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Matthew 10:32-35

Mark 8:38

Luke 9:26

32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also
confess before my Father, who is in heaven. 33. And whosoever shall
deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father, who is in
heaven. 34. Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came
not to send peace, but a sword. 35. For I have come to set a man at
variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And the persons of a man's
household shall be his enemies.

38. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this
adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man be
ashamed, when he shall come in the glory of his Father with the holy
angels.

26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, of him will
the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, [601]
and [in the glory] of the Father, and of the holy angels.


Luke 12:8-9, 51-53

8. And I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will
the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. 9. And he who
shall deny me before men, will be denied before the angels of
God.--(Same chapter.) 51. Do you suppose that I came to send peace on
earth? I tell you no; but division. 52. For henceforth there will be
five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53. The father will be divided against the son, and the son against the
father: the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the
mother: the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and the
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.


Matthew 10:32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me He now applies to
his present subject what he formerly said in a general manner about
contempt of death: for we must struggle against the dread of death,
that it may not keep us back from an open confession of faith, which
God strictly demands, and which the world cannot endure. For this
purpose the disciples of Christ must be bold and courageous, that they
may be always ready for martyrdom. Now confession of Christ, though it
is regarded by the greater part of men as a trifling matter, is here
represented to be a main part of divine worship, and a distinguished
exercise of godliness. And justly is it so represented: for if earthly
princes, in order to enlarge and protect their glory, and to increase
their wealth, call their subjects to arms, why should not believers
maintain, at least in language, the glory of their heavenly King?

It is therefore certain that those persons extinguish faith, (as far as
lies in their powers) who inwardly suppress it, as if the outward
profession of it were unnecessary. With good reason does Christ here
call us his witnesses, by whose mouth his name shall be celebrated in
the world. In other words, he intends that the profession of his name
shall be set in opposition to false religions: and as it is a revolting
matter, he enjoins the testimony which we must bear, that the faith of
each person may not remain concealed in the heart, but may be openly
professed before men. And does not he who refuses or is silent deny the
Son of God, and thus banish himself from the heavenly family?

A more public confession of faith, no doubt, is demanded from teachers
than from persons in a private station. Besides, all are not endued
with an equal measure of faith, and in proportion as any one excels in
the gifts of the Spirit, he ought to go before others by his example.
But there is no believer whom the Son of God does not require to be his
witness. In what place, at what time, with what degree of frequency, in
what manner, and to what extent, we ought to profess our faith, cannot
easily be determined by a fixed rule: but we must consider the
occasion, that not one of us may fail to discharge his duty at the
proper time. We must also ask from the Lord the spirit of wisdom and
courage, that under his direction we may know what is proper, and may
boldly follow whatever we shall have ascertained that he commands us.

Him will I also confess. A promise is added to inflame our zeal in this
matter. But we must attend to the points of contrast. If we draw a
comparison between ourselves and the Son of God, how base is it to
refuse our testimony to him, when on his part he offers his testimony
to us by way of reward? If mortals, and men who are of no worth, are
brought into comparison with God and the angels and all the heavenly
glory, how much more valuable is that which Christ promises than that
which he requires? Although men are unbelieving and rebellious, yet the
testimony which we deliver to them is estimated by Christ as if it had
been made in the presence of God and of the angels.

Thus also by way of amplification, Mark and Luke [602] add, in this
adulterous and sinful generation; the meaning of which is, that we must
not imagine our labor to be lost, because there is a want of proper
disposition in our hearers. Now if any one is not sufficiently moved by
the promise, it is followed by an awful threatening. When Christ shall
make his appearance to judge the world, he will deny all who have
basely denied him before men Let the enemies of the cross now go away,
and flatter themselves in their hypocrisy, when Christ blots their
names out of the book of life: for whom will God acknowledge as his
children at the last day, but those who are presented to him by Christ?
But he declares that he will bear witness against them, that they may
not insinuate themselves on false grounds. When it is said that Christ
will come in the glory of the Father and of the angels, the meaning is,
that his divine glory will then be fully manifested; and that the
angels, as they now surround the throne of God, will render their
services to him by honoring his majesty. The passage from the twelfth
chapter of Luke's Gospel corresponds to the text of Matthew. What we
have inserted out of the ninth chapter, and out of Mark, appears to
have been spoken at another time: but as the doctrine is quite the
same, I have chosen to introduce them together.

