Church Fathers Commentary Luke 23:26-32

"And when they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to bear it after Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For behold, the days are coming, in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the breasts that never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? And there were also two others, malefactors, led with him to be put to death." — Luke 23:26-32 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: Having related the condemnation of Christ, Luke naturally goes on to speak of His crucifixion, as it is said, And as they led him away, they laid hold upon Simon, etc.

St. Augustine of Hippo: John relates that Jesus bore His own cross. From this, it is understood that He was carrying His cross Himself when He went forth to the place called Calvary. But as they journeyed, Simon was forced into service on the road, and the cross was given to him to carry for the rest of the way.

Theophylact of Ohrid: No one else agreed to carry the cross, because the wood was considered an abomination. Accordingly, they imposed the carrying of the cross on Simon the Cyrenian—which others had refused—as a mark of dishonor. Here the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: Whose government shall be upon his shoulder. For the government of Christ is His cross, and for this reason the Apostle says, God has exalted him.

Just as some wear a belt or a headdress as a mark of dignity, so our Lord wears the cross. And if you look, you will find that Christ does not reign in us except through hardships, which is why the self-indulgent are the enemies of the cross of Christ.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Christ, therefore, in bearing His cross, was already a conqueror carrying His trophies. The cross is laid upon His shoulders, for whether Simon or Christ Himself carried it, Christ bore it in the man, and the man bore it in Christ. The accounts of the Evangelists do not differ, since the mystery reconciles them. It is the proper order of our spiritual progress that Christ should first erect the trophy of His cross Himself, and then hand it down to be raised by His martyrs. The one who bears the cross is not a Jew but an alien and a foreigner; nor does he precede Christ but follows, as it is written, Let him take up his cross, and follow me.

The Venerable Bede: The name Simon is interpreted as “obedient,” and Cyrene as “an heir.” This man, therefore, represents the Gentile people, who were formerly foreigners and aliens to the covenant but have now, through obedience, been made heirs of God.

Simon, coming from a village, carries the cross after Jesus because, by forsaking pagan rites, he obediently follows in the footsteps of our Lord’s Passion. For the word “pagan” derives its name from the Greek word for village.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, the one who takes up the cross of Christ is one who comes from the village; that is, he leaves this world and its labors to go forward to Jerusalem, which represents heavenly liberty. In this, we also receive a significant lesson: to be a leader in the example of Christ, a man must first take up his own cross and, in the fear of God, crucify his own flesh, so that he may then lay it upon those who are subject and obedient to him.

But there followed Christ a great company of people, and of women.

The Venerable Bede: A large multitude did indeed follow the cross of Christ, but with very different feelings. The people who had demanded His death were rejoicing that they would see Him die, while the women were weeping because He was about to die. Yet He was followed only by the weeping of women. This was not because the vast crowd of men was not also sorrowful at His Passion, but because the female sex, being less esteemed, could more freely express what they thought.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Women are also always prone to tears and have hearts that are easily moved to pity.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He tells those who weep for Him to look ahead to the evils that were coming and to weep for themselves instead.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: This signifies that in the time to come, women would be deprived of their children. For when war breaks out in the land of the Jews, all will perish, both small and great. From this it follows, For, behold, the days are coming, in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, etc.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Indeed, He foresaw that women would cruelly roast their own children, and the womb that had given birth would miserably receive back what it bore.

The Venerable Bede: By these days, He signifies the time of the siege and captivity that was coming upon them from the Romans, about which He had said before, Woe to them that are with child, and give suck in those days. When captivity by an enemy is threatening, it is natural to seek refuge in strongholds or hidden places where people can hide. And so it follows, Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For Josephus relates that when the Romans pressed hard upon them, the Jews hastily sought the caverns of the mountains and the hiding places in the hills.

It may also be that the words Blessed are the barren refer to those of both sexes who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. And the saying, Fall upon us, and Cover us, is said because all who are mindful of their own weakness, when a crisis of temptation breaks upon them, seek to be protected by the example, teaching, and prayers of certain high and saintly men.

It follows, But if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

St. Gregory the Great: He has called Himself the life and strength of the Divine nature, while we who are mere men are called the dry wood.

Theophylact of Ohrid: It is as if He said to the Jews, “If the Romans have raged so fiercely against Me, a fruit-bearing and ever-flourishing tree, what will they not do to you, a dry tree, who are a people destitute of all life-giving virtue and bearing no fruit?”

The Venerable Bede: Or, it is as if He spoke to everyone: “If I, who have done no sin and am called the tree of life, do not depart from the world without suffering the fire of my Passion, what torment do you think awaits those who are barren of all fruit?”

Theophylact of Ohrid: But the devil, desiring to create an evil opinion of our Lord, also caused robbers to be crucified with Him, from which it follows, And there were two other malefactors led with him to be put to death.