46. In another way it is read, so that they refer to vicious defects, so that the poor are those lacking grace; the weak, those lacking virtue; the blind, those lacking prudence; and the lame, those lacking good will. And yet God chooses and calls these, because, Matthew 9, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance"; whence also in Matthew 21 it was said to the Pharisees: "The publicans and harlots shall go before you into the kingdom of God."
47. In a third way it is read, so that they refer to virtuous defects, so that the poor and weak are so called with regard to their own self-estimation; and indeed we understand those as poor who do not trust in excessive wealth; of whom Proverbs 13: "There is one who makes himself poor, though he has in great riches"; and those as weak who do not trust in their own strength: 1 Corinthians 1: "The weakness of God is stronger than men"; the blind, who do not trust in their own knowledge, that is, who consider themselves blind; whence John 9: "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now because you say, We see: your sin remains"; the lame, who do not trust in their own uprightness: whence Jacob, after he saw the Lord, is said to have limped, Genesis 32. Such persons the Lord brings in, namely the poor through contempt of earthly wealth: Psalm: "He shall spare the poor and needy," etc.; the weak through contempt of self-confidence: Isaiah 40: "They that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength"; the blind through contempt of their own industry: John 9: "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see," etc.; the lame through contempt of their own righteousness: Isaiah 35: "Then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute shall be opened."
And concerning all these it is said above in chapter 7: "The blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them"; because they themselves are brought into life and are called.
And this last interpretation seems more consonant with what precedes, because "God resists the proud."
48. (Verse 22). Secondly, regarding the compulsion of the negligent, which follows the calling of the humble, he adds: And the servant said: Lord, it has been done as you commanded, and there is still room: because there are not as many humble as there are predestined to life, nor are there as many willing for eternal life as there are predestined by God.
49. (Verse 23). Therefore he adds: And the lord said to the servant: Go out into the highways and hedges. By highways and hedges, which are outside the city, are understood sinners who are outside the ecclesiastical unity, and especially the gentiles.
Hence Gregory: "When he calls from the lanes and streets, he signifies the Jews, who knew how to keep the Law under an urban manner of life; but when he calls from the highways and hedges, he signifies the rustic people of the Gentiles." And by this same reasoning, other sinners can be understood, and especially the slothful, who are drawn to the good unwillingly. Hence he adds: And compel them to enter, namely by the threat of eternal punishments and the showing forth of present ones; because, as Gregory says, "the evils that press upon us here compel us to go to God"; on account of which it is said in the Psalm: "When he slew them, they sought him." Hence the servant of God compels these when he terrifies them with the threat of the severity of judgment, according to that passage in Second Timothy chapter four: "Preach the word, be urgent in season, out of season, reprove, entreat, rebuke," etc.
And the reason for this is the completion of the number of the elect; hence he adds: That my house may be filled. The Gloss: "With the number of the predestined faithful, which number will not remain unfilled," concerning which number, Apocalypse chapter six: "Wait yet a little while, until the number of your brethren be fulfilled." This house, therefore, is filled when the universality of the elect is saved, concerning whom, Apocalypse chapter seven: "After these things I saw a great multitude, which no one could number"; and Apocalypse chapter fourteen: "I saw upon Mount Sion the Lamb standing, and with him," etc.; and in the Canticle of Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two: "He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel"; where Gregory says that "as many men will be saved as Angels stood firm." Whatever may be said about this, however, it is certain that the number of the elect will be perfect ; as a figure of which it is said in Deuteronomy chapter thirty-three: "He appeared from Mount Pharan, and with him thousands of Saints."
50. (Verse 24). Third, with regard to the rejection of the contemptuous, he adds: But I say to you, that none of those men who were invited and excused themselves shall taste my supper; because no one attains to that supper except the humble: Matthew chapter eighteen: "Unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven"; hence also it is said in the Psalm: "How great is the multitude of your sweetness, O Lord, which you have hidden for those who fear you"! For the Lord reserves it for those who fear him, but repels the proud. "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but with the chains of hell," etc., as is said in Second Peter chapter two; and afterward: "The Lord knows how to deliver the godly from temptation, but reserves the wicked to be tormented"; and on account of this, Romans chapter eleven: "Be not high-minded, but fear. For if God spared not the natural branches, lest perhaps he spare not you either." And therefore he says in Hebrews chapter two: "Therefore we ought more diligently to observe, lest perhaps we drift away. For if the word spoken through Angels was made firm, how shall we escape, if we have neglected so great a salvation"?
