wealth, He adds a parable to encourage belief in this, as it follows: And he spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.”

St. Basil the Great: He was not about to reap any good from his plentiful fruits, but this happened so that the mercy of God might appear all the more, which extends its goodness even to the wicked, sending down His rain upon the just and the unjust. But with what does this man repay his Benefactor? He did not remember his fellow human beings, nor did he consider that he ought to give from his surplus to the needy. His barns were bursting from the abundance of his stores, yet his greedy mind was by no means satisfied.

He was unwilling to make do with his old barns because of his covetousness, and he was unable to undertake building new ones because of the sheer quantity, for his plans were imperfect and his anxiety was fruitless. Hence it follows, And he thought. His complaint is like that of the poor. Does not the person oppressed with want say, “What shall I do? From where can I get food? From where can I get clothing?” The rich man utters such things as well. His mind is distressed because his fruits are pouring out from his storehouses, for fear that when they are brought out they might profit the poor—like the glutton who would rather burst from eating than give any of what remains to the starving.

St. Gregory the Great: Oh, the adversity that is born from plenty! For in saying, “What shall I do?” he surely indicates that, oppressed by the success of his wishes, he labors, as it were, under a load of goods.

St. Basil the Great: It was easy for him to say, “I will open my barn; I will call together the needy.” But he has no thought of want, only of amassing. For it follows, And he said, “This I will do: I will pull down my barns.” You do well, for the storehouses of iniquity are worthy of destruction. Pull down your barns, from which no one receives comfort. He adds, “and build greater ones.” But if you complete these, will you again destroy them? What is more foolish than laboring on forever? Your barns, if you wish, are the homes of the poor.

But you will say, “Whom do I wrong by keeping what is my own?” For it also follows, “And there I will bestow all my fruits and my goods.” Tell me, what is yours? From where did you get it and bring it into life? Just as someone who gets to the public games early injures those who are coming later by appropriating for himself what is meant for common use, so also do the rich who regard as their own the common things which they have acquired first. For if everyone, upon receiving what is sufficient for his own needs, would leave what remains to the needy, there would be no rich or poor.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Observe also in another respect the folly of his words, when he says, “I will gather all my fruits,” as if he thought that he had not obtained them from God, but that they were the fruits of his own labors.

St. Basil the Great: But if you confess that these things have come to you from God, is God then unjust in distributing to us unequally? Why do you have an abundance while another begs? Is it not so that you might gain the rewards of good stewardship, and the other be honored with the reward of patience? Are you not then a robber for counting as your own what you have received to distribute? It is the bread of the famished that you hoard, the garment of the naked that you keep in your chest, the shoe of the barefooted that rots in your possession, the money of the penniless that you have buried in the earth. Why then do you injure so many whom you might have helped?

St. John Chrysostom: But in this he errs: he thinks those things are good which are, in fact, neutral. For some things are good, some are evil, and some are in between. The good things are chastity, humility, and the like; when a person chooses these, he becomes good. Opposed to these are the evil things; when a person chooses these, he becomes bad.

And then there are the neutral things, like riches, which at one time are directed toward good, as in almsgiving, and at other times toward evil, as in covetousness. In the same way, poverty at one time leads to blasphemy and at another to wisdom, according to the disposition of the one who experiences it.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The rich man, then, builds barns that do not last but decay. And what is still more foolish, he counts on a long life for himself, for it follows, And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years.” But, O rich man, you do indeed have fruits in your barns, but as for many years—from where can you obtain them?

St. Athanasius of Alexandria: Now if anyone lives so as to die daily, seeing that our life is naturally uncertain, he will not sin, for a greater fear destroys a great deal of pleasure. But the rich man, on the contrary, promising himself a long life, seeks after pleasures, for he says, “Rest,” that is, from toil; “eat, drink, and be merry,” that is, with great luxury.

St. Basil the Great: You are so careless with respect to the goods of the soul that you attribute the food of the body to the soul. If the soul has virtue, if it is fruitful in good works, if it clings to God, then it possesses many goods and rejoices with a worthy joy. But because you are entirely carnal and subject to the passions, you speak from your belly, not from your soul.

St. John Chrysostom: We should not indulge in delights that, by fattening the body, make the soul lean. Such pleasures bring a heavy burden upon the soul, spreading darkness and a thick covering over it, because in pleasure our governing part, the soul, becomes the slave, while the subject part, the body, rules. But the body needs not luxuries but food, so that it may be nourished, not so that it may be strained and waste away. For pleasures are hurtful not only to the soul but to the body itself, because a strong body becomes weak, a healthy one diseased, an active one slothful, a beautiful one unshapely, and a youthful one old.

St. Basil the Great: But he was permitted to deliberate in everything and to reveal his purpose, so that he might receive a sentence such as his inclinations deserved. Yet while he speaks in secret, his words are weighed in heaven, from where the answer comes to him. For it follows, But God said to him, “You fool, this night your soul will be required of you.” Hear the name of “fool,” which most properly belongs to you—a name which no man has imposed, but God Himself.

St. Gregory the Great: The same night he was taken away, who had expected many years, so that he who, in gathering stores for himself, had looked far into the future, would not see even the next day.

St. John Chrysostom: “They will require your soul from you.” Perhaps certain dreadful powers were sent to require it. For if, when going from city to city, we need a guide, how much more will the soul need direction when it is released from the body and passes into the future life. On this account, the soul often rises and sinks again when it ought to depart from the body, for the consciousness of our sins is always pricking us, but most of all when we are about to be dragged before the awful tribunal.

When the whole accumulation of our crimes is brought up again and placed before our eyes, it astounds the mind. And just as prisoners are always sorrowful, but particularly at the time when they are about to be brought before the judge, so also the soul at this time is greatly tormented and afflicted by sin, but much more so after it has been removed from the body.

St. Gregory the Great: The soul was taken away in the night, for it had gone out in the darkness of its heart, being unwilling to have the light of reflection so as to foresee what it might suffer. But He adds, “Then whose will those things be which you have provided?”

St. John Chrysostom: For you will leave those things here, and not only reap no advantage from them, but you will carry a load of sins upon your own shoulders. And these things which you have laid up will for the most part fall into the hands of your enemies, but an account of them will be required of you. It follows, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

The Venerable Bede: For such a person is a fool and will be taken away in the night. He, then, who wishes to be rich toward God will not lay up treasures for himself but will distribute his possessions to the poor.

St. Ambrose of Milan: For he amasses wealth in vain who does not know how to use it. Nor are those things ours which we cannot take away with us. Virtue alone is the companion of the dead; mercy alone follows us, which gains for the dead an everlasting dwelling.