Church Fathers Commentary Luke 8

Theophylact of Ohrid: He who descended from heaven for our example and imitation gives us a lesson not to be negligent in teaching. Therefore, it is said: And it came to pass afterward that he went, etc.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus: For He passes from place to place so that He may not only win many followers, but also consecrate many places. He sleeps and labors so that He may sanctify sleep and labor. He weeps so that He may give value to tears. He preaches heavenly things so that He may exalt His hearers.

Titus of Bostra: For He who descends from heaven to earth brings news to those who dwell on earth of a heavenly kingdom. But who ought to preach the kingdom of heaven? Many prophets came, yet they did not preach the kingdom of heaven, for how could they claim to speak of things they did not perceive?

Isidore of Pelusium: Now, some think this kingdom of God is higher and better than the heavenly kingdom. Others, however, believe it is one and the same in reality, just called by different names: at one time the kingdom of God, from Him who reigns, and at another the kingdom of heaven, from the angels and saints—His subjects—who are said to be of heaven.

The Venerable Bede: But like the eagle enticing its young to fly, our Lord, step by step, raises up His disciples to heavenly things. He first teaches in the synagogues and performs miracles. He next chooses twelve whom He names Apostles. He afterward takes them alone with Him as He preached throughout the cities and villages, as it follows: And the twelve were with him.

Theophylact of Ohrid: They were not teaching or preaching, but were there to be instructed by Him. But lest it seem that women were prevented from following Christ, it adds: And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils.

The Venerable Bede: Mary Magdalene is the same person whose repentance we have just read about, though her name was not mentioned. When the Evangelist relates her journeying with our Lord, he rightly distinguishes her by her known name. But when describing her as a sinner who was penitent, he speaks of her generally as "a woman," so that the mark of her former guilt would not tarnish a name of such great renown. That seven devils are reported to have gone out of her was to show that she was full of all vices.

St. Gregory the Great: For what is understood by the seven devils but all vices? Since all time is encompassed by seven days, the number seven rightly represents universality. Therefore, Mary had seven devils, for she was full of every kind of vice. It continues: And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered to him of their substance.

St. Jerome: It was a Jewish custom, and not considered blameworthy according to the ancient traditions of that nation, for women to provide food and clothing for their teachers from their own resources. St. Paul states that he had abandoned this custom, as it might cause offense to the Gentiles.

But these women ministered to the Lord from their substance, so that He might reap their material things, from whom they had reaped spiritual things. This was not because the Lord needed food from His creatures, but so that He might set an example for teachers, that they should be content with food and clothing from their disciples.

The Venerable Bede: The name Mary is interpreted as "bitter sea," because of the loud wailing of her repentance; Magdalene means "a tower," or "belonging to a tower," from the tower of which it is said, You have become my hope, my strong tower from the face of my enemy. The name Joanna is interpreted as "the Lord her grace," or "the merciful Lord," for from Him comes everything that we live upon. But if Mary, cleansed from the corruption of her sins, points to the Church of the Gentiles, why does Joanna not represent the same Church, which was formerly subject to the worship of idols?

For every evil spirit, while it acts for the devil’s kingdom, is, as it were, Herod’s steward. The name Susanna is interpreted as "a lily," or "its grace," because of the fragrance and whiteness of the heavenly life, and the golden heat of inward love.

Theophylact of Ohrid: That which David had foretold in the person of Christ, I will open my mouth in parables, the Lord here fulfills. As it is said, when a large crowd was gathered and people were coming to him from every city, he spoke by a parable. The Lord speaks in parables, first, to make his hearers more attentive. For people were accustomed to exercising their minds on obscure sayings and despising what was plain. Second, he spoke this way so that the unworthy might not receive what was spoken mystically.

Origen of Alexandria: Therefore, it is significant that the text says, when a large crowd was gathered and people were coming to him from every city. For there are not many, but few, who walk the narrow road and find the way that leads to life. This is why Matthew says that he taught by parables outside the house, but explained the parable to his disciples inside the house.

Eusebius of Caesarea: Christ most fittingly presents his first parable to the crowd—not only to those who stood by then, but also to those who would come after them—urging them to listen to his words, saying, A sower went out to sow his seed.

