Church Fathers Commentary Luke 13

Glossa Ordinaria: As He had been speaking of the punishments of sinners, a story was fittingly told to Him about the punishment of certain sinners, from which He took the opportunity to denounce vengeance against other sinners as well. As it is said, There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: These men were followers of the opinions of Judas of Galilee, whom Luke mentions in the Acts of the Apostles, who said that we ought to call no man master. Great numbers of them were therefore punished by Pilate for refusing to acknowledge Caesar as their master. They also said that men ought not to offer God any sacrifices that were not ordained in the law of Moses, and so they forbade offering the sacrifices appointed by the people for the safety of the Emperor and the Roman people. Pilate, then, enraged with the Galileans, ordered them to be slain in the midst of the very sacrifices they thought they could offer according to their law, so that the blood of the offerers was mixed with the blood of the sacrifices.

Now, since it was generally believed that these Galileans were justly punished for sowing discord among the people, the rulers related these things to the Savior, wanting to discover what He thought about them. But He, while admitting they were sinners, does not, however, judge them to have suffered such things as if they were worse than those who did not suffer. From this it follows, And He answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were sinners more than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things?”

St. John Chrysostom: For God punishes some sinners by cutting off their iniquities, appointing for them a lighter punishment hereafter, or perhaps even releasing them entirely. By their punishment, He also corrects others who are living in wickedness. Again, He does not punish others, so that if they take heed and repent, they may escape both present and future punishment; but if they continue in their sins, they will suffer even greater torment.

Titus of Bostra: And He here clearly shows that whatever judgments are passed for the punishment of the guilty do not happen by the authority of the judges alone, but by the will of God. Therefore, whether a judge punishes based on a strict conscience or has some other motive for condemnation, we must attribute the outcome to divine appointment.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Therefore, to save the multitudes from the internal conflicts that were stirred up for the sake of religion, He adds, “But unless you repent and cease to conspire against your rulers—for which you have no divine guidance—you will all perish in the same way, and your blood will be mixed with that of your sacrifices.”

St. John Chrysostom: And in this He shows that He permitted them to suffer such things so that the living heirs of the kingdom might be sobered by the dangers of others. “What then,” you will say, “is this man punished so that I might become better?” No, he is punished for his own crimes, and from this an opportunity for salvation arises for those who witness it.

The Venerable Bede: But because they did not repent, in the fortieth year after our Lord’s Passion, the Romans came (whom Pilate, being one of their nation, represented). Beginning from Galilee (where our Lord’s preaching had begun), they utterly destroyed that wicked nation. They defiled with human blood not only the temple courts, where they were accustomed to offer sacrifices, but also the inner sanctuaries, where the Galileans were not permitted to enter.

St. John Chrysostom: Again, concerning the eighteen others who were crushed to death by the fall of a tower, He says the same thing, as it follows: Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew them, do you think that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no. For He does not punish everyone in this life, giving them a time suitable for repentance. However, neither does He reserve everyone for future punishment, lest people deny His providence.

Titus of Bostra: Here, one tower is compared to the whole city, so that the destruction of a part may alarm the whole. Thus, it is added, “But, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” This is as if He were saying, “The whole city will soon be struck down if the inhabitants remain unrepentant.”

St. Ambrose of Milan: In those whose blood Pilate mixed with the sacrifices, there seems to be a certain mystical type, which relates to all who, under the devil's compulsion, do not offer a pure sacrifice. Their prayer becomes a sin, as it was written of Judas, who, while among the sacrifices, plotted the betrayal of our Lord’s blood.

The Venerable Bede: For Pilate, whose name is interpreted as “mouth of the hammerer,” signifies the devil, who is always ready to strike. Blood represents sin, and sacrifices represent good actions. Pilate, then, mixes the blood of the Galileans with their sacrifices when the devil taints the alms and other good works of the faithful, whether through carnal indulgence, seeking human praise, or any other defilement.

Likewise, the men of Jerusalem who were crushed by the falling tower signify that the Jews who refuse to repent will perish within their own walls. The number eighteen is also significant, for in Greek it is composed of the letters Iota (I) and Eta (H), the same letters that begin the name of Jesus. This signifies that the Jews were destined to perish chiefly because they would not accept the name of the Savior. That tower represents Him who is the tower of strength. And this tower is fittingly in Siloam, which is interpreted as “sent,” for it signifies Him who was sent by the Father into the world, and who will grind to powder all on whom He falls.

