We continue with the following two verses of the tenth chapter, which are difficult for us to hear:
“Brother will deliver brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake; but he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
Saint John Chrysostom speaks as follows:
“When He spoke to them of the power He would grant them, Jesus at the same time spoke to them of calamities and killings. Brother, He says, will deliver brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. Nor did He stop there, but added something even more dreadful, capable of shaking even stone itself: you will be hated by all. Yet He immediately offered consolation: you will undergo these sufferings for My Name’s sake. Then the Lord gives yet another consolation: he who endures to the end shall be saved. These words of Christ could awaken courage in the apostles in yet another way—by giving them the thought that their preaching would burn with such power as to overcome even nature itself, to cast aside kinship, so that their word would be chosen above all else and would prevail mightily over everything. For if even the force of kinship cannot withstand the preaching… what else could possibly be able to overcome you? … Jesus foretold this at that moment for three reasons. First, that we might recognize His power and know that He is the true God, who sees from afar what has not yet come to pass; and that He truly foretold the future for this reason, listen to Christ Himself when He says: ‘And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it does come to pass, you may believe’ (John 14:29). Second, so that none of the enemies might say that all this happened without Jesus’ knowledge or because of His weakness. He who foresaw it beforehand could also have prevented it; yet He did not prevent it, so that the crowns might be all the more radiant… And for a third reason the Lord foretold it. What reason? That He might make the contest easier for those who are in the arena; for unexpected calamities, whatever they may be, appear heavy and unbearable, whereas those that are expected and prepared for in advance are light and manageable. Thus, when the enemies issued such commands and displayed their cruelty, they unwillingly confirmed Christ’s prophecy.”
For his part, Saint Isidore of Pelusium speaks of yet another reason for Christian witness to God and writes:
“We are obliged to be witnesses to these people and to the pagans. Through this witness, the persecutors will be deprived of any excuse that they supposedly did not know God. To the pagans, the path of faith in Christ will be opened through the testimony of steadfast confessors who will be tormented by cruel tormentors.”
Saint Philaret of Moscow explains here what it is that Christians seek to be saved from. These are his words:
“In the usual sense of the word, to be saved means to be delivered from danger, from enemies, from misfortune, suffering, death, and destruction. Thus the righteous Noah was saved from the waters of the Flood by means of the ark, and Lot was saved from the fire of Sodom by flight. In the highest spiritual understanding, to be saved means to be delivered from the enemy—the devil—or from the danger of being subjected to his torment; then, to be preserved from or cleansed of sin as the source of all misfortunes and sufferings; to be freed from the curse of the law, which binds and casts down the sinner; to escape condemnation by eternal justice; to be secure from falling into the abyss where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched, where life and immortality are ceaselessly slain by an undying death.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse uses these verses to explain an important law of the spiritual life. Here he explains why endurance is important in our spiritual struggle, but above all right endurance, for it is possible to endure entirely in vain. Saint Theophan writes:
“Do we have anything to endure? No one is lacking in this. The arena of endurance for every person is wide; consequently, salvation is close at hand. Endure everything to the end, and you will be saved. However, you must know how to endure, for you can endure without any benefit at all. First, preserve the holy faith and lead a blameless life according to the faith; cleanse every sin that befalls you at once through repentance. Second, receive everything you must endure as coming from the hand of God, firmly remembering that nothing happens without the will of God. Third, believe that everything sent by the Lord is sent for the good of our souls; for everything sincerely give thanks to God, giving thanks both for sorrows and for consolations. Fourth, love the narrow path for the sake of the great salvation it brings, and awaken in yourself a thirst for it, as for a drink that is bitter yet healing. Fifth, keep in mind that when affliction has come, you will not be able to cast it off like a tight garment; you must endure it. Whether you endure it in a Christian manner or not, you will inevitably have to endure it. Therefore, it is better to endure it in a Christian way. Murmuring does not deliver one from sorrow, but only makes it heavier; humble submission to the decision of Divine Providence and goodwill lighten the burden in tribulations. Sixth, become aware that you have not even deserved this affliction, for if the Lord wished to deal with you according to strict justice, should He have sent you this affliction at all? Seventh, pray above all things, and the merciful Lord will grant you strength of spirit, such that while others marvel at your misfortunes, it will seem to you that you have nothing at all to endure.”
Blessed Jerome, at the conclusion of his interpretation of this verse, expresses yet another important truth. He writes: “Indeed, virtue does not consist in laying the beginning, but in reaching the perfect end.”
