Who is speaking when the prophet says, “Woe is me, soul, for I have become one as gathering straw in harvest?” For did the prophet literally “gather” or even want to “gather”? Does the prophet have a farm? Anyway, the only one who rightly gathers from what has been planted for harvest is not the prophet but the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Since there are many faults among the pagan nations but also among those who are supposed to be from the church, the prophet laments and mourns for our sins when he says, “Woe is me, for I have become as one who gathers straw.” Let each of us scrutinize himself. Is he an ear of corn? Will the Son of God discover something in him to pick or harvest? Do we find that some of us are those swept by the wind? Even as we have still a little in ourselves, two or three kernels, our sins are many against us. Seeing that the churches, or those so-called, are filled with sinners, he says, “Woe is me, for I have come as one who gathers straw in the harvest and as one gathering grape gleanings in the vintage.” [The Lord] comes seeking fruit on the vine, for each of us is planted also as a vine “in a fertile place” [Isa 5:1.] or as a vine “transplanted out of Egypt,” [Psa 80:8 (79:9 LXX).] yet planted to bear fruit. [Jer 2:21.] He comes, he seeks in what way to pick, he discovers some “grape gleanings” and a few “clusters,” neither flourishing nor plentiful. Who among us has “clusters” of virtue?—Origen

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