Lecture 2
Lectio 2
Dangers of the mission
Pericula missionis
10:16 Behold I send you as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and simple as doves. [n. 838]
10:16 Ecce ego mitto vos sicut oves in medio luporum. Estote ergo prudentes sicut serpentes, et simplices sicut columbae. [n. 838]
10:17 But beware of men. For they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. [n. 842]
10:17 Cavete autem ab hominibus. Tradent enim vos in conciliis, et in synagogis suis flagellabunt vos; [n. 842]
10:18 And you will be brought before governors, and before kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the gentiles. [n. 845]
10:18 et ad praesides, et ad reges ducemini propter me, in testimonium illis, et gentibus. [n. 845]
10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak: for it will be given you in that hour what to speak. [n. 846]
10:19 Cum autem tradent vos, nolite cogitare quomodo, aut quid loquamini. Dabitur enim vobis in illa hora quid loquamini. [n. 846]
10:20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. [n. 849]
10:20 Non enim vos estis qui loquimini; sed Spiritus Patris vestri qui loquitur in vobis. [n. 849]
10:21 The brother also will deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son: and the children will rise up against their parents, and will put them to death. [n. 851]
10:21 Tradet autem frater fratrem in mortem, et pater filium, et insurgent filii in parentes, et morte eos afficient: [n. 851]
10:22 And you will be hated by all men for my name’s sake: but he who will persevere to the end, he will be saved. [n. 852]
10:22 et eritis odio omnibus hominibus propter nomen meum. Qui autem perseveraverit usque in finem, hic salvus erit. [n. 852]
10:23 And when they persecute you in this city, flee into another. Amen I say to you, you will not finish all the cities of Israel, until the Son of man come. [n. 854]
10:23 Cum autem persequentur vos in civitate ista, fugite in aliam. Amen dico vobis, non consummabitis civitates Israel, donec veniat Filius hominis. [n. 854]
10:24 The disciple is not above the master, nor the servant above his lord. [n. 858]
10:24 Non est discipulus super magistrum, nec servus super dominum suum. [n. 858]
10:25 It is enough for the disciple that he should be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the father of the household Beelzebub, how much more those of his household? [n. 860]
10:25 Sufficit discipulo ut sit sicut magister eius, et servus sicut dominus eius. Si patrem familias Beelzebub vocaverunt, quanto magis domesticos eius? [n. 860]
10:26 Therefore, do not fear them. For nothing is covered that will not be revealed: nor hid, that will not be known. [n. 863]
10:26 Ne ergo timueritis eos. Nihil enim est opertum quod non reveletur, et occultum quod non sciatur. [n. 863]
10:27 That which I tell you in the dark, speak in the light: and that which you hear in the ear, preach upon the housetops. [n. 864]
10:27 Quod dico vobis in tenebris, dicite in lumine: et quod in aure auditis, praedicate super tecta. [n. 864]
10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in gehenna. [n. 866]
10:28 Et nolite timere eos, qui occidunt corpus, animam autem non possunt occidere; sed potius eum timete qui potest et animam, et corpus perdere in gehennam. [n. 866]
10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father. [n. 871]
10:29 Nonne duo passeres asse veneunt, et unus ex illis non cadet super terram sine Patre vestro? [n. 871]
10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. [n. 875]
10:30 Vestri autem et capilli capitis omnes numerati sunt. [n. 875]
10:31 Therefore fear not: you are better than many sparrows. [n. 879]
10:31 Nolite ergo timere; multis passeribus meliores estis vos. [n. 879]
10:32 Everyone therefore who will confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. [n. 880]
10:32 Omnis ergo qui confitebitur me coram hominibus, confitebor et ego eum coram Patre meo qui in caelis est. [n. 880]
10:33 But he who will deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. [n. 882]
10:33 Qui autem negaverit me coram hominibus, negabo et ego eum coram Patre meo qui in caelis est. [n. 882]
10:34 Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. [n. 883]
