Luc. 10:38-42.
And it came to pass, as they walked, he went into a market. There was a woman named Martha, who took him into her house. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus' feet and listened to his words. And Martha made much effort to minister unto him. And she came and said, Lord, dost thou not ask that my sister should let me minister alone? Tell her, I pray thee, that she also attacketh it. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou hast much care and trouble: but one thing is needful. Mary has mentioned the good part; it shall not be taken away from her.
(1) Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady, the Mother of God, how she died and passed away; but how this gospel rhymes with it, everyone can see. Therefore, it is not possible to know from this Gospel how Mary is in heaven; nor is it necessary, although we cannot explain everything, how the saints are in heaven; it is enough that we know that they live in God; as Christ in Matthew Cap. 22, 32. concludes from this saying in the other book of Moses Cap. 3, 6. where God said to Moses: "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob", that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
2 Therefore the sayings shall be sufficient for us, that we may know that they are alive: but how this is, we shall not know, because it is not necessary for us, neither are we commanded to inquire; for our reason is too weak for it, though the high masters have submitted themselves, and yet have not attained. For there are three kinds of life: A child lying in the cradle lives in God, though he feels little of it; secondly, when we sleep, we also live, and know not how; thirdly, that we know for certain that we live, and yet know not how.
Because God deals with us here on earth in the narrow dungeon (which is barely half a life), so that we do not feel how we live, He can do much more there in heaven, where it is far and wide and where the right life is; so that we cannot set a certain goal and rule, so that we may know how the dear saints live there; because the insane and mad people also live and do not know how. Therefore, it is enough that we know that they live, but we do not need to know how they live. And this I have said, that our faith may always stand on the conscience, and make us no articles of faith, whereof we have not a thorough scripture; otherwise new articles of faith arise from day to day. Therefore make a great distinction between the things that are necessary to believe and those that are not: always hold to what the Scriptures clearly indicate, for what the Scriptures do not clearly conclude, do not build up. Since the Scriptures clearly state that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all believers are alive, it is necessary for you to believe that the Mother of God is alive; but how this is to be done is to be left to the good Lord. That is enough about the feast and we want to say something about the Gospel.
4 First of all, let us understand the gospel in the most simple way, according to history and story; for this is also the greatest art, to remain in the simple mind. The history is that Christ goes into a place, though there are many people in it,
no one takes him in but Martha alone. Now Martha had a sister, named Mary; these two sisters had divided works. Martha goes and prepares food, fetches water, washes the dishes, and does whatever needs to be done in the house, and as the gospel says, she has made much effort to serve the Lord. Christ, however, is sitting there with another work in mind, preaching, and he has Mariam under his feet, that is, as a listener, who is not aware of anything Martha is doing. Martha also goes there, because she sees that she alone is burdened with work and toil, and has no one to help her; and her own sister is sitting there idle, talking to the Lord and asking him to let her help Mariam, thinking that she has done well. But Christ does not consider her good opinion here, but punishes her to some extent for worrying and fretting, and says that Mary has fulfilled the good and most necessary part, namely, hearing the word of God and the gospel. This is the story.
5 This gospel teaches us to make a distinction between the things that affect the belly and the things that affect the soul. Here you see that Christ, though he is hungry, yet he is so eager for the blessedness of souls, that he also forgets the food, and preaches only to Mary; and is so careful about the word, that he also punishes Martha, who, because of the labor with which she labors and is troubled, so that she also neglected the gospel. Therefore the Lord said to her, "Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things; but one thing is needful." As if to say, Martha, thou hast much care; but I have preached the gospel hitherto, how one ought not to care: work indeed, but not care. And especially when the word comes, one should leave off worrying, business and work; yes, not only work, but also wife and child, father and mother, enemy and friend, honor and property, and cling to the word alone. You see here that Martha, though she was a pious child, meant well.
yet is punished for their service, and the Lord rebukes both their good opinion, and also the work.