Titus of Bostra: The Jews were boasting that while the eighteen had perished, they all remained unhurt. He therefore sets before them the parable of the fig tree, for it follows, He also spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard.

St. Ambrose of Milan: There was a vineyard of the Lord of hosts, which He gave as plunder to the Gentiles. The comparison of the fig tree to the synagogue is well chosen, because just as that tree abounds with wide and spreading foliage and deceives the hopes of its owner with the vain expectation of promised fruit, so also in the synagogue, while its teachers are unfruitful in good works, they magnify themselves with words as with abundant leaves; the empty shadow of the law stretches far and wide.

This tree is also the only one that produces fruit instead of flowers. The fruit falls so that other fruit may follow, yet a few of the former remain and do not fall. For the first people of the synagogue fell off like a useless fruit, so that from the fruitfulness of the old religion, the new people of the Church might arise. Yet those who were the first out of Israel, whom a branch of a stronger nature bore, surpassed all others in the grace of the most excellent fruits. Under the shadow of the law and the cross, in the bosom of both, and stained with a double juice like a ripening fig, it was said to them, You shall sit on twelve thrones.

Some, however, think the fig tree to be a figure not of the synagogue, but of wickedness and treachery; yet these differ in no way from what has been said before, except that they choose the genus instead of the species.

The Venerable Bede: The Lord Himself who established the synagogue through Moses, came born in the flesh, and by teaching frequently in the synagogue, sought the fruits of faith but found none in the hearts of the Pharisees. Therefore, it follows, And came seeking fruit on it, and found none.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But our Lord sought fruit, not because He was ignorant that the fig tree had none, but so that He might show figuratively that the synagogue ought to have fruit by this time. Lastly, from what follows, He teaches that He Himself, who came after three years, did not come before His time. For so it is said, Then said he to the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none. He came to Abraham, He came to Moses, He came to Mary; that is, He came in the seal of the covenant, He came in the law, He came in the body.

We recognize His coming by His gifts: at one time purification, at another sanctification, at another justification. Circumcision purified, the law sanctified, and grace justified. The Jewish people, then, could not be purified, because they had the circumcision of the body but not of the heart. Nor could they be sanctified, because, being ignorant of the law's meaning, they followed carnal rather than spiritual things. Nor could they be justified, because they did not practice repentance for their offenses and knew nothing of grace.

Rightly, then, no fruit was found in the synagogue, and consequently, it is ordered to be cut down. For it follows: Cut it down; why does it cumber the ground? But the merciful vinedresser—perhaps meaning him on whom the Church is founded—foreseeing that another would be sent to the Gentiles, but he himself to those of the circumcision, piously intercedes that it might not be cut off, trusting in his calling that the Jewish people also might be saved through the Church.

Hence it follows, And he answering said to him, Lord, let it alone this year also. He soon perceived that hardness of heart and pride were the causes of the Jews' barrenness. Therefore, he who knew how to censure faults also knew how to discipline. He adds, until I shall dig about it, promising that the hardness of their hearts will be dug up by the apostles' spades, lest a heap of earth cover up and obscure the root of wisdom. And He adds, and dung it; that is, by the grace of humility, through which even the fig is thought to become fruitful for the Gospel of Christ. Hence He adds, And if it bear fruit, well—that is, it shall be well—but if not, then after that you shall cut it down.

The Venerable Bede: This indeed came to pass under the Romans, by whom the Jewish nation was cut off and thrust out from the land of promise.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, in another sense, the fig tree is the human race. For after he had sinned, the first man concealed his nakedness with fig leaves—that is, the members from which we are born.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But each one of us is also a fig tree planted in the vineyard of God, that is, in the Church, or in the world.

St. Gregory the Great: But our Lord came to the fig tree three times because He sought after human nature before the law, under the law, and under grace, by waiting, admonishing, and visiting. Yet He complains that for three years He found no fruit, for there are some wicked men whose hearts are neither corrected by the law of nature breathed into them, nor instructed by precepts, nor converted by the miracles of His incarnation.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Our nature yields no fruit, though it has been sought three times: first, when we transgressed the commandment in paradise; second, when they made the molten calf under the law; and third, when they rejected the Savior. But that three-year period must also be understood to mean the three ages of life: boyhood, manhood, and old age.

