Luke 17 · The Lantern

He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come!

Then, turning to His disciples, He says: "Woe unto him through whom offences come! It were better for him if he had not been born, or if a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones," that is, one of His disciples.

What are the offences which Christ mentions as being in every way certain to happen? Offences then are of two kinds: for some are against the glory of the Supreme Being, and assail That Substance Which transcends all, as far at least as regards the purpose of the contrivers of them: while other offences happen from time to time against ourselves, and proceed no further than to…

And he said to his disciples. After having refuted the impiety of the Jews, he invited the disciples to piety according to corporal almsgiving; here follows the second part, in which he invites to piety according to spiritual almsgiving.

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.

It is better for him that a millstone be placed around his neck and he be cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. He speaks according to the custom of the province, by which this punishment was for greater crimes among the ancient Jews, that they be drowned with a stone tied to them in the depths.

And indeed, for a person who causes offenses and obstacles, it is better that "a millstone be hung around his neck and he be cast into the sea" than that he should offend and lead astray "one of these little ones," that is, the faithful.

Third, as regards the horribleness of the punishment, he adds: It is more profitable for him if a millstone were placed around his neck and he were cast into the sea.

Be careful. If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.

Such identity of care proceeds from one and the same Being. A trespassing brother He will have rebuked. If one failed in this duty of reproof, he in fact sinned, either because out of hatred he wished his brother to continue in sin, or else spared him from mistaken friendship, although possessing the injunction in Leviticus: "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart; thy…

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. We read something similar in Leviticus: You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall surely rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin because of him (Lev. 19).

Take heed to yourselves, etc. After He dissuaded impiety, which consists in the scandal of one's neighbors, here consequently He counsels spiritual piety, which consists in the remission of injuries.

If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

The Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, 'Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say, when he comes in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down at the table,'

That no one should be uplifted in his labour. In Solomon, in Ecclesiasticus: "Extol not thyself in doing thy work." Also in the Gospel according to Luke: "Which of you, having a servant ploughing, or a shepherd, says to him when he cometh from the field, Pass forward and recline?

Our Lord teaches us that it is no more than the just and proper right of a master to require, as their bounden duty, subjection from servants, adding, Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. Here then is the disease of pride cut away. Why boastest thou thyself?

Which of you, having a servant. After the example leading to fervent faith, there is here subjoined an example leading to reverent humility. In the description of this example, he proceeds in this order. For he sets forth the obsequiousness of servitude, takes up the necessity of serving, and concludes with the humility of spiritual servitude.

and will not rather tell him, 'Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me, while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink'?

(de Quæst. Ev. ubi sup.) While His servants also are ministering, that is, preaching the Gospel, our Lord is eating and drinking the faith and confession of the Gentiles. It follows, And afterward thou shall eat and drink.

By this parable it is declared that one must not boast of any attainment, not even of the fulfillment of all the commandments. For upon a servant lies the necessary obligation to carry out the orders of his master, yet the fulfillment of them should not be reckoned to him as a virtue.

Whence he adds: And will he not say: Make ready what I may sup on, and gird yourself, and serve me until I eat and drink, namely through the groaning of interior compunction, in which each one prepares the banquet: Sirach 18: "Before prayer prepare your soul, and be not as a man who tempts God." He girds himself, by restraining the wanderings of the mind: 1 Peter 1: "Having the…

Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded?

Boast not thyself then that thou hast been a good servant. Thou hast done what thou oughtest to have done. The sun obeys, the moon submits herself, the angels are subject; let us not then seek praise from ourselves.

Does he give thanks to that servant because he did what was commanded of him? I think not. So also you, when you have done all things that are commanded you, say: We are unprofitable servants. If a man, he says, demands not uniform but multiple service from a human servant, and yet does not give him thanks, how much more you, who can do nothing without me?

Second, as to the necessity of serving, which he takes up, he adds: Does he have gratitude toward that servant because he did what he commanded him? I think not, that is, I think that he does not.

Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.'"

May I enjoy you in all respects, if indeed I be worthy! For though I am bound, I am not worthy to be compared to one of you that are at liberty. I know that ye are not puffed up, for ye have Jesus in yourselves.

What we ought to have done, we have done. Indeed we ought to have, because he who did not come to be served, but to serve (Matt. 20), made us debtors to himself, so that, evidently not trusting in our own works, but always fearing his judgment, we may say with the prophet: What shall we render to the Lord for all that he has rendered to us? (Psalm 115).

