Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 24:3-5

"And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray." — Matthew 24:3-5 (ASV)

Remigius of Auxerre: The Lord, continuing His walk, arrives at the Mount of Olives, having foretold along the way the destruction of the temple to those disciples who had shown and commended its buildings. When they reached the mountain, they came to Him, asking Him more about this.

St. John Chrysostom: They asked Him in private, because the matters they were going to ask Him about were of great importance. They wished to know the day of His coming out of the vehement desire they had to see His glory.

St. Jerome: They ask Him three things. First, the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? Second, the time of Christ's coming, saying, And what will be the sign of your coming? Third, the time of the consummation of this world, saying, and of the end of the world?

St. John Chrysostom: Luke speaks of one inquiry—the one concerning Jerusalem—as if the disciples supposed that Christ's coming would be at that time, and that the end of the world would occur when Jerusalem was destroyed.

Mark, however, does not state that all of them asked about the destruction of Jerusalem, but only Peter, James, John, and Andrew, as they were more bold and spoke more freely with Christ.

Origen of Alexandria: I think the Mount of Olives is a mystery representing the Church drawn from the Gentiles.

Remigius of Auxerre: For the Mount of Olives has no unfruitful trees, but only olives, which supply light to dispel darkness, give rest to the weary, and bring health to the sick. And sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, the Lord speaks about its destruction and the destruction of the Jewish nation. By His very choice of location, He shows that by remaining in the Church, He condemns the pride of the wicked.

Origen of Alexandria: For the husbandman dwelling on the Mount of Olives is the Word of God established in the Church—that is, Christ, who forever grafts the branches of the wild olive onto the good olive tree of the Fathers. Those who are confident before Christ seek to learn the sign of His coming and of the consummation of this world.

The coming of the Word into the soul is of two kinds. The first is that preaching about Christ which seems foolish, when we proclaim that Christ was born and crucified. The second is its coming into spiritually mature people, about which it is said, We speak wisdom among those who are perfect (1 Corinthians 2:6).

To this second coming is added the end of the world for the spiritually mature person, to whom the world is crucified.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Because the disciples' questions are threefold, they are separated by different times and meanings. The question concerning the destruction of the city is answered first and is then confirmed by true doctrine, so that no deceiver might prevail over the ignorant.

St. John Chrysostom: His first answer is not about the destruction of Jerusalem, nor about His second coming, but about the evils that they would immediately encounter.

St. Jerome: One of those of whom He speaks was Simon of Samaria, who, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, claimed to be the "Great Power." He left these things written in his works,ⁱ among others: "I am the Word of God, I am the Almighty, I am all things of God."

The Apostle John also says in his Epistle, You have heard that Antichrist will come; even now there are many Antichrists (1 John 2:18).

I suppose all heresiarchs to be Antichrists, who, under the name of Christ, teach things that are contrary to Christ. It is no wonder that we see some led astray by such teachers, when the Lord has said, and will deceive many.

Origen of Alexandria: Those who are deceived are many, because wide is the gate that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in through it (Matthew 7:13). This one thing is enough to detect the Antichrists and deceivers: they will say, I am Christ, which Christ Himself is nowhere recorded as having said. For the works of God, the word which He taught, and His power were enough to create the belief that He is the Christ.

For every discourse that claims to interpret Scripture faithfully but does not contain the truth, is Antichrist. For the truth is Christ; whatever pretends to be the truth is Antichrist.

Likewise, all true virtue is Christ; whatever only pretends to be virtue is Antichrist. For Christ truly has in Himself all manner of good for the edification of people, but the devil has forged resemblances of these things to deceive the saints.

Therefore, we need God's help, so that nothing may deceive us—neither a persuasive word nor a display of power. It is a bad thing to find someone erring in their course of life, but I consider it much worse not to think according to the truest rule of Scripture.