The Venerable Bede: We can understand the sower to be none other than the Son of God. Going forth from his Father’s bosom, where no creature had ever reached, he came into the world so that he might bear witness to the truth.

St. John Chrysostom: Now his "going forth"—he who is everywhere—was not a change of location, but an approach to us through the veil of the flesh. Christ fittingly calls his advent a "going forth." For we were alienated from God, cast out like criminals and rebels against the king. But one who wishes to reconcile people goes out to them and speaks to them outside, until, having become fit for the royal presence, he brings them inside. This is what Christ did.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But he went out now not to destroy the farmers or to burn up the earth; he went out to sow. For often the farmer who sows goes out for some other reason, not only to sow.

Eusebius of Caesarea: Some beings went out from the heavenly country and descended among humanity, but not to sow, for they were not sowers; they were ministering spirits sent forth to minister. Moses and the prophets after him also did not plant the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven in people. Instead, by holding the foolish back from the error of iniquity and the worship of idols, they tilled the souls of men, as it were, and brought them into cultivation.

But the only Sower of all, the Word of God, went out to sow the new seed of the Gospel—that is, the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Son of God never ceases to sow in our hearts, for he sows good seed not only when he is teaching, but also when he is creating.

Titus of Bostra: He went out to sow his seed. He does not receive the word as something borrowed, for he is by nature the Word of the living God. The seed, then, is not from Paul or John; they have it only because they have received it. Christ has his own seed, drawing his teaching from his own nature. This is why the Jews said, How does this man know letters, having never learned?

Eusebius of Caesarea: He teaches, therefore, that there are two classes of those who receive the seed. The first consists of those who have been made worthy of the heavenly calling but fall from grace through carelessness and laziness. The second consists of those who multiply the seed by bearing good fruit. According to Matthew, however, he makes three divisions in each class, for those who corrupt the seed do not all have the same manner of destruction, and those who bear fruit from it do not all receive an equal abundance.

He wisely presents the cases of those who lose the seed. Some, for instance, have lost the good seed implanted in their hearts—not through sinning, but through its being withdrawn from their thoughts and memory by evil spirits and demons who fly through the air, or by deceitful and cunning people, whom he calls the birds of the air. This is why it says, And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He did not say that the sower threw some seed on the wayside, but that it fell by the wayside. For the sower taught the right word, but the word falls in different ways upon the hearers, so that some of them are called "the wayside." As the verse says, and it was trodden down, and the birds of the air devoured it.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Every wayside is, to some degree, dry and uncultivated because it is trodden down by everyone, and no seed can gain moisture on it. In the same way, the divine warning does not reach the unteachable heart so that it might bring forth the praise of virtue. These, then, are the paths frequented by unclean spirits.

There are others who carry their faith about as if it consisted in mere words; their faith is without root. Of them it is added, And some fell upon a rock, and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

The Venerable Bede: The rock, he says, is the hard and unsubdued heart. The moisture at the root of the seed is the same as what is called "the oil to trim the lamps of the virgins" in another parable—that is, love and steadfastness in virtue.

Eusebius of Caesarea: There are also some who, because of covetousness, the desire for pleasure, and worldly cares—which Christ indeed calls thorns—allow the seed that has been sown in them to be choked.

St. John Chrysostom: Just as thorns do not let the seed grow, but choke it by growing thickly around it, so the cares of this present life do not permit the seed to bear fruit. In the physical world, a farmer must be rebuked who would sow among thorns, on a rock, or on the wayside, for it is impossible for rocks to become earth, for the path not to be a path, or for thorns not to be thorns.

But in rational matters, it is different. For it is possible for the rock to be converted into fruitful soil, for the path not to be trodden down, and for the thorns to be cleared away.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The rich and fruitful ground represents the honest and good hearts that receive the seeds of the word deeply, retaining and cherishing them. This is what is meant by the verse, And some fell on good ground, and sprang up and yielded a crop a hundredfold. For when the divine word is poured into a soul free from all anxieties, it strikes its root deep, sends forth the stalk, as it were, and in its due season comes to perfection.

The Venerable Bede: By "a hundredfold," he means perfect fruit. The number ten is always taken to imply perfection, because the keeping, or observance, of the law is contained in ten precepts. Since ten multiplied by itself amounts to a hundred, the number one hundred signifies very great perfection.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But as for the meaning of the parable, let us hear it from him who told it, as it follows: And when he had said these things, he cried, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’

St. Basil the Great: Hearing relates to understanding. By this statement, then, our Lord stirs us to listen attentively to the meaning of the things that are spoken.

