In it the use of the birth of Christ, and what else is to be said about the gospel, is shown.*)
(1) We will now also say and repeat a little what we have preached today, namely, how it happens that the child Christ is born in us. For thus have ye heard that the same child must be ours, if this birth be otherwise fruitful to us, and that we must receive him: therefore let every man think that he is born unto him. For Christ came not that he should need it, but that we should need it. He let himself down into this sackcloth, into our flesh and blood, for the sole purpose that he might pour out the unseemly treasure of his goods, and save us from sin, death, the devil, hell, and all misfortune. Whoever therefore takes care of the child must rejoice, for it is not possible that joy should not follow when the heart is filled and showered with such great goods. You have heard enough of this.
2 Now one might ask: How can we know that we accept the child in our heart by a right faith and are sure that this birth is useful for us. Therefore let us say a little about the sign, which is certainly there and follows in outward works from the heart, since the child is within. This sign is nothing else, because we humans also take care of ourselves among ourselves, so we put on and clothe ourselves in our neighbor's flesh, and do to him as God does to us in this Christ. And this is also a spiritual birth and a spiritual becoming human; for in this way we are born among ourselves.
3 The Scripture calls the neighbor our flesh. For thus says Isaiah Cap. 58, 7: "When thou seest a naked man, clothe him; and
*This sermon was preached by Luther in 1522 and appeared in three separate printings in 1523. Cf. A. 15, 131.D. Red.
do not despise your own flesh." He says, let it be our flesh, which is another; for God wills that no man despise another, yea, the less he is, the more I should take to him, not otherwise than as it were my own flesh and blood, my own body. For Christ, having put on our flesh, which after all is full of sin, and having felt all wretchedness and misfortune, has not held Himself otherwise before God His Father, than as if He Himself had accomplished the sin which we have all done, and as if He had deserved all this that we have deserved; as St. Paul says to the Philippians Cap. 2:1-8, speaking of the humiliation of Christ, and how we ought to be brought low among yourselves, according to the example of Christ: "If then there be any exhortation among you in Christ, if there be any comfort of love, if there be any tenderhearted love and mercy, fill me with joy, that ye be of one mind and of one heart, having the same love, doing nothing by strife or vain honor; but by humility esteem yourselves one of another's rulers. And every man look not to his own, but to the other's." And says further, "Let every man be minded as Jesus Christ was, who, though he was in the form of God, yet counted it not robbery to be like God; but put himself forth, and took upon him the form of a servant; became like another man, and in deeds was found to be a man; humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
4 If we therefore take care of our neighbor and follow this example of Christ, the old flesh goes out and a new birth comes in: not carnal and after the flesh, but after the flesh.
worldly friendship, but spiritually, so that I take care of my neighbor's misfortune as if it were my own. So here we become close friends together, brothers and sisters, that it could not be closer. So the Holy Spirit makes one flesh and one body out of many flesh and bodies; again, nature makes many flesh and bodies out of one flesh: as far as nature brings flesh and blood from one another, so near and much nearer does the Spirit join them together. Therefore I must help my neighbor as if I were doing it myself, and must help out his need from my fullness. If he is poor and I am rich, let my riches come to his aid; if he is a sinner and I am pious, let my piety serve him; if he is in disgrace and I am in honor, let my honor cover his disgrace, and so on. What I would have them do to me when I am in anguish and distress, so shall I do to my neighbor.
5 If then I show these things by works, it is a sure sign that Christ's birth has power and place in me; and as much as such works of Christian love are multiplied in us, so much is Christ also multiplied in us. For when we see how great grace we have received from Christ. For when we see how much grace we have received from Christ, our heart rejoices that it has someone to whom it can do good again, according to the example of Christ. Therefore, whoever is not ready in his heart to help his neighbor with everything he can, has not yet accepted the child; he also does not know or understand what it means that the Son of God has become man.
(6) Each one wants to cling only to the mighty and rich people who help him and from whom he has benefit; spurns the poor, miserable and afflicted people; sees only what is high, great, rich and mighty before the world: but they run out of the child, this birth of the new child brings them neither benefit nor fruit. One cannot taste the sweetness of this birth, so we leave all men's help and benefit: we must receive help, comfort and bliss from this child alone and wait, otherwise nothing will come of it. For thus you sing and have heard today: If the child had not been born to us, then we would all be
verlorn etc. The child must fill us, otherwise we will remain empty; then we must share our filling, so that the child has filled us, with our neighbor. Just as this child has expressed himself of all things, he alone has accepted our work and sin and has put on our gift, not otherwise than as a servant, as is said in St. Paul's words. Paul's words, was formed in the likeness of a servant, and has struck himself down and been obedient even unto death: so we are to express ourselves of all the goods that we have, and to accept our neighbor's weakness, and to bear one another's burdens, as St. Paul says in another place, Gal. 6:2, and thus fulfill God's law. He does not say, "Each one seek his benefit from the other, but each one take upon himself the burden and the infirmities of his neighbor.
