17. He found the passage There is no doubt that Christ deliberately selected this passage. Some think that it was presented to him by God; (322) but, as a liberty of choice was allowed him, I choose to say that, by his own judgment, he took this passage in preference to others. Isaiah there predicts that, after the Babylonish captivity, there will still be witnesses of the grace of God, who shall gather the people from destruction, and from the darkness of death, and restore, by a spiritual power, the Church, which has been overwhelmed by so many calamities. But as that redemption was to be proclaimed in the name and authority of Christ alone, he uses the singular number, and speaks in the name of Christ, that he may more powerfully awaken the minds of the godly to strong confidence. It is certain, that what is here related belongs properly to Christ alone, for two reasons: first, because he alone was endued with the fullness of the Spirit, ( John 3:34 ,) to be the witness and ambassador of our reconciliation to God; (and, for this reason, Paul ( Ephesians 2:17 ) assigns peculiarly to him, what belongs to all the ministers of the Gospel, namely, that he, “came and preached peace to them which were afar off, and to them that were nigh:”) secondly, because he alone, by the power of his Spirit, performs and grants all the benefits that are here promised. (322) “ Aucuns pensent que par la volonte de Dieu il l’ait recontre sans le chercher .” — “Some think that, by the will of God, he found it without seeking for it.” return to ' Top of Page ' <a name="verse-18" class="com-number"
Pericope (part_of)
- part_of
pericope/per-luk-4-006
절 (explains)
Source
source-manifest/cal— Calvin's Commentaries (PD)- evidence_grade: T_theological