John Calvin Commentary Matthew 22:5

"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.