John Calvin Commentary Zechariah 13

From this verse we learn again that Zechariah promised the spirit of repentance to the Jews, so that they would find God still favorable to them, even when their circumstances were brought to the verge of despair. For it would not have been enough for them to feel sorrow, unless God Himself became favorable and merciful to them.

He had indeed said that the Spirit of grace and of mercies would be poured out; but he had not yet taught clearly what he now adds regarding remission and pardon. After declaring then that the Jews would feel the bitterest sorrow, because they had, as it were, pierced God, he now mentions the fruit of this repentance.

And thus also appears what Paul means by sorrow not to be repented of, for it produces repentance leading to salvation. When, then, our sorrow is blessed by the Lord, the outcome must be considered, for our hearts are thereby raised up to joy. But the result of repentance, as Zechariah declares here, is cleansing; and he alludes to the rites of the law when he says,

A fountain shall be opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. We know that previously under the law many washings were prescribed for the Jews; and when anyone had become defiled, washing himself was the remedy. It is certain that water was of no value to cleanse the heart; but the sins of men, we know, are expiated by the death of Christ, so that true cleansing is by the blood which He shed for us. Therefore, the types of the law should undoubtedly be referred to this blood.

The meaning is that God would be reconciled to the Jews when they were touched with sincere sorrow, and that reconciliation would be ready for them, for the Lord would cleanse them from every defilement.

He speaks of a fountain opened; and he undoubtedly intimates here a difference between the law and the gospel. Water was brought daily to the temple, but it was, we know, for private washings. But Zechariah promises here a perpetual stream of cleansing water, as if he had said, “Cleansing will be free to all, when God will again receive His people into favor.”

Although remission of sins was previously offered under the law, it is now much more easily obtained by us; not that God grants a license to sin, but that the way in which our filth is cleansed has become more evident since the coming of Christ.

For the forefathers under the law were indeed fully assured that God was so favorable as not to impute sins; but where was the pledge of cleansing? It was in the sprinkling of blood, and that blood was the blood of a calf or a lamb. Now that we know that we have been redeemed by Christ, and that our souls are sprinkled with His blood by the hidden power of the Holy Spirit, it is undoubtedly the same as if God had not only set our cleansing before our eyes, but also placed it, as it were, in our hands, while for the forefathers it was more obscure or shown to them from a distance.

And he says, To the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He had previously restricted God’s favor to that city, so that he might spur the Jews, who had preferred their external gratifications to such great happiness. For they thought themselves happy in their exile, because they inhabited a pleasant and fruitful country, and enjoyed tranquility and peace; and thus it happened that they despised the deliverance offered to them.

Therefore, the Prophet promises here to the citizens of Jerusalem and to the royal family a fountain in which they could wash away their filth; for from Zion was the law to go forth, and from Jerusalem the word of the Lord (Isaiah 2:2). And we know that from there were taken the first-fruits of the new Church.

What we have previously seen regarding God’s favor being extended further is no objection, for both events were fulfilled in their proper order, as God blessed the tribe of Judah, who trusted in His promises and returned to their own country, and afterwards extended His favor wider, and gathered into one body those who had been dispersed throughout distant parts of the world.

He adds, For sin and for uncleanness, or as some read, “for sprinkling,” which is by no means suitable, unless the word “sin” is taken as expiation. The word is derived from נדד, nedad, but it often means sprinkling, sometimes uncleanness, and sometimes the uncleanness of women, and so some translate it here. The verb signifies to remove or to separate; and hence נדה, nede, is the removal of a woman from her husband during her uncleanness, but it is applied to designate any uncleanness. It might indeed be taken here for the uncleanness of women, as an instance of a part for the whole; but I am led by the context to translate it as uncleanness. Now if we translate חטאת, chathat, as sin, then נדה, nede, must be translated as uncleanness; but if the first is expiation, then the second may be sprinkling: and this meaning I am inclined to take, for under the law sins were cleansed by sacrifices as well as by washings.

The meaning of the whole then is this: that although the Jews had defiled themselves in various ways, so that they had become filthy before God, and their uncleanness was abominable, yet a fountain would be prepared for them, by which they could cleanse themselves, so as to come before God pure and clean.

