Luc. 2:1-14.
But it came to pass at that time that a commandment went out from the emperor Augustus that all the world should be protected. And this protection was the very first, and happened at the time when Cyrenius was governor in Syria. And every man went to be assessed, every man to his own city. Then Joseph also departed out of Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, into the land of Judah, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; that he might be esteemed with Mary his familiar wife, which was with child. And when they were there, the tether came that she should bear. And she bare her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger: for they had no other room in the inn. And there were shepherds in the same place in the field by the hurdles, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came unto them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them: Fear not; behold, I proclaim unto you great joy, which shall be to all the people: for unto you is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this is the sign that you will find the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And immediately there was with the angel the multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and goodwill toward men.
1. it is written in Hagg. 2, 7. 8. that God says: "I will move the heavens and the earth, when it comes, that all people will desire. This was fulfilled today: the heavens were moved, that is, the angels who are in heaven, and with singing praised God; and the earth, that is, the people on earth, that everyone arose, and there was a traveling, here to a city, here to a town, in the whole country, as the Gospel says; yet not a harmful, bloody outrage, but a peaceful one, which God, who is a God of peace, aroused. Nor is it to be understood that all the lands of the whole earth were thus moved, but only that which was in the power of the Romans; that this circle should mean only the circle of the Roman Empire, which did not yet have half of the whole earth under it. In addition, no country moved like the Jewish country, which was divided into the families of Israel; although at that time the family of Judah was most in the country, after the ten families of Israel, led in Assyria, remained outside.
2. this estimate has been the very first.
says St. Lucas; for in the Gospel of Matthew Cap. 17, 24. and more places it is found that they thus granted for and for that they also demanded the interest penny from Christ, also tempted him with the same, Matth. 22, 17. and on the day of his suffering accused him of this, as if he had forbidden to give the same interest penny. For the Jews were reluctant to give it, and resented such treasure and the emperor's commandments, pretending that they were God's people and free from the emperor, and had great disputations about whether they were obligated to give it; yet they had to and could not protect themselves by force. Therefore, they would have gladly brought Christ into the dispute and into the power of the Romans. So this taxation was nothing else than a common charge in all countries, that one gave a penny annually from each head; and the officials who collected and collected this and other customs and interest are called publicani, who are called obvious sinners, but not right.
3 Notice how the evangelist states with certainty that the birth of Christ took place in the time of Emperor Augustus, and that Cyrenius was a centurion in the Roman Empire, in the country of
Syria; which Syria land is the Jewish land haste piece, as Austria is a piece of the German land. And it happened in the very first protection that this interest penny was never given before, because just then Christ should be born. That he might show how his kingdom should not be worldly, nor rule over worldly dominion worldly; but submit himself and his parents to the same. And because he meets the first treasure, he leaves no doubt about it. For if he had wanted to leave this in doubt, he might have been born in another treasure, so that it could have been said that it had happened accidentally and by chance, without any special concern.
4 Even if he had not wanted to be a subject, he would have been born outside of the same treasure beforehand. But since all of his works are vain and precious teachings, there is no other way to turn or guide him, except that he does not want to rule in the world out of divine counsel and purpose, but wants to be a subject. And this is the first puff in the Pabst's regiment and all of his, which rhymes with Christ's kingdom like night and day.
The gospel is so clear that it does not need much interpretation, but it only needs to be considered, looked at and taken deeply to heart. And no one will profit more from it than those who keep their hearts still, who turn aside all things, and who diligently look into it. Just as the sun can be seen in still waters and warms them strongly, so it cannot be seen in rushing and running waters, nor can it warm them in this way. Therefore, if you also want to become enlightened and warm here, to see divine grace and miracles, so that your heart becomes inflamed, enlightened, devout and joyful, then go, be still and grasp the image deeply in your heart, there you will find miracles upon miracles. But to give the beginning and the cause to the simple, we want to show the same in part, may then go further into it.
