Lucas 9
Philoxenus of Mabbug
Lucas 9:23
And again, teaching us that we should not only forsake our possessions for the sake of His glory, and deny the world for the sake of confessing Him, but also our transitory life, He said, "Except a man deny himself he cannot be My disciple." — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 9 -- Second Discourse on Poverty
Lucas 9:58
And by the hand of that one feeble disciple, concerning whom it is written in the Gospel of our Redeemer, Jesus hath rebuked this wicked thought in all His foot-soldiers. "And one came and drew nigh and said unto Him, Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever thou goest. Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." "Depart thou from me, O disciple of iniquity, for I have not that to give unto thee which thou desirest, and that which I can give thee thou dost not wish to receive. I know that which thy desire asketh, and that which thou seekest, but I will not give them unto thee, for through the love of the thought of riches thou hast been pleased to come after Me, and being in the light thou hast come forth to seek darkness, and having the true possession, to seek poverty, and having life, to seek death. That which I command every man, to forsake the world and to cleave unto Me, I desire that thou shouldst possess in thy coming unto Me. By the door through which I desire to bring thee out, by that same door thou pressest to come in unto Me, and therefore I will not receive thee. For in My outward appearance I am poor, and for this reason I have not things which are manifest to give in the world into which I have come. I am in appearance a stranger, for I have neither house nor roof, and whosoever seeketh to be My disciple must inherit poverty from Me. Why dost thou wish to inherit from Me that of the possession of which I have made thee destitute?" — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 9 -- Second Discourse on Poverty
Lucas 9:59
And again in another place He restrained that man who wished to perform two things in one, that is, honour to his parents and discipleship to Himself, and told him that it was impossible that two things which were the opposites of each other could happen at the same time: "Teacher, suffer me to go and bury my father and my mother, and I will come after Thee," that is to say, "I will keep the first commandment which God commanded me, Honour thy parents and be obedient unto them, and then I will come after Thee and minister unto Thee." And what answer did Jesus return to this? "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; and go thou and preach the kingdom of God. It is not necessary for thee to keep the law, for it hath been kept and is dissolved, neither hast thou any need to minister unto natural parents, because I have been obedient unto parents according to the body, and I have ministered unto them on behalf of everyone. The yoke of the law and nature is henceforth lifted from off thee, and thou art left a free man unto thyself, there being no worldly power that can subdue thee, for thou art dead unto the world, and thou art dead unto it. Dead bodies have not service paid unto them, they are only wrapped in shrouds and buried; leave the dead then to bury their dead, and do thou go and preach the kingdom of God." — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 9 -- Second Discourse on Poverty
Lucas 9:60
Behold also we learn from this testimony that the man who becometh a disciple of Jesus hath not even power to minister unto his natural parents, because he hath a true Father, Who by His grace hath enrolled him for Himself as a son, and Who hath set him apart for the ministration of His will. And unto the man who sought to honour his parents according to the body, so long as they were alive, and after their death to become His disciple, He said, "Let the dead bury their dead." — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 9 -- Second Discourse on Poverty
Lucas 9:61
Hear also again another proof, which like the preceding will bring instruction nigh unto thee, and the example of the testimony of which will urge thee to deny thyself everything, and to go forth after Jesus. "And one of His disciples drew nigh and said unto Jesus, Suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house, and I will come after Thee." Hear also in this case what the Master answered the disciple, and receive it as if it had been spoken unto thee by that disciple: "No man, having put his hand upon the ploughshare, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 9 -- Second Discourse on Poverty
Lucas 9:62
"No man, having put his hand upon the ploughshare, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God," that is to say, "Whosoever fulfilleth this work in nature, and who guideth the plough with oxen according to the custom of man, and who suffereth himself to look behind him instead of in front — now in this manner the work would never be completed — is not able to advance, nor are his furrows cut straight, and the oxen also do not travel forwards; and although this work be visible, and one which can be seen, and it taketh place in the very earth itself, yet if the ploughman look behind him, his labour is spoiled. Now as concerning My own discipleship, one labour differeth from another, even as world differeth from world, and life from life, and immortal from mortal beings, and God from the children of men; if then thou takest the yoke of My discipleship upon thy soul and body, thou must perform the service of My commandments, and thou must turn thyself back to the world, and it must not be a care to thee to make peace with thy kinsfolk, and thou must not be anxious to pay unto them the obligation of honour according to the body, and to fulfil unto them the law of the fulness of the world, and then to come after Me. For if thou wouldest pay the obligations of the world, those which are due unto Me cannot be paid; and if thou art anxious not to offend the world in anything, why then shouldst thou set thyself to provoke Me? Let there be no peace between thee and the world, in order that thou thyself mayest have peace with Me." — 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 9 -- Second Discourse on Poverty