John Calvin Commentary Matthew 22
John Calvin Commentary
Matthew 22
John Calvin Commentary
Matthew 22
"And Jesus answered and spake again in parables unto them, saying," — Matthew 22:1 (ASV)
And Jesus answering. Though Matthew relates this parable among other discourses Christ delivered around the time of the last Passover, yet since he does not specify any particular time, and Luke expressly affirms that Christ delivered this discourse while he sat at the table in the house of a Pharisee, I have considered it better to follow this order.
The purpose Matthew had in view was to point out the reasons why the scribes were provoked to the highest pitch of fury. Therefore, he properly placed it among those discourses that were offensive to them, interweaving it with those discourses without regard to chronological order.
But we must attend to Luke’s narrative. He says that when one of those who sat at the table with him said, Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God, Christ took this as an occasion to rebuke the Jews for their ingratitude.
It is by no means probable that the guest and friend of a Pharisee made this exclamation from any sincere feeling of piety.
Still, I do not regard it as having been spoken in derision; but, just as people who have a moderate knowledge of the faith, and are not openly wicked, are accustomed to indulging in idle talk about eternal life amidst their cups, I think this man made a remark about future blessedness to elicit some observation from Christ in return.
And his words make it clear that he had nothing in mind beyond what was crude and earthly; for he did not use the phrase eat bread as a metaphor for enjoy eternal life, but appears to have dreamed of some unknown state, filled with prosperity and an abundance of all things.
The meaning is, Blessed shall they be who shall eat the bread of God,291 after he has collected his children into his kingdom.
291 “Qui seront nourris de Dieu;”— “who shall be fed by God.”;”— “who shall be fed by God.”
"The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son," — Matthew 22:2 (ASV)
The kingdom of heaven is like a human king. As a Spartan said long ago, that the Athenians knew what was right but did not choose to practice it, so Christ now brings it as a reproach against the Jews, that they uttered beautiful expressions about the kingdom of God, but when God kindly and gently invited them, they rejected His grace with disdain. There is no room to doubt that the discourse is expressly levelled against the Jews, as will more plainly appear a little afterwards.
Matthew and Luke differ in this respect: Matthew details many circumstances, while Luke states the matter summarily and in a general manner. Thus, Matthew says that a king made a marriage for his son: Luke only mentions a great supper; the former speaks of many servants, while the latter refers to no more than one servant; the former describes many messages, the latter mentions one only; the former says that some of the servants were abused or slain, the latter speaks only of their being treated with contempt. Lastly, the former relates that a man was cast out, who had gone in to the marriage without a wedding garment, of which Luke makes no mention. But we have formerly pointed out a similar distinction: that Matthew, in explaining the same thing, is more copious and enters into fuller details. There is a remarkable agreement between them on the main points of the parable.
God bestowed distinguished honor on the Jews by providing for them, as it were, a hospitable table; but they despised the honor which had been conferred upon them.
The marriage of the king’s son is explained by many commentators to mean that Christ is the end of the Law (Romans 10:4), and that God had no other design in His covenant than to make Him the Governor of His people and to unite the Church to Him by the sacred bond of a spiritual marriage. I have no objection to that view.
But when He says that the servants were sent to call those who were invited, these words are intended to point out a double favor which the Jews had received from God: first, in being preferred to other nations; and, secondly, in having their adoption made known to them by the prophets.
The allusion is to a practice customary among men: those who intended to make a marriage drew up a list of the persons whom they intended to have as guests and afterwards sent invitations to them by their servants. In like manner, God elected the Jews in preference to others, as if they had been His familiar friends, and afterwards called them by the prophets to partake of the promised redemption, which was, as it were, to feast at a marriage.
It is true that those who were first invited did not live until the coming of Christ; but we know that all received an offer of the same salvation, of which they were deprived by their ingratitude and malice. For from the commencement, God’s invitation was impiously despised by that people.292
292 “Ce peuple-la a vileinement et meschamment mesprise l’honneur auquel Dieu le convioit;” — “that people basely and wickedly despised the honor to which God invited them.”;” — “that people basely and wickedly despised the honor to which God invited them.”
"Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have made ready my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage feast." — Matthew 22:4 (ASV)
Again he sent other servants. He speaks as if it had been the same persons who were invited, for it was one body of the people. The meaning is that when the happy and joyful day of redemption drew near, they were warned to be ready, for they had long ago been informed about the time.
But now Christ told them that, at the very hour, fresh messengers were sent to entreat them to come with haste; for the first invitation which He mentions includes all the former prophecies, down to the publication of the Gospel.
For a long period, they exercised cruelty on the prophets; but their fury grew as the time advanced, and at length spent all its force on Christ and the apostles. For this reason, He charges the ancient people with nothing more than contempt and pride, but says that the servants who had been last sent, and who arrived at the hour of supper, were abused or slain.
That people arrived at the highest pitch of their crimes when their haughty rejection of His grace was followed by the madness of cruelty. And yet He does not charge all of them equally with crime; for even at the latest call, which was given by the Gospel, the grace of God was in part ridiculed by careless despisers, and in part was furiously rejected by hypocrites. And thus it usually happens that ungodly men break out into fiercer rage against God, in proportion to the earnestness with which He invites them to salvation.
"But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise;" — Matthew 22:5 (ASV)
We must now consider that part of doctrine which is conveyed both by Matthew and by Luke. One went to his field, and another to his merchandise; or, as Luke expresses it, one pleaded that he had married a wife; another that he had purchased a field; and another that he had bought five yoke of oxen. By these words Christ declares that the Jews were so entirely devoted to the world and to earthly things, that no one found leisure to approach God. For the cares of this world, when we become entangled by them, are so many obstacles in our way, keeping us back from the kingdom of God.
It is truly base and shameful that people, who were created for a heavenly life, should be under the influence of such brutish stupidity as to be entirely carried away by transitory things. But this disease is universally prevalent, so that hardly one person in a hundred can be found who prefers the kingdom of God to fading riches or to any other kind of advantages. Though all are not infected with the same disease, each person is led away by his desires, and as a consequence, all are wandering in various directions.
Furthermore, it deserves our attention that ungodly people offer plausible excuses for rejecting the grace of God, as if their indolence might be excused because they are entirely occupied with the affairs of the present life and care little about a heavenly inheritance. But we see how Christ removes all such excuses from us, so that no one may imagine it to be of any advantage to plead that he is detained by worldly commitments.
On the contrary, people commit a double fault when they allow themselves to be hindered by those things which are in themselves lawful and which should instead have aided their progress. For why does God allow us the conveniences of the present life, if not to draw us to Himself? And yet, so far is it from being true that all have earnest desires towards heaven in proportion to the help they receive from God's acts of kindness, that even holy marriage, fields, and other riches are so many snares that bind each person more closely to the earth.
"But the king was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city." — Matthew 22:7 (ASV)
But when the king heard it. This punishment is mentioned by Matthew alone; for Luke makes no mention of any outrage committed on the servants. Both concur in stating that those who did not come at the appointed time were shut out and deprived of the honor of being present at the banquet.
But this doctrine applies equally to us; for the same destruction which Christ denounces against the Jews awaits all the ungodly who violently oppose the ministers of the Gospel. Those who are so entirely occupied with earthly cares as to set no value on the divine invitation will finally perish miserably in famine and want. Therefore, whenever God calls us, let us be prepared and ready to follow.
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