The following, verse 23, reads:
“And when they persecute you in one city, flee to another. For truly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
John Chrysostom reveals the full tact and delicacy of Jesus’ words, showing how attentively the Lord takes into account the inner state of His disciples as they listen to His prophecies. Chrysostom says:
“After the fearful predictions concerning the future of the apostles following Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension—predictions capable of casting a man into trembling and of shattering even diamond itself—the Saviour again turns to gentler words, in order to grant these ascetics some respite and greatly to encourage them. For the Lord does not command the persecuted to engage their persecutors in battle, but rather to flee from them… Observe how even here Jesus does not abolish afflictions, but becomes a helper in the time of danger. He did not say: I will deliver you and put an end to persecutions; but instead: you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. And indeed, for their consolation it was enough simply to see the Lord.”
The ancient saint Ambrose of Milan draws attention to yet another important law of the spiritual life. He writes that in every undertaking we must measure our strength and not take upon ourselves what exceeds our capacity. He writes:
“In every activity we must seek not only what is honourable, but also what is attainable for us, lest we undertake something that might be beyond our strength. Therefore the Lord counsels us, during times of persecution, to pass from city to city, or in His words, to flee, lest someone, rashly desiring the glory of the Martyrs, expose himself to dangers that a weak body or a wavering spirit might not be able to endure.”
Saint Cyril of Alexandria continues in the same spirit and explains yet another meaning of Christ’s words:
“When Jesus says this, He does not teach the apostles cowardice, but rather that they should not recklessly expose themselves to dangers, perish needlessly, or cause harm to those who were meant to benefit from their preaching.”
Saint Hilary of Poitiers writes in an especially striking manner that the Lord makes use of the persecutions of Christians so that the preaching about Him might spread. His explanation further confirms the truth that the Lord turns even evil into good, and that we shall always emerge victorious if we place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. These are Hilary’s words:
“The Lord calls the apostles to flee from one city to another, because at the beginning the preaching about Him passed from Judea into Greece, and then, through various sufferings, spread throughout the Greek cities, and finally the faith was proclaimed to all the Gentiles. However, in order to show that the Gentiles would believe the preaching of the apostles, whereas the remnant of Israel would believe only when Christ’s second coming takes place, Jesus says: you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. This means that after the work of salvation among the Gentiles has been fulfilled, Israel will again be established within the Church, so as to complete the number of the saints at the time of Jesus’ coming in glory.”
Saint Maximus the Confessor offers an allegorical interpretation of these words and provides a beautiful counsel for the struggle against our passions. He writes as follows:
“Cities represent protection and a watch for the worthy. In the allegorical sense, a city represents one of the various forms of ascetic practice, such as abstinence from wine, restraint in food, long vigils, and all similar practices that serve as a safeguard. If demons drive us out of one of these cities by suggesting pride or vanity because of a particular ascetic practice, then, so that we may not fall into arrogance, we should withdraw from conduct that appears excessively strict, flee under the protection of another virtue where vanity is not yet present, and act in this way until dispassion is attained.”
Verses 24 and 25:
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they call those of his household!”
In interpreting these verses, Chrysostom reveals what is in fact most difficult for people to endure and why the Lord Jesus Christ speaks precisely in this manner. Saint John offers the following interpretation:
“Since the apostles, in addition to everything else, were also to be subjected to slander—something that for many is the greatest of evils—see how Christ consoles them even here. He grants them a consolation beyond comparison; Jesus points precisely to His own example, to what was said about Him Himself. Just as earlier, when He said you will be hated by all, the Lord added for My name’s sake, so here too He adds another consolation. What kind? A disciple is not above his teacher. See how Jesus reveals concerning Himself that He is the Lord of the universe, that He is God and Creator.”
Blessed Theophylact adds these words:
“But if you ask how it is that a disciple is not above his teacher, when we see many disciples who are better than their teachers, know this: while they are disciples, they are lesser than their teachers; but when they become better than them, they are no longer disciples—just as a servant, while he is a servant, cannot be above his master.”
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk describes the reality that confirms Christ’s words:
“They hated Christ, the Master of the house—and they will hate Christians, His household. They blasphemed Him and mocked Him—and they will blaspheme and mock Christians, His household. They drove Christ, the Master of the house, away—and they will drive away Christians, His household.”
Adapted for the contemporary reader on the basis of patristic interpretations by: Stanoje Stanković