St. Gregory the Great: But we should hear the word that follows with great fear and trembling: Cut it down; why does it cumber the ground? For everyone, according to their measure and in whatever station of life they are, cumbers the ground like an unfruitful tree, unless they show forth the fruits of good works. For wherever one is placed, one denies another the opportunity to work.

Pseudo-Basil: For it is part of God's mercy not to inflict punishment silently, but to send out threats to recall the sinner to repentance, as He did to the men of Nineveh, and now to the vinedresser, saying, Cut it down—thereby exciting him to care for it and stirring up the barren soil to bring forth its proper fruit.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus: Let us not, then, strike suddenly, but overcome by gentleness, lest we cut down a fig tree that is still able to bear fruit, which the care of a skillful vinedresser might perhaps restore. Hence it is also added here, And he answering said to him, Lord, let it alone...

St. Gregory the Great: The vinedresser represents the order of bishops who, by ruling over the Church, take care of our Lord's vineyard.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or the master of the household is God the Father, and the vinedresser is Christ, who does not want the fig tree cut down as barren, as if saying to the Father, "Although through the Law and the Prophets they gave no fruit of repentance, I will water them with My sufferings and teaching, and perhaps they will yield us fruits of obedience."

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, the vinedresser who intercedes is every holy person who, within the Church, prays for those who are outside the Church, saying, "Lord, let it alone this year"—that is, for the time granted under grace—"until I dig around it."

To "dig around it" is to teach humility and patience, for ground that has been dug is lowly. The dung signifies soiled garments, which bring forth fruit. The soiled garment of the vinedresser is the grief and mourning of sinners, for those who do penance, and do it truly, are in soiled garments.

St. Gregory the Great: Or, the dung signifies the sins of the flesh. From this, then, the tree revives to bear fruit again, for from the remembrance of sin the soul rouses itself to good works. But there are very many who hear reproof and yet despise returning to repentance, for which reason it is added, And if it bear fruit, well.

St. Augustine of Hippo: That is, it will be well; but if not, then after that you shall cut it down—namely, when You come to judge the living and the dead. In the meantime, it is spared.

St. Gregory the Great: But he who will not, through correction, become rich in fruitfulness, falls to that place from where he is no longer able to rise again by repentance.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He soon explained that He had been speaking of the synagogue, showing that He truly came to it, since He preached in it, as it is said, And he was teaching in one of the synagogues.

St. John Chrysostom: He teaches not in private, but in the synagogues; He does so calmly, neither wavering in anything nor deciding anything against the Law of Moses. He also teaches on the Sabbath, because the Jews were then occupied with hearing the Law.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: It is clear from the events themselves that the Incarnation of the Word was manifested to destroy corruption, death, and the devil's hatred toward us. For the text continues, And behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity, and so on.

He says it was a spirit of infirmity because the woman suffered from the devil's cruelty. She was forsaken by God either because of her own sins or because of Adam's transgression, on account of which human bodies are subject to infirmity and death.

But God gives this power to the devil so that people, when pressed down by the weight of their adversity, might turn to better things. He points out the nature of her infirmity, saying, And was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

St. Basil the Great: The head of a beast is bent down toward the ground and looks upon the earth, but the head of a human was made to be erect, facing heaven, with eyes tending upward. For it is fitting for us to seek what is above and, with our sight, to pierce beyond earthly things.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But our Lord, to show that His coming into this world was for the loosening of human infirmities, healed this woman. Thus, the text continues, And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said to her, Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. This is a word most suitable for God, full of heavenly majesty, for by His royal assent He dispels the disease. He also laid His hands on her, as it follows, He laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

We should understand from this that the divine power had put on the sacred flesh. For it was the flesh of God Himself and of no other—not as if the Son of Man existed apart from the Son of God, as some have falsely thought. But the ungrateful ruler of the synagogue, seeing the woman who before was bent to the ground now made upright by Christ’s single touch and proclaiming the mighty works of God, tainted his zeal for the Lord’s glory with envy. He condemned the miracle so that he might appear to be zealous for the Sabbath.

As the text continues, And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said to the people, There are six days in which men ought to work... and not on the sabbath-day. He wanted those who were scattered and busy with their own work on other days to not come on the Sabbath to see and admire our Lord's miracles, for fear that they might believe.

