Church Fathers Commentary Luke 17:31-33

"In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back. Remember Lot`s wife. Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose [his life] shall preserve it." — Luke 17:31-33 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: Because good people must, on account of the wicked, be severely troubled in this world so that they may receive a more abundant reward in the world to come, they are disciplined here with certain remedies. As it is said, “In that day, etc.”; that is, if a person goes up to the top of his house and rises to the summit of the highest virtues, let him not fall back to the base affairs of this world.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For a person is on the housetop who, departing from carnal things, breathes, as it were, the free air of a spiritual life. The vessels in the house, however, are the carnal senses. Many, by using these to discover truth which is perceived only by the intellect, have missed it entirely. Let the spiritual person then beware, lest in the day of tribulation he again takes pleasure in the carnal life which is fed by the bodily senses, and descends to take away these worldly vessels.

It follows, And he that is in the field, let him not return back; that is, he who labors in the Church, as Paul plants and Apollos waters, must not look back on the worldly prospects he has renounced.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Matthew relates that our Lord said all these things in reference to the destruction of Jerusalem: that when the Romans came upon them, those who were on the housetop should not come down to take anything but should flee at once, nor should those in the field return home. And this is surely how it was at the taking of Jerusalem, and how it will be again at the coming of the Antichrist, but much more so at the consummation of all things, when that unbearable destruction will come.

Eusebius of Caesarea: By this, He implies that a persecution from the son of perdition will come upon Christ's faithful. By “that day,” then, He means the time before the end of the world, during which the one who is fleeing must not return or care about losing his possessions, lest he imitate Lot's wife. When she fled from the city of Sodom, she turned back, died, and became a pillar of salt.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Because she looked behind, she lost the gift of her nature. For Satan is behind, and Sodom is also behind. Therefore, flee from intemperance and turn away from lust. Remember that he who did not turn back to his old pursuits escaped because he reached the mountain; whereas she, by looking back to what was left behind, could not reach the mountain even with her husband's help, but remained fixed.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Lot's wife represents those who, in a time of trouble, look back and turn away from the hope of the divine promise. For this reason, she was made a pillar of salt as a warning to others not to do the same. She serves to season their hearts, as it were, lest they become corrupt.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Next follows the promise, Whosoever shall seek, etc., as if He said, “Let no one during the persecutions of the Antichrist seek to save his life, for he will lose it. But whoever exposes himself to trials and death will be safe, never submitting to the tyrant out of a love for this life.”

St. Cyril of Alexandria: St. Paul explains how a person may lose his own life to save it when he speaks of those who crucified their flesh with the affections and lusts; that is, by engaging in the conflict with perseverance and devotion.