The Venerable Bede: Whenever this admonition occurs, either in the Gospel or the Revelation of St. John, it signifies that there is a mystical meaning in what is said, and we must inquire more closely into it. This is why the disciples, who were ignorant of the meaning, asked our Savior, for it follows, And his disciples asked him... But let no one suppose that his disciples asked him as soon as the parable was finished; rather, as Mark says, When he was alone, they asked him.

Origen of Alexandria: A parable is a narration of an action presented as if it happened, yet it did not happen literally (though it could have), representing certain truths by means of the story. An enigma, by contrast, is a story of things spoken of as if they happened, yet they have not happened and are not possible, but which contains a concealed meaning. An example is what is mentioned in the Book of Judges, that the trees went out to anoint a king over them.

The statement, A sower went out to sow, was not a literal fact like those related in history, yet it could have been.

Eusebius of Caesarea: Our Lord told them the reason why he spoke to the crowds in parables, as follows: And he said, ‘To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God.’

St. Gregory of Nazianzus: When you hear this, you must not entertain the notion of different natures, as certain heretics do. They think that some people are of a perishing nature and others of a saving nature, while some are constituted such that their will leads them to better or worse. Instead, you must add to the words, To you it is given, the condition: "if you are willing and truly worthy."

Theophylact of Ohrid: But to those who are unworthy of such mysteries, these things are spoken obscurely. This is why it says, but to the rest in parables, that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ For they think they see, but do not see; and they hear, but do not understand. Christ hides this from them for this reason: lest they should create a greater judgment against themselves if, after they had known the mysteries of Christ, they despised them. For whoever understands and afterward despises will be more severely punished.

The Venerable Bede: Rightly, then, do they hear in parables, for having closed the senses of their heart, they do not care to know the truth, forgetting what the Lord told them: He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

St. Gregory the Great: But our Lord condescended to explain what he said so that we might know how to seek for explanation in those things which he is unwilling to explain himself. For it follows, Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Eusebius of Caesarea: He says that there are three reasons why people destroy the seed implanted in their hearts. Some destroy the hidden seed by carelessly listening to those who wish to deceive. Of these he adds, Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts.

The Venerable Bede: These are people who, in truth, receive the word they hear with no faith, no understanding, and not even an attempt to test its value.

Eusebius of Caesarea: But there are some who, not having received the word in any depth of heart, are soon overcome when adversity assails them. Of these it is added, They on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: When they enter the Church, they gladly attend to the divine mysteries, but with a weakness of purpose. When they leave the Church, however, they forget its sacred discipline. As long as Christians are undisturbed, their faith is lasting; but when persecution comes, their heart fails them, for their faith was without root.

St. Gregory the Great: Many people propose to begin a good work, but as soon as they are troubled by adversity or temptation, they abandon what they had begun. The rocky ground, then, had no moisture to sustain the fruit it had put forth and bring it to constancy.

Eusebius of Caesarea: Some choke the seed that has been deposited in them with riches and vain delights, as if with choking thorns. Of these it is added, And that which fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of this life...

St. Gregory the Great: It is remarkable that the Lord has represented riches as thorns. For thorns prick, while riches delight; and yet they are thorns, because they lacerate the mind with the pricking of their thoughts. Whenever they entice us to sin, they draw blood, as if inflicting a wound.

There are two things he joins to riches: cares and pleasures. Cares oppress the mind with anxiety, and pleasures unnerve it with luxuries. They choke the seed because they strangle the throat of the heart with vexatious thoughts. And by not letting a good desire enter the heart, they close up, as it were, the passage of the vital breath.

Eusebius of Caesarea: These things were foretold by our Savior according to his foreknowledge, and experience testifies that this is indeed the case. For people never fall away from the truth of divine worship except for one of the reasons he mentioned.

St. John Chrysostom: To summarize: some, as careless hearers; some, as weak; and others, as the very slaves of pleasure and worldly things, hold themselves back from what is good. The order of the wayside, the rock, and the thorns is fitting, for we first need recollection and caution, next fortitude, and then contempt for present things.

