Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew Mark and Luke John Calvin
Luke 12:13-21
Luke 12:13-21
Luke 12:13-21
13. And one out of the multitude said to him, Master, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me. 14. And he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15. And he said to them, Take heed and beware of covetousness; for the life of any man does not consist in the abundance of those things which he possesseth. 869 16. And he spoke a parable to them, saying, The field of a certain rich man yielded an abundant produce. 17. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do? for I have no place in which I can collect my fruits. 18. And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and will build larger ones, and there I will collect all my fruits and my goods. 19. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many, years: take thine ease, eat, drink, and enjoy thyself. 870 20. But God said to him, Fool, this night they shall demand thy soul from thee; 871 and as to the things which thou hast provided, to whom shall they go? 21. So is he that layeth up for himself: 872 and is not rich toward God.
13. Bid my brother divide Our Lord, when requested to undertake the office of dividing an inheritance, refuses to do so. Now as this tended to promote brotherly harmony, and as Christ's office was, not only to reconcile men to God, but to bring them into a state of agreement with one another, what hindered him from settling the dispute between the two brothers? 873 There appear to have been chiefly two reasons why he declined the office of a judge. First, as the Jews imagined that the Messiah would have an earthly kingdom, 874 he wished to guard against doing any
869"Car encore que 'les biens' abondent a quelqu'un, si n'a-il pas vie par les biens;" — "for though a man may abound in wealth, yet he has no life by his wealth."
870"Et fay grand'chere;" — "and make great cheer." 871"En ceste nuict ton ame to sera ostee, ou, on to redemandera ton ame;" — "this night thy soul shall be taken from thee, or, thy soul shall be asked again from thee."
872"Ainsi est celuy qui thesaurize (ou, a fait grand areas de biens) pour soy;" — "so is he that hoards up (or, has formed a great heap of goods) for himself."
873"On pourroit demander qui a empesche qu'il ne se soit entremis d'oster toute occasion de debat entre deux freres?" — "It might be asked, what hindered him from undertaking to remove all ground of quarrel between two brothers?"
874"Que le Messias regneroit a la facon des princes terriens;" — "that the Messiah would reign in the manner of earthly princes."