We therefore see that it was the Prophet’s purpose to show that the repentance of which he had spoken would not be useless, for there would be a sure result when God favored the Jews, showed Himself favorable to them, and already pacified, and even provided for them a cleansing by the blood of His only-begotten Son. This was so that no filth could prevent them from calling on Him boldly and in confidence. For instead of the rites of the law there would be the reality, as their hearts would be sprinkled by the Spirit, so that they would be purified by faith, and would thus cast away all their filth.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that since You have been pleased to adopt us as Your people, and from being Your enemies, profane and reprobate, to make us the children of Abraham, that we might be to You a holy heritage — O grant, that through the whole course of our life we may so repent as to attain Your mercy, which is daily set before us in Your gospel, and of which You have given us a sure pledge in the death of Your only Son; so that we may become more and more humble before You, and labor to form our life according to the rule of righteousness, and so loathe ourselves that we may at the same time be drawn by the sweetness of Your goodness to call upon You, and that being thus united to You, we may be confirmed in the faith, until we reach that blessed rest which has been procured for us by the blood of Your Son Jesus Christ. — Amen.

Here the Prophet mentions another effect that would follow the repentance of the people, and which the Lord also would thereby produce. There was to be a cleansing from all the defilements of superstitions, for the pure and lawful worship of God cannot be established without these filthy things being wiped away. To blend sacred with profane things is the same as if one sought to remove the difference between heaven and earth. No religion, then, can be approved by God unless it is pure and free from all such pollution. We therefore see why the Prophet adds that there would be an end to falsehoods, all errors, and the delusions of Satan when God restored His Church; for the simplicity of true doctrine would prevail, and thus whatever Satan had previously invented to corrupt religion would be abolished.

From this we learn what I have just stated: God cannot be rightly worshiped unless all corruptions inconsistent with His sincere and pure worship are taken away. But we must also observe that this effect is ascribed to God’s word, for it is God's word that can drive away and banish all the abominations of falsehood and whatever is contrary to true religion. Just as darkness is put to flight by the rising of the sun, and all things appear distinctly to view, so also when God comes forth with the teaching of His word, all the deceptions of Satan must necessarily be dissipated.

Now, these two things should especially be known. We see that many, who are not indeed ungodly but foolish and inconsiderate, think they give God His due honor while they are entangled in many errors and do not refrain from superstitions. Others, more politic, devise this way of peace: that those who think rightly are to concede something to tyrants and false prophets. Thus, they seek today to form a new religion for us, made up of Popery and of the simple doctrine of the gospel, and in this manner, so to speak, to transform God.

Since we see that people are so disposed to mix all sorts of things together, so that the pure simplicity of the gospel may be contaminated by various inventions, we ought to bear in mind this truth: the Church cannot be rightly formed until all superstitions are rejected and banished. This is one thing.

We may also deduce from this another principle: that the word of God not only shows us the way but also uncovers all the delusions of Satan. For hardly one in a hundred follows what is right unless he is reminded of what he ought to avoid. It is therefore not enough to declare that there is only one true God and that we ought to put our trust in Christ, unless another thing is added: unless we warn people of those intrigues by which Satan has from the beginning deceived miserable mortals. Even today, with what various artifices has he withdrawn the simple and unwary from the true God and entangled them in a labyrinth of superstitions!

Unless, therefore, people are thus warned, the word of God is made known to them only in part. Whoever, then, desires to perform all the duties of a good and faithful pastor should firmly resolve not only to abstain from all impure doctrines and simply to assert what is true, but also to detect all corruptions that are injurious to religion, to recover people from the deceptions of Satan, and, in short, openly to carry on war with all superstitions.

This was what Zechariah had in view when he said, In that day, that is, when God would restore His Church, perish shall the names of idols, so that they shall be remembered no more. By this last expression, he explains more clearly what I have just stated: that the pure worship of God is then established as it should be, and religion then has its own honor, when all errors and impostures cease, so that even the memory of them does not remain. It is indeed true that superstitions can never be so abolished that no mention of them should be made; in fact, the recollection of them is useful—

You shall remember your ways, says Ezekiel, and be ashamed (Ezekiel 16:6).

But by this form of speaking, Zechariah means that such would be the detestation of superstitions that the people would dread the very mention of them. And from this we may learn how much purity of doctrine is approved by God, since He would have us feel a horror, as at something monstrous, whenever the name of an idol is mentioned.

He then refers to false teachers: I will exterminate, he says, the Prophets and the unclean Spirit from the land. The connection here is worthy of being noticed, for from this it appears how all errors arise: even when a loose rein is given to false teachers. It is indeed true, I grant, that the seed of all errors is implanted in each of us, so that everyone is a teacher to deceive himself, for we are not only disposed to what is false but rush headlong into it; it is the corruption of our nature.

