And when he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded to call to him the servants to whom he had given silver, in order to find out who had acquired what. The first came and said, "Lord! And he said to him, "Well done, good servant! because you have been faithful in small things, take over the government of ten cities. The second came and said, "Lord! thy mine brought five pounds, and said also to this one, And thou shalt be over five cities. A third came and said, "Lord! This is your mina, which I kept wrapped in a handkerchief, for I feared you, because you are a cruel man: you take what you did not put in, and reap what you did not sow. The lord said to him, "With your mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant!" Thou knowest that I am a cruel man, that I take what I did not lay in, and reap what I did not sow; Why did you not give my money into circulation, so that when I came I would receive it with profit? And he said to those who were standing by, "Take a pound from him, and give it to him who has ten pounds." he has ten minas: I tell you that to everyone who has it will be given, but from him who does not have it will be taken away even that which he has. And those of my enemies, who would not have me reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. Having said this, He went on, going up to Jerusalem. 

"When Christ, noble both in humanity (for the Lord came from a royal family) and in Divinity, returns at His second coming, when He appears with the Apostles as the King, coming in the glory of the Father, and when every knee bows before Him, then He will certainly demand an account from the servants who have received gifts. It is revealed that one benefited many and multiplied the gift tenfold; the other also benefited, but to a smaller number; and the third was decidedly of no use to anyone, but spent the time of his activity in idleness. Therefore he who has multiplied what he has received tenfold is placed over ten cities, that is, he receives power over ten cities, and consequently is rewarded many times over. The one who follows him receives a corresponding reward. And the one who did not bring any profit is condemned. Let us see what he says: "Sir! here is your mine," take it; "I kept it, wrapped in a handkerchief." A cloth was placed on the head of the Lord who had died (John 20:7), and the face of Lazarus in the tomb was bound with a handkerchief (John 11:44). Therefore this negligent man rightly says that he wrapped the gift in a handkerchief. For having made it dead and inactive, he made no use of it, and did not bring profit. "For I was afraid of thee," he says, "therefore what thou takest that thou hast not put in." Many respond with this pretext. Not wishing to be useful to anyone, they say: where God has not sown giftedness and ability, there do not seek the harvest. He did not create such and such a person gifted and capable of learning: what then should I demand of me the benefit of him? That is why the Lord also says: "Teach and give My money to the workers, that is, to all people appointed for profit." For every man has been appointed by God as a merchant in order to make turns in the great working world of this world. And "so that when I come, I would receive it with a profit," that is, I would demand it back with a profit. We must do our work, and God will judge those who do not want to take advantage of what follows. The gift is taken away and given to the good worker. Although he has, it is useful for him to get more for himself. "To him who has it shall be given," that is, he who has made rich means through good turnovers will be given more. For if he has increased a little tenfold, then, obviously, by increasing ten times more, he will bring still greater profit to the master. And from the negligent and lazy, and not trying to multiply what he has received, he will take it so that the master's possessions do not lie in vain, when they can be given to another and increased many times over. We understand this not only about the word and the teaching, but also about the moral virtues. For even in them God has given us gifts, to one fasting, to another almsgiving, to another meekness, to another humility. And if we watch, we will multiply these gifts; but if we are careless and die voluntarily, then later we will lay the blame on God, as we usually say: "What shall I do? if so-and-so is holy, it is because God is pleased with him, and he is holy; but it does not please me, and I am not holy; and that was Peter, another Paul. A mad man! The very mina (given to you) makes you Peter and Paul. Do according to your ability, and offer something to Him who gave it, if not as much as Peter and Paul did: for they have received a pound each, and you have received a pound. And then, not in the least moved to do good, you accuse God! Therefore, when we turn out to be unworthy of gifts, we are deprived of them. "And my enemies," he says, "those who would not have me reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me," that is, the Jews, whom he will give up to destruction, sending them into everlasting fire. Yes, the unfortunate ones here, that is, in this world, they were beaten by the Roman troops, and are still being preserved and will be kept for slaughter there.

     And when he drew near to Bethpage and Bethany, to the mountain called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples, saying, "Go ye to the opposite village; when you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied up, on which no man has ever sat down; when you have untied him, bring him in; And if anyone asks you, Why do you loose it? say to him thus: the Lord has need of him. And when they were untying the colt, the owners said to them, "Why do you untie the colt?" They answered, "The Lord needs him." And they brought him to Jesus, and threw their garments over the colt of an ass, and put Jesus on it. And as He rode, they spread their garments along the way. And when He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, all the multitude of disciples began in joy to praise God with a loud voice for all the miracles that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who cometh in the name of the Lord!" Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! And certain Pharisees from among the people said to Him, "Teacher! rebuke Thy disciples. But he answered and said to them, "I tell you, if they are silent, the stones will cry out." 