Third, as regards the humility of spiritual servitude, which he concludes, he adds: So you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, through the completion of obedience: for this is true obedience, in which all commandments are fulfilled.

It happened as he was on his way to Jerusalem, that he was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee.

Marcion's labour, however, is to object to us the strictness of the law, with the view of maintaining that here also Christ is its enemy-forestalling its enactments even in His cure of the ten lepers. These He simply commanded to show themselves to the priest; "and as they went, He cleansed them" -without a touch, and without a word, by His silent power and simple will.

(de Quæst. Ev. l. ii. qu. 40.) The lepers may be taken mystically for those who, having no knowledge of the true faith, profess various erroneous doctrines. For they do not conceal their ignorance, but blazen it forth as the highest wisdom, making a vain show of it with boasting words.

And it came to pass, as Jesus was going, etc. After he instructed his disciples in spiritual works of piety by a reasonable teaching and led them by hand through a perceptible example, here now in the third place he confirms them by a miraculous deed, in which the disciples themselves, from the miraculous work they witnessed, are confirmed unto believing, and from understanding…

As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance.

They associated together from the sympathy they felt as partakers of the same calamity, and were waiting till Jesus passed, anxiously looking out to see Him approach. As it is said, Which stood afar off, for the Jewish law esteems leprosy unclean, whereas the law of the Gospel calls unclean not the outward, but the inward leprosy.

And it came to be, etc., ten leprous men met him. Leprous men can not unreasonably be understood as those who, not having the knowledge of true faith, profess various doctrines of error. For they do not hide their ignorance, but present it as supreme expertise to the light and display the boasting of their speech.

Second, with respect to the calamity of disease, he adds: And when he entered a certain village, there met him ten men who were lepers. In the literal sense, leprosy is a disease of wretched calamity, because it takes away the remedy of medicine, deprives of the solace of companionship, and afflicts with the burden of infirmity.

They lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

They pronounce the name of Jesus, and gain to themselves the reality. For Jesus is by interpretation Saviour. They say, Have mercy upon us, because they were sensible of His power, and sought neither for gold and silver, but that their bodies might put on again a healthful appearance.

Thus they stood afar off, but were made nigh unto Him by their prayers. For the Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him in truth. (Ps. 145:18.) Therefore it follows, And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy upon us.

And they lifted up their voice, expressing their misery: saying: Jesus, Master, have mercy on us, imploring divine mercy, according to that which the Prophet says in the Psalm: "I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly; I roared from the groaning of my heart." Spiritually, however, by the ten lepers is understood the universality of sinners sinning against the Decalogue; whence t…

When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." It happened that as they went, they were cleansed.

However, what was obviously required by the law He commanded should be done: "Go," said He, "show yourselves to the priests." Yet why this, if He meant to cleanse them first? Was it as a despiser of the law, in order to prove to them that, having been cured already on the road, the law was now nothing to them, nor even the priests?

When he saw them, he said: Go, show yourselves to the priests. And it happened as they went, they were cleansed. The Lord is found to have sent none of those to whom he granted these corporal benefits to the priests, except lepers, because evidently, the priesthood of the Jews was a figure of the future royal priesthood, which is in the Church, whereby all belonging to the body…

Third, as to the ease of the manner of healing, he adds: Whom when he saw, he said: Go, show yourselves to the priests. For the judgment of leprosy pertains to the priests, according to that saying of Leviticus 14: "The leper, when he is to be cleansed, shall be brought to the priest," etc., through the entire chapter.

One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice.

Whence also, astonished that one only out of the ten was thankful for his release to the divine grace, He does not command him to offer a gift according to the law, because he had already paid his tribute of gratitude when "he glorified God; for thus did the Lord will that the law's requirement should be interpreted.

One of them, etc. This one, who returned glorifying God, signifies the devoted humility of the one Church to Christ. Who, well falling at the feet of the Lord, gave thanks.

But one of them etc. After the cure of the incurable disease or infirmity, there is described here secondly the commendation of praiseworthy gratitude, concerning which three things are introduced, namely the giving of thanks, the rebuke of ingratitude, and the approval of gratitude.

He fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus answered, "Weren't the ten cleansed? But where are the nine?

Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this stranger?"

Wherein it is shown, that strangers were more ready to receive the faith, but Israel was slow to believe; and so it follows, And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way, thy faith has made thee whole.