But at the same time, when liberty is taken to teach anything that may please people, the whole of religion must necessarily be corrupted, and all things become mixed together, so that there is no difference between light and darkness. God then here reminds us that the Church cannot stand unless false teachers are prevented from turning truth into falsehood and from speaking out vehemently at their pleasure against the word of God.

And this is what should be carefully observed, for we see today how some unprincipled people adopt this sentiment: that the Church is not free unless everyone is allowed with impunity to promulgate whatever he pleases, and that it is the greatest cruelty to punish a heretic, for they would have all liberty be given to blasphemies. But the Prophet shows here that the Church cannot be preserved in a pure state and, in a word, that it cannot exist as a healthy and sound body, unless the rashness and audacity of those who pervert sound and true doctrine are restrained.

We now, therefore, understand the meaning of this verse: that so God may be alone and indeed be rightly worshiped, He will take away and banish all idols and all superstitions, and also that He will exterminate all ungodly teachers who pervert sound doctrine.

He calls them first Prophets, and then unclean spirits. The name of Prophets is conceded to them, though they were wholly unworthy of so honorable a title. As ungodly people always boast in an audacious manner and do not hesitate to use God’s name falsely, so that they may more boldly proceed in deceiving, this is why Scripture sometimes concedes to them a name they falsely claim. So also the word spirit is sometimes applied to them—

Prove the spirits, whether they are of God: every spirit that denies that Christ has come in the flesh, he is a liar (1 John 4:1).

John undoubtedly adopted this way of speaking according to common usage, for all false teachers claimed this title with great confidence and maintained that all the errors they spread were revealed to them by the Spirit. “So be it then, but you are lying spirits.”

So then, as to this title, there is no obscurity in what the Prophet means. By way of explanation, he adds the unclean spirit that he might distinguish those vile people from the faithful ministers of God, as though he had said, “They indeed declare that they have drawn down the Spirit from heaven, but it is the spirit of the devil; it is an unclean spirit.”

Now, since Zechariah declares that this would be in the Church of God, we learn how foolish the Papists are, who are content with the mere title of honor, claim for themselves the greatest power, and insist on being heard without dispute, as though they were the organs of the Spirit. What right, indeed, do they claim to have? That they have been called by the Lord. The same reason might have been assigned by these unprincipled people, whom it was necessary to drive away so that the Church might rise again. It therefore follows that we are not to consider only what name a person has, or with what title he is distinguished, but how rightly he conducts himself, and how faithfully he performs his duties and discharges the office of a pastor. Let us proceed—

The same concession is made in this verse, where Zechariah speaks of the office of prophesying. He indeed confines what he says altogether to false teachers, for he takes it as granted that there was then no attention given to God’s servants, since false spirits had conspired together, so that nothing pure or sound remained in the Church.

Since then a false and diabolical faction had prevailed, Zechariah calls them Prophets as if they were all such, because they were heard as the Lord’s servants during that disorder of which mention is made.

But he proceeds further in this verse than before, and says that there would be so much zeal in God’s children when renewed by his Spirit, that they would not spare even their own children, but would slay them with their own hands when they saw them perverting the truth of God.

Zechariah no doubt alludes to Deuteronomy 13:1, where God requires such rigorous severity in defending pure doctrine that a father was to rise up against the son whom he had begotten. A husband was to lead his wife to death rather than indulge his love and pardon impiety, if the wife solicited him or others to forsake God.

The Lord then would have all the godly burn with so much zeal in the defense of lawful worship and true religion, that no connection, no relationship, nor any other consideration connected with the flesh, should avail to prevent them from bringing their neighbors to punishment when they see that God’s worship is profaned and that sound doctrine is corrupted.

This was the rule prescribed by the law. Now after religion had been for a time neglected, and even almost trodden underfoot, Zechariah says that the faithful, when they have repented, would be endowed with so much zeal for true religion that neither father nor mother would tolerate an ungodly error in their own son, but would lead him to punishment.

For they would prefer the glory of God to flesh and blood. They would prefer to all earthly attachments that worship which ought to be more precious to us than life itself.

But it must at the same time be observed that this zeal under the reign of Christ is approved by God. For Zechariah does not here confine what he teaches to the time of the law, but shows what would take place when Christ came: namely, that this zeal, which had become nearly extinct, would again burn in the hearts of all the godly.

