Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 15 · Section 3 · Subsection 8 – Subsection 9
Quest. 8. To what purpose the Apostle alleadgeth this saying out of the Psalme: the rebukes of them that rebuke thee, &c.
1. This testimonie is alleadged out of Psal. 69.9. where Dauid not onelyonly as a member of Christs Church complaineth of the wrongs, which he sustained for Gods cause, but as a type and figure of Christ, and in his person he sheweth, how beeing innocent and harmelesse, yet he was oppressed and slaundered as a vile and wicked person: and that Dauid speaketh in the person of Christ, is euident by the former part of the verse: the zeale of thine house, hath devoured mee, which is directly applied vntounto our Sauiour, Ioh. 2. and in the 5. verse he saith, I restored those things, which I tooke not: which is a manifest prophesie of Christ, that he suffred not for his owne but for the offences of others.
2. Now whereas the Apostles speach seemeth to be imperfect: but, as it is written: where either, we may supplie with Beza, Christ pleased not himselfe, but others, as it is written, or with Erasmus and Iunius in his annotations here, the contrarie is to be supplied: he pleased not himselfe, but displeased, or neglected himselfe, as v. 21. following, the contrarie must be supplied: But, as it is written, that is, as he said before, he preached not where Christ was named, but where he was not named, as it is written.
3. Now for the meaning of the words, what rebukes those were, which fell vponupon Christ, it is diuersly scanned. 1. Origen vnderstandeth these rebukes, which Christ sustained, because he did eate with Publicanes and sinners: and when the woman wiped his feete with her teares, they said, if he had beene a Prophet he would surely hauehave knowne what manner of woman this was, that touched him beeing a sinner: Haymo giueth instance of that rebuke, when they called Christ a Samaritane, and that he had a deuil: and these are said to be the rebuks of them that rebuke God, because he that rebuked Christ the sonne, rebuked the Father also that sent him: so Origen, Lyranus: but in this sense, he should hauehave said rather, the rebukes of them, that rebuke mee, fall vponupon thee. 2. Chrysostome vnderstanding the rebukes vttered vponupon the crosse, If thou be the Sonne of God, saue thy selfe, and he prooueth more, saith Chrysostome, then he promised, that not onelyonly Christ was rayled vponupon, but his Father also in him: but this was not to the Apostles purpose, to shew how God was blasphemed in Christ. 3. the Greeke scholiast diuideth the time, that the blasphemies which were in the old Testament vttered against God, were now cast at his Sonne in the New, to shew, quod nihil novi contigit, that no new thing had happened: but neither hath the Apostle any such purpose to shew the continual custome of the wicked in blaspheming God, and his Christ. 4. the ordinarie glosse vnderstandeth it of the reputation of the word of Christ: Iudaei dixerunt me peccare in te, the Iewes say, that I sinne against thee, in saying, I come to doe thy will, but they sinne against thee, in not receiuing mee: and so the sinnes of those that sinne against God fell vponupon Christ, quia occisus est ab eis tanquam blasphemus, because they put him to death as a blasphemer, they beeing the blasphemers themselues: but the Apostle sheweth not what befell Christ in the opinion and reputation of the world, but verily and indeed. 5. the interlinearie glosse thus interpreteth, the blasphemies &c. fell vponupon mee, that is, fuerunt causa oppressionis mei, were the cause of mine oppression, as because that Christ in his zeale cast out of the Temple those which prophaned it with buying and selling, and so blasphemed God, and polluted his Sanctuarie, therefore they hated Christ, and persecuted him to death: so also Gorrhan interpreteth this falling vponupon Christ, of the curse of his oppression and persecution: but this had not beene neither to the Apostles purpose, who intendeth not to shew the cause of Christs suffering, but the manner and example of his patience: 6. M. Calvin giueth these two sense, they greeue mee no lesse, the blasphemies against thee, quam si ego author extitissem, then if I had beene the author of them: or, non secus affectus fuit, &c. he was as much affected and mooved at the blasphemies against his Father, as if they had beene against him: But the Apostles intendment is not to shew the great zeale of Christ toward his Father, but his mercifull suffering, and forbearance vsed toward men: 7. Beza vnderstandeth this place of Christs bearing of the reproches and other wrongs of his enemies: nihil non pertulit, &c. there was nothing, which he suffered not, to bring his enemies vntounto God: so Faius by contumelies and opprobies here thinketh by the figure Synecdoche (when a part is put for the whole) omnes perpessiones, all Christs sufferings to be vnderstood, which he willingly endured, and notwithstanding the contumelies of the wicked, he omitted nothing belonging to saluation, but praied for his persecutors, &c. This was most true, yet the reason appeareth not, why mention is made, of the falling of the blasphemies against God vponupon Christ: 8. Wherefore Pet. Mar. insisteth vponupon this sense, quicquid in te contumeliae iacitur, quod sit omnibus omnium hominum peccatis, &c. what contumelie soeuer was cast at God, which is by all mens sinnes whatsoeuer, I am willing to suffer for in my death: so also Vatablus: tibi satisfeci, &c. I satisfied thee, for the reproches wherewith they reuiled thee: 9. These two last senses I thinke best with Pareus to ioyne together, that Christ is set forth, as an admirable example of patience, who did not onelyonly beare patiently the reproches and blasphemies of his enemies, and whereas they cursed him, he blessed, and praied for them: but he also satisfied the wrath of God, not onelyonly for the blasphemers, but all other sinners, not onelyonly of the Iewes, but of all other whatsoeuer, that should beleeue in him: so two waies we are here to behold Christ, per antecedens, by the antecedent, and that which goeth before, and is alreadie done and past, namely as our Redeemer, who hath suffred and satisfied for all our blasphemies and other sinnes: as also per conseques, by the consequent, or that, which followeth after, we must looke vntounto him, as our guide and captaine, which goeth before vsus in his blessed example of patience, and all other vertues.
Quest. 9. Why the Apostle saith, Whatsoeuer is written, is written for our learning.
1. Chrysostome maketh this the connexion: that like as in the old Testament it is declared how they blasphemed God the Father, so in the new they should raile vponupon, and blaspheme the Sonne: and so those things are written, ne nos illos imitemur, that we should not imitate them herein: But it is euident by the words following, that through patience and consolation of the Scriptures, we might hauehave hope, that these things are written for our imitation: as Theophylact saith, these things are written, vt ea sectemur, that we should follow them.
2. Lyranus, doth vnderstand such things, as are written of Christ, to be written ad nostram vtilitatem, for our profit, cuius vita, vitae nostrae & morum est disciplina, whose life is the rule and discipline of our life, and manners, glosse interlin. but not onelyonly the things written of Christ, but whatsoeuer else is in the Scriptures written is for our instruction.
3. Some thinke that the Apostle hath not reference onelyonly to the former Scripture cited out of the Psalme, but vntounto all other allegations in this whole epistle, and therefore thus inferreth: but it is euident that the Apostle here giueth a reason of the place immediately cited before.
4. This then is the coherence: least any should thinke, that the Apostle had not fitly alleadged the former text: he sheweth the generall vse of the Scriptures: that there is nothing idlely or superfluously written: but whatsoeuer in this or any other place is expressed, is for our learning: as the Apostle saith elsewhere, 2. Tim, 3.16. Mar. Bucer. Par.