There was no one found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner. According to the body, indeed, it is easy to see a man who does not have leprosy and yet is not of good spirit; but according to the significance of this miracle, it troubles the observer to consider how the world can be ungrateful.

And therefore, to show that He said this by way of reproving, He adds: There was none found who returned to give glory to God, except this stranger. In this the ingratitude of the Jews is manifestly shown, because, though they were nine, none of them returned, but only this Samaritan, who was the only one and alone.

Then he said to him, "Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you."

And yet who was the God to whom the Samaritan gave thanks, because thus far not even had an Israelite heard of another god? Who else but He by whom all had hitherto been healed through Christ?

But the Gentiles, an alien people, acknowledged the One who cleansed them and glorified Him by faith — that God is so loving of mankind and so powerful that for our sake He took upon Himself the utmost dishonor, which is a work of love for mankind, and having taken it upon Himself, suffered no harm in His own nature, which is a work of power.

Third, as regards the approbation of gratitude, he adds: And he said to him: Rise, go, for your faith has made you whole. Rise, through penitence: Ephesians 5: "Rise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead"; and Acts 12: "He roused him, saying: Rise quickly." Go, through justice: Matthew 8: "I say to this one: Go, and he goes," namely through obedience, which is the noblest par…

Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The Kingdom of God does not come with observation;

"The kingdom of God," He says, "cometh not with observation; neither do they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Now, who will not interpret the words "within you" to mean in your hand, within your power, if you hear, and do the commandment of God?

These miserable men ask in mockery, "When will the kingdom of God come?" This is like saying, "Before this kingdom of which you speak comes, cross and death will seize you." What does Christ reply? He again displays his long-suffering and incomparable love to humanity. Reviled, he does not revile again. Suffering, he does not threaten.

And being asked by the Pharisees, etc. The two principal parts having been concluded, in which the deceitfulness and impiety of the Jews has been refuted, and by way of contrast simplicity and piety have been commended: here follows the third part, in which curiosity is refuted.

neither will they say, 'Look, here!' or, 'Look, there!' for the Kingdom of God is within you."

" This means, "Neither in this place nor that place is the kingdom of God; for, behold, it is within you." And if the heretics, in their audacity, should contend that the Lord did not give an answer about His own kingdom, but only about the Creator's kingdom, concerning which they had inquired, then the following words are against them.

"The kingdom of God is within you," and in another place the Book saith, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," and two things are certain: the kingdom of heaven which the righteous shall inherit at the end of the world, above the heavens, and the kingdom which is in you, which is the knowledge of the spirit which is revealed unto spiritual beings, and as it were, we h…

And therefore he adds: Answering them, he said: The kingdom of God does not come with observation: nor will they say: Behold here, or behold there, through human comprehension.

He said to the disciples, "The days will come, when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

He who knows the signs of the coming judgment also knows the end. Why would he not know? He is like flashing lightning, since as the Light, the Son of God illumines the inner part of the heavenly mystery. "In that hour," it says. He also knows the hour, but he knows it for himself, he does not know it for me.

And he said to the disciples: The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. This is the kingdom of God, which we hope for to see the day of Christ, and indeed one day, because in that glory of bliss, the prophet sighing said: For one day in your courts is better than a thousand (Psal.

Secondly, as regards the approbation of the charity of the desiring disciples, he adds: And he said to his disciples: The days will come when you will desire to see one day of the Son of Man, namely days of tribulation, in which the desire for eternity is increased, according to that of the Psalm: "In the day of my tribulation I sought God, with my hands," etc.

And they will tell you, 'Look, there!' or 'Look, here!' Do not go away, nor follow after them,

for as the lightning, when it flashes out of the one part under the sky, shines to the other part under the sky; so will the Son of Man be in his day.

For this is the clear sign of the second coming of our Saviour, that suddenly the lustre of His coming shall fill the whole world; and so it follows, For as the lightning that lighteneth, &c. For He will not appear walking upon the earth, as any common man, but will illuminate our whole universe, manifesting to all men the radiance of His divinity.

For as a lightning flash that lights up from under heaven shines unto everything under heaven, so will the Son of Man be in His day. This is what the psalm says: God will come manifest, our God, and will not keep silent (Psalm XLIX), because clearly the second coming of the Savior will be not in humility as before, but in glory and majesty.