Third, the crowds following are instructed, concerning which there are two points.
51. (Verse 25.). Now great crowds were going. After he confuted the calumniators and instructed the dinner guests, here now thirdly he instructs the companions. This part is divided into two. In the first he instructs the companions through express words: in the second through parabolic examples, at: For which of you, wishing to build a tower etc.
Instructing through express words concerning those spiritually accompanying Christ, he proceeds in this order, namely by expressing the sign, principle, and complement of spiritual accompaniment.
First, therefore, regarding the sign of spiritual accompaniment, he says: Now great crowds were going with him, as a sign of spiritual accompaniment: whence the Gloss: "The crowds were going with him, captivated namely by the sweetness of his preaching and miracles"; whence they could say that word from John 6: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." And note here that the Pharisees calumniated Christ, and the crowds accompanied him, because the one whom the proud despise, the humble accompany; whence John 7: "Has any of the rulers believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the Law, is accursed." Now the crowds were following Jesus as sheep follow a shepherd: Matthew 9: "Jesus, seeing the crowds, had compassion on them, because they were harassed and cast down like sheep not having a shepherd." Likewise, they were following as peoples follow a king: Matthew 21: "The crowds that went before and that followed were crying out: Hosanna" etc. Likewise, they were following as disciples follow a teacher: above in chapter 5: "It happened that when the crowds pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret."
52. (Verse 25. 26.). Secondly, regarding the principle of spiritual accompaniment, he adds: And turning, he said to them: turning, I say, through benignity: Psalm: "O God, you will turn and give us life"; he said, through the truth of doctrine: If anyone comes to me, through the supererogation of justice: Matthew 11: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened." And does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and even his own soul, through the mortification of carnal affection, according to that word of the Psalm: "Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear" etc.: he cannot be my disciple, through the assumption of evangelical perfection, concerning which Luke 6: "Everyone will be perfect if he is like his master."
And the reason for this is that the principle of the spiritual life is to put off carnal affection, because, as First Corinthians 2 says, "the natural man does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit of God: for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot understand" etc.; and Isaiah 28: "Whom shall he teach knowledge, and whom shall he make to understand the message? Those weaned from milk" etc., that is, those separated from carnal affection.
53. Hence it should be noted here that he does not here command hatred of parents with respect to nature, for this would be impiety, since it is said in First John 3: "He who hates his brother is a murderer"; but with respect to fault, as Augustine says: "Men are to be loved in such a way that their errors are not loved." Concerning this hatred, in the Psalm: "Did I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and waste away over your enemies?" and after: "With perfect hatred I hated them," etc. Hence Gregory: "We can at once both hate and love, so that we love those joined to us by kinship from the divine precept, and those whom we suffer as adversaries in the way of God we disregard by hating and fleeing them." Hence that hatred does not come from cruelty but from charity, just as also the hatred of one's own soul, which we ought to hate, not with respect to salvation, but with respect to carnality. Hence Gregory: "Then we hate our soul when we resist its carnal affections." Concerning this hatred, John 12: "He who hates his soul in this world keeps it unto eternal life." Augustine: "If you have loved badly, then you have hated; if you have hated well, then you have loved. Happy are those who have so hated by guarding, lest they lose by loving." This is what is more expressly said in Ecclesiasticus 18: "Son, do not go after your lusts, and turn away from your own will. If you grant your soul its lusts, it will make you a joy to your enemies." Therefore, just as the beginning of spiritual life is not to covet, where all evil is forbidden, and to turn away from evil: so the foundation of spiritual companionship is to turn away from all carnality, whether toward oneself or toward parents. On account of which, Ephesians 4: "Put off, according to your former manner of life, the old man, who is corrupted according to the desires of error."
