John Calvin Commentary Zechariah 13:5

"but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondman from my youth." — Zechariah 13:5 (ASV)

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.