But the Law has not forbidden all manual work on the Sabbath. Has it forbidden what is done by a word or the mouth? If so, then cease to eat, drink, speak, and sing. And if you do not read the Law, how is it a Sabbath to you? But even supposing the Law has forbidden manual works, how is it a manual work to raise a woman upright with a word?

St. Ambrose of Milan: Lastly, God rested from the works of the world, not from holy works, for His work is constant and everlasting. As the Son says, My Father works until now, and I work. This shows that, in the likeness of God, our worldly works should cease, but not our religious ones. Accordingly, our Lord pointedly answered him, as it follows, You hypocrite, does not each one of you on the sabbath day loose his ox or his ass? and so on.

St. Basil the Great: A hypocrite is one who on the stage assumes a character different from his own. So also in this life, some people carry one thing in their heart and show another on the surface to the world.

St. John Chrysostom: He rightly calls the ruler of the synagogue a hypocrite, for he had the appearance of an observer of the Law, but in his heart was a crafty and envious man. It did not trouble him that the Sabbath was broken, but that Christ was glorified.

Now observe that whenever Christ orders a work to be done (as when He ordered the man sick of the palsy to take up his bed), He elevates His words to something higher, convincing people by the majesty of the Father, as He says, My Father works until now, and I work. But in this case, since He did everything by a word, He adds nothing further, refuting their slander by the very things they themselves did.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The ruler of the synagogue is convicted of being a hypocrite, in that he leads his cattle to water on the Sabbath, yet he thought this woman—a daughter of Abraham no less by faith than by birth—unworthy to be loosed from the chain of her infirmity. Therefore, Christ adds, And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

The ruler preferred that this woman, like a beast, should look upon the earth rather than regain her natural upright posture, so long as Christ was not glorified. But they had nothing to answer; they condemned themselves without any possible reply. Thus, the text continues, And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed. But the people, reaping great benefit from His miracles, rejoiced at the signs they saw, as it follows, And all the people rejoiced. For the glory of His works vanquished every objection in those who did not seek Him with corrupt hearts.

St. Gregory the Great: Mystically, the unfruitful fig tree signifies the woman who was bowed down. For human nature, by its own will, rushes into sin, and because it would not bring forth the fruit of obedience, it has lost its upright state. The same fig tree, when preserved, signifies the woman being made upright.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Alternatively, the fig tree represents the synagogue. Afterward, in the infirm woman, there follows a figure of the Church, which, having fulfilled the measure of the Law and the Resurrection, and now raised up on high in that eternal resting place, can no longer experience the frailty of our weak inclinations. Nor could this woman be healed unless she had fulfilled the Law and grace. For in ten commandments is contained the perfection of the Law, and in the number eight, the fullness of the Resurrection.

St. Gregory the Great: Or else, man was made on the sixth day, and on that same day all the works of the Lord were finished. The number six multiplied by three makes eighteen. Therefore, because man, who was made on the sixth day, was unwilling to do perfect works—and was weak before the Law, under the Law, and at the beginning of grace—the woman was bowed down for eighteen years.

St. Augustine of Hippo: What the three years signified in the tree, the eighteen years signified in the woman, for three times six is eighteen. But she was bent over and could not look up, for she heard the words, "Lift up your hearts," in vain.

St. Gregory the Great: For every sinner who thinks of earthly things, not seeking those that are in heaven, is unable to look up. While pursuing his baser desires, he turns away from his upright state; his heart is bent crooked, and he always looks upon that which he unceasingly thinks about.

The Lord called her and made her upright, for He enlightened and helped her. He sometimes calls but does not make a person upright; for when we are enlightened by grace, we often see what should be done but, because of sin, do not practice it. Habitual sin binds the mind so that it cannot rise to righteousness. It makes attempts and fails, because after it has long stood by its own will, it falls when that will is gone.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now this miracle is a sign of the coming Sabbath, when everyone who has fulfilled the Law and grace will, by the mercy of God, put off the toils of this weak body. But why did He not mention any more animals, except to show that the time would come when the Jewish and Gentile nations would quench their bodily thirst and this world’s heat in the fullness of the Lord's fountain? And so, through the calling of two nations, the Church would be saved.

The Venerable Bede: But the daughter of Abraham is every faithful soul, or the Church gathered out of both nations into the unity of the faith. There is, then, the same mystery in the ox or ass being loosed and led to water as there is in the daughter of Abraham being released from the bondage of our sinful desires.