54. (Verse 27.). Third, with respect to the completion of the spiritual companionship, he adds: And he who does not carry his cross, through perfect mortification of the flesh; and comes after me, through right intention; cannot be my disciple, through true imitation. And note that here is the consummation of Christ's discipleship and companionship, namely in carrying the cross, because there Christ brought all things to completion, as is said in John 19: "And bearing his cross, he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull." In this cross of Christ there is the highest humility: Philippians 2: "He humbled himself, being made obedient unto death, even the death of the cross"; the highest poverty, so that Christ could truly say that word of Job 1: "Naked I came forth from the womb of my mother, and naked shall I return thither." Hence in John 19 it is said that "the soldiers, when they had crucified him, took his garments and made four parts." There is also there the highest austerity, according to that word of the Psalm: "They pierced my hands and my feet; they numbered all my bones."
55. To bear the cross, therefore, is to take up humility in the heart, austerity in the flesh, and poverty in suffering, against those three radical vices and against the threefold excuse of those who refused to come to the supper. This cross was Christ's, because Christ willingly took it up: similarly, whoever wishes to follow Christ must bear it willingly, so that he bears it as his own cross from his own will, not under compulsion as another's, and thus be not an imitator of Christ but rather of Simon, of whom Mark fifteen says: "They compelled a certain Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross." To this cross Christ especially invites us, who first bore it as a standard and royal sign: whence Hebrews, the last chapter: "Christ suffered outside the gate. Let us therefore go forth to him," etc. He therefore who does not wish to follow thus is not a disciple of Christ, because he does not wish to imitate him in that wherein he offered himself as an example and master to us; whence Galatians five: "Those who are Christ's have crucified their flesh with its vices and concupiscences." On account of which, Second Corinthians four: "Always bearing about the mortification of the cross in our body, that the life of Jesus also may be made manifest in our bodies." Whence Chrysostom: "Let no one be ashamed of the cross; let us bear it about as a crown; for indeed all things that pertain to us are accomplished through the cross: regeneration, consecration. On account of this we inscribe it in our homes, on our doors, on our roads, on our foreheads, and in our minds." This therefore must be borne as the sign of the living God, of which Apocalypse seven says: "I saw another Angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the sign of the living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four Angels to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, saying: Do not harm the earth nor the sea nor the trees, until we sign the servants of God on their foreheads," so that it may be known manifestly who is a disciple of Christ.
56. For which of you, wishing to build, etc. After he instructed those accompanying him, and this through express words, here secondly he instructs the same through parabolic examples. And since we ought to imitate Christ in actions and sufferings, in the first we are like those building, in the second like those waging war:
therefore first in this part he introduces the parable of the man building. Second, he adds the parable and example of the king waging war, at the place: Or what king going forth. In the third, he subjoins the application of both, at the place: So therefore every one of you who does not renounce.
Concerning the parable of the man building, three things are introduced, namely the conception of the plan to build, the provision of sufficient funds, and the avoidance of impending reproach.
57. (Verse 28). First, therefore, as regards the conception of the purpose of building, he says: For which of you, wishing to build a tower. By the tower, which is the loftiest building, we can understand the accumulation of the perfection of merits, which ascends step by step from the lowest to the highest, beginning from the foundation of fear and reaching up to the pinnacle of deiform wisdom. And first the tower of the gift of fear is to be built, of which can be understood that passage of Micah 4: "You, O cloudy tower of the flock, unto you shall it come," because fear makes one small through the consideration of judgment.
The second tower is that of piety, of which Isaiah 5: "He built a tower in the midst of the vineyard and set up a winepress in it," because piety arises from the consideration of the Passion.
The third is the tower of knowledge: Song of Songs 4: "Your neck is like the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks. A thousand shields hang from it, all the armor of the mighty," etc.: which is understood of the knowledge of Sacred Scripture.
The fourth is the tower of fortitude; Proverbs 18: "The name of the Lord is a most strong tower: the just man runs to it and shall be exalted"; and in the Psalm: "You have led me forth, because you have become my hope, a tower of fortitude," etc. The fifth is the tower of counsel, of which Song of Songs 7: "Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, which looks toward Damascus"; because counsel is against the snares of the enemy.