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Luke 21:1. Looking, He saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; There was a sacred treasure allocated by the lovers of God, which was used for crafts and improvements in the church, and in general for decorating the church and for feeding the poor. But recently, the priests turned this treasure into trade, dividing it among themselves, but not using it for what it was originally intended for. Luke 21:2. I also saw a poor widow who put two mites there, Luke 21:3. and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than anyone else; Luke 21:4. for all of them, out of their abundance, put in as a gift to God, but she, out of her poverty, put in all the food she had. The Lord praises the widow more than all others, because she lost all her wealth through her poverty. For two mites, apparently, are insignificant, but for the one who fed on alms they made up the entire belly: for the widow was a beggar. So, the Lord gives the reward, paying attention not to how much is given, but to how much remains. In the houses of the rich, who brought little and little, there was much more left, but her house was completely empty, and there was nothing left in it. Therefore, truly she is worthy of praise greater than those. Some thought that by “widow” one could mean every soul who has renounced her former husband, that is, the Old Law, but has not yet been worthy to unite with God the Word, and that instead of a deposit she brings the subtle and possible faith and good conscience. For with faith one must also bring a good conscience, that is, a blameless life. And whoever comes to God with them seems to believe more than all those who are rich in teaching and abound in pagan virtues. Luke 21:5. And when some said about the church that it was decorated with expensive stones and inlays, He said: Luke 21:6. the days will come in which from what you see here, not one stone will be left upon another; everything will be destroyed. The Lord, as having had to endure the Crucifixion for a short time, now prophesies appropriately about Jerusalem, so that in this we have strong proof that He is the true God. Therefore, even then, when some praised the church buildings and “investments” (I think they were talking about carved and sculptured works, for example, about palm trees and cherubim (1 Kings 6:32): this may have been what they called), the Lord does not pay attention to anything, but predicts their destruction. Luke 21:7. And they asked Him: Teacher! when will this be? and what is the sign when this should happen? Luke 21:8. He said, Beware that you are not deceived, for many will come in My name, saying that I am He; and that time is at hand: do not go after them. They thought that He was talking about the end of the universe, although He was talking about the captivity of Jerusalem by the Romans. Therefore, condescending to them, He leaves the conversation about the captivity of Jerusalem by the Romans for a while, intending to add it to the next one, and now He talks about the end of the world and warns them not to listen to the false prophets who are going to come before His coming. Luke 21:9. When you hear about wars and turmoil, do not be horrified, for these things must happen first; but the end is not immediate. Luke 21:10. Then he said to them; Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; Luke 21:11. there will be great earthquakes in places, and famines, and pestilences, and terrible phenomena, and great signs from heaven. There will be “wars and turmoil,” for when all love ceases, wars and turmoil will naturally take place. As a result of wars, “famine and pestilence” will come; pestilence - from the deterioration of the air from corpses, and famine - from the lack of cultivation of the fields. Some accepted that famine, pestilence and other disasters would occur not only at the end of the century, but also during the captivity of Jerusalem. For Josephus (Flavius) says that because of the famine there were terrible disasters. And Luke in the book of Acts (Acts 11:28) says that “there was a famine... under Caesar Claudius.” There were also many horrors that pointed to captivity, as the same Joseph narrates. This, that is, “wars, turmoil” and so on, can definitely be understood in general about the time of the end of the world and the captivity of Jerusalem. Luke 21:12. Before all this, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, and leading you before kings and governors for My name’s sake; Luke 21:13. This will be for your testimony. “Before... all that” that happens at the end of the world, or during the captivity (for, as I said, He connects the speech about the death with the speech about the captivity), “they will lay their hands on you,” that is, My disciples. And indeed, before the captivity of Jerusalem, the apostles were expelled from it, at the special discretion of God, namely: so that all the horrors would fall only on the crucifiers, and they, that is, the apostles, would fill the whole world with preaching. The apostles were also brought before kings and rulers: for example, Paul was taken to Festus, to Agrippa, to Caesar himself (Acts 25:6–23, 26:32). For them this turned into the glory of testimony. Luke 21:14. So make it your heart not to think in advance what to answer, Luke 21:15. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all who oppose you will not be able to contradict or resist. Since they were simple and unlearned people, so that they would not be embarrassed by the fact that wise men would demand an account from them, he says that they should not worry about this at all. For from Me you will receive wisdom and wisdom together, so that all those who oppose, even if united in one, will not be able to resist you either in wisdom, that is, in the power of thoughts, or in eloquence and infallibility of language. Often someone is skilled in drawing up conclusions and resourceful in thoughts, but when there is noise, he soon becomes embarrassed, and therefore, when speaking to the people, he mixes everything up. But they, that is, the apostles, were given grace in both respects. Therefore, the priests were amazed at the extraordinary wisdom of Peter and John, knowing that before they were simple people (Acts 4:13). And Festus said to Pavel: You have gone crazy, Pavel! “great learning drives you to madness” (Acts 26:24). Luke 21:16. You will also be betrayed by your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and some of you will be put to death; Luke 21:17. and you will be