(6) If you notice that our good opinion, we put it forward as we wish, it is wrong; for Martha might well have said here, "Well, I have labored thus, I have walked, washed and prepared food, yet shall my opinion be nothing? Therefore, one's opinion may be proposed as one pleases, but it counts for nothing before God. For so God says in the fifth book of Moses, Cap. 12, 8: "Thou shalt not do that which seemeth thee good." For you see that here Martha's opinion is punished, which was the best; but he punishes her care rather than her work. But he punishes her kindly and does not cast her away; and this is almost the best thing in this gospel. For Christ is thus depicted to us as a fine, gentle, kind man, who deals with us in a fine way, even if we stumble at times and do not do what is right, so that he can still be good to us.
(7) The Scriptures show us such an image in Christ, to whom the very best is to be given; for the heart must have such an image from which it can draw faith, as you see here. Martha had undoubtedly sinned by caring and trying to prevent her sister from doing the right good deeds; yet Christ punished her so gently and did not reject her. So God can give us credit for our infirmities; only that we again look through his fingers and gladly accept when he punishes and rejects our works; as Martha does here, she is silent, lets her works be rejected and accepts it amicably. So shall we also do, shall we suffer, when God punishes and reproves our deeds, shall we keep silent, and say: Lord, it is right.
Now God punishes in two ways, outwardly and inwardly. Inwardly, then, when we walk along and have done well, prayed, fasted, given alms, and whatever more outward glittering works there are, and so walk in a delusion as if it were all righteous. Then comes
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a punishment in the conscience, which says that the work is evil and condemned and counts for nothing before God. If we could keep still and accept his punishment, we would be exempt again; that would be the right art for it. But flesh and blood does not do it, only faith must do it; for it creates in us that we do not fall away, even though we feel a refusal of conscience, as if God did not want us and our deeds were nothing at all. Therefore, he who is to stand here must be wise, and thus be able to say: Oh God, it is true, I am nothing; but you will not leave me because of this, I know that and I am sure of it.
(9) Secondly, God punishes outwardly, though he does not reach into the heart and punish, but reproves outwardly through men; for his judgment and punishments are many, as when he sends men to us to condemn and destroy our thing. Then one should think, "Well, if it is not right, then it is not right; I will gladly have it rejected and condemned, I am worthy of it; so that I also stand still there and do not fall away. So it happens here with Martha: she thinks she is doing well, but Christ says: "None of your works is good, and all are blameworthy, but the work here with the word, which Mary cares for, is good and blameless.
(10) So all our works must be rejected, for they are all blameless. And even if my conscience does not tell me that all my life and deeds are in vain and reprehensible, God does it through other people, and I should receive it kindly. For God punishes us to destroy our works, and to bring us to be blameless; just as Christ here wants to have Mary where Mary is, and lead her into the work that cannot be reproached, that is, into the Word. For there is no more precious work than to receive and hear the word of God.
(11) Now lately you have a difference of works and faith, namely, that we are not righteous with outward works, but all things are evil in the sight of God; but this alone is good, [Christ*] to the
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Sit at the feet and hear the word of God. For the word is pure, clean, righteous, holy, and wise; therefore the soul that cleaveth unto it shall be pure, clean, wise, righteous, and holy, even of the kind that the word is. Just as a coal that is black, when it comes into the fire, it becomes red and takes on all the qualities of fire: so also faith makes the soul to be completely united with the word, and fires it, and gods it, so that it becomes completely of the nature of which the word is.
(12) And as the word cannot be reproved, neither can the conscience be reproved: for it is a cake made of the word and of faith. Now the word cannot reprove hell, nor the devil, nor any creature, nor even God Himself; therefore he who clings to it is blameless. Therefore it is best to cling to God's word. But the word cannot be caught with any thing, neither with hands, nor with feet, nor with the whole body, but only with the heart, with faith. Therefore everything is blameless by heart, and must be crucified, blasphemed and scorned; only faith is blameless, and only God is acceptable to it, and what flows from it; otherwise all our works are rejected and censured. Now God must tell you this in your heart, or reject it by heart through the people.
