John Calvin Commentary Matthew 10:23

"But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone through the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come." — Matthew 10:23 (ASV)

And when they shall persecute you. He anticipates an objection that might arise: "If we must encounter the resentments of the whole world, what will be the end of all this?"⁵⁹³ Though it may not be safe for them to remain in any place, Christ warns them not to despair. On the contrary, when they have been driven from one place, they are to try whether their labors in some other place may be of any avail.

It is a mistake, however, to suppose that this is a bare permission, for it is rather a command given to the disciples, outlining what Christ wills them to do. One who has sustained a persecution would willingly withdraw like a soldier who has served his time. But no such exemption is granted to the followers of Christ, who commands them to fulfill their whole course with unabated zeal.

In short, the apostles are commanded to enter into new contests and not to imagine that, when they have succeeded in one or two cases, they have fully discharged their duty. No permission is granted for them to flee to a secluded spot where they may remain inactive; instead, though their labor may have been unsuccessful in one place, the Lord exhorts them to persevere.

And yet, the command also implies a permission. Regarding avoiding persecution, it should be understood in this way: we must not condemn all who flee without distinction, and yet not every kind of flight is lawful. Some of the ancients carried their zeal in this matter to an extreme and condemned flight as a form of disavowal. If this were true, some of the disgrace would fall on Christ and His apostles.

Again, if all without distinction are free to flee, a good pastor could not be distinguished from a hireling during a time of persecution. We must abide by the moderation Augustine recommends when writing to Honoratus: No one must quit his station through timidity, either by betraying the flock through cowardice or by giving an example of slothfulness; and yet no one must expose himself hastily or at random.

If a whole church is attacked, or if some of its members are pursued to death, the pastor, whose duty it is to expose his life for any individual among them, would do wrong in withdrawing. But sometimes it may happen that by his absence he will quell the rage of enemies and thus benefit the church.

In such cases, the harmlessness of the dove must be his guide, so that cowardly persons may not seize upon his conduct as an excuse for their timidity, for the flesh is always too clever in avoiding what is troublesome.

For verily I say to you. These words cannot be understood in the sense that some have given them, as relating only to the first mission,⁵⁹⁴ but they embrace the whole course of their apostleship. The difficulty, however, lies in ascertaining what is meant by the coming of the Son of man.

Some explain it as denoting such progress of the gospel that all may acknowledge Christ is truly reigning and that He may be expected to restore the kingdom of David. Others refer it to the destruction of Jerusalem, in which Christ appeared, taking vengeance on the nation's ingratitude. The first interpretation is admissible; the second is too far-fetched.

I regard the consolation given here as addressed particularly to the apostles. Christ is said to come when matters are desperate and He grants relief. The commission they received was almost boundless: it was to spread the doctrine of the Gospel throughout the whole world.

Christ promises that He will come before they have traveled through the whole of Judea; that is, by the power of His Spirit, He will give His reign such luster that the apostles will be enabled to discern that glory and majesty which they had until then been unable to discover.

⁵⁹³ “Que sera ce a la fin, et que deviendrons-nous?” — “What shall be in the end, and what will become of us?”?” — “What shall be in the end, and what will become of us?”

⁵⁹⁴ “Touchant le premier voyage, ou la premiere commission qu ont eue les apostres;” — “respecting the first journey, or the first commission which the apostles had.”;” — “respecting the first journey, or the first commission which the apostles had.”