John Calvin Commentary Malachi 4:2

"But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall." — Malachi 4:2 (ASV)

The Prophet now turns his discourse to the godly. From this, it appears more clearly that he has until now been threatening those gross hypocrites who arrogantly claimed sanctity for themselves alone, even while they were continuing to provoke God's wrath.

For he evidently addresses a different group from those previously mentioned when he says, Arise to you who fear my name, etc.; he separates those who feared God, or the true servants of God, from that multitude with whom he has until now been contending. Arise, then, to you who fear my name, etc.

A contrast is to be noticed here. The body of the people were infected, as it were, with a general contagion, but God had preserved a few uncontaminated. Just as he had until now been contending with the greatest part of the people, so he now gathers, as it were, the chosen few apart and promises them Christ as the author of salvation.

For the godly, we know, trembled at threats and would have almost fainted if God had not lessened them. Whenever he proclaimed vengeance on sinners, the greater part either scoffed or became angry, or at least were not properly impressed. Thus it happens that while God is thundering, the ungodly go on securely in their sinful courses; but the godly tremble at a word and would be altogether dejected if God did not apply a remedy.

Therefore, our Prophet lessens the severity of the threat which we have observed. It is as though he had said that he had not announced the coming of Christ as terrible for the purpose of filling pious souls with fear (for it was not spoken to them), but only of terrifying the ungodly.

The sum of the whole is briefly this: “Listen, you who fear God,” he says, “for I have a different word for you, and that is, that the Sun of righteousness shall arise, which will bring healing in its wings. Let those despisers of God then perish, who, though they wage war with him, yet seek to have him, as it were, bound to them. But you, lift up your heads, and patiently await that day, and with the hope of it, calmly endure your troubles.” We now understand the meaning of this verse.

There is indeed no doubt that Malachi calls Christ the Sun of righteousness; and it is a most suitable term when we consider how the condition of the fathers differed from ours. God has always given light to his Church, but Christ brought the full light, according to what Isaiah teaches us:

On you shall Jehovah arise,
and the glory of God shall be seen in you (Isaiah 60:1).

This can be applied to no one but Christ. Again he says, Behold darkness shall cover the earth, etc.; shine on you shall Jehovah; and further,

There shall be now no sun by day nor moon by night; but God alone shall give you light (Isaiah 60:19).

All these words show that Sun is a name appropriate to Christ, for God the Father has given a much clearer light in the person of Christ than previously by the law and by all the accompanying elements of the law. For this reason also, Christ is called the light of the world; not that the fathers wandered like the blind in darkness, but that they were satisfied with the dawn only, or with the moon and stars.

We indeed know how obscure the doctrine of the law was, so that it may truly be said to be dim. Therefore, when the heavens finally became opened and clear through the gospel, it was through the rising of the Sun, which brought the full day. From this, it is Christ's specific role to enlighten.

On this account it is said in the first chapter of John that he was from the beginning the true light, which enlightens every man who comes into the world, and yet that it was a light shining in darkness. For some sparks of reason continue in men, however much they have become blinded through the fall of Adam and the corruption of nature.

But Christ is distinctively called light with regard to the faithful, whom he delivers from the blindness in which all are involved by nature, and whom he guides by his Spirit.

The meaning then of the word 'sun', when applied metaphorically to Christ, is this: he is called a sun because without him we can only wander and go astray, but with his guidance we shall stay on the right path. Therefore he says,

He who follows me walks not in darkness (John 8:12).

But we must observe that this is not to be limited to the person of Christ, but extended to the gospel. Therefore Paul says,

Awake you who sleep, and rise from darkness,
and Christ shall enlighten you (Ephesians 5:14).

Christ then daily enlightens us by his doctrine and his Spirit; and though we do not see him with our eyes, yet we find by experience that he is a sun.

He is called the sun of righteousness, either because of his perfect rectitude, in whom there is nothing defective, or because the righteousness of God is conspicuous in him. Yet, so that we may know the light derived from him, which proceeds from him to us and irradiates us, we are not to regard the temporary concerns of this life, but what pertains to the spiritual life.