For as lightning etc. After the rebuke of Jewish curiosity, there is here added the reason for the rebuke, which is taken from the manner of coming of the Son of God himself, who will not be able to be hidden when he comes, nor foreseen beforehand.

But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

As it happened in the days of Noah, even so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man.

And therefore did the Lord say to His disciples, to make us become good workmen: "Take heed to yourselves, and watch continually upon every occasion, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day shall come upon you unawares; for as a snare shall it come upon all dwelling upon the face of the earth." "Let your…

To show that he will appear unexpectedly and with no one knowing it, the Lord says that the end of the world will come and be as it was in the days of Noah and Lot. He says, "They were eating and drinking, and were taking wives and being made the wives of men.

And as it was in the days etc. After he described the manner of appearing, here secondly he describes the manner of coming. The advent of Christ is described as sudden with respect to sinners through a twofold comparison and example.

They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

(Hom. 1, in Ep. 1. ad Thess.) For refusing to believe the words of warning they were suddenly visited with a real punishment from God; but their unbelief proceeded from self-indulgence, and softness of mind. For such as a man's wishes and inclinations are, will also be his expectations. Therefore it follows, they eat and drank.

Now Noah builds the ark mystically. The Lord builds His Church of Christ's faithful servants, by uniting them together in one, as smooth pieces of wood; and when it is perfectly finished, He enters it: as at the day of Judgment, He who ever dwells within His Church enlightens it with His visible presence.

Second, as to the cause of the flood, he adds: They were eating and drinking, marrying wives and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, that is, they were entirely devoted to the works of the flesh, and therefore were worthy to be corrupted and destroyed in their corruptible flesh.

Likewise, even as it happened in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

There are some who say outright that marriage is fornication and teach that it was introduced by the devil. They proudly say that they are imitating the Lord who neither married nor had any possession in this world, boasting that they understand the gospel better than anyone else.

Now mystically, Lot, which is interpreted 'turning aside,' is the people of the elect, who, while in Sodom, i. e. among the wicked, live as strangers, to the utmost of their power turning aside from all their wicked ways.

Likewise, as it happened, etc. After the similitude taken from the flooding deluge, he introduces a similitude from the consuming fire; concerning which similitude three things are introduced, namely the demerit, the punishment, and the example of the Sodomites themselves. First, as regards the demerit, he says: Likewise, as it happened in the days of Lot, namely, a just man.

but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from the sky, and destroyed them all.

Having used the example of the deluge, that no one might expect a future deluge by water, our Lord cites, secondly, the example of Lot, to show the manner of the destruction of the wicked, namely, that the wrath of God would descend upon them by fire from heaven.

But on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed them all. Hitherto Lot in Sodom, that is, the chosen people among the reprobate, dwells as a stranger, both just in sight and hearing, and according to the interpretation of the name Lot, avoiding their crimes as much as he could. But with Lot departing, Sodom will perish.

As to the second, regarding punishment, he adds: But on the day that Lot went out from Sodom, through the equity of divine justice that delivers: Genesis 19: "The Angels seized the hand of Lot and the hand of his wife and the hand of his two daughters, because the Lord spared them.

It will be the same way in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

He does not say that fire came down from heaven upon the wicked Sodomites before that Lot went out from them, just as the deluge did not swallow up the inhabitants of the earth before that Noah entered the ark; for as long as Noah and Lot dwelt with the wicked, God suspended His anger that they might not perish together with the sinners, but when He would destroy those, He with…

For He who in the mean time though we see Him not yet sees all things, shall then appear to judge all things. And He shall come especially at that time, when He shall see all who are forgetful of His judgments in bondage to this world.

Third, as regards the example, he adds: According to these things it will be, on the day the Son of man is revealed. This is the day of judgment, on which there will be a revelation of Christ himself as Savior with respect to the good: First Peter 1: "You are guarded through faith, unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." There will also be a revelation of Christ…

In that day, he who will be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away. Let him who is in the field likewise not turn back.

That those who are snatched from the jaws of the devil, and delivered from the snares of this world, ought not again to return to the world, lest they should lose the advantage of their withdrawal therefrom.

To a purpose thus excellent, and a proportionate earnestness the Saviour bids us hold fast, thus saying; "In that day he who is upon the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to carry them away: and he who is in the field, let him in like manner not return back." He was speaking of the last day, that is, of the end of this world; for as it was, He said, in t…

In that day, he who shall be on the housetop, etc. After he described the mode of appearing and the mode of coming, here thirdly he describes the mode of escaping.