It then follows that this law was not only given to the Jews, as some fanatics truly imagine, who would have for themselves today a liberty to disturb the whole world, but the same law also belongs to us.

For if today thieves, robbers, and sorcerers are justly punished, doubtless those who, as much as they can, destroy souls, who by their poison corrupt pure doctrine (which is spiritual food), who take away from God his own honor, and who confound the whole order of the Church—doubtless such men should not escape unpunished.

Indeed, it would be better to grant license to thieves, sorcerers, and adulterers than to allow the blasphemies that the ungodly utter against God to prevail without any punishment and without any restraint.

And this is evident enough from the words of our Prophet.

Those who immediately fret out of regard for their own relatives also show little consideration. When faithful ministers and pastors are compelled to warn their people to beware of the artifices of Satan, these people seek to bury every recollection of this, because it is likely to cause resentment, because it leads to reproach.

What if their children were to be brought forth for punishment? How could they bear this, even though they might remain at home? For they cannot heed a frank warning from their own pastor when they find that impious errors are reproved, which we see prevailing—I say, not in our neighborhood only, but also in our own bosom and in the Church.

Let them, therefore, acknowledge their own folly, so that they may learn to put on new courage and value the glory of God and the pure doctrine of religion more highly than their own carnal attachments, by which they are too firmly held. And this is also the reason why the Prophet says, who have begotten him, and he repeats it twice: nor was it in vain that God had those words expressly added,

“The husband shall not allow the wife who sleeps in his bosom to go unpunished;
nor shall the father pardon his son whom he has begotten,
nor the mother her own offspring, whom she has nourished, whom she has carried in her womb.”
(Deuteronomy 13:6, 9)

All these things are said so that we may learn to forget whatever belongs to the world and to the flesh when God’s glory and the purity of doctrine are to be vindicated by us.

Now the Prophet shows clearly that all this is to be understood of false teachers, for he adds, For falsehood hast thou spoken in the name of Jehovah.

At the same time, the atrocity of their sin is pointed out here. For if we rightly consider what it is to speak falsehood in the name of Jehovah, it will certainly appear to us to be more detestable than killing an innocent man, destroying a guest with poison, laying violent hands on one’s own father, or plundering a stranger.

Whatever crimes, then, one can think of, they do not compare to this: when God himself is involved in such dishonor as to be made an abettor of falsehood.

What indeed can more distinctively belong to God than his own truth? And it is also his will to be worshipped by us according to this distinction: God is truth.

Now, to corrupt pure doctrine—is it not the same thing as if one substituted the devil in the place of God? Or sought to transform God, so that there should be no difference between him and the devil? Hence, the greatest of all crimes, as I have already said, does not compare to this horrible and monstrous wickedness.

For how much does the salvation of souls exceed all the riches of the world? And then, how much more excellent is the worship of God than the fame and honors of mortals? Besides, does not religion itself, the pledge of eternal life, swallow up, in a way, everything that is sought in the world?

But the name of God ought to be most sacred to us, for whose sanctification we daily pray. Therefore, when what is false is brought forward in the name of God, is he not, according to what I have already said, as it were, violently forced to take on the role of the devil, to renounce himself, and to deny that he is God?

Hence, we see the Prophet's intent when he shows that there is no place for pardon when the ungodly thus wantonly rise up to pervert pure doctrine, and in doing so, confound all things so as to destroy true religion completely.

He adds, Pierce him shall his father and his mother who have begotten him. It is much harder to kill their son with their own hands than to bring him to the judge and leave him to his fate.

But the Prophet has taken this from the law—that so much zeal is required from the faithful that, if it is necessary, they must exterminate from the world such pests as deprive God of his own honor and attempt to extinguish the light of true and genuine religion.

Zechariah continues with the same subject, but in different words and another way of speaking, and says that the light of knowledge would be so great that those who had previously presented themselves as the luminaries of the Church would be constrained to be ashamed of themselves. And he further shows how such great and gross errors had arisen when the whole of religion had been trampled underfoot; this was because Satan had veiled the eyes and minds of everyone, so that they could not distinguish between black and white.

And such ignorance has been the source of all errors under the Papacy. How great has been the stupidity of those people, as they have indiscriminately accepted whatever their ungodly teachers dared to impose on them! And in their bishops themselves, and in the whole band of their filthy clergy, how great a gross stupidity has prevailed, so that they are no different from asses! For artisans, and even cowherds, surpass many of the priests and many of the bishops, at least in common prudence.