Glossa Ordinaria: While His adversaries were ashamed and the people rejoiced at the glorious things Christ did, He proceeded to explain the progress of the Gospel using parables, as follows: Then He said, “To what is the kingdom of God like? … It is like a grain of mustard seed…”

St. Ambrose of Milan: In another place, a grain of mustard seed is used as a comparison for faith. If the mustard seed is the kingdom of God, and faith is like the grain of mustard seed, then faith is truly the kingdom of heaven, which is within us. A grain of mustard seed is indeed a small and insignificant thing, but as soon as it is crushed, it pours out its power. Likewise, faith at first seems simple, but when it is buffeted by adversity, it pours out the grace of its power.

The martyrs are grains of mustard seed. They possess the sweet aroma of faith, but it is hidden. When persecution comes, they are struck by the sword, and they scatter the seeds of their martyrdom to the farthest parts of the whole world.

The Lord Himself is also a grain of mustard seed. He chose to be bruised so that we might be a sweet aroma of Christ. He chose to be sown as a grain of mustard seed, which a man takes and puts into his garden. For Christ was taken and buried in a garden, where He also rose again and became a tree, as it is written, And it grew into a great tree. Our Lord is a grain when He is buried in the earth, but a tree when He is lifted up into heaven. He is also a tree overshadowing the world, as it follows, And the fowls of the air rested in its branches. These are the heavenly powers and all who, for their spiritual deeds, have been deemed worthy to fly. Peter is a branch, and Paul is a branch. Into their arms, through the hidden paths of reasoning, we who were once far away now fly, having taken up the wings of the virtues.

Therefore, sow Christ in your garden. A garden is truly a place full of flowers, where the grace of your work may blossom and the manifold aroma of your different virtues may be breathed forth. Wherever the fruit of the seed is, there is Christ.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Alternatively, the kingdom of God is the Gospel, through which we gain the power to reign with Christ. Just as the mustard seed is smaller than the seeds of other plants, yet grows to become a shelter for many birds, so too the life-giving doctrine was at first held by only a few, but afterward spread far and wide.

The Venerable Bede: The man is Christ, and the garden is His Church, which is to be cultivated by His discipline. It is well said that He took the grain, because the gifts that He, together with the Father, gave to us from His divinity, He received from His humanity. The preaching of the Gospel grew and was spread throughout the whole world. It also grows in the mind of every believer, for no one is made perfect suddenly. But in its growth, it is not like the grass (which soon withers), but rises up like the trees. The branches of this tree are the manifold doctrines, on which chaste souls, soaring upward on the wings of virtue, build their nests and rest.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, any person who receives a grain of mustard seed—that is, the word of the Gospel—and sows it in the garden of his soul, makes it a great tree. It brings forth branches, and the birds of the air (that is, those who soar above the earth) rest in its branches (that is, in sublime contemplation). For Paul received the instruction of Ananias like a small grain, but by planting it in his garden, he brought forth many good doctrines, in which those who have high, heavenly thoughts dwell, such as Dionysius, Hierotheus, and many others.

He next compares the kingdom of God to leaven, for it follows: And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven…”

St. Ambrose of Milan: Many think Christ is the leaven, for leaven, which is made from flour, surpasses its own substance in strength, not in appearance. So also Christ, according to the Fathers, was distinguished above others who were equal in body, yet was unmatched in excellence. The Holy Church, therefore, represents the woman in the parable, of whom it is said: which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

The Venerable Bede: The Satum is a kind of measure used in the province of Palestine, holding about a bushel and a half.

St. Ambrose of Milan: We are the flour of the woman, who hide the Lord Jesus in the secrets of our hearts until the heat of heavenly wisdom penetrates our innermost depths. And since He says it was hidden in three measures, it seems fitting for us to believe that the Son of God was hidden in the Law, veiled in the Prophets, and revealed in the preaching of the Gospel. However, I am prompted to go further, because our Lord Himself has taught us that the leaven is the spiritual teaching of the Church. The Church sanctifies with its spiritual leaven the person who is renewed in body, soul, and spirit, since these three are united in an equal measure of desire, and a complete harmony of the will emanates from them. If, then, in this life the three measures remain in the same person until they are leavened and become one, there will be, in the life to come, an incorruptible communion with those who love Christ.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, the woman should be understood as the soul, and the three measures as its three parts: reason, emotion, and desire. If, then, anyone has hidden the word of God in these three, he will make his whole self spiritual. He will not be deceptive in his reasoning, nor be carried away by his anger or desire, but will be conformed to the word of God.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, the three measures of flour are the human race, which was restored from the three sons of Noah. The woman who hid the leaven is the wisdom of God.

