The Passover was eaten standing up: how then is it said of the Lord that He reclined? It is said that, having eaten the lawful Passover, they lay down afterwards, according to the general custom, to eat some other viands. - The Lord says to His disciples: "I very much desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering." It is as if He were saying: This is the last supper for Me with you, therefore it is pleasing and desirable to Me, for in the time to come I will not eat with you. This is like how those who have to go on a journey conduct their last speeches with relatives and friends with greater sweetness and love. And in other words: I very much desired to eat this Passover with you, because in it I have to teach you the great mysteries – the mysteries of the New Testament. By this He shows that He will voluntarily suffer. For He, since He knew of the impending sufferings, it was undoubtedly possible for Him to avoid them, just as in the preceding time (John 8:59). The words: "I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of God comes" were understood by some of the saints in this way: until I am resurrected. For after the resurrection, when He dealt with His disciples, He ate and drank with them, as Peter also says to Cornelius: "And they ate and drank with Him, after His resurrection from the dead" (Acts 10:41). That the resurrection is the Kingdom of God is obvious. For resurrection is the destruction of death. Death reigned from Adam to Christ; and from that time, being destroyed, it yielded the victory and the kingdom to the Lord, as it is written: "Death! Where is your victory?" (Hos. 13:15). And David says: "The Lord reigns" (Psalm 92:1), and then, in explanation of how He reigned, he adds: "clothed with majesty," when the body was delivered from corruption and adorned with Divinity, as Isaiah says: "so majestic in His garment, appearing in the fullness of His power" (63:1). And the Lord Himself after His resurrection says: "All authority is given to Me" (Matt. 28:18). Thus, when the resurrection came, which, as having destroyed death, is called the Kingdom of God, the Lord again drank with His disciples, assuring that He had not risen illusory. - Others understood the Kingdom of God to be the future state, and by the Lord's drink with us in the age to come, the revelation of His mysteries. For He, the Lover of mankind, rejoices Himself in rejoicing in us, and in nourishing us, He Himself is nourished, and our drink and food, that is, teaching, He counts as food for Himself. And so, He will then drink some new drink with the worthy, always revealing to them something new and extraordinary. - I think Luke mentions two cups. Of one he says: "Receive it and divide it among yourselves," which some may call an image of the Old Testament, and of the other he speaks after the breaking and distribution of bread. The Lord Himself divides it among the disciples, calls it the New Testament and says that it is renewed in His blood. For when the Old Law was given, the blood of irrational animals was used as a seal (Exodus 24:5-8); and now, when God the Word has become Man, the New Covenant is sealed for us with His blood. The words, "which is given up for you" and "which is shed for you," do not show that His body was betrayed and His blood was shed for the apostles alone, but for the entire human race. And so, when he says that "for you" he is betrayed, you understand: for your human race. - The ancient Passover was celebrated for deliverance from slavery in Egypt, and the blood of the lamb was shed for the preservation of the firstborn: and the new Passover was for the remission of sins and for the preservation of thoughts appointed and consecrated to God. - Bread is taught first, and then the cup. For before there is a difficult and inconvenient activity. Virtue is preceded by sweat, just as bread is not only cultivated by the sweat of the brow, but also requires labor during its use (Gen. 3:19). Then, after the labors, there is joy from the grace of God, which is signified by the chalice. For whoever labors in inconvenient virtue is subsequently worthy of gifts and experiences good intoxication, renouncing this world, like Paul and David, or, to put it still more boldly, like God in the prophet Habakkuk (3:14).

     And behold, the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with Me at the table; however, the Son of Man goes according to His destiny, but woe to the man to whom He is betrayed. And they began to ask each other which one of them would be that would do it. There was also a dispute between them, which of them should be considered the greatest. And he said to them, Kings rule over the nations, and those who rule over them are called benefactors, but you are not so: but whoever of you is greater, let him be as the least, and the ruler as the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines or the one who serves? Is he not reclining? But I am in your midst as a servant.

