John Calvin Commentary Acts 9:6

"but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." — Acts 9:6 (ASV)

The fruit of that reprimand follows, with which we have said it was necessary for Paul to have been severely shaken, so that his hardness might be broken. For now he offers himself as ready to do whatever Christ should command him, whom he recently despised. For when he asks what Christ would have him do, he grants Him authority and power.

Even the very reprobate are also terrified by the threatening of God, so that they are compelled to reverence Him, and to submit themselves to His will and pleasure; yet, nevertheless, they do not cease to fret and to foster stubbornness within. But as God humbled Paul, so He worked effectually in his heart.

For it did not happen by any goodness of nature that Paul submitted himself more willingly to God than Pharaoh (Exodus 7:13); but because, being like an anvil, Pharaoh, with his hardness, beat back the whips of God with which he was to be brought under (just as if they were the strokes of a hammer). But the heart of Paul was suddenly made a fleshy heart from a stony heart, after it received softness from the Spirit of God—a softness it did not naturally possess.

We also experience the same thing daily in ourselves. He reproves us by His word; He threatens and terrifies us; He also adds light correction, and prepares us in various ways for subjection. But all these helps will never cause anyone to bring forth good fruit, unless the Spirit of God softens his heart within.

And the Lord said to him. After Paul had put his stiff neck under the yoke of Christ, he is now governed by His hand. For doubtless the Lord does not bring us into the way in such a manner that He leaves us either before we begin our course, or in the middle of it; but He brings us to the very mark little by little.

Luke portrays to us in this place this continual course of God’s governance. For He afterwards takes him to Himself to be taught, whom He has made receptive to teaching. Nor does that in any way hinder that He uses man’s ministry in this matter. Because the authority and power nevertheless remain in Him, however He accomplishes His work by man; though it may seem an absurd thing that Christ, who is the Eternal Wisdom of God, sends a scholar (who was ready to hear and was eager for instruction) to another man, so that he might learn.

But I answer that this was done not without cause. For the Lord meant by this means to prove Paul’s modesty, when He sends him to one of His disciples to be taught; as if He Himself would not yet deign to speak to him familiarly, but sends him to His servants whom Paul recently had both so proudly despised and so cruelly persecuted.

And we are also taught humility through his example. For if Christ made Paul subject to the teaching of a common disciple, who among us can begrudge hearing any teacher, provided he is appointed by Christ—that is, he shows himself to be His minister in deed? Therefore, since Paul is sent to Ananias, let us know that this is done to adorn the ministry of the Church.

This is surely no small honor to which it pleases God to exalt mankind, when He chooses our brethren from among us to be interpreters of His will; when He causes His holy oracles to sound in the mouth of man, who is naturally inclined to lying and vanity.

But the unthankfulness of the world reveals itself again in this: that no one can bear to hear when God speaks by the mouth of man. Everyone might desire to have angels come flying to them, or that heaven should be now and then torn open, and that the visible glory of God should come from there. Since this preposterous curiosity springs from pride and wicked contempt of the Word, it opens a gate to many foolish notions, and breaks the bond of mutual consent among the faithful. Therefore the Lord testifies that it pleases Him that we should be taught by men, and confirms the order established by Himself. And to this purpose serve these words: He which heareth you heareth me (Luke 10:16), so that He may cause His word to be reverenced as it ought.

It shall be told you. Christ puts Ananias in His place by these words, regarding the office of teaching; not because He resigns His authority to him, but because Ananias shall be a faithful minister and a sincere preacher of the gospel. Therefore we must always use this moderation: that we hear God alone in Christ, and Christ Himself alone, yet as He speaks by His ministers. And these two vices must be avoided: that the ministers are not proud by virtue of such a precious function, or that their humble condition does not in any way impair the dignity of heavenly wisdom.