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

<strong>Commentary</strong> on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 2
day, who, leaving the proper duties of their calling, eagerly attempt to fly above the clouds. The
Lord, who in the Gospel invites us to his kingdom, points out to us the road by which we are to
reach it. Fickle persons, who give themselves no concern about faith, patience, calling on God, and
other exercises of religion, dispute about what is going on in heaven; as if a man who was about
to commence a journey made inquiry where a lodging-place was situated, but did not move a step.
Since we are commanded by the Lord to walk on the earth, those who make the condition of departed
saints in heaven the subject of eager debate will be found, in so doing, to retard their own progress
towards heaven.
2. And Jesus called a child to him. The general meaning is, that those who desire to obtain
greatness by rising above their brethren, will be so far from gaining their object that they do not
even deserve to occupy the lowest corner. He reasons from contraries, because it is humility alone
that exalts us. As we are more powerfully affected by appearances presented to the eyes, he holds
up to them a little child as an emblem of humility. When he enjoins his followers to become like
a child, this does not extend indiscriminately to all points. We know that in children there are many
things faulty; and accordingly Paul bids us be children, not in understanding, but in malice, (1
Corinthians 14:20;) and in another passage he exhorts us to strive to reach the state of a perfect
man, (Ephesians 4:13.) But as children know nothing about being preferred to each other, or about
contending for the highest rank, Christ desires that their example should banish from the minds of
his followers those eager longings after distinction, which wicked men and the children of the world
continually indulge, that they may not be allured by any kind of ambition.
It will perhaps be objected, that children, even from the womb, have a native pride, which leads
them to desire the highest honor and distinction; but the reply is obvious, that comparisons must
not be too closely or too exactly carried out, so as to apply at all points. The tender age of little
children is distinguished by simplicity to such an extent, that they are unacquainted with the degrees
of honor, and with all the incentives to pride; so that they are properly and justly held out by Christ
as an example.
3. Unless you are converted. To the example of little children must be referred the conversion
of which he now speaks. Hitherto they had been too much habituated to the ordinary customs of
men; and if they would gain their object, they must pursue a totally different course. 499 Every one
wished for himself the first or the second rank; but Christ does not allot even the lowest place to
any man who does not lose sight of distinctions and humble himself On the contrary, he says,
4. Whosoever shall humble himself like this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven. This is intended to guard us against supposing that we degrade ourselves in any measure
by freely surrendering every kind of distinction. And hence we may obtain a short definition 500 of
humility. That man is truly humble who neither claims any personal merit in the sight of God, nor
499 “Il leur est besoin de tourner bride, et de s’accoustumer a tout cela;” — “they must wheel round, and get accustomed to all
this.”
500 “La vraye definition;” — “the true definition.”
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John Calvin