     There is nothing more miserable than a soul that is rigid in stubbornness. For behold what the Lord says: Behold, the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with Me at the table, and the fool has not been sensed. The Lord says this not only to show that He knows what is about to happen, but also in order to show us His goodness and the malice of the betrayer, for which he was not ashamed to be at His supper, and then did not abandon the fulfillment of his intention. The Lord also gives us a model for this, so that we strive to the end for the benefit of those who fall. And "the Son of man," he says, "is coming, not because he cannot defend himself, but because he has ordained death for the salvation of men. But woe to the man to whom He surrenders." Though He is destined to suffer, why are you so angry as to betray Him? For this reason "woe" will fall into your lot, because you have been inclined to betrayal, since the serpent is also cursed because it served as an instrument of the devil's wiles. - Hearing this, the disciples were confused. You will learn more about this in the commentary on the Gospel of John (ch. 13). They are now troubled not only by the suspicion of betrayal, but from this confusion they pass on to dispute, arguing about which of them is greater. They came to an argument about this successively. Probably one of them said to the other, "You want to betray him," and this one again said to him, "No, you want to betray him." From here they proceeded to the fact that they began to say: I am better, I am more, and so on. What about the Lord? He calms their confusion with two examples. First, by the example of the Gentiles, whom they considered filthy, declaring that if they thought so, they would be like the Gentiles. Secondly, by His own example, for by explaining that He serves them, He thereby leads them to humility. It was at that time, as it is said, that He divided the bread and the cup with them. If I, Whom all angelic and rational creatures worship, serve in your midst, how dare you think much of yourselves, and argue about primacy? It seems to me that He did not mention this reclining and service in passing, but to remind them that if you ate of the same bread and drank of the same cup, then one meal makes you friends and of one mind. Why then do you have thoughts unworthy of them? Moreover, I have not done so that I should serve one and not the other, and all of you are equal. Therefore, you also have the same feelings. Perhaps, from all this, you will understand how the disciples were then still imperfect, and afterwards shone so wonderfully. Let the Manichaeans be ashamed, who say that some are incapable of learning by nature, and that it is impossible for them to change.

     But ye have been with me in my afflictions, and I command unto you, as my Father hath bequeathed unto me, the kingdom, that ye go and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit down on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And the Lord said, Simon! Simon! Behold, Satan asked to sow you as wheat, but I prayed for you, that your faith might not fail; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. He answered Him, "Lord! with Thee I am ready to go to prison and to death. But He said, "I say to you, Peter, the will not crow today, until you deny three times that you do not know Me." 

Having said, "Woe" to him who betrays Me, and at the same time having taught them (the disciples) that they should be humble-minded, the Lord predestines "woe" as the lot of the betrayer, so, on the contrary, He says to them: "But you are those who have only remained with Me in My temptations; wherefore I also bequeath unto you a recompense, that is, I make arrangements with you, that even as my Father bequeathed unto me, that is, he appointed unto me the kingdom, ye also shall eat and drink at my table. He said, "Eat and drink," not because there would be viands and that His kingdom was sensual. For in His answer to the Sadducees He Himself taught that there is angelic life (Luke 20:36); and Paul teaches that the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink (Romans 14:17). Therefore, when no one hears the words, "Eat and drink at my table," let no one be offended, but let him understand that they are spoken in reference to those who are honored by the kings of this world. For those who share the king's table are considered to be the first over all. So the Lord says of the apostles that He prefers them to all. Likewise, when you hear about sitting on thrones, do not understand thrones, but glory and honor. For of the created and begotten, no one will sit there. Sitting is befitting the One Holy Trinity, the Uncreated and King of all God, and the creature, like a slave, must stand, and then we speak bodily about sitting and standing. "To judge," that is, to condemn those who do not believe from among the twelve tribes. For the unbelieving Israelites are no small condemnation of the apostles, who themselves are Israelites, yet they believed. - Inasmuch as He repaid the betrayer with grief, and to them, who continued in love for Him, He predicted a high honor in the future, so that they would not become proud, as if they had done something great, that they remained in love for Him and did not betray You, He says: Satan asked to "sow" you, that is, to trouble, to spoil, to tempt; but "I prayed." Do not think, he says, that all this perfection is from yourselves. For the devil exerts all his strength to tear you away from My love and make you traitors. The Lord addresses this speech to Peter, because he was both more bold than the rest, and probably became proud of Christ's promises. Therefore, humbling him, the Lord says that Satan was much stronger against them. "But I've prayed for you." He says this for mankind, for, like God, what need did He have to pray? "I," he said, "prayed that thy faith might not fail." Though thou shalt be shaken a little, yet the seeds of faith will remain in thee, and though the spirit of the tempter shakes the leaves, yet the root is alive, and thy faith shall not fail. "And thou shalt be converted and strengthen thy brethren." This is conveniently understood, namely: since I was the first to address you with My word, then, after you have lamented your denial of Me and come to repentance, strengthen the rest. For this befits thee, who first confessed Me by the rock and by the foundation of the Church (Matt. 16:16-18). But these words can be applied not only to the apostles, whom Peter was then to affirm, but also to all believers until the end of time. Peter! You, having been converted, will be a wonderful example of repentance for all, and none of those who believe in Me will despair, looking at you, who, being an apostle, denied and, nevertheless, through repentance, regained his former importance among all the apostles and among the chosen ones of God from all the world. Satan asked to sow you and spoil you like pure wheat, mixing mud into it, because he is usually jealous of you in his love for Me. He did the same with Job. But I have not forsaken thee altogether, lest thy faith be utterly impoverished. Though I Myself prayed for you, yet thou shalt not fall, but, having turned, that is, having brought repentance and tears, be also an example of repentance and hope for the rest of the faithful. What about Peter? Relying on strong love, he promises something that is not yet possible for him. But the Lord, seeing that he speaks thoughtlessly (for, having once heard from the self-existent Truth, which told him that he would be subjected to temptation, he should not have contradicted him), declares to him also the form of temptation, namely, renunciation. From this we learn the truth that human volition is not enough without God's help. Peter was left for a short time and, apparently, loved even fervently, but when God forsook him, he was stumbled by the enemy. Likewise, God's help is not enough without human consent. Judas, although the Lord did everything for his benefit, did not receive any benefit, for he had no good will. And so, let us shudder at the thought of the wiles of the devil, how powerful they are against the careless. And here, too, although Peter was strengthened by God, nevertheless, when he was abandoned for special purposes, he came to renounce. What would he have undergone if he had not been preserved by God and if there had not been good seeds hidden in him? For the devil's goal was to bring him to betrayal; for the devil has "luxurious food," as the prophet says (Hab. 1:16). Thanks be to God, Who does not forsake the holy, righteous and good in heart, such as Peter was, tenderly loving and devoid of any suspicion about the Teacher.