The Lord sits on the colt for two purposes at one and the same time: first, to fulfill the prophecy that says: "Behold, thy King is coming, all upon the foal" (Zech. 9:9); and secondly, to let us know figuratively that He will subdue to Himself a new, uncleansed, and unbridled nation of the Gentiles. Judging by the distance of the journey, the Lord, without a doubt, did not need a foal. For, having walked all over Galilee and Judea, how did He have need of a colt on the way from Bethany to Jerusalem, where the distance, as everyone knows, is insignificant? So He does it, as I said, with a mysterious meaning. The colt was tied and had many owners, but the sent, that is, the "apostles", are untied. This has the following meaning: Bethany, according to the interpretation, means "house of obedience", and Bethpage means "house of jaws", a place befitting priests. For the priests were given jaws, as prescribed in the Law (Deuteronomy 18:3). The jaws denote the teacher's word, which is rubbed and refined by the spiritual jaws. Thus, where is the house of the teacher's word and obedience to this word, the disciples of the Lord are sent there and release people who are bound by sinful snares and many worldly cares, and from slaves of many masters and gods they make them worshippers of one Lord Jesus and one God the Father. And where there is no house of obedience, not a teacher's word is accepted, nothing of the kind happens, and the colt is not untied. There are "two" of those sent. This means that two orders, the prophets and the apostles, serve to bring the Gentiles to Christ and obey Him. A colt is brought from a certain "village" (village), so that we may know that the pagan people were in great simplicity and ignorance. For he never obeyed either the teaching of Moses or the prophetic, but he was an untrained colt. If, as another Evangelist said (Matt. 21:15), the children also cried out: "Hosanna to the Son of David," then they can also mean the same new people who, believing in Jesus, Who was manifested in the flesh of the seed of David, sent up glory to God, according to what is written: "The generation to come shall praise the Lord" (Psalm 101:19). The spreading of garments, it seems, means that those who are worthy to sing the praises of Jesus, putting off the old man, lay and subject him to Jesus, so that when he steps on him, He sanctifies him, and so that the flesh does not rebel against the spirit, so that they themselves can say: "Submit to the Lord, and trust in Him" (Psalm 36:7). - Saying that the whole multitude of the disciples praised God, Luke calls "disciples" all the followers of Jesus in general, not only twelve and not seventy, but all the people who, either in need of miracles, or at times carried away by teaching, followed Jesus. Naturally, children were also noticed, as the other Evangelists report (Matt. 21:15). Moved by God, children confess Jesus as King coming "in the name of the Lord," that is, God, and say, "peace in heaven." Otherwise: the former enmity that we had with God has ceased. For there was no King-God on earth. And now, when God is coming on earth, there is truly peace in heaven, and therefore "glory in the highest," since the angels also glorify the unanimity and reconciliation that the King and God who rides on an ass have granted us. For the very fact that the true God appears on earth and walks in our country, the land of His enemies, shows that there is reconciliation between Him and us. - The Pharisees murmured that the people called Jesus King and praised Him as God; for (in their opinion) the solemn assumption of the name of King to Him was a sign of indignation and blasphemy against the Lord. But Jesus said, "If they be silent, the stones will cry out." Or: People do not say this to please Me, but pronounce this doxology because they are persuaded to do so, and impelled by all the signs and powers which they have seen.

     And when he drew near to the city, he looked at it, and wept over it, and said, Oh, that thou also wouldst know in this thy day that it is for thy peace. But these things are now hidden from thy eyes, for the days shall come upon thee, when thy enemies shall entrench thee, and surround thee, and press thee on every side, and destroy thee, and slay thy children in thee, and shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation.

Господь, как человеколюбивый, плачет о городе; ибо не желал погибели жителей оного за дерзкий против Него поступок. Итак, плачем Он обнаруживает сострадательное сердце. А что Он жалел их и не только прежде распятия, но и после распятия, жаждал их обращения, это видно из того, что Он предал их римлянам спустя столько лет, ибо протекло тридцать пять лет. Без сомнения, Он отлагал наказание не по другому чему, как по сильному желанию их обращения. Итак, Он плачет о бесчувственности Иерусалима и говорит: "о, если бы и ты хотя в сей твой день узнал, что служит к миру твоему". То есть, о если бы ты хотя ныне узнал, что служит к твоей пользе и ведет к миру и спокойствию, именно: что нужно уверовать в Меня и удалиться от злого умысла против Меня! А теперь сокрыто от очей твоих то, что на тебя придут нестерпимые бедствия за твое отвержение Меня и что ты потерпишь вот то и то за то, что не уразумел времени "посещения" своего, то есть Моего явления, когда Я пришел посетить тебя и спасти. Итак, тебе должно было узнать, что служит к твоему благосостоянию, то есть уверовать в Меня, и ты был бы безопасен со стороны римлян и свободен от всякого повреждения. Ибо все уверовавшие во Христа остались свободными от плена, так что если бы все уверовали, то никто и не попался бы в плен. 

И, войдя в храм, начал выгонять продающих в нем и покупающих, говоря им: написано: дом Мой есть дом молитвы, а вы сделали его вертепом разбойников. И учил каждый день в храме. Первосвященники же и книжники и старейшины народа искали погубить Его, и не находили, что бы сделать с Ним; потому что весь народ неотступно слушал Его.

Глава двадцатая