and whoever is in the field must not turn back to take his cloak.
This saying continues the thought of the urgency of danger. A man working in the field might have left his outer garment aside, yet in the moment of destruction even going back for it could be a deadly delay. Christ teaches His disciples not to hesitate when God opens the way of salvation. Historically, this referred to the necessary swift flight at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction (Matt. 24:16-18), and in a spiritual sense it recalls the example of Lot’s wife, who looked back and perished (Gen. 19:26, Luke 17:32). The desire to turn back in the face of God’s judgment reveals the heart’s attachment to the passing world. Therefore Christ’s word teaches that when one sees the way of salvation, one must obey without delay, without looking back, and without clinging to passing things.