(6) First, behold, how evil and simple things are on earth, and yet how great they are in heaven. On earth it goes like this: there is a poor young woman, Mary, in Nazareth, even
She is not respected and is considered among the least of the town's citizens. No one is aware of the great miracle she bears; she also keeps silent, does not accept it, considers herself the least in the city, she sets out with her master Joseph, may not have a maid nor servant, but he is master and servant, she wife and maid in the house, so have left the house, or commanded others.
Now let it be said that they had a donkey on which Mary sat, although the Gospel says nothing about it, and it is believed that she went on foot with Joseph. Think how she was despised on the way in inns, which were worthy to be led with golden chariots and all splendor. How many were the wives and daughters of the great lords at that time, in a good room and great reputation, while this mother of God traveled in the middle of winter, on foot, with a heavy body over the field? How unequal is it? It was more than a day's journey from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in the land of the Jews. They had to travel over or through Jerusalem. For Bethlehem lies from Jerusalem toward noon, Nazareth toward midnight.
8 Now when they come to Bethlehem, the evangelist shows how they were the least of these and the most despised; they had to leave everyone, until, having been sent to a stable, they had to accept with the cattle a common inn, a common table, a common room and a common bed. However, many a wicked man has sat at the top of the inn and allowed himself to be honored as a lord. No one realizes what God is doing in the stables, leaving the great houses and the beautiful chambers empty, letting them eat, drink and be of good cheer; but this comfort and treasure is hidden in them. O what a dark night has been over Bethlehem that time, which has not become aware of such a light? How does God show that he does not respect what the world is, has and is able to do; again, the world also shows how it neither recognizes nor respects what God is, has and does.
9. behold, this is the very first image, so that
Christ disgraces the world, all its doings, knowledge, and nature show us reprobate; that its greatest wisdom is foolishness, its best doing is injustice, its greatest good is only accident. What did Bethlehem have if it did not have Christ? What do they have now, who had enough at that time? What do Mary and Joseph lack now, if they did not have room to sleep well for one night at that time?
(10) Some have glossed the word diversorium here, as if it should mean: a public vault, where everyone passes through and common donkeys stay there; they think that Mary did not have an inn. This is not right. The evangelist wants to indicate that Joseph and Mary had to go to the stable because they had no room in the inn and in the room where the guests were supposed to be. All the guests were provided with room, food and lodging in the inn; but this poor people had to crawl behind into a stable, where the animals used to be inside. For this word diversorium, which Lucas calls katalyma, is nothing else but a room for the guests, as is proved from the word of Christ Luc. 22:11, when he sent the disciples to prepare the supper, saying, "Go, and tell the master of the house, saying, Where is katalyma," that is, "the inn, wherein I may eat the passover with my disciples?" So here, too, Joseph and Mary had no room in the katalyma, the inn, but only in the stable, in the courtyard of the same landlord; who was also not worthy that he could have properly accommodated and honored such a guest. There was neither money nor force, so they had to stay in the stable. O world, how mad! O man, how blind you are!
11) But the birth is even more miserable, that such a young woman, who was to bear her first child, no one has taken pity on her, no one has taken her pregnant womb to heart, no one has considered that in foreign places she does not have the very least that a child-bearer needs; but is alone there without any preparation, without light, without fire, in the middle of the night, in darkness; no one offers her a service, as one would do after all.
The woman, of course, is used to impregnate women. Everybody is full and mad in the inn, a swarm of guests from all places, that nobody takes care of this woman. I also think that she did not give birth so soon, otherwise she might have stayed in Nazareth.
Now think what kind of cloths she might have wrapped him in; perhaps her veil or what she might have lacked on her body. But that she should have wrapped him in Joseph's pants, as it is known in Aachen, that is all too lying and frivolous. They are fables, which are probably more in all the world. Is it not an inconvenient thing that Christ was born in the cold winter, in a foreign country, in the fields, so contemptibly and so poorly?
