At first glance, the instructive commands from the first two Evangelists—"Whoever is on the roof, let them not come down"—appear to contradict Luke’s directive: "He that is in the city, come out of it." It seems likely that amid such calamity, there will be considerable turmoil, requiring those trapped in the city—those under siege—to ascend to the roof to gauge the threat and discover means of escape. Yet, why does Luke instruct, "Come out of it," when he has stated, "See Jerusalem surrounded by armies"? In this context, his warning—"Whoever is in the neighbourhood, do not enter it"—seems most fitting. Is it not simpler for those outside the besieged city to refrain from entering than for those within to break free from the enemy's grasp? Does the city not symbolize a peril from which a person can hardly escape, thereby prolonging their present life? At this juncture, the spirit must be unencumbered and liberated, not ensnared by earthly desires.
The call to be on the roof or atop the house from the other two Evangelists bears a similar meaning. In Luke, "come out of it" implies that one should not be ensnared by the temptations of this life but should instead prepare to transition to a different existence. The same concept is articulated by the earlier Evangelists in the admonition: "Let no one go down to take anything from his house," meaning that one should resist the earthly cravings for material gain. Additionally, Luke’s admonition, "Let him who is in the neighbourhood enter not into it," conveys that individuals who have renounced this life with a pure heart should no longer seek it for the desires of the flesh. The equivalent message in the other two is presented as: "He who is in the field, let him not turn back to take his garments." Why revert to the burdens that one has successfully shed?
THEOSIS