hated by everyone because of My name, Having said this and reduced their fear from ignorance, the Lord expresses another circumstance that is necessary and can shake souls, namely: that they will be betrayed by friends and relatives. He predicts this circumstance so that, if it happens suddenly, it does not confuse them. For it greatly affects the soul, as David says: “For it is not the enemy who reviles me, I would have endured this;... but you, who were to me the same as I” (Ps. 54:13-14); and again: “who ate my bread lifted up his heel against me” (Ps. 40:10). Luke 21:18. but not even a hair of your head will be lost, Luke 21:19. With your patience save your souls. Having said this and the fact that they will be hated and some of them will be killed, he adds the greatest consolation: “a hair of your head will not be lost.” “You,” he says, “will be saved, and not the slightest part of you will be lost, although it will seem to many that it is lost; you just have to be patient. For by patience you can win your souls. The enemy approaches, as if with the intention of taking captive, and tries to capture your souls, bringing disasters upon you; but instead of silver, give patience, and with this ransom you will win your souls and not suffer harm in them. Pay attention to the expression: “some of you will be killed,” and you will understand it somewhat more deeply, namely: they will not kill you completely. You consist of two parts: soul and body. Not both, but one thing will be put to death for you, that is, the body, but with patience you will gain your souls. He said about this in another place: “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28). Luke 21:20. When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is drawing near: Now the Lord speaks in the clearest way about the captivity of Jerusalem. Therefore, I think that the words: “before all this” (Luke 21:12) should be understood this way: before famine and pestilence, and other troubles that will happen during the end of the world, you, the apostles, will be expelled, and so on. Then disasters will come for Jerusalem. Since they thought that the church buildings would be destroyed at the time of death, the Lord says: no! For at the time of death there will be false prophets, famine and pestilence from constant wars, which will flare up due to the fact that love will dry up. But you will be driven out before the time of death, and Jerusalem will be taken captive, and these stones will be destroyed. “When... you see the city of Jerusalem surrounded by Roman troops, then know that... its... desolation is approaching.” Luke 21:21. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; and whoever is in the city, come out of it; and whoever is in the vicinity, do not enter it, Luke 21:22. for these are the days of vengeance, that all that is written may be fulfilled. Luke 21:23. Woe to them that are pregnant and to those who nurse at the breast in those days; for there will be great disaster in the land and wrath against this people: For this reason, he mourns the disasters that will befall the city. “Those who are in Judea,” he says, “let them flee to the mountains”; Let those in the surrounding area not hope that they will be protected by the walls of the city, but let those who are inside the city also leave it. Because these will be days of vengeance, so that what is written will be fulfilled, especially in the book of the prophet Daniel (Dan. 9, 26-27). “Woe... to the pregnant women” (in those days), for because of the heaviness of the womb they cannot run, “and to those who feed with their breasts,” for because of their strong love for children they cannot leave them unattended, nor take them away with them. Some say that the Lord is hinting at the slaughter of children, which Joseph talks about and Jeremiah prophesies (Jer. 11, 22). Luke 21:24. and they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and be carried away into captivity among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. “And Jerusalem,” he says, “will be trampled underfoot by the pagans.” Hitherto the talk was about captivity: then about death. Luke 21:25. And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, “There will be,” he says, “signs in the sun and moon and stars.” For with a change in creation, it is natural for there to be a new order in the elements. and on earth there is despondency of the peoples and bewilderment; The nations will have “despondency,” that is, sorrow mixed with bewilderment in everything. and the sea will roar and be troubled; Luke 21:26. people will die of fear and anticipation of disasters coming to the universe, The sea will make a terrible noise, and fear and confusion will set in, so that people will die from fear and anticipation of disasters coming to the universe. Do you see? He clearly speaks here about the end of the world. For above he said that Jerusalem would be surrounded and trampled by pagan armies, but here he speaks of the onset of disasters for the universe. This means that now He is talking about the end of the universe. for the powers of heaven will be shaken, What do I say (he says) that when the whole creation changes, people will be confused? The very Angels and the highest Powers will be confused and horrified at such terrible changes in everything. Luke 21:27. and then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. “And then they will see the Son of Man.” Who? All believers and non-believers. “Coming on a cloud,” that is, like God, with great power and glory. For then He Himself and His cross will shine brighter than the sun and will be recognized by everyone. Luke 21:28. When this begins to come true, then look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Just as the first coming of the Lord was for the restoration and rebirth of our souls, so the second will be for the rebirth of our bodies. Since the souls died first, through disobedience, and the bodies actually suffered death nine hundred years after the disobedience, they are reborn and improved successively, souls through the first coming, and bodies through the second. Therefore, the Lord says: when this begins to come true, you, burdened with corruption, rise up and enjoy freedom. For your redemption will come, that is, the complete liberation of both, that is, soul and body. The preposition seems to specifically indicate complete deliverance from corruption, which the body will then receive, by the grace of the Lord, who abolishes the last enemy - death (1 Cor. 15:26, 53, 57). For He abolished principalities and