     And he said to them, When I sent you without a bag, and without a purse, and without shoes, did you lack anything? They answered: in nothing. Then he said to them, "But now whoever has a bag, let him take it, and also the bag; but whoever has not, sell your clothes and buy a sword; For I say unto you, that which is to be fulfilled in me, and that which is written, and is numbered with the evildoers. For that which is about Me comes to an end. They said, "Lord! Behold, there are two swords here. He said to them, "Enough." 

The Lord, at the beginning of the sermon, sending His disciples to the villages and cities, commanded them not to take too much, not to carry with them anything even necessary, and not to worry about anything, and in this case they had to know His power. For Himself, caring for them as for the weak, He arranged it so that even without their care, everything necessary flowed to them in abundance. And now He commands the opposite, not contradicting Himself, but declaring to them that hitherto He has cared for them as children and has not forced them to take care of anything, and henceforth they must consider themselves mature and take care of themselves. I," he said, "your caring Father, am already departing. Henceforth, take upon yourselves the care of your affairs, and do not lay everything on Me; for your works will not be as easy and not difficult, but you will be exposed to hunger, and thirst, and many calamities. This is hinted at by the words about the bag, the bag and the sword. Therefore, be cheerful, for you are hungry and in need of food, as the "bag" hints at, and courageous, because you will fall into many dangers, as the "sword" indicates. He says this, of course, not so that they should carry swords with them, but, as I have said, to declare wars and disasters and make them ready for anything. Lest posterity think that the Apostles did not bring anything of themselves for piety, but everything was from God, the Lord says: no, let it not be so. For I do not want to use My disciples as soulless instruments, but I demand that they also add what they can of themselves. And indeed, you will find that the apostles, and especially Paul, successfully performed many of the human arts (Acts 18:3; 20:34); except that God's help was not lacking in them. At the same time, this was useful for the modesty of the apostles. For if they, not caring about anything themselves, expected everything from God and everything was given to them, then they could become proud, as having received as their lot something higher than human nature. Moreover, nature would become inactive and corrupt if they did not invent anything of their own accord, but expected everything in a ground form, as they say. That is why the Lord says to them: "From now on, carry "bags", that is, dispose and take care as those who have hunger, and buy "swords", that is, take care of yourselves as those who have to meet dangers and wars. - Some people understood the purchase of a sword differently. By this, they say, He alludes to the imminent attack upon Him, and to the fact that He will be captured by murderous men. Since before this time they argued with each other about primacy, the Lord says: now is the time not for disputes about primacy, but for danger and murder. For I, your Teacher, will also be led away to death, and to a dishonorable death at that. But through this will be fulfilled in Me that which was said: "And I was numbered with the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12).

I think that the Lord speaks in this way in order to benefit later, when they remember and understand. For then they were in such a misunderstanding that they said, "Lord, here are two swords," and He, seeing that they did not understand, said, "Enough, although it was not enough." For if it were necessary to use human help against those who came in a robber way, then even a hundred swords would not be enough. If not human, but Divine assistance was needed, then two swords were superfluous. However, the Lord did not want to rebuke them for their lack of understanding, but, saying "enough," he went. This is just as when we talk to someone and see that he does not understand our words, we say: "Okay, leave it; although not good, but in order not to offend him, we leave him. The Lord did this because He saw that the disciples did not understand what was said. - He goes forward and leaves the speech, leaving the understanding of what has been said to the flow of circumstances, just as He once said: "Destroy this temple," and the disciples understood only later, after His resurrection (John 2:19, 22). Some say that the Lord by the word "enough" indicated the inconsistency of the words with the circumstances. The disciples said, "Here are two swords," and the Lord, they say, pointing out this incongruity, said, "If there are two swords, then this is very much and sufficient for us against the crowd that will come against us."