Remember Lot's wife!

If, however, He speaks of His own coming, why does He compare it with the days of Noe and of Lot, which were dark and terrible-a mild and gentle God as He is? Why does He bid us "remember Lot's wife," who despised the Creator's command, and was punished for her contempt, if He does not come with judgment to avenge the infraction of His precepts?

It is our duty to maintain our religious exertions without wavering and to persevere in them with undaunted wills or else we may suffer the kind of fate that befell the woman at Sodom. We take her as an example because he says, "Remember Lot's wife.

Second, regarding the manner of endangerment which must be avoided, he adds: Remember the wife of Lot, about whom it is said in Genesis 19: "The wife of Lot, looking back behind her, was turned into a pillar of salt." And the reason for this is that she acted against the command of the Lord, which is stated in Genesis 19: "Do not look back behind you, nor stand still in all the…

Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it.

But the way in which a man loses his life that he may save it, and how he who imagines that he is saving loses it, Paul clearly shows, where he says of the saints, "They that are Jesus Christ's have crucified the flesh, with its affections and lusts." For those who have really become true followers of Christ our common Saviour, crucify their flesh, and put it to death, by being…

And whoever loses it will save it. That is, whoever loses it here, will save it there, he who has delivered it to death for Christ, considering it all day as a sheep to be slaughtered (Romans 8), then with Christ rising and helping, will find it free for the sake of the name of Christ.

Third, regarding the reason for the danger, he adds: Whoever shall seek to save his life, through private love; for soul is taken here for the carnal life, about which Leviticus 17: "The soul of all flesh is in the blood"; the Gloss there: "He called the life of the body soul — not the soul which departs from the body, but that which ends with death." He who loves it too much s…

I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. The one will be taken, and the other will be left.

If the Father, then, does not exercise judgment, [it follows] that judgment does not belong to Him, or that He consents to all those actions which take place; and if He does not judge, all persons will be equal, and accounted in the same condition. The advent of Christ will therefore be without an object, yea, absurd, inasmuch as [in that case] He exercises no judicial power.

By the two who are in one bed, he seems to hint at those who live in rest and plenty. They are equal to one another, as far as being possessed of worldly affluence. The bed is the symbol of rest. He says, "One of them will be taken, and one will be left." How is one taken? Not all those who are possessed of wealth and ease in this world are wicked and merciless.

I say to you: In that night, etc. After he has described the manner of escaping, here he describes the state of those who escape, which he describes as threefold, namely of contemplatives, actives, and prelates, according to that passage in Ezekiel 14: "If these three men were in the midst of it — Noah, Daniel, and Job — they themselves shall deliver their own souls"; in whom i…

There will be two grinding grain together. One will be taken, and the other will be left."

Or out of the same bed of human infirmity, one is left, that is, rejected, another is taken up, that is, is caught to meet Christ in the air. By the two grinding together, he seems to imply the poor and the oppressed. To which belongs what follows. Two men shall be in the field, &c. For in these there is no slight difference.

One will be taken, and the other left. That part which has engaged in marriage only for the love of offspring and has dispensed earthly substance for acquiring heavenly things will be taken; but that which has served marriages for the allurements of the flesh, and whatever earthly things it may have offered to the Church or the poor, did so in order that, as if having made a ba…

Secondly, as regards the state of actives, he adds: Two shall be grinding together, through engagement in the active life, which is rightly understood by the millstone, because those who are occupied with the acts of the active life go around and run about in the manner of a millstone and do not stop at one work, as was said to Martha above in chapter 10: "Martha, Martha, you a…

They, answering, asked him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there will the vultures also be gathered together."

Or by the eagles feeding on the dead animals, he has here described the rulers of the world, and those who shall at that time persecute the saints of God, in whose power are left all those who are unworthy of being taken up, who are called the body or carcase. Or by the eagles are meant the avenging powers which shall fly about to torment the wicked.

Our Lord was asked two questions, where the good should be taken up, and where the bad left; He gave only one answer, and left the other to be understood, saying, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

Answering, they say to Him, etc. After He described the manner of escaping and the state of those who escape, there is added here finally the terminus of the escape and the place of rest, which the Apostles inquire about, when it is said: Answering, namely the Apostles, they say to Him: Where, Lord? namely, will one be taken up and left behind.

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