powers and redeemed the soul. There was still death, which fed on our bodies; its abolition will be the cause of our freedom and redemption. When this is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God will immediately come. Luke 21:29. And he told them a parable: Look at the fig tree and at all the trees: Luke 21:30. when they are already blooming, then, seeing this, you know for yourself that summer is already close. Luke 21:31. So, when you see these things coming true, know that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Just as a fig tree, when its leaves bloom, indicates the approach of summer, so the appearance of these signs and the transformation of the universe serve as a sign that “summer” is coming, that is, the Kingdom of God, which for the righteous comes precisely like summer after winter and storm. Meanwhile, winter and storm will then come for sinners. For they consider the present century to be summer, and for them the future is a storm. Luke 21:32. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen; “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen.” He calls “clan” not those who lived then, but all generations of believers. For Scripture sometimes calls a race those who are similar in morals, for example: “Such is the race of those who seek Him” (Ps. 23:6). Luke 21:33. heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. Since He said that there will be turmoil and wars and changes both in the elements and in the objects themselves, so that no one might come to the conclusion whether Christianity will someday collapse, He says: no! this generation, that is, the race of Christians, will never pass away. Heaven and earth will change, but My words and My Gospel will not crumble, but will remain forever, even if everything is shaken, and faith in Me will not fail. From here it is also clear that He prefers the Church to all creation: for creation will change, but from the Church of the faithful, equally from His words and the Gospel, nothing will perish. Luke 21:34. Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of this life, “You,” he says, “have heard about horrors and turmoil. All of them sensually depict the disasters that will befall sinners. But against these troubles there is a strong and counteracting remedy - prayer and attentiveness to oneself. For constant readiness and expectation of death can overcome all this. And you will have it under this condition,” he says, “if you stay awake and your hearts are not burdened with “overeating and drunkenness and the cares of this life.” and lest that day come upon you suddenly, Luke 21:35. for he will come upon all those who live on all the face of the earth like a snare; For that day will not come with observation, but unexpectedly, secretly, like a net that catches those who are not attentive to it. Another, perhaps, will begin to examine in subtlety the expression: “living (sitting) on ​​all the face of the earth.” This day will seize the net of those who lead a carefree and idle life. For they are the ones who are sitting, and they are caught in the net. But whoever is active and hardworking, alert to doing good and always striving for good, does not sit and is not calmed down by earthly objects, but excites himself and says to himself: “Get up and leave, for this country is not a place of peace” (Mic. 2:10), and desires a better fatherland, for that day this day is not a snare and trouble, but, as it were, a holiday. Luke 21:36. Therefore, watch at all times and pray, that you may be worthy to escape all these future disasters and to stand before the Son of Man. Therefore, we need to stay awake and pray to God so that we can avoid all future disasters. Which ones? Perhaps, firstly, famine and pestilence, and others, which will not burden the chosen ones as much as others, but on the contrary, for the sake of the chosen ones, they will be reduced for the rest; perhaps, secondly, those that will forever come for sinners, for we cannot avoid them except by vigil and prayer. Since it is not enough for the generous to avoid embitterment, but they still need to receive some good, then, having said that you could avoid all future disasters, the Lord added: “and appear before the Son of Man,” which is what the enjoyment of goods consists of. For a Christian should not only avoid evil, but also strive to gain glory. And to stand before the Son of Man and our God is angelic dignity. For it is said: “Their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father” (Matthew 18.10). Luke 21:37. During the day He taught in the church, and when He went out He spent the night on the mount called the Mount of Olives. Luke 21:38. And all the people came to Him in the church in the morning to listen to Him. The evangelists, especially the first three, did not convey very much of what the Lord taught. True, John himself kept silent about a lot of things, however, in addition to what the three conveyed, he outlined some of the highest lessons of the Lord. The Lord, as one might guess, taught many lofty truths to those gathered in the church. That the evangelists said little, for they did not want to declare everything, is clear from many other things, and much can be concluded from the fact that, while the Lord taught for almost three years, they wrote down so few of His lessons that, in my opinion, the one who would say that they could be conveyed in less than a whole day does not deserve blame. So, the holy evangelists wrote a little out of a lot, just to convey the taste of sweetness. The Lord did not speak to everyone in the same way, but he offered something useful to everyone. That's why people come to Him in the morning. For grace poured out from His mouth. And at night the Lord retired to the mountain, showing us that during the silence of the night we need to talk with God, and during the day, during clashes with people, to benefit them, and at night to collect, and during the day to distribute what we have collected. He Himself did not need prayer or communication with God. For He Himself, being God, had nothing to humble Himself about, but He set this as a model for us, so that during the night, like wells, we would draw into ourselves the flow from the spiritual veins - prayers, and during the day those who need useful things would draw from us. Looking at how the people then came to Jesus in the morning to listen to Him, others would say that the words of David were coming to Him: “God! You are my God, I have been looking for You since the early dawn; My soul thirsts for you” (Ps. 62:2).