John Calvin Commentary Matthew 13:43

"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear." — Matthew 13:43 (ASV)

Then will the righteous shine. What a remarkable consolation! The sons of God, who now lie covered with dust, or are held in low esteem, or even are loaded with reproaches, will then shine in full brightness, as when the sky is serene, and every cloud has been dispelled. The adverb then (τότε) is emphatic, for it contains an implied contrast between their present state and the ultimate restoration, and it is this expectation that Christ uses to animate those who believe in him.

The meaning, therefore, is this: though many wicked men now hold a high rank in the Church, that blessed day is assuredly to be expected when the Son of God will raise his followers on high and remove everything that now tends to dim or conceal their brightness. It is no doubt true that the future glory is promised to none but those in whom the image of God already shines, and who are transformed into it by continued advances of glory. But as the life of the godly is now hidden, and as their salvation is invisible because it consists in hope, Christ properly directs the attention of believers to heaven, where they will find the glory that is promised to them.

In order to make a deeper impression on his hearers, our Lord unquestionably refers here to a passage in Daniel 12:3:

And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament.

“The Prophet,” he seems to say, “when he predicts a future brightness, intimates also that there is a temporary obscurity: and so, if we admit the prediction, we ought to endure patiently that mixture which, for a time, classes the elect of God with the reprobate.” By comparing this glory to the sun, he does not determine that it will be alike in all. As Christ now distributes his gifts variously²¹⁸ among believers, in the same way he will crown these gifts at the last day. But we must recollect what I have said, that the restoration, which is delayed until the last coming of Christ, is compared with the cloudy state of the world.²¹⁹

The kingdom of the Father, as the inheritance of the godly, is contrasted with the earth, to remind them that here they are pilgrims and therefore ought to look upwards towards heaven. In another passage, the kingdom of God is said to be within us, (Luke 17:21), but we will not obtain the full enjoyment of it until God be all in all, (1 Corinthians 15:28).

²¹⁸ “Diversement, aux uns plus, aux autres moins;” — “variously, to some more, to others less.”;” — “variously, to some more, to others less.”

²¹⁹ “Avec l’estat present du monde, qui est comme tout obscurci de brouillars;” — “with the present state of the world, which is entirely, so to speak, obscured by mists.”;” — “with the present state of the world, which is entirely, so to speak, obscured by mists.”