Luke 12:51. Do you suppose that I came to send peace on the earth? What
Christ has now demanded from his disciples any one of them would reckon
it an easy matter to give, if the whole world, with one consent,
embraced the doctrine of the Gospel. But as a considerable part of the
world not only opposes but fights keenly against it, we cannot confess
Christ without encountering the resistance and hatred of many. Christ
therefore warns his followers to prepare for battle, for they must
necessarily fight for the testimony of truth. And here he meets two
stumbling-blocks, which otherwise would greatly have distressed weak
minds. The prophets everywhere promise that there will be peace and
tranquillity under the reign of Christ. What then were his disciples
entitled to expect but that, wherever they went, all would instantly be
at peace? Now as Christ is called our peace, (Ephesians 2:14,) and as
the Gospel reconciles us to God, it follows, that he also establishes a
brotherly harmony amongst us. The kindling of wars and contentions in
the world where the Gospel is preached, does not seem to agree with the
predictions of the prophets, and still less with the office of Christ,
and with the nature of the Gospel.

But that peace which the prophets describe in lofty terms, is
associated with faith, and has no existence but among the sincere
worshippers of God, and in the consciences of the godly. To unbelievers
it does not come, though it is offered to them; nay, they cannot endure
to be reconciled to God: and the consequence is, that the message of
peace excites in them a greater tumult than before. As Satan, who holds
a kingly power over the reprobate, is furious against the name of
Christ, as soon as the doctrine of the Gospel is proclaimed to them,
their impiety, which formerly lay asleep, acquires fresh vigor. Thus
Christ, who properly speaking, is the author of peace, becomes the
occasion of disturbances in consequence of the wickedness of men.

Let us hence learn how great is the depravity of corrupt nature, which
not only soils a gift so inestimable, but changes it into a most
destructive evil. Meanwhile, if tumults arise at the commencement of
the reign of Christ, let us not be alarmed at it, as if it were strange
or unusual: for he compares his Gospel to a sword, and says that it is
diamerismos, separation Some think that this is intended to describe
the punishment which was inflicted on the despisers of the Gospel, by
their rising in hostility against each other. But the context shows,
that Christ is here exhorting his disciples to perseverance, though a
good part of the world should be at variance with them, and though
their voice should be like a war-trumpet to call innumerable enemies to
arms.

Matthew 10:35 To set a man at variance Hence we see more clearly what
was stated a little before, that wars and tumults arise, contrary to
the nature of the Gospel, through the fault of wicked men. What Malachi
says about John the Baptist, [4:5,6] applies to all the ministers of
Christ. They are sent for this purpose to turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers.
But in consequence of the malice of wicked men, those who were formerly
combined no sooner hear the voice of Christ than they separate into
opposite parties, and proceed so far as to break up the ties of
relationship. In a word, Christ foretells that the world will come to
such a state of confusion, that all the bonds of kindred will be
treated with indifference, and humanity will be no longer regarded.
When Micah complains [7:6] that a man's enemies are the men of his own
house, he deplores it as a state of extreme and ruinous corruption.
Christ declares that the same thing will happen when his doctrine shall
be published, which otherwise could not have been believed. At the same
time, he does not mean that this will uniformly take place, as certain
fretful persons foolishly imagine that it will be impossible for them
to be good disciples without forsaking parents, children, and wives. On
the contrary, every lawful bond of union is confirmed by unity of
faith: only Christ warns his followers, that when it does happen, they
must not be alarmed.
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[601] "En sa majesté;" -- -"in his majesty."

[602] This is a blunder: for the clause in question is not found in
Luke, but in Mark only. The french version sets the matter right. --
Ed.