While, then, there was such ignorance in these asses, no distinction could be made between truth and falsehood. And then when they put on fine rings, adorn themselves with a forked miter and its ornaments, and also display their crook, and appear in all their pontifical splendor, the eyes of the simple are so dazzled that they all think them to be new gods come down from heaven. Hence these prelates were immeasurably proud, until God stripped off their mask: and now their ignorance is well known, and no one among the common people is now deceived.

How then is it that many are still immersed in their own errors? Because they wish to be so; they close their own eyes to clear light. The kings themselves, and those who exercise authority in the world, desire to remain in their filth and are indifferent to any kind of abomination, for they fear that in case of any innovation, the common people might take the opportunity to cause disturbances.

Since they themselves wish to remain undisturbed, they therefore defend with diabolical stubbornness those superstitions which are abundantly proven to be such. And the people themselves care neither for God nor for their own salvation. Therefore, almost all, from the least to the greatest, regard these asses, who are called prelates, as most ignorant, and yet they submit to their tyranny. However this may be, the Lord has nevertheless exposed the shame of those who, a short time ago, were almost adored.

This is what Zechariah now declares: Ashamed, he says, shall all the Prophets be in that day, every one for his own vision, when they shall have prophesied. And the concession, of which we have spoken, is not without reason; for when the brawling monks about thirty years ago ascended their pulpits, or the prelates who theatrically performed their holy rites, there was nothing that was not considered divine and from heaven.

Hence, with great impudence they boasted of being God’s messengers, His ministers, vicars, and pastors; though the name of pastors was almost insignificant in their estimation. But they were Christ’s vicars, they were His messengers; in short, there was nothing they dared not claim for themselves. The Prophet ridicules this sort of pride and seems to say, “Well, let all their nonsense be prophecies, and all their babblings be considered oracles for a time; but when they prophesy in this way, the Lord will at last make them ashamed, every one for his vision.”

It follows, And they shall not wear a hairy garment that they may lie; that is, they will not be anxious to retain their honor and fame but will readily withdraw from seeking the renown they had falsely attained. It appears from this passage that Prophets wore shabby and hairy garments.

Yet interpreters do not appropriately quote those passages from the Prophets where they are commanded to put on sackcloth and ashes. For Isaiah, while announcing many of his prophecies, did not put on sackcloth and ashes, except when he delivered some sad message. The same may also be said of Jeremiah, when he was commanded to go naked.

But it was common for the Prophets to be content with a hairy, that is, with a shabby and plain garment. For though liberty is allowed in external things, yet some moderation ought to be observed; for if I were to teach in a military uniform, it would be considered inconsistent with common sense.

There is no need to be taught what common decency may require. The true Prophets accustomed themselves to hairy garments to show that they were sparing and frugal in their clothing as well as in their diet, but they attached no sanctity to this practice, as though they acquired some eminence by their dress, like the monks today, who consider themselves holy on account of their hoods and other worthless trappings.

This, then, was not the object of the Prophets, but only that by their dress they might show they had nothing else in view but to serve God, and so to separate themselves from the world, that they might wholly devote themselves to their ministry. Now the false prophets imitated them; hence Zechariah says, they shall no more wear a hairy garment, that is, they shall no more assume prophetic attire.

His purpose was not to condemn the false prophets for wearing that sort of garment, as some have supposed who have seized upon this passage to condemn long garments and whatever displeased their gloomy disposition. But the Prophet simply means that when purity of doctrine shines forth and true religion attains its proper honor, there will then be no place for false teachers, for they will surrender their office of their own accord and no longer try to deceive the unwary.

This is the real meaning of the Prophet: hence he says, that they may lie. We then see that hairy garments are condemned on account of a certain purpose—namely, that rapacious wolves might be concealed under sheep’s skin, so that foxes might introduce themselves under a guise not their own. This design, and not the clothing itself, is what Zechariah condemns. He afterwards adds—

He describes repentance in this verse more fully. When Paul wanted to exhort the faithful to newness of life, he said,

“Let him who has stolen, steal no more; but rather work with his own hands, that he may relieve the wants of others.”
(Ephesians 4:18).

Paul notices two parts of repentance: that thieves are to refrain from acts of dishonesty and wrong, and that they ought to labor in order to aid others and relieve their wants.

So also Zechariah mentions these two points: that false prophets will give up their office, and that they will then spend their labor doing what is right and just, supporting themselves in a lawful and innocent manner, and providing aid to their brethren.

