John Calvin Commentary Matthew 7:9

"Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone;" — Matthew 7:9 (ASV)

Is there any man among you? It is a comparison from the less to the greater. First, our Lord contrasts the malice of men with the boundless goodness of God. Self-love (φιλαυτία) renders us malicious: for every man is too much devoted to himself, and neglects and disregards others. But this vice yields to the stronger feelings of a father’s love, so that men forget themselves and give to their children with overflowing generosity.

From where does this come, if not because God, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, (Ephesians 3:15), drops into their hearts a portion of his goodness? But if the little drops produce such goodness, what should we expect from the inexhaustible ocean? Would God, who opens the hearts of men in this way, shut his own? Let us also remember that passage of Isaiah, Though a mother forget her children, (Isaiah 49:15), yet the Lord will be like himself,⁴⁶⁶ and will always show himself to be a Father.

⁴⁶⁶ “Le Seigneur ne changera point;” — “the Lord will not change.”;” — “the Lord will not change.”