So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead.
All Commentaries on Genesis 31:21 Go To Genesis 31
Cyril of Alexandria
AD 444
The fact that the world should have been offended because of Christ, after the increase in the flocks of believers, and that it, excited by its anger, would have reacted, does not need to be confirmed with a long speech. Just see how Laban, together with his sons, pursued Jacob, who was running away, and recalled him. Christ himself, in a sense, departed from the world with his brides, that is, the churches, and moved out with the entire household by spiritually addressing his companions with these words: “Arise, let us go from here.” The action of departing and moving away certainly is not material; there is no concrete move from one place to another. In fact, it would be incongruous to think or say these things in a material sense. But the fullness of life is in the moving from worldly thoughts to the accomplishment of the things that God approves. This is confirmed by the blessed Paul, who writes, “Here we have no lasting city, but we seek one to come,” whose “maker and creator is God.” And another of the holy apostles writes thus: “I beseech you as pilgrims and strangers: abstain from sinful desires which war against the soul.” While we walk on earth, our way of life is in heaven, and certainly we do not want to live carnally anymore but rather in a holy and spiritual way. Paul encourages us to do that by writing, “Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” When we are not conformed anymore to the world and out of the worldly errors, we will be imitators of Christ. And perfectly understanding that this is the right way to think the Savior himself said, “If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, therefore the world hates you.” ,