He therefore places the good ground in opposition to the wayside, the rock, and the thorns. The seed on the good ground represents those who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it... For those on the wayside do not keep the word, but the devil takes away their seed. Those on the rock do not patiently endure the assaults of temptation because of their weakness. And those among the thorns bear no fruit, but are choked.

St. Gregory the Great: The good ground, then, bears fruit through patience, for nothing we do is good unless we patiently endure the evils that are closest to us. Therefore, those who humbly bear their struggles are the ones who bear fruit through patience; after the scourge, they are received with joy into a heavenly rest.

The Venerable Bede: Having previously said to his apostles, To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables, he now shows that through them, this same mystery must eventually be revealed to others, saying, No man when he has lighted a candle covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed.

Eusebius of Caesarea: It is as if he said: Just as a lamp is lit so that it gives light, not so that it can be covered by a bushel or a bed, so also the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, when spoken in parables, although hidden from those who are strangers to the faith, will not, however, appear obscure to everyone.

Therefore, he adds, For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest, neither any thing hid that shall not be known, and come abroad. It is as if he said: Although many things are spoken in parables—that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand—because of their unbelief, yet the whole matter will be revealed.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, with these words he figuratively presents the boldness required for preaching, so that no one, out of fear of bodily harm, should hide the light of knowledge. Under the symbols of a vessel and a bed, he represents the flesh; under the symbol of a lamp, he represents the word. Whoever keeps the word hidden out of fear of physical troubles places the flesh itself before the revelation of the truth and, in doing so, as it were, covers the word because he is afraid to preach it.

But a person places a candle on a candlestick who so submits his body to the service of God that the preaching of the truth is held in the highest regard, while the service of the body is held in the lowest.

Origen of Alexandria: But the one who would adapt his lamp for the more mature disciples of Christ must convince us with the words spoken about John, for he was a burning and a shining light. It is not fitting, then, for the one who lights the lamp of reason in his soul to hide it under a bed where people sleep, or under any vessel. Whoever does this does not provide for those who enter the house for whom the candle is prepared; rather, they must set it on a candlestick, which is the whole Church.

St. John Chrysostom: With these words, he leads them to live diligently, teaching them to be strong, as they are exposed to the view of all people and fighting in the world as if on a stage. It is as if he said: Do not think that you live in a small part of the world, for you will be known by everyone, since it is impossible for such great virtue to remain hidden.

St. Maximus the Confessor: Or perhaps the Lord calls himself a light shining for all who inhabit the house—that is, the world—since he is God by nature but, through the divine plan, was made flesh. And so, like the light of a lamp, he abides in the vessel of the flesh by means of the soul, just as the light in a lamp's vessel shines by means of the flame.

By “the candlestick,” he describes the Church, over which the divine Word shines, illuminating the house, as it were, with the rays of truth. But under the symbol of a vessel or a bed, he referred to the observance of the Law, under which the Word cannot be contained.

The Venerable Bede: But the Lord does not cease teaching us to listen to his word, so that we can both constantly meditate on it in our minds and also bring it forth for the instruction of others. Therefore, it follows: Take heed therefore how you hear; for whosoever has, to him shall be given.

It is as if he is saying: Pay attention with all your mind to the word that you hear, for to the one who has a love for the word, the ability to understand what he loves will also be given. But whoever has no love for hearing the word, even if he considers himself skillful from natural genius or the practice of learning, will have no delight in the sweetness of wisdom.

For often the lazy person is gifted with abilities so that, if he neglects them, he may be more justly punished for his negligence, since he disdains to know what he could obtain without effort. And sometimes the studious person is burdened with a slowness to comprehend, so that the more he labors in his inquiries, the greater his reward may be.

Titus of Bostra: Our Lord had left His relatives according to the flesh and was occupied with His Father’s teaching. But when they began to feel His absence, they came to Him, as it is said, Then came to him his mother and his brethren. When you hear of our Lord’s brethren, you must also include the concepts of piety and grace. For no one is the brother of the Savior in regard to His divine nature (for He is the Only-begotten), but by the grace of piety, He has made us partakers of His flesh and His blood, and He who is by nature God has become our brother.

