Church Fathers Commentary Luke 17:34-37

"I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. [There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.] And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body [is], thither will the eagles also be gathered together." — Luke 17:34-37 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: Our Lord had just said that the one who is in the field must not turn back. So that this would not seem to be spoken only of those who would openly return from the field—that is, who would publicly deny their Lord—He continues to show that there are some who, while seeming to look forward, are still looking behind in their hearts.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He rightly says "night," for Antichrist is the hour of darkness, because he pours a dark cloud over people's minds as he declares himself to be Christ. But Christ shines brightly like lightning, so that we can see the glory of the resurrection in that night.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, He says "in that night," meaning in that tribulation.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, He teaches us about the suddenness of Christ's coming, which we are told will be at night. And having said that the rich can hardly be saved, He shows that not all the rich perish, nor are all the poor saved.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: By the two men in one bed, He seems to be referring to the rich who rest in worldly pleasures, for a bed is a sign of rest. But not all who are rich are wicked. If one is good and chosen in the faith, he will be taken, but another who is not will be left.

For when our Lord descends for judgment, He will send His angels, who will bring the holy and righteous to Him while leaving the rest behind on the earth to suffer punishment. This is according to the Apostle's words: We shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet Christ in the air.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or, from the same bed of human weakness, one is left (meaning rejected), while another is taken up (meaning caught up to meet Christ in the air). By the two grinding together, He seems to imply the poor and the oppressed, which relates to what follows: Two men shall be in the field, etc. For among these there is a significant difference. Some nobly endure the burden of poverty, leading a humble but honest life, and these will be taken up; but others are very active in wickedness, and they will be left.

Alternatively, those grinding at the mill seem to represent those who seek nourishment from hidden sources and bring things from secret places into open view. Perhaps the world is a kind of grain mill, in which the soul is shut up as if in a bodily prison. In this mill, either the synagogue or the soul exposed to sin is like wheat that, softened by grinding and spoiled by too much moisture, cannot separate its outer parts from its inner. It is therefore left behind because its flour is unsatisfactory. But the holy Church, or the soul unstained by sin, grinds wheat ripened by the heat of the eternal sun and presents to God a good flour from the secret sanctuary of the heart.

We can discover who the two men in the field are if we consider that there are two minds in us: one of the outer man, which wastes away, and the other of the inner man, which is renewed by the Sacrament. These, then, are the laborers in the field. One of them diligently brings forth good fruit, while the other, through idleness, loses what he has. Or, we may interpret those being compared as two nations: one of which, being faithful, is taken, while the other, being unfaithful, is left.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, there are three classes of people represented here. The first is composed of those who prefer their ease and quiet and do not busy themselves with secular or church matters; their quiet life is signified by the bed. The next class includes those who, being among the people, are governed by teachers. He has described these by the name "women" because it is best for them to be ruled by the advice of those set over them. He has also described them as grinding at the mill, because the wheel of temporal concerns revolves in their hands, and in this they serve the Church.

The third class are those who labor in the ministry of the Church as if in the field of God. In each of these three classes, then, there are two kinds of people: one of whom remains in the Church and is taken up, while the other falls away and is left.

St. Ambrose of Milan: For God is not so unjust as to separate in His reward people with similar pursuits in life who do not differ in the quality of their actions. But living together does not make people's merits equal, for not all accomplish what they attempt; only the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: When He said that some would be taken up, the disciples usefully inquired, Where, Lord?

The Venerable Bede: Our Lord was asked two questions—where the good would be taken up and where the bad would be left. He gave only one answer, leaving the other to be understood, saying, Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: It is as if He said: Just as when a dead body is thrown out, all the birds that feed on human flesh flock to it, so when the Son of Man comes, all the eagles—that is, the saints—will hasten to meet Him.

St. Ambrose of Milan: For the souls of the righteous are compared to eagles because they soar high, forsake the lower regions, and are said to live to a great age. Now, concerning the body, we can have no doubt, especially if we remember that Joseph received the body from Pilate. Do you not see the eagles around the body—the women and Apostles gathered around our Lord's tomb? Do you not see them then, when He shall come in the clouds, and every eye shall behold him?

The body is that of which it was said, My flesh is meat indeed. Around this body are the eagles that fly on the wings of the Spirit, and also the eagles who believe that Christ has come in the flesh. And this body is the Church, in which we are renewed in the Spirit by the grace of baptism.

Eusebius of Caesarea: Or, by the eagles feeding on the dead animals, he has described the rulers of the world and those who will at that time persecute the saints of God. In their power are left all who are unworthy of being taken up, who are called the "body" or "carcass." Alternatively, the eagles are meant to be the avenging powers that will fly about to torment the wicked.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Now, these things that Luke has given us in a different place from Matthew, he either relates by anticipation—mentioning beforehand what our Lord later said—or he means for us to understand that they were spoken by Him twice.