Church Fathers Commentary Luke 12:35-40

"Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, and if in the third, and find [them] so blessed are those [servants]. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not have left his house to be broken through. Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh." — Luke 12:35-40 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: Having taught His disciples moderation and freed them from all the cares and conceits of this life, our Lord now leads them to service and obedience, saying, Let your loins be girded. This means you should always be ready to do the work of your Lord. And with your lamps burning, you should not lead a life in darkness, but have the light of reason with you, showing you what to do and what to avoid.

This world is the night, and those who have their loins girded are those who follow a practical or active life. This is the condition of servants, who must also have their lamps burning—that is, the gift of discernment. This gift enables the active person to distinguish not only what they ought to do, but how they ought to do it; otherwise, people rush down the precipice of pride.

We must observe that He first orders our loins to be girded, and second, our lamps to be burning. For action comes first, and then reflection, which enlightens the mind. Let us therefore strive to exercise the virtues so that we may have two lamps burning: the conception of the mind, which shines forth in the soul to enlighten us, and learning, by which we enlighten others.

St. Maximus the Confessor: Alternatively, He teaches us to keep our lamps burning through prayer, contemplation, and spiritual love.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Alternatively, to be girded signifies activity and a readiness to undergo evils out of regard for divine love. The burning lamp, however, signifies that we should not allow anyone to live in the darkness of ignorance.

St. Gregory the Great: Or, we gird our loins when we control the lusts of the flesh through continence. For lust is located in the loins of men and in the womb of women; therefore, by the word "loins," which refers to the principal sex, lust is signified. But since it is a small thing merely to avoid evil unless one also strives to perform good works, the text adds, And your lamps burning in your hands. We hold burning lamps in our hands when, by our good works, we show bright examples to our neighbors.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, He also teaches us to gird our loins to keep ourselves from loving the things of this world, and to have our lamps burning so that this may be done with a true purpose and right intention.

St. Gregory the Great: But if a person has both of these, whoever they may be, nothing remains for them but to place their entire expectation on the coming of the Redeemer. Therefore, it is added, And be you like men who wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding, and so on. For our Lord went to the wedding when, ascending into heaven as the Bridegroom, He joined the heavenly multitude of angels to Himself.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Daily in the heavens, He also betroths the souls of the saints, whom Paul or another offers to Him as a chaste virgin. He returns from the celebration of this heavenly marriage—perhaps to everyone at the end of the world, when He will come from heaven in the glory of the Father, or perhaps at any hour, standing suddenly present at the death of each individual.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now, consider that He comes from the wedding as if from a festival, one that God is always keeping, for nothing can cause sadness to the Incorruptible Nature.

Gregory of Nyssa: Alternatively, when the wedding was celebrated and the Church was received into the secret bridal chamber, the angels were expecting the King's return to His own natural blessedness. Following their example, we should order our lives so that, just as they live together without evil and are prepared to welcome their Lord’s return, we also, by keeping watch at the door, should make ourselves ready to obey Him when He comes knocking. For it follows, that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately.

St. Gregory the Great: For He comes when He hastens to judgment, but He knocks when, by the pain of sickness, He indicates that death is near. We open to Him immediately if we receive Him with love. The person who trembles to depart from the body has no desire to open to the knocking Judge and dreads seeing the very Judge whom he remembers despising. But the one who rests secure in his hope and works opens immediately to the one who knocks. When he becomes aware that the time of death is drawing near, he grows joyful because of the glory of his reward. Hence, it is added, Blessed are the servants whom the Lord when he comes shall find watching.

A person is watching who keeps the eyes of his mind open to behold the true light, who maintains by his works what he beholds, and who drives from himself the darkness of sloth and carelessness.

Gregory of Nyssa: For the sake of keeping watch, then, our Lord advised above that our loins should be girded and our lamps burning, because light placed before the eyes drives away sleep. Likewise, the loins, when tied with a girdle, make the body incapable of sleep. For the one who is girded with chastity and illuminated by a pure conscience remains watchful.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Therefore, when our Lord comes and finds us awake and girded, with our hearts enlightened, He will pronounce us blessed. For it follows, Verily I say to you, that he shall gird himself. From this, we perceive that He will repay us in a similar manner, seeing that He will gird Himself with those who are girded.

