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

<strong>Commentary</strong> on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 2
his people exposed to offense, in order to exercise their faith, and to separate believers, as the refuse
and the chaff, from the pure wheat. Does any one object or complain, that blame attaches to our
Lord for giving loose reins to Satan, to accomplish the destruction of wretched men? It is our duty
to think and speak with the deepest reverence of the secret purposes of God, of which this is one,
that the world must be disturbed by offenses
But woe to the man by whom the offense cometh. After having exhorted his disciples to beware
of offenses, he again breaks out against those who occasion them. To impart the greater vehemence
to the threatening, he adds, that neither a right eye nor a right hand ought to be spared, if they
occasion offense to us; for I explain these words as added for the purpose of amplification. Their
meaning is, that we ought to be so constant and so zealous in opposing offenses, that we would
rather choose to pluck out our eyes, or cut off our hands, than give encouragement to offenses; for
if any man hesitate to incur the loss of his limbs, he spares them at the risk of throwing himself
into eternal perdition. What dreadful vengeance then awaits those who by offenses shall bring ruin
on their brethren! 506 As those two verses have been already explained 507 under Matthew 5:29,30,
it was sufficient, on the present occasion, to glance at the reason why Christ repeats here the same
statement.
10. Beware of despising one of these little ones As pride is the mother of disdain, and as contempt
hardens men in giving offense, our Lord, for the purpose of applying an appropriate remedy for
curing this disease, forbids his disciples to despise the little ones. And certainly, as we have already
hinted, no man who has a proper care for his brethren will ever allow himself, on light grounds, to
give them offense This conclusion of our Lord’s discourse has the same tendency as the
commencement of it, to remind us that we ought to strive with each other who shall be most
submissive and modest; for God embraces with wonderful love the little ones It would be strange
indeed that a mortal man should despise, or treat as of no account, those whom God holds in such
high esteem. He proves this love from the fact, that angels, who are ministers of their salvation,
enjoy intimately the presence of God. Yet I do not think that he intended merely to show what
honor God confers on them by appointing angels to be their guardians, but likewise to threaten
those who despise them; as if he had said, that it is no light matter to despise those who have angels
for their companions and friends, to take vengeance in their behalf. We ought therefore to beware
of despising their salvation, which even angels have been commissioned to advance.
The interpretation given to this passage by some commentators, as if God assigned to each
believer his own angel, does not rest on solid grounds. For the words of Christ do not mean that a
single angel is continually occupied with this or the other person; 508 and such an idea is inconsistent
506 “Lesquels par scandales auront donne occasion de faire perdre et damner leurs freres;” — “who by offenses shall have
given occasion to bring ruin and damnation on their brethren.”
507 Harmony, vol. 1 p. 291.
508 “Les mots n’emportent pas qu’un Ange n’ait autre charge que de veiller tousiours sur cestuy-ci ou sur cestuy-la;” — “the
words do not bear that one Angel has nothing else to do than to watch continually over this or that man.”
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John Calvin