Church Fathers Commentary Luke 21:28-33

"But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the trees: when they now shoot forth, ye see it and know of your own selves that the summer is now nigh. Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." — Luke 21:28-33 (ASV)

St. Gregory the Great: Having previously spoken against the wicked, He now turns His words to the consolation of the elect. For it is added, When these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near. This is as if to say: When the afflictions of the world multiply, lift up your heads—that is, rejoice in your hearts—for when the world, of which you are not friends, comes to an end, the redemption you seek is near.

In Holy Scripture, the head is often used to represent the mind, for just as the limbs are ruled by the head, so are thoughts regulated by the mind. Therefore, to lift up our heads is to raise our minds to the joys of the heavenly homeland.

Eusebius of Caesarea: Alternatively, for those who have passed through the body and bodily things, spiritual and heavenly bodies will be present. This means they will no longer have to pass through the kingdom of the world, and then those who are worthy will be given the promises of salvation. For when we have received the promises of God for which we look, we who were formerly crooked will be made upright, and we who were previously bent low will lift up our heads, because the redemption we hoped for is near—namely, that for which the whole creation waits.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This means perfect liberty of body and soul. For just as the first coming of our Lord was for the restoration of our souls, so the second will be revealed for the restoration of our bodies.

Eusebius of Caesarea: He says these things to His disciples, not as if they would continue in this life until the end of the world. Rather, He speaks as if uniting into one body of believers in Christ the disciples themselves, us, and our descendants, even to the end of the world.

St. Gregory the Great: He proves that the world ought to be trampled upon and despised by using a wise comparison, adding, Behold the fig tree and all the trees; when they now put forth fruit, you know that summer is near. It is as if He says: just as the nearness of summer is perceived from the fruit of the tree, so the nearness of the kingdom of God is known from the fall of the world. By this it is shown that the world's fall is our fruit. For the world puts forth buds for this purpose: to consume in slaughter whoever it has fostered in the bud.

But the kingdom of God is aptly compared to summer, for then the clouds of our sorrow flee away, and the days of life brighten under the clear light of the Eternal Sun.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Matthew speaks only of the fig tree, while Luke speaks of all the trees. But the fig tree foreshadows two things: either the ripening of what is hard or the luxuriance of sin. This means that when the fruit bursts forth on all the trees and the fruitful fig tree abounds (that is, when every tongue confesses God, even the Jewish people), we should hope for our Lord’s coming, in which the fruits of the resurrection will be gathered as in summer.

Alternatively, when the man of sin clothes himself in his light and fickle boasting, as if in the leaves of the synagogue, we must then suppose that the judgment is drawing near. For the Lord hastens to reward faith and to bring an end to sinning.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But when He says, When you see these things come to pass, what can we understand this to mean but those things which were mentioned above? Among them we read, And then they will see the Son of Man coming. Therefore, when this is seen, the kingdom of God is not yet present, but is near.

Or must we say that when He says, When you see these things..., we are not to understand it as all the things previously mentioned, but only some of them? Should the phrase, And then they will see the Son of Man, for example, be excluded? But Matthew would plainly have it taken with no exception, for he says, So you also, when you see all these things..., which includes seeing the coming of the Son of Man. This is so it may be understood of that coming by which He now comes in His members as in clouds, or in the Church as in a great cloud.

Titus of Bostra: Alternatively, He says the kingdom of God is near, meaning that when these things happen, not everything will yet have come to its final end, but things will already be tending toward it. For the very coming of our Lord itself, which casts out every principality and power, is the preparation for the kingdom of God.

Eusebius of Caesarea: For just as in this life, when winter dies away and spring follows, the sun sends forth its warm rays to cherish and quicken the seeds hidden in the ground as they lay aside their first form, and the young plants sprout forth, having put on different shades of green; so also the glorious coming of the Only-Begotten of God, illuminating the new world with His life-giving rays, will bring forth into light—from more excellent bodies than before—the seeds that have long been hidden in the whole world: that is, those who sleep in the dust of the earth. And having vanquished death, He will from then on reign as the life of the new world.

St. Gregory the Great: But all the things previously mentioned are confirmed with great certainty when He adds, Truly, I say to you...

The Venerable Bede: He strongly commends what He thus foretells. And, if one may say so, His oath is this: Amen, I say to you. `Amen` is interpreted as "true." Therefore, the Truth Himself says, "I tell you the truth," and even if He did not speak this way, He could by no means lie. But by "generation" He means either the whole human race or, specifically, the Jews.

Eusebius of Caesarea: Alternatively, by "generation" He means the new generation of His holy Church, showing that the generation of the faithful would last until that time when it would see all these things and embrace with its own eyes the fulfillment of our Savior’s words.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Because He had foretold that there would be commotions, wars, and changes—both in the elements and in other things—He adds the following, so that no one might suspect that Christianity itself would also perish: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. It is as if He said, "Though all things may be shaken, yet My faith will not fail." By this He implies that He places the Church before the whole of creation. The creation will undergo change, but the Church of the faithful and the words of the Gospel will abide forever.

St. Gregory the Great: Alternatively, concerning the words, Heaven and earth will pass away..., it is as if He says: "All that seems lasting to us does not abide for eternity without change, and all that seems to pass away with Me is held fast and immovable. For My word, which passes away, utters sentences that remain unchangeable and abide forever."

The Venerable Bede: By the "heaven" which will pass away, we must not understand the ethereal or starry heaven, but the air, from which birds are called "birds of the air." But if the earth will pass away, how can Ecclesiastes say, The earth abides forever? (Ecclesiastes 1:4). Clearly, then, heaven and earth will pass away in their present form, but in their essence, they will subsist eternally.