Church Fathers Commentary Luke 21:34-36

"But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare: for [so] shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of all the earth. But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." — Luke 21:34-36 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: Our Lord declared above the terrifying and tangible signs of the evils that will overtake sinners, against which the only remedy is watchfulness and prayer, as it is said, And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time...

St. Basil the Great: Every animal has within itself certain God-given instincts for its own preservation. Therefore, Christ has also given us this warning, so that what comes to them by nature may be ours through reason and prudence. We should flee from sin just as animals shun deadly food, and seek after righteousness as they do wholesome herbs. Therefore, He said, Take heed to yourselves, so that you may distinguish the harmful from the wholesome.

Since there are two ways of taking heed to ourselves—one with the physical eyes and the other with the faculties of the soul—and since the physical eye cannot perceive virtue, we must speak of the soul's operations. To "take heed" means to look around on all sides, keeping an ever-watchful eye for the protection of your soul. He does not say, "Take heed to your possessions or your surroundings," but "to yourselves." For you are mind and spirit; your body is merely physical. Around you are riches, skills, and all the accessories of life. You must not focus on these, but on your soul, for which you must take special care.

This same warning serves both to heal the sick and to perfect those who are well—that is, those who are guardians of the present and providers for the future. It means not judging the actions of others, but strictly examining our own; not allowing the mind to be enslaved by passions, but subduing the irrational part of the soul to the rational. He then adds the reason why we should take heed: Lest at any time your hearts be overcharged...

Titus of Bostra: It is as if He is saying, "Beware, lest the eyes of your mind grow heavy." For the cares of this life, overindulgence, and drunkenness drive away prudence, and shatter and shipwreck faith.

St. Clement of Alexandria: Drunkenness is an excessive use of wine. "Crapula" is the discomfort and nausea that accompany drunkenness, a Greek word named for the motion of the head. And a little below he says: Just as we must eat to avoid hunger, so we must also drink to avoid thirst, but with even greater care to avoid excess. For the indulgence of wine is deceitful; the soul, when free from wine, will be at its wisest and best, but when steeped in the fumes of wine, it is lost as if in a cloud.St. Basil the Great: But anxiety, or the care of this life, although it seems to have nothing unlawful in it, must nevertheless be avoided if it does not lead to piety. And He shows the reason for this in what follows: And so that day come upon you unawares.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For that day will not come when people are expecting it, but will arrive unexpectedly and by stealth, trapping the unwary like a snare. For as a snare shall it come upon all them that sit upon the face of the earth. But we can diligently keep this far from us.

For that day will capture those who "sit on the face of the earth"—that is, the thoughtless and lazy. But for those who are prompt and active in doing good, not sitting and loitering on the ground but rising from it and saying to themselves, Rise up, be gone, for here there is no rest for you, that day is not a perilous snare, but a day of rejoicing.

Eusebius of Caesarea: He therefore taught them to pay attention to the things we have just mentioned, so that they would not fall into the laziness that results from them. Hence it follows: Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This means hunger, pestilence, and similar things, which for a time threaten both the elect and others, as well as those things which will be the eternal fate of the guilty. We can in no way escape these things, except through watchfulness and prayer.

St. Augustine of Hippo: This is thought to be the flight that Matthew mentions, which must not be in winter or on the Sabbath day. The "winter" represents the cares of this life, which are as gloomy as winter. The "Sabbath," in this context, represents overindulgence and drunkenness, which drown and bury the heart in carnal luxury and delight. This is because on that day the Jews immerse themselves in worldly pleasure while being lost to a spiritual Sabbath.

Theophylact of Ohrid: And because a Christian must not only flee from evil but also strive to obtain glory, He adds, And to stand before the Son of man. For it is the glory of angels to stand before the Son of Man, our God, and to always behold His face.

The Venerable Bede: Now, suppose a physician were to tell us to beware of the juice of a certain herb, lest a sudden death overtake us; we would most earnestly heed his command. But when our Savior warns us to shun drunkenness, overindulgence, and the cares of this world, people have no fear of being wounded and destroyed by them. For they disdain to give to the words of God the same faith they place in the warning of a physician.