The Venerable Bede: But those who are said to be our Lord’s brethren according to the flesh, you must not imagine them to be the children of the blessed Mary, the mother of God, as Helvidius thinks, nor the children of Joseph by another wife, as some say, but should rather believe them to be their relatives.

Titus of Bostra: His brethren thought that when He heard of their presence, He would send away the people out of respect for His mother’s name and from His affection for her, as it follows: And it was told him, Your mother and your brethren stand without.

St. John Chrysostom: Think what it was, when the whole crowd stood by and were hanging on His every word (for His teaching had already begun), to pull Him away from them. Our Lord accordingly answers as if rebuking them, as it follows: And he answered and said to them, My mother and my brethren are they which hear the word of God, and do it.

St. Ambrose of Milan: The moral teacher who sets an example for others, when about to instruct them that he who has not left father and mother is not worthy of the Son of God, first submits Himself to this precept. This is not because He denies the claims of filial piety (for it is His own decree, He that knows not his father and mother shall die the death), but because He knows He is more bound to obey His Father’s mysteries than to yield to the feelings of His mother.

However, His parents are not harshly rejected; rather, the bonds of the mind are shown to be more sacred than those of the body. Therefore, in this passage He does not disown His mother (as some heretics say, eagerly seizing upon His words), since she is also acknowledged from the cross. Instead, the law of heavenly ordinances is preferred to earthly affection.

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, those who hear the word of God and do it are called the mother of our Lord, because daily, in their actions or words, they, as it were, bring Him forth in their innermost hearts. They are also His brethren when they do the will of His Father, who is in heaven.

St. John Chrysostom: Now, He does not say this to rebuke His mother, but to greatly help her. For if He was anxious for others to form a right opinion of Himself, He was much more anxious for His mother. He would not have elevated her to such a height if she were to always expect to be honored by Him as a son, and never to consider Him as her Lord.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Some interpret this to mean that certain men, hating Christ’s teaching and mocking Him for it, said, “Your mother and your brethren stand outside, wishing to see you,” as if to point out His lowly birth. And He, therefore, knowing their hearts, gave them this answer: that lowly birth does no harm, but if a man, though of humble origin, hears the word of God, He considers him His kinsman.

However, because hearing alone saves no one, but rather condemns, He adds, and do it. For it is fitting for us both to hear and to do. By “the word of God,” He means His own teaching, for all the words He Himself spoke were from His Father.

St. Ambrose of Milan: In a mystical sense, one who is seeking Christ ought not to stand outside. Hence also that saying, Come to him, and be enlightened. For if they stand outside, not even parents themselves are acknowledged; and perhaps for our sake, they are not. How are we acknowledged by Him if we stand outside? This interpretation is also reasonable, because through the figure of the parents, He points to the Jews from whom Christ was born, and considers the Church to be preferred to the synagogue.

The Venerable Bede: For they cannot enter while He is teaching, because they refuse to understand His words spiritually. But the crowd went ahead and entered the house, because when the Jews rejected Christ, the Gentiles flocked to Him.

Those who stand outside, wishing to see Christ, are the ones who, not seeking a spiritual sense in the law, have positioned themselves outside to guard its literal meaning. They, as it were, compel Christ to come out to teach them earthly things, rather than consenting to enter in themselves to learn spiritual things.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: When the disciples saw that everyone received help from Christ, it seemed fitting that they too should rejoice in Christ's benefits. For no one regards what happens to another person as much as what happens to themselves. The Lord therefore exposed the disciples to the sea and the winds, as the passage says, Now it came to pass on a certain day that he went into a ship with his disciples; and he said to them, Let us go over to the other side of the lake: and they launched forth.

St. John Chrysostom: Luke indeed avoids the question that might be asked about the order of time, saying that He went into a ship on a certain day. Now if the storm had arisen when our Lord was awake, the disciples would either not have feared or not have believed that He could do such a thing. For this reason, He sleeps, giving them an occasion for fear, for the text continues, But as they sailed he fell asleep; and there came down a storm of wind on the lake.