1. Christ fulfills for us the role of a sun, not to guide our feet and hands as to what is worldly, but to bring light to us, to show the way to heaven, and that through it we may attain the enjoyment of a blessed and eternal life.
2. This spiritual light cannot be separated from righteousness. For how does Christ become our sun? It is by regenerating us by his Spirit into righteousness, by delivering us from the corruptions of the world, and by renewing us in the image of God.

We now then see the meaning of the word righteousness.

He adds, And healing in its wings. He gives the name 'wings' to the rays of the sun; this comparison has much beauty, for it is taken from nature and most fitly applied to Christ. There is nothing, we know, more cheering and healing than the rays of the sun. For a foul odor would soon overwhelm us, even within a day, if the sun did not purge the earth from its impurities; and without the sun, there would be no breathing.

We also feel a sort of relief at the rising of the sun, for the night is a kind of burden. When the sun sets, we feel, as it were, a heaviness in all our limbs. The sick are uplifted in the morning and experience a change from the influence of the sun, for it brings to us healing in its wing.

But the Prophet has expressed what is still more: that a clear sun in a serene sky brings healing. For there is an implied opposition between a cloudy or stormy time and a clear and bright season. During times of serenity, we are far more cheerful, whether we are in health or in sickness; and there is no one who does not derive some cheerfulness from the serenity of the heavens. But when it is cloudy, even the most healthy person feels some inconvenience.

According to this view, Malachi now says that there would be healing in the wings of Christ, since many evils were to be endured by the true servants of God. For if we consider the history of those times, it will appear that the condition of that people was most grievous. He now promises a change to them, for the restoration of the Church would bring them joy. See then in what way he meant there would be healing in the wings of Christ: the darkness would be dispelled, and the heavens would be free from clouds, so as to uplift the minds of the godly.

By calling the godly those who fear God, he adopts the common language of Scripture, for we have said that the main part of righteousness and holiness consists in the true worship of God. But something new is expressed here, for this fear is what distinctively belongs to true religion, so that men submit to God, though he is invisible, though he does not address them face to face, and though he does not openly show his hand armed with punishments.

Therefore, when men willingly reverence the glory of God, and acknowledge that the world is governed by him and that they are under his authority, this is real evidence of true religion. This is what the Prophet means by name. Therefore, those who fear the name of God do not desire to bring him down from heaven, nor do they seek clear signs of his presence, but allow their faith to be tested in this way, so that they adore and worship God, though they do not see him face to face, but only through a mirror and dimly, and also through the manifestations of his power, justice, and other attributes, which are evident before our eyes.

Grant, Almighty God, that as you have appointed your only-begotten Son to be like a sun to us, we may not be blind, so as not to see his brightness. Since he is pleased to guide us daily into the way of salvation, may we follow him and never be held back by any obstacles of this world, so as not to pursue that heavenly life to which you invite us. As you have promised that he is to come and gather us into the eternal inheritance, may we not meanwhile become lax, but instead watch diligently and be ever attentively looking for him. May we not reject the favor which you have been pleased to offer us in him, and thus become sluggish in our corruptions, but instead be stimulated to fear your name and truly to worship you, until we shall finally receive the fruit of our faith and godliness, when he shall appear again for our final redemption—even that sun which has already appeared to us, so that we might not remain enveloped in darkness, but continue on our path in the midst of darkness, even the way which leads us to heaven. Amen.

Malachi, after having said that the Sun of righteousness would arise on the Jews, now adds that it would be for their joy. For as sorrow grips the faithful when they are without Christ, or when they think him distant from them, so his favor is their greatest happiness and real joy. Therefore, the angel, when he announced to the shepherds that Christ was born, thus introduces his message:

Behold, I declare to you great joy (Luke 2:10).

Now though the comparison might seem rather unusual, yet it was not without reason that the Prophet said that the Jews would be like fattened calves. For the change of which he speaks was incredible; therefore, it was necessary that the subject should be stated in a very simple manner, so that they might cherish hope.

In the words going forth, there is an implied contrast, for anxiety had long held them, as it were, captive. But now they were to go forth and be free, according to what happens when things change for the better; we then openly express our joy to one another, and we seek, so to speak, a wide space for expressing our feelings. We now see why the Prophet says that the Jews would go forth: they had previously been confined, as it were, within narrow limits, but God would now give them reason for rejoicing, according to what Paul says:

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17).