Eusebius of Caesarea: Alternatively, by the leaven our Lord means the Holy Spirit, with the Sower proceeding, so to speak, from the seed, which is the word of God. The three measures of flour signify the knowledge of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which the woman—that is, Divine Wisdom and the Holy Spirit—imparts.

The Venerable Bede: Or, by the leaven He is speaking of love, which ignites and stirs the heart. The woman, that is, the Church, hides the leaven of love in three measures, because she instructs us to love God with all our heart, all our mind, and all our strength. This continues until the whole is leavened—that is, until love moves the whole soul into its own perfection, which begins here but will be completed in the life to come.

Glossa Ordinaria: Having spoken in parables about the growth of the Gospel's teaching, He everywhere endeavors to spread it by preaching. Hence it is said, And he went through the cities and villages.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For He did not visit only the small places, as those who wish to deceive the simple do, nor only the cities, as those who are fond of show and seek their own glory. Instead, as their common Lord and Father providing for all, He went about everywhere.

Nor did He visit only the country towns while avoiding Jerusalem, as if He feared the objections of the lawyers or the death that might follow from it. And so He adds, And journeying towards Jerusalem. For where there were many sick, there the Physician chiefly showed Himself. It follows, Then said one to him, Lord, are there few that be saved?

Glossa Ordinaria: This question seems to refer to what had come before. For in the parable given above, He had said that the birds of the air rested on its branches, from which it might be supposed that many would obtain the rest of salvation. And because one had asked the question for all, the Lord does not answer him individually, as it follows: And he said to them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate.

St. Basil the Great: For as in earthly life the departure from what is right is exceedingly broad, so he who goes off the path that leads to the kingdom of heaven finds himself in a vast realm of error. But the right way is narrow, where the slightest turning aside is full of danger, whether to the right or to the left—as on a bridge, where he who slips on either side is thrown into the river.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The narrow gate also represents the toils and sufferings of the saints. For just as a victory in battle bears witness to the strength of the soldiers, so a courageous endurance of labors and temptations will make a person strong.

St. John Chrysostom: What then are we to make of what our Lord says elsewhere, My yoke is easy, and my burden is light? There is indeed no contradiction. The one was said because of the nature of temptations, the other with respect to the feeling of those who overcame them. For whatever is troublesome to our nature may be considered easy when we undertake it heartily. Besides, though the way of salvation is narrow at its entrance, through it we come into a large space; on the contrary, the broad way leads to destruction.

St. Gregory the Great: Now when He was about to speak of entering the narrow gate, He first said, strive. For unless the mind struggles valiantly, the wave of the world, by which the soul is always thrown back into the deep, is not overcome.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now, our Lord does not seem to satisfy the one who asked whether there are few who will be saved, since He instead declares the way by which a person may become righteous. But it must be observed that it was our Savior’s custom to answer those who asked Him, not in the way they might have expected—especially when they put useless questions to Him—but with regard to what would be profitable for His hearers.

What advantage would it have been to His hearers to know whether many or few would be saved? It was far more necessary to know the way by which a person may come to salvation. Therefore, He purposely says nothing in answer to the idle question, but turns His discourse to a more important subject.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, our Lord confirmed what the questioner implied: that few are saved, because few enter by the strait gate. In another place He says this very thing: Narrow is the way which leads to life, and few there are who enter into it. Therefore He adds, For many I say to you shall seek to enter.

The Venerable Bede: They are urged to it by their love of safety, yet will not be able, because they are frightened by the roughness of the road.