7 Thus it is known how Christ is ours, and how He has become One Cake with us through faith, so that He also weaves us human beings into one another, wanting us all to become One Flesh and One Body, just as He is One Flesh and One Body with us; which indicates the bodily marriage, of which God said, "Two shall be One Flesh," Gen. 2, 24. 2, 24. Matth. 19, 5. Therefore St. Paul says to the Ephesians Cap. 5, 30-32. about this spiritual marriage among others: "We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and two shall be one flesh. The mystery is great; but I say of Christ and the church." Therefore, when we all become one body and one flesh, we are also cleansed with Christ by a spiritual marriage, that is, we all become His brides, and He will set us apart at the last day to judge the whole world with Him.
8. because we are on earth, it is as if he would not take care of us; for he makes us to be persecuted by the whole world and to suffer compulsion: but he takes care of us, and protects us, and defends us from all enemies, as you have heard in the prophecy of Isaiah, so that no one can harm us, unless he will have it; as he himself says in Luca Cap. 21, 14. 15. 17. 18. where he speaks to his
Disciples, how they shall suffer many things for his name's sake, and how they shall not be anxious to answer; he will give them such a mouth and wisdom, that all who oppose shall not gainsay it; and at last he resolves, saying, Not one hair of their head shall perish.
(9) Therefore this is the sign by which we may know for certain whether the birth of the Lord Christ is strong in us, if we take care of our neighbor's need. And this is also the sign which he will require and look upon at the last judgment, when he will say to those who have not done this, "I have been hungry, and you have not fed me; I have been thirsty, and you have not given me drink," and so on. But if they make a great excuse and say that they did not see him hungry or thirsty, he will answer them, "Truly I say to you, whatever you did not do to one of the least of these, you did not do to me," Matt. 25:35, 45.
(10) That is enough said about how this birth is to be used to our advantage, and how we are to be sure of it in ourselves, that it is strong in us. And the Gospel also says this very well, when the angel spoke to the shepherds, as you have heard it interpreted today: "Fear not! I proclaim to you great joy, which shall be to all the people: for unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." This is the promise that the angel gave to the shepherds, which belongs to all of us; as the words are, that this joy should be to all the people, and that all the world should embrace it. In addition to this promise, the angel also gave the shepherds a sign, by which they would know that this was the real child, of which he said, and that is that they would find the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. What the sign means according to the secret interpretation, let us see a little.
Secret interpretation.
11. Mary is a figure of Christianity, that is, of all Christians; she grasps and winds the
newborn child into a bodily word of the gospel and promise; for by this sign the preaching of the gospel is understood. Just as the cloths or swaddling clothes are small, so also the word is small and not considered precious by worldly wisdom. The signs given of the child are all small and not of much value, coming from flesh and blood, and yet under them is given such great treasure that it is not possible to say. The preaching of the Gospel is not adorned, it is quite simple, it is not pretty in the eyes of men. All kings and princes, all doctors, Pharisees and hypocrites, the most pious and holy people, are offended by this sign. As Simeon said to Mary, Luc. 2, 34, that the infant would be the fall and resurrection of many in Israel, and the sign that would be contradicted. The great priests and scholars of Jerusalem do not come to the place where the child lies, they leave it lying there and consider it nothing; but the poor shepherds in the field, who have no name or prize before the world, nor any reputation, they see it and are glad and thank God that they may see it.
12) The manger means the places where Christians come together to hear the word of God about Christ, for Christ is not preached anywhere except in the assembly of Christians, not among Jews or Gentiles and unbelievers.
(13) The beasts, the little ox and the little ox, are we: we must hear, and eat the meat: this is our sign, whereby alone we find Christ. There is no certain sign to find Christ, except in the place where the gospel is preached; for true Christians walk in the faith and word of the gospel alone, they cannot be known or seen outwardly; as the same Moses signified, when he put the ark or ark behind the cloth, that nothing could be seen, but the two sticks that reached out, Ex. 26:33. 26, 33. The Christians cannot be recognized anywhere except by the Gospel, even though the world will not or cannot know the Gospel either; this be lamented to God!