Having already spoken of the former part, he repeats the same thing again: I am not a prophet. It is then the first thing in repentance, when those who had previously been the servants of Satan in the work of deception stop dealing in falsehoods, and thus put an end to their errors.

Now follows the progress: that those who previously lived in idleness and in pleasures under the pretext of sanctity willingly devote themselves to labor. They no longer continue idle and gluttonous as before, but seek to support themselves by just and lawful employment.

It would not then have been enough for him to say, I am no prophet, had he not added, I am an husbandman; that is, I am prepared to labor, so that I may support myself and aid my brethren.

A partial reformation might probably succeed with many today. If many monks were sure that plentiful food would continue for them in their cloisters, and if the mitred bishops and abbots were also certain that none of their gain and profit would be lost to them, they would easily allow the gospel a free course.

But the second part of reformation is very hard, which requires toil and labor: in this case, “the stomach has no ears,” according to the old proverb. And yet we see what the Prophet says: that those are the ones who truly and from the heart repent, who not only abstain from deceptions, but who are also ready to earn their own living, acknowledging that they had previously defrauded the poor and obtained their support by plunder and fraud.

The Prophet no doubt speaks of impostors, who were then numerous among the Jews. There were also women who boasted that they were favored with a prophetic spirit, and the true prophets of God had to contend with these sorceresses or wise women, who had always intruded themselves during a time of confusion and taken on the office of teaching.

Since there were at that time many idlers who lived on superstition, the Prophet rightly sends them away to cultivate the land. So today there are many brotherlings who hide their ignorance under their hoods, and indeed all the papal clergy, under the sacred vestment, as they call it. If they were unmasked, it could easily be discovered that they are the most ignorant asses.

Now, as the Lord has fully exposed their baseness, if they were to acknowledge that they have been impostors, what would remain for them but to willingly do what they are taught here? That is, to become husbandmen instead of being prophets.

Regarding the end of the verse, some retain the word Adam; others render it “man”; and generally the word Adam means “man” in Scripture. But those who think that Zechariah speaks of the first man offer this reason: that as this necessity of “eating his bread by the sweat of his face” (Genesis 3:9) was imposed on all mankind after the fall, so also all his descendants were thus taught by Adam their first parent.

However, this interpretation seems too far-fetched. Therefore, I take the word indefinitely, as if he had said, “I have not been taught by any master so as to become capable of undertaking the prophetic office. I am familiar only with agriculture and have made such progress that I can tend sheep and oxen; I am indeed by no means fit to take on the office of a teacher.” I take the passage simply in this sense.

Regarding the verb הקנני, ekenni, קנה, kene, means to possess, to acquire. But as the word מקנה, mekene, which means a flock of sheep or cattle, is derived from this verb, the most learned interpreters are inclined to give this meaning: “Man has taught me to possess sheep and oxen.” However, I am inclined to give this rendering, as I have already stated: “Man has taught me to be a shepherd.”

The meaning of the whole is this: when God shall expose the ignorance that would so prevail in the Church that the darkness of errors would, as it were, extinguish all the light of true religion, then those who repent shall become so humble as to be in no way ashamed to confess their ignorance and to testify that they had been impostors as long as they had assumed the office of prophets under a false pretense.

The Spirit of God then requires this humility here from all who had for a time been immersed in the dregs of falsehood: that when they find they are not fit to teach, they should say, “I have not been to school; I was completely ignorant, and yet I wished to be considered a most learned teacher. At that time the stupidity of the people veiled my disgrace. But now the light of truth has shone upon us, which has compelled me to feel ashamed. Therefore I confess that I am not worthy to be heard in the assembly, and I am prepared to employ my hands in labor and toil so that I may earn my living, rather than deceive people any longer, as I have done until now.”

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as you have been pleased to draw us today, by the light of your gospel, out of that horrible darkness in which we have been miserably immersed, and to make your face so conspicuous to us in the person of your only-begotten Son, that nothing but our ingratitude prevents us from being transformed into your celestial glory — O grant, that we may make such progress in the light of truth, that every one of us may be ashamed of their former ignorance, and that we may freely and sincerely confess that we were lost sheep, until we were by your hand brought back into the way of salvation. May we thus proceed in the course of our holy calling, until we shall at last be all gathered into heaven, where not only that truth shall give us light, which now rules us according to the capacity of our flesh, but where also the splendor of your glory shall shine on us, and shall make us conformable to your image, through Jesus Christ our Lord. — Amen.