(13) Thus the Christian being is not in any work, but only in the soul, where the word dwells; therefore God wants to draw us out of the outward works, while we are Martha, and wants to bring us where Mary is, that is, into faith. This is what the Lord meant when he said: "Only one thing is necessary. Mary has a good portion, which shall not be taken away from her," that is faith and the Word. For nothing can stand before God by works, but only by faith. Therefore let us strive for that part, that we may become blameless. This happens when we believe and cling to the word. Mary is praised here and no blame is found in her. Martha, however, had to suffer that her works were blamed,
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who would like to have said: But I do all that I can do. Nevertheless, as I said, he punishes her quite gently and kindly, as if he wanted to say: Martha, your work must be punished and not respected; if you do not do it, I will do it myself, or the devil will do it; for I do not want to have a work, but the work of Mary, that is, the faith that you believe in the word.
14 From all this you can now see what it means that Christ says, "Only one thing is necessary"; on the other hand, "Mary has purchased a good portion. Therefore, notice well that only one thing is necessary to acquire eternal life, that is, God's word and faith. With this, all works, pilgrimages, vigils, masses for the soul, and what is more of the worm and sore are now laid to rest. For the works of Martha were much better than the works of all monks and priests; nevertheless, they are rejected. If the works of Mary do not do it, the works of no monk will. Therefore, to make the conscience happy, it will not be obtained, neither by repentance, nor by suffering, nor by any work, but it must be done by faith alone. This is well known to those who have experienced it, for when the newcomer comes, they run to and fro, one to the monastery, one to St. James, one to Rome, another to Jerusalem, to Aachen, to the Holy Blood, and whatever else is foolish, and think they can help themselves with works, so that even some of them put on caps when they died, and had themselves buried with them, and thought they wanted to gain mercy and quiet their consciences, which is, I think, foolish.
15 Thus shall the devil deceive us, and thus shall it come to pass, if we fall away from the truth: for he that will not have the truth must have lies: of which, and no other, there is no remedy. That is why St. Paul speaks of the Antichrist in 2 Thess. 2, 9. 10. 11. that his future will be "according to the working of the devil, with all kinds of lying powers, and signs, and wonders, and with all kinds of seduction to unrighteousness, among them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
Therefore," says Paul, "God will send them strong error, that they may believe lies; that they all may be judged who do not believe the truth, but delight in unrighteousness."
But how should a troubled, fearful conscience do, which accepts everything that is said to it, even the most foolish things? This is what Christ says here: "Works do not do, but never give up; only one thing is necessary, to hear God's word and believe it, that does it and nothing else; then fall down, and you will have a happy conscience; then do what you can and may, and all will be blessed to you and pleasing to God. Therefore know this well, that the word of God [above all things] is necessary for eternal life.
17 And he says "need". Eating and drinking are also necessities; sleeping, waking, going clothed are also necessities: but he does not speak here of necessity, but of that which all the world speaks of, and asks: Dear, what is necessary for salvation? Martha runs to and fro and toils hard through this and that; at last she falls away and despairs, and asks Christ to let Mariam help her. Then Christ says, "No, let her sit; that alone is necessary, nothing else on earth, namely, the pure faith in the Word. Then, as little as I can be without works outwardly in the body, so little can I be without good works when I am spiritual. For I must live, feed my wife and children, work, eat and drink, build, till the ground, and all the work of man. So also, if I am spiritual and a Christian, I cannot refrain from doing good to my neighbor, helping and advising him, and directing all my works so that they are useful to others; and as I do those works for myself, my wife and children in vain, so I also do these works purely in vain.
18 Therefore take heed that whosoever will stand before God, and not be reproved, let him be Mary, that is, let him believe and cleave to the word. This is what John does in his gospel through and through, and especially when he says: "He who believes in God
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Son, he will not be judged," John 3:18. For no one will escape God's judgment, and no works will stand before God's judgment. But whoever believes in the Son of God has already passed through judgment into life. . For the word cannot rebuke God, and whoever believes with the one
Otherwise, those who want to make a lot of effort and take on a lot of work do not achieve anything; for truly, works count for nothing in the eyes of God. You have heard much and often about this, but now you will leave it at that.