But pray you that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
All Commentaries on Matthew 24:20 Go To Matthew 24
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Recall that this discourse is addressed to the Jews. He is speaking here of the ills that should overtake them. He is not speaking primarily to the apostles, who did not keep the Jewish sabbath day. They were nowhere around when Vespasian did these things. Indeed, most of the apostles would soon be dead or in other distant parts of the world. It is to the Jews that he says “Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath.” Pray that it not be in winter, because of the difficulty of the season. Pray that it not be on the sabbath day, because of the absolute authority exercised by the law. For they had need of flight, and of the swiftest flight. The Jews would not dare to flee on the sabbath day, because of the law. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
