Chapter Twenty-One
Lk. 21:1. Looking up, He saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury;
There was a sacred treasury, contributed by the God-loving, which was used for repairs and restorations in the temple, and in general for the adornment of the temple and for the sustenance of the poor. But in recent times the priests converted even this treasury to commercial dealings, dividing it among themselves, rather than using it for the purpose for which it was originally designated.
Lk. 21:2. He also saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites.
Lk. 21:3. And He said: "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all of them;"
Lk. 21:4. All these have cast their gifts to God from their abundance, but she from her poverty has put in all the livelihood that she had.
The Lord praises the widow more than all the rest, because she cast in all her substance out of her poverty. For two mites, it would seem, are insignificant, but for one who lived on alms they constituted her whole livelihood, for the widow was destitute. Thus the Lord bestows His reward, paying attention not to how much is given, but to how much remains. In the houses of the rich, who brought little and small offerings, far more remained, but her house was completely emptied, and nothing was left in it. Therefore she is truly worthy of greater praise than they.
Some thought that by "the widow" one can understand every soul that has renounced its former husband, that is, the Old Law, but has not yet been deemed worthy of union with God the Word, and that instead of a pledge she offers the thin and meager faith possible for her and a good conscience. For together with faith one must also offer a good conscience, that is, a blameless life. And whoever comes to God with these seems to put in more than all those who are rich in learning and abound in pagan virtues.
Lk. 21:5. And when some were speaking about the temple, that it was adorned with costly stones and offerings, He said:
Lk. 21:6. Days will come in which, of what you see here, not one stone will be left upon another; all will be destroyed.
The Lord, as One who in a short time would undergo the Crucifixion, fittingly prophesies now concerning Jerusalem, so that we might have in this a strong proof that He is the true God. Therefore even when some were praising the buildings of the temple and the "offerings" (I think they were speaking of carved and sculpted works, such as palms and cherubim (1 Kings 6:32): this, perhaps, is what they called them), the Lord pays no attention to any of it, but foretells their destruction.
Lk. 21:7. And they asked Him: Teacher! when will this be? and what sign will there be when this is about to happen?
Lk. 21:8. He said: "Take heed that you not be led astray, for many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not go after them."
They thought that He was speaking about the end of the world, although He was speaking about the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans. Therefore, condescending to them, He temporarily sets aside the discourse about the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans, intending to attach it to what follows, and now discusses the end of the world and warns them not to listen to the false prophets who are to come before His coming.
Lk. 21:9. When you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end is not immediately.
Lk. 21:10. Then He said to them: Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
Lk. 21:11. There will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines, and pestilences, and terrifying events, and great signs from heaven.
There will be "wars and commotions," for, with the cessation of all love, wars and commotions will naturally take place. As a consequence of wars, "famine and pestilence" will follow; pestilence from the corruption of the air by corpses, and famine from the failure to cultivate the fields.
Some understood it such that famine, pestilence, and other calamities would occur not only at the end of the age, but also during the captivity of Jerusalem. For Josephus (Flavius) says that on account of the famine there were terrible calamities. And Luke too in the book of Acts (Acts 11:28) says that "there was a famine... under Caesar Claudius." There were also many terrors pointing to the captivity, as the same Josephus recounts. This, that is, "wars, tumults," and the rest, can certainly be understood generally as referring to the time of the end of the world and the captivity of Jerusalem.
Lk. 21:12. But before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and into prisons, and you shall be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake;
Lk. 21:13. But this will turn out for you as a testimony.
"Before... all these things" that are to happen at the end of the world, or also at the captivity (for, as I said, He joins the discourse about the end with the discourse about the captivity), "they shall lay hands on you," that is, My disciples. And indeed, before the captivity of Jerusalem the apostles were driven out of it, by a special providence of God, namely: so that all the horrors would fall only upon the crucifiers, while they, that is the apostles, would fill the whole world with preaching. The apostles were also brought before kings and governors: for example, Paul was brought before Festus, before Agrippa, before Caesar himself (Acts 25:6–23, 26:32). And this turned into the glory of testimony for them.
Lk. 21:14. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to premeditate what to answer,
Lk. 21:15. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Since they were simple and unlearned men, lest they be troubled that wise men would demand an account from them, He says that they should not be concerned about this at all. For you will receive from Me both wisdom and eloquence, so that all who oppose you, even if they unite together, will not be able to withstand you either in wisdom, that is, the power of thought, or in eloquence and unerring speech. Often someone is skilled in forming arguments and resourceful in thought, but is quickly flustered by noise, and because of this mixes everything up when speaking before the people. But to them, that is the apostles, grace was given in both respects. Therefore the priests were also amazed at the extraordinary wisdom of Peter and John, knowing that they had previously been simple men (Acts 4:13). And Festus said to Paul: You are out of your mind, Paul! "Much learning is driving you mad" (Acts 26:24).