John Calvin Commentary Zechariah 3:6-7

"And the angel of Jehovah protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou also shalt judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee a place of access among these that stand by." — Zechariah 3:6-7 (ASV)

Here the Prophet shows for what purpose he gave Joshua his appropriate dress and splendor; and he teaches us that it was not done simply as a favor to man, but because God purposed to protect the honor of His own worship. This is the reason why the angel exhorts Joshua; for we should always consider for what end God deals so generously with us and favors us with extraordinary gifts. All things should be referred to His glory and worship; otherwise, every good thing He bestows on us is profaned. And this is especially to be considered when we speak of His Church and its government, for we know how ready men are to turn what God gives to His Church to serve the purpose of their own tyranny.

It is God’s will that He should be heeded when He speaks by His servants and those whom He has appointed as teachers. But we see from the beginning of the world how ambitious and proud men under this pretense exercised great tyranny, and thus expelled God from His own government. Indeed, the vassals of Satan often claim for themselves a full and unlimited power over all the faithful, because God would have the priesthood honored and approves of a right discipline in His Church.

Since Satan has in all ages abused the high praises by which God commends His Church, this exhortation, now briefly given by the Prophet, should always be added. For it is not God’s will to exalt men so that He Himself might be like a private individual and give up His own place and rank. Instead, the whole excellence bestowed on the Church is intended for this purpose: that God may be purely worshipped, and that all—not only the people but also the priest—may submit to His authority.

Whatever glory then belongs to the Church, God would have it all be subservient to His purpose, so that He alone may be supreme, and rightly so. We now perceive the Prophet’s design.

And to give some weight to what is taught, he says that the angel bore witness; for the word used is forensic or legal: one is said to bear witness to another when he uses, so to speak, a solemn protestation. In short, bearing witness differs from a common declaration, as an oath or an appeal to lawful authority is interposed, so that the words are sacred. It was then the design of the Holy Spirit by this expression to make us more attentive, so that we may know that not a common thing is said, but that God interposes an oath, or something similar, in order to secure more reverence for His order or command.

Then the angel of Jehovah protested to Joshua, saying, Thus says Jehovah, If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My charge, etc. The angel now briefly teaches us that the priests do not excel so that they may rejoice at pleasure; but he interposes a condition: that they are to exercise their office faithfully and to obey the call of God. We then see that those two things are united: the dignity of the priesthood and the faithfulness which God’s ministers, who have been called to that office, are to exhibit. Hence those who seek to domineer without control thereby sufficiently show that they are not the lawful priests of God; for Joshua typified Christ, and yet we see how God bound him by a certain condition, lest, relying on his honor and title, he should take to himself more than what was lawful or right.

If Joshua, who was a type of Christ, along with his successors, was not to consider himself dignified except in relation to obeying God, we therefore see how foolish and even abominable is the arrogance of the Pope, who, being content with a mere title, seeks to subject the whole world to himself, as if God had given up His own right.

But let us at the same time see what he means by ways and by charge. These two words should, no doubt, be confined to the office of the priest. God commands us all in common to follow where He leads us; and whatever He prescribes as to the way of leading a godly and righteous life may be called a charge, for the Lord does not allow us to wander and go astray, but anticipates errors and shows what we are to follow. There is then a general charge with regard to all the faithful; but the priestly charge, as I have already stated, is to be confined to that office.

Yet we know that men are not raised on high by God so that He may resign His own authority. He indeed commits to men their own offices, and they are rightly called the vicars of God, who purely and faithfully teach from His mouth. But the authority of God is not diminished when He makes use of the labors of men and employs them as His ministers. We therefore see that the priestly charge is this: to rule the Church according to the pure Word of God.

He therefore adds, You also shall govern My house. This condition then is always to be observed when the governors of the Church demand a hearing, namely, that they keep the charge of God. It is indeed true that all the ministers of the Word are adorned with honorable titles; but, as I have said, their dignity is degraded if it obscures the glory of God. Since God would have men to be heard, so that nothing may be taken from Him, this condition should always be observed: You shall govern My house, if you will walk in My ways.

It may, however, be asked: can priests be rightly deprived instantly of their office when they depart from their duty? To this I answer that the Church should, as far as possible, be reformed; but legitimate means should be used so that the Church may reject all the ungodly who do not respond to their duty, nor exhibit due sincerity, nor discharge their office in obedience to God. All then who depart or turn aside from the right course should rightly be rejected, but by legitimate authority.

But when the majority desire to have pastors such as cannot but be deemed truly wolves, they must be tolerated—though unworthy of the honor—and yet tolerated in such a way that they are not allowed to oppress the Church with their tyranny, or to take to themselves what belongs to God alone, or to corrupt the worship of God or pure doctrine.

However this may be, none are lawful priests before God except those who faithfully exercise their office and respond to the calling of God, as we shall see later in Malachi 2:1. But I am not inclined to elaborate; it is enough to bring forward what an explanation of the passage may require. In short, pastors divinely appointed are to rule over the Church in such a way as not to exercise their own power, but to govern the Church according to what God has prescribed, and in such a manner that God Himself may always rule through the agency of men.

What he adds, You shall keep My courts, does not appear to be an honor to the priest, for it was a humble service to wait in the courts of the temple. But taking a part for the whole, the Prophet includes the charge of the whole temple; and it was no common honor to have the charge of that sacred habitation of God.

It is not then improperly added that Joshua would be the keeper of the temple if he walked in the ways of the Lord. Nevertheless, we see today how the masked rulers of the Church, under the Papacy, not only disregard the keeping of the temple but wholly repudiate it, as it seems to be unworthy of their high dignity.

I call the charge of the temple not that which is the duty of overseers, but whatever belongs to the worship of God. But to feed the flock, to discharge the office of pastors, and to administer the sacraments is to these a sordid employment. Hence the Pope, with all his adherents, can easily bear to be relieved from the charge of the temple; yet he seeks to rule in a profane and tyrannical manner, and according to his own pleasure.

But we here see that the charge of the temple is especially entrusted to the priest, as it was a special honor. We also see on what condition God allowed the priests to continue in their dignity: even on that of walking in His ways.

He afterwards adds, I will give you passages (intercourses) among those who stand by; that is, I will cause all the godly to admit and freely to receive you. The angels who stood there, no doubt, represented the body of the Church, for they are mingled with the faithful whenever they meet together in the name of Christ, as Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 11:10. Angels alone then stood by; but it is the same as though God had said, “All the faithful will acknowledge you, so that a free passage will be open to you among them, provided you walk in My ways.” And he puts passages in the plural number, for he speaks of continued homage and regard.

The meaning is that the priest is always worthy of regard and honor when he faithfully performs his office and obeys the call of God. We may, on the other hand, conclude that all masked pastors should justly be excluded when they not only are apostates and treacherous against God, but also seek to destroy the Church; indeed, when they are also voracious wolves and spiritual tyrants and slaughterers.

All those who are such, the angel clearly intimates, are not only unworthy of being received but should also be excluded and exterminated from the Church. We now perceive what I have stated: that whatever excellence belongs to the pastors of the Church should not be separated from the honor due to God.

For God does not resign His authority to mortals, nor diminish anything from His own right; but He only constitutes men as His ministers, that He may by them govern His Church alone, and be alone supreme. It therefore follows that they are unworthy of honor who do not faithfully perform their office; and when they rob God of what belongs to Him, they should be deprived of their very name, for it is nothing else but the mask of Satan, by which he seeks to deceive the simple. He afterwards adds —