Origen of Alexandria: For He will be girded about His loins with righteousness.

St. Gregory the Great: By this He girds Himself; that is, He prepares for judgment.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, He will gird Himself in the sense that He does not impart the whole fullness of His blessings, but confines it within a certain measure. For who can comprehend how great God is? Therefore, the Seraphim are said to veil their faces because of the excellence of the divine brightness. It follows, and will make them to sit down. For just as a person sitting down causes their whole body to rest, so in the future coming, the saints will have complete rest. Here on earth, they do not have rest for the body, but there, their spiritual bodies, partaking of immortality, will rejoice in perfect rest along with their souls.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: He will then make them sit down as a refreshment for the weary, setting before them spiritual enjoyments and preparing a sumptuous table of His gifts.

St. Dionysius of Alexandria: The "sitting down" is understood to be repose from many labors, a life without annoyance, the divine fellowship of those who dwell in the region of light enriched with all holy affections, and an abundant outpouring of all gifts, by which they are filled with joy. The reason Jesus makes them sit down is so that He might give them perpetual rest and distribute to them blessings without number. Therefore, it follows, And will pass over and serve them.

Theophylact of Ohrid: That is, He will give back to them, as it were, an equal return, so that just as they served Him, He will also serve them.

St. Gregory the Great: But He is said to be "passing over" when He returns from the judgment to His kingdom. Alternatively, the Lord passes to us after the judgment and raises us from the form of His humanity to a contemplation of His divinity.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Our Lord knew the proneness of human infirmity to sin. But because He is merciful, He does not allow us to despair; rather, He has compassion and gives us repentance as a saving remedy. Therefore, He adds, And if he shall come in the second watch, and so on. For those who keep watch on city walls or observe enemy attacks divide the night into three or four watches.

St. Gregory the Great: The first watch, then, is the earliest time of our life—that is, childhood. The second is youth and adulthood, and the third represents old age. So, the one who is unwilling to watch in the first should at least keep the second. And the one who is unwilling in the second must not lose the remedies of the third watch, so that he who neglected conversion in childhood may at least recover himself in youth or old age.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: However, He makes no mention of the first watch, because childhood is not punished by God but obtains pardon. But the second and third ages of life owe obedience to God and the living of an honest life according to His will.

Greek Expositors: Alternatively, the first watch belongs to those who live more carefully, as having gained the first step. The second watch belongs to those who maintain a moderate way of life, and the third to those who are below them. The same must be supposed for a fourth watch, and even a fifth, if it should occur. For there are different measures of life, and a good rewarder measures out to every person according to their deserts.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, since the watches are the hours of the night that lull people to sleep, you must understand that there are also certain times in our lives that make us blessed if we are found awake. Does someone seize your goods? Have your children died? Are you accused? If at these times you have done nothing against the commandments of God, He will find you watching in the second and third watch—that is, during the evil time, which brings destructive sleep to idle souls.

St. Gregory the Great: But to shake off the sloth of our minds, our external losses are set before us by way of a comparison. For it is added, And this know, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Some understand this thief to be the devil, the house to be the soul, and the master of the house to be the person. This interpretation, however, does not seem to agree with what follows. For the Lord’s coming is compared to a thief because it is suddenly at hand, according to the word of the Apostle: The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. And so it is also added here, Be you also ready, for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not.

St. Gregory the Great: Alternatively, the thief breaks into the house unknown to the master because, while the spirit sleeps instead of guarding itself, death comes unexpectedly and breaks into the dwelling place of our flesh. But he would resist the thief if he were watching. Being on guard against the coming of the Judge, who secretly seizes his soul, he would go to meet Him with repentance, so that he would not perish unrepentant. But our Lord wishes the last hour to be unknown to us so that, because we cannot foresee it, we may be unceasingly preparing for it.