St. Ambrose of Milan: We are told above, moreover, that He passed the night in prayer. How then does He fall asleep here in a storm? This expresses the security of His power, for while all were afraid, He alone lay fearless. He lay asleep in the body, while in His mind He was in the mystery of divinity. For nothing happens without the Word.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But it seems to have been especially and wonderfully ordained that they should not seek His assistance when the storm first began to affect the boat, but only after the danger had increased, so that the power of the Divine Majesty might be made more manifest. Thus it is said, And they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. Indeed, our Lord allowed this for the sake of testing them, so that after confessing their danger, they would acknowledge the greatness of the miracle. Thus, when their great danger had driven them into unbearable fear, having no other hope of safety but the Lord of power Himself, they awoke Him. The passage continues, And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, we perish.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Matthew says, Master, save us, we perish. Mark says, Master, care you not that we perish? In all accounts, we find the same expression from men awakening our Lord and anxious for their safety. Nor is it worthwhile to ask which of these was most likely said to Christ. For whether they said one of these three, or some other words which no Evangelist has mentioned but which have the same meaning, what does it matter? However, it may also be the case that since many people awoke Him, all these things were said—one by one person, and another by another.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But it was not possible for them to perish while the Almighty was with them. Christ then arose, who has power over all things, and immediately stilled the storm and the violence of the wind; the tempest ceased, and there was a calm. In this, He shows Himself to be God, to whom it is said, You rule the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, you still them. So then, as He sailed, our Lord manifested both natures in one and the same person, for He who slept in the ship as a man, stilled the raging of the sea by His word as God.

But along with the raging of the waters, He also quiets the turmoil in their souls, as the passage continues, And he said to them, Where is your faith? With this question, He showed that it is not so much the assault of temptation that causes fear, as it is faint-heartedness. For as gold is tested in the fire, so is faith in temptation.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Now this is related by the other Evangelists in different words. For Matthew says that Jesus said, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? But Mark says, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?—that is, that perfect faith like a grain of mustard seed. Mark also says, O you of little faith; but Luke says, Where is your faith? Indeed, all of these may have been said: Why are you fearful? Where is your faith? O you of little faith. Thus, one Evangelist records one saying, and another records another.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: When the tempest was stilled at Christ's command, the disciples in astonishment whispered to one another, as the passage says, And they being afraid wondered... Now, the disciples did not say this because they were ignorant of Him, for they knew that He was God and Jesus the Son of God. But they marveled at the immense vastness of His natural power and the glory of His divinity, even though He was like us and visible in the flesh. Thus they say, Who is this?—that is, what kind of man is this? How great, and with what great power and majesty? For it is a mighty work, a lordly command, not a lowly request.

The Venerable Bede: Or, it was not His disciples, but the sailors and others in the ship who wondered.

But allegorically, the sea or lake is the dark and bitter tide of the world. The ship is the wood of the cross, by which the faithful, after passing through the waves of this world, reach the shore of their heavenly country.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Our Lord, therefore, who knew that He came to earth for a divine mystery, left His relatives and went up into the ship.

The Venerable Bede: His disciples also enter with Him when summoned. Thus He says, If any one will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. While His disciples are sailing—that is, the faithful passing through this world, meditating on the rest of the world to come, and by the breath of the Holy Spirit or their own exertions eagerly leaving behind the unbelieving pride of the world—suddenly our Lord fell asleep. This means the time of our Lord's passion had come, and the storm descended.

For when our Lord entered the sleep of death upon the cross, the waves of persecution rose, stirred up by the breath of the devil. But while the Lord's patience is not disturbed by the waves, the faint hearts of the disciples are shaken and tremble. They awoke our Lord so that they would not perish while He slept, because having seen His death, they desire His resurrection; for if it were delayed, they would perish forever. Therefore, He rises and rebukes the wind, since by His sudden resurrection He crushed the pride of the devil who had the power of death. He makes the tempest of nature cease, since by His resurrection He thwarted the rage of the Jews who plotted His death.

St. Ambrose of Milan: You must remember that no one can pass through the course of this life without temptations, for temptation is the test of faith. We are therefore subject to the storms of spiritual wickedness.

As watchful sailors, we must awaken the Pilot, who does not obey but commands the winds. Although He no longer sleeps in His own body, let us be careful, lest through the sleep of our own bodies, He becomes asleep and at rest to us. But those who feared when Christ was present are rightly rebuked, since surely, whoever clings to Him can in no way perish.

The Venerable Bede: Similarly, when He appeared to His disciples after His death, He rebuked them for their unbelief, and thus, having calmed the swelling waves, He made the power of His divinity plain to all.