10:34 Nolite arbitrari, quia venerim pacem mittere in terram. Non veni pacem mittere, sed gladium. [n. 883]
10:35 For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. [n. 886]
10:35 Veni enim separare hominem adversus patrem suum, et filiam adversus matrem suam, et nurum adversus socrum suam: [n. 886]
10:36 And a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. [n. 888]
10:36 et inimici hominis domestici eius. [n. 888]
10:37 He who loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. [n. 889]
10:37 Qui amat patrem, aut matrem, plusquam me, non est me dignus. Et qui amat filium, aut filiam super me, non est me dignus. [n. 889]
10:38 And he who takes not up his cross, and follows me, is not worthy of me. [n. 892]
10:38 Et qui non accipit crucem suam, et sequitur me, non est me dignus. [n. 892]
10:39 He who finds his soul, will lose it: and he who will lose his soul for me, will find it. [n. 894]
10:39 Qui invenit animam suam, perdet illam, et qui perdiderit animam suam propter me, inveniet eam. [n. 894]
10:40 He who receives you, receives me: and he who receives me, receives him who sent me. [n. 895]
10:40 Qui recipit vos, me recipit, et qui me recipit, recipit eum qui me misit. [n. 895]
10:41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet, will receive the reward of a prophet: and he who receives a just man in the name of a just man, will receive the reward of a just man. [n. 896]
10:41 Qui recipit prophetam in nomine prophetae mercedem prophetae accipiet. Et qui recipit iustum in nomine iusti, mercedem iusti accipiet. [n. 896]
10:42 And whoever will give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he will not lose his reward. [n. 897]
10:42 Et quicumque potum dederit uni ex minimis istis calicem aquae frigidae tantum in nomine discipuli, amen dico vobis, non perdet mercedem suam. [n. 897]
837. Above, the Lord instructed them about their office, and about the things necessary for life; but now he instructs them about the approaching dangers. And concerning this, he does two things.
837. Supra instruxit Dominus de officio suo, et de necessariis ad victum, modo vero instruit de periculis imminentibus: et circa hoc duo facit.
First, the instruction is set forth in a figure;
Primo ponitur instructio in figura;
second, he explains the figure, at but beware of men.
secundo exponit illam figuram, ibi cavete autem ab hominibus.
Concerning the first,
Circa primum
first he foretells the dangers;
primo praenuntiat pericula;
second, how they should carry themselves in dangers, at therefore be wise as serpents and simple as doves.
secundo quomodo in periculis se habere debent, ibi estote ergo prudentes sicut serpentes, et simplices sicut columbae.
838. He says then, behold, I send you. Since he had said, into whatever city or town you will enter, and then that the workman is worthy of his hire (Matt 10:10), they might believe that all would receive them; therefore he excludes this, as though to say, it will not be that way. Behold I send you as sheep among wolves, hence I send you to dangers. And he says this for two reasons: lest it should be attributed to his ignorance or lack of power that he could not protect them. Likewise, he said this to them lest they should consider themselves deceived. And he compares them to sheep because of meekness, but he compares the persecutors to wolves because of rapaciousness; for Christ himself was a sheep, of whom it is said, he will be led as a sheep to the slaughter (Isa 53:7). And the disciples are sheep; we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand (Ps 94:7).
838. Dicit ergo ecce ego mitto vos. Quia dixerat in quamcumque civitatem intraveritis etc., et tunc quod dignus est operarius cibo suo: possent credere quod omnes deberent eos recipere, ideo istud excludit; quasi dicat, non sic erit. Ecce ego mitto vos sicut oves in medio luporum, unde mitto vos ad pericula. Et hoc dicit propter duo, ne imputaretur eius ignorantiae, vel impotentiae, quod non posset eos tueri. Item dixit eis, ne putarent se deceptos. Et comparat eos ovibus propter mansuetudinem, persecutores vero lupis propter rapacitatem; ipse enim Christus ovis fuit, de quo Is. LIII, 7: quasi ovis ad occisionem ducetur. Et discipuli oves; Ps. XCIV, 7: nos autem populus eius, et oves pascuae eius.