Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 2.pdf

<strong>Commentary</strong> on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 2
the letter, hence arose a liberty to commit sin; for whenever holiness is made to consist in any thing
else than in observing the Law of God, men are led to believe that the law may be violated without
danger.
Let any man now consider whether this wickedness does not at present abound more among
the Papists than it formerly did among the Jews. It is not indeed denied by the Pope, or by the whole
of his filthy clergy, that we ought to obey God; but when we come to the point, we find that they
consider the act of eating a morsel of flesh as nothing less than a capital crime, while theft or
fornication is regarded as a venial fault, and thus, on account of their traditions, they overturn the
Law of God; for it is utterly insufferable that the enactments of men shall withdraw any part of that
obedience which is due to God alone. Besides, the honor which God commands to be yielded to
parents extends to all the duties of filial piety. 400 The latter clause which Christ adds, that he who
curseth father or mother deserves to be put to death, is intended to inform us, that it is no light or
unimportant precept to honor parents, since the violation of it is so severely punished. And this is
no small aggravation of the guilt of the scribes, that so severe a threatening does not terrify them
from granting an extension of liberty to those who despised their parents.
5. But you say, etc. The mode of expression is defective, and is more fully exhibited by Mark,
who adds, you suffer them not to do anything more to their father or to their mother The meaning
is, that the scribes were altogether wrong in acquitting those persons who fail to perform their duties
to their parents, provided that this deficiency be supplied, on their part, by a voluntary sacrifice,
which might have been omitted without offending God. For we must not understand Christ’s words
to bear that the scribes had forbidden men to render all proper obedience; 401 but they were so eager
to pursue their own gain, that children were allowed, in the meantime, to neglect their duties to
their parents.
7. Well hath Isaiah prophesied concerning you. Our Lord now proceeds farther; for he decides
on the question in hand, which he divides into two clauses. The first is, that they relied on outward
ceremonies alone, and set no value on true holiness, which consists in sincere uprightness of heart;
and the second is, that they worshipped God in a wrong way, according to their own fancy. Now
though his reproof of pretended and hypocritical holiness appears hitherto to be restricted to persons,
yet it includes the substance of this doctrine, from which the full conclusion was, first, that the
worship of God is spiritual, and does not consist in the sprinkling of water, or in any other ceremony;
and, secondly, that there is no reasonable worship of God but what is directed by the rule of his
word. Although Isaiah (29:13) did not prophesy for futurity alone, but had regard to the men of his
own age, yet Christ says that this prediction relates to the Pharisees and scribes, because they
resemble those ancient hypocrites with whom the prophet had to contend. Christ does not quote
that passage exactly as it stands; but the prophet expressly mentions two offenses by which the
400 “Comprend tous devoirs d’obeissance, secours, et soulagement;” — “includes every duty of obedience, assistance, and
relief.”
401 “De faire aucune assistance au pere et a la mere;” — “to grant any relief to their father or mother.”
175
John Calvin