St. Basil the Great: For the soul wavers, at one time choosing virtue when it considers eternity, at another preferring pleasures when it looks to the present. Here it beholds ease or the delights of the flesh; there, subjection or captive bondage. Here is drunkenness; there, sobriety. Here is wanton mirth; there, overflowing tears. Here is dancing; there, praying. Here, the sound of the pipe; there, weeping. Here is lust; there, chastity.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Now, our Lord in no way contradicts Himself when He says that there are few who enter by the strait gate, and elsewhere, Many shall come from the east and the west. For they are few in comparison with those who are lost, but many when united with the angels. They seem like scarcely a grain when the threshing floor is swept, yet so great a mass will come from this floor that it will fill the granary of heaven.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: That those who cannot enter are regarded with wrath, He has shown by an obvious example, as follows: When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut to the door... It is as if a master of a house, who has called many to a banquet, has entered with his guests and shut to the door, and then afterwards others come knocking.

The Venerable Bede: The master of the house is Christ. Since He is truly God and is everywhere, He is already said to be “within” those whom He gladdens with His visible presence, even while He is in heaven. Yet He is, as it were, “without” to those whom He helps in secret as they struggle in this pilgrimage.

But He will enter in when He brings the whole Church to the contemplation of Himself. He will shut the door when He takes away from the reprobate all opportunity for repentance. Those standing outside will knock—that is, separated from the righteous, they will in vain implore the mercy they have despised. Therefore it follows, And he will answer and say to you, I know you not whence you are.

St. Gregory the Great: For God “not to know” is for Him to reject. In the same way, a person who speaks the truth is said not to know how to lie. This is not because he would be unable to lie if he wished, but because his love of truth makes him scorn to speak what is false. Therefore, the light of truth does not know the darkness it condemns. It follows, Then shall you begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in your presence...

St. Cyril of Alexandria: This refers to the Israelites who, according to the practice of their law, ate and were merry when offering sacrifices to God. They also heard in the synagogues the books of Moses, who in his writings delivered not his own words, but the words of God.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, this is said to the Israelites simply because Christ was born of them according to the flesh, and they ate and drank with Him and heard Him preach. But these things also apply to Christians. For we eat the body of Christ and drink His blood as often as we approach the mystic table, and He teaches in the streets of our souls, which are open to receive Him.

The Venerable Bede: Or, mystically, the one who eagerly receives the food of the word is he who eats and drinks in the Lord’s presence. For this reason, it is added for explanation, You have taught in our streets. For Scripture in its more obscure places is food, since by being expounded it is, as it were, broken and swallowed. In its clearer places it is drink, where it is taken down just as it is found.

But at a feast, the banquet does not delight someone whom the piety of faith does not commend. Knowledge of the Scriptures does not make a person known to God if the iniquity of his works proves him to be unworthy. As it follows, And he will say to you, I know not whence you are; depart from me.

St. Basil the Great: He is perhaps speaking to those whom the Apostle describes in his own person, saying, If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have all knowledge, and give all my goods to feed the poor, but have not charity, it profits me nothing. For whatever is done not out of love for God, but to gain praise from men, obtains no praise from God.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Observe also that they are objects of wrath in whose “street” the Lord teaches. If, then, we have heard Him teaching not in the streets, but in poor and lowly hearts, we shall not be regarded with wrath.

The Venerable Bede: But the twofold punishment of hell is described here: the feeling of heat and cold. For weeping is usually caused by heat, and gnashing of teeth by cold. Or, the gnashing of teeth betrays a feeling of indignation, showing that he who repents too late is also too late angry with himself.

Glossa Ordinaria: Or, the teeth that on earth delighted in eating will gnash, and the eyes that on earth wandered with desire will weep. By each of these, He represents the real resurrection of the wicked.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This also refers to the Israelites with whom He was speaking. They receive their severest blow from this: that the Gentiles have rest with the fathers, while they themselves are shut out. Hence He adds, When you shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God...

Eusebius of Caesarea: For the Fathers mentioned above, before the time of the Law, forsook the worship of many gods to follow the way of the Gospel and received the knowledge of the Most High God. Many of the Gentiles were conformed to them through a similar way of life, but their children became estranged from the rules of the Gospel. In this context it follows, And behold they are last which shall be first, and they are first which shall be last.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For the Gentiles have been preferred over the Jews, who held the first place.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But we, it seems, are the first, having received the rudiments of Christian teaching from our very cradles; and perhaps we shall be last in comparison to the pagans who have believed at the end of their lives.

The Venerable Bede: Many who are at first burning with zeal afterwards grow cold; many who are at first cold suddenly become warm. Many who are despised in this world will be glorified in the world to come; others who are renowned among men will in the end be condemned.