And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hastened to dress it.
All Commentaries on Genesis 18:7 Go To Genesis 18
Ambrose of Milan
AD 397
The fact that Abraham ran to the herd, took a good and tender calf and served it with milk is not without significance. In fact, in Exodus Moses, when he proclaimed the Passover of the Lord, said, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old; you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall kill it at sunset in the midst of the whole assembly.” So also here it is specified that it was midday that Abraham offered hospitality to the Lord. But it was for supper that the calf was immolated and eaten with milk, that is, not with blood but with the purity of the faith. A “good calf” because it should wash away sins. “Tender” because it received the yoke of the law, not with a stiff neck but docilely, and did not refuse the gibbet of the cross. And it is “tender” since nothing of its head, feet or internal organs is thrown away, nor were any of its bones broken, but it was eaten in its entirety by those taking part in the meal. Thus what the law represented in a shadow, the gospel has shown us in reality. .
