John Calvin Commentary Matthew 23:34

"Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city:" — Matthew 23:34 (ASV)

Therefore, behold, I send to you. Luke introduces it in a still more emphatic manner: Therefore also the Wisdom of God said. Some commentators explain this as follows: “I, who am the eternal Wisdom of God, declare this about you.” But I am more inclined to believe that, according to the common practice of Scripture, God is here represented as speaking as His Wisdom; so that the meaning is, “God foretold long ago, by the prophetic Spirit, what would happen concerning you.” This sentence, I acknowledge, is not found literally anywhere. But since God denounces the incorrigible stubbornness of those people in many places of Scripture, Christ draws up a sort of summary of them. By this personification,¹¹¹ He expresses more clearly what God's judgment was regarding the incurable wickedness of that nation.

For if those teachers were to have no success, it might have seemed strange that Christ would have wanted them to tire themselves out for no reason. People argue in this way: “God labors uselessly when He sends His word to the reprobate, who He knows will remain stubborn.” And hypocrites, as if it were sufficient in itself to have preachers of the heavenly doctrine always with them—even though they prove themselves disobedient—hold the conviction that God is reconciled and favorable to them, as long as the outward word is heard among them.

Thus the Jews fiercely boasted that, in comparison with other nations, they had always enjoyed the best prophets and teachers. As if they had deserved so great an honor, they considered this an undoubted proof of their own excellence.¹¹² To refute this foolish boasting, Christ not only affirms that they do not excel other nations because they received distinguished prophets and expounders of His Wisdom from God, but maintains that this ill-requited favor is a greater reproach and will bring a heavier condemnation upon them.

This is because God's purpose was different from what they supposed: namely, to make them more inexcusable and to bring their wicked malice to its highest point. It is as if He had said, “Though prophets have been appointed to you from heaven in close succession, you claim this as an honor idly and foolishly. For God had quite a different objective in His secret judgment: to lay open your wicked stubbornness through an uninterrupted succession of gracious invitations and, upon your being convicted of it, to involve the children in the same condemnation as their fathers.”

Regarding the words, the account as related by Matthew is incomplete, but its meaning must be supplemented from Luke's words. The mention of scribes and wise men along with prophets tends to magnify God's grace. This makes their ingratitude more apparent, since, although God left nothing undone for their instruction, they made no progress. Instead of wise men and scribes, Luke mentions apostles, but the meaning is the same. This passage shows that God does not always bestow salvation on people when He sends His word to them, but that He sometimes intends for it to be proclaimed to the reprobate, who He knows will remain stubborn, so that it may be to them the savor of death unto death (2 Corinthians 2:16).

The word of God, indeed, in itself and by its own nature, brings salvation and invites all people indiscriminately to the hope of eternal life. But since not all are inwardly drawn, and since God does not pierce the ears of all—in short, since they are not renewed to repentance or inclined to obedience—those who reject God's word make it deadly and destructive through their unbelief.

Although God foresees that this will be the result, He purposely sends His prophets to them, so that He may involve the reprobate in more severe condemnation, as is more fully explained by Isaiah (Isaiah 6:10).

This, I acknowledge, is very far from being agreeable to carnal reasoning, as we see that unholy despisers of God seize on it as a plausible excuse for their harsh objections, alleging that God, like some cruel tyrant, takes pleasure in inflicting more severe punishment on people whom, without any expectation of benefit, He knowingly and willingly hardens more and more.

But by such examples, God exercises the modesty of believers. Let us maintain such sobriety as to tremble and adore what exceeds our senses.

Those who say that God’s foreknowledge does not hinder unbelievers from being saved foolishly use an idle defense for excusing God.

I admit that the reprobate, in bringing death upon themselves, have no intention of doing what God foresaw would happen. Therefore, the fault of their perishing cannot be ascribed to His foreknowledge. However, I assert that it is improper to employ this sophistry in defending God's justice, because it may be immediately objected that it is God's prerogative to make them repent, for the gift of faith and repentance is in His power.

We will next be met by this objection: What is the reason why God, by a fixed and deliberate purpose, appoints the light of His word to blind people? When they have been destined for eternal death, why is He not satisfied with their simple ruin? And why does He wish that they should perish twice or three times? There is nothing left for us but to ascribe glory to the judgments of God by exclaiming with Paul that they are a deep and unfathomable abyss (Romans 11:33). But it is asked: How does He declare that the prophecies will turn to the destruction of the Jews while His adoption still continued to be in force toward that nation? I reply: Since only a small portion embraced the word by faith for salvation, this passage relates to the greater number or the whole body. For example, Isaiah, after having predicted the general destruction of the nation, is commanded to seal the law of God among the disciples (Isaiah 8:16).

Let us then know that, wherever Scripture denounces eternal death against the Jews, it excepts a remnant (Isaiah 1:9; Romans 11:5); that is, those in whom the Lord preserves some seed on account of His free election.

¹¹¹ “En introduisant la Sapience de Dieu parlant;” — “by introducing the Wisdom of God as speaking.”;” — “by introducing the Wisdom of God as speaking.”

¹¹² “Comme un certain tesmoignage qu’ils estoyent gens de bien;” — “as an undoubted proof that they were good people.”;” — “as an undoubted proof that they were good people.”