(13) Some also dispute how this birth happened, as if the child had recovered in prayer, in great joy, before it was born, without any pain. Which I do not reject, perhaps for the sake of the simple. But we must stick to the Gospel, which says that she gave birth to him, and to the article of faith, where we say: He was born of Mary, of virgins. There is no deception here, but as the words read, a true birth.
(14) Now it is well known what childbearing is and how it is done. It happened to her just as it happens to other women, with good sense and with the help of her limbs, as befits childbirth, so that she might be his right natural mother and he her right natural son. Therefore her womb did not leave its natural work, which belongs to birth; without which she gave birth without sin, without shame, without pain and without injury, as she also conceived without sin. The curse of Eve did not pass over her, which reads, Genesis 3:16: "In pain you shall bring forth your children"; otherwise it happened to her in all measure, as it happens to a woman in childbirth.
(15) For grace does not break nor hinder nature nor her works, but it improves and promotes them. Just as she naturally nursed him with milk from her breasts; no doubt not.
foreign milk, or through other limbs^enn the breasts, given to him; which yet are supernaturally filled by God with milk, without defilement and impurity, as we sing of her: Ubere de coelo pleno (From her breast filled from heaven). This is what I am saying, so that we may have our faith grounded, and let Christ be a natural man, in all measure like us, and let him have nothing but nature, without regard to sin and grace. Nature was pure in him and his mother in all members, in all works of the members. If no female body nor member has ever come to its natural work without sin, without only in this one virgin; God has once put nature and its works in honor. We could not draw Christ so deeply into nature and flesh, it is even more comforting to us. Therefore, what is not contrary to grace, one should not put anything away from his and his mother's nature; the text stands clearly there, and says that she gave birth to him; and he was also born, say the angels.
How could God have shown His goodness greater than by sinking Himself so deeply into flesh and blood that He does not despise even natural secrecy, and honors nature most highly in the place where it was most highly disgraced in Adam and Eve, so that henceforth even that which is most ungodly, most shameful and most impure in all men is now divine, honest and pure. These are true miracles of God. How could he have presented us with a stronger, more powerful and purer image of chastity than this birth? How all evil desire, all evil thoughts, how strong they always are, fall away, if we do nothing more than watch this birth, and consider, how the high majesty works and has to work in the female flesh and blood of this virgin so with all seriousness, so with exuberant love and goodness.
(17) No woman's image gives a man such pure thoughts as this virgin; again, no man's image gives a woman such thoughts as this child. Vain discipline and purity quilt out of this birth, as one looks at it; if one perceives otherwise of the divine works in it.
But what happens in heaven about this birth? So despised is it on earth, so highly and a thousand times more honored is it in heaven. If an angel from heaven praises you and your works, is it not true that you take it for all the world's praise and honor? think that you would not bear enough humility and contempt for it. What glory is this then, that all the angels in heaven cannot refrain from rejoicing, bursting forth and letting even poor shepherds in the field hear, preach, praise, sing, and pour out their joy abundantly? What is all the joy and glory of Bethlehem, yes, of all the kings and lords of the earth, compared to this joy and glory, but only such filth and abomination, which no one likes to remember, because he looks at this joy and glory?
019 Behold, how abundantly God honoureth them which men despise, and love to despise. There you see where his eyes look: only into the depth and lowliness, as it is written: He sits over cherubim, and looks into the depth or abyss. The angels could not find princes nor mighty men, but the unlearned laymen and the lowest of the low on earth. Could they not address the high priests, the scholars of Jerusalem, who know much to say about God and angels? No, the poor shepherds must be worthy to have such great grace and honor in heaven, who were nothing on earth.
(20) How God rejects what is high! And we do not rave and rush for vain heights, lest we be honored in heaven; always and always we kick God out of His sight, lest He look upon us in the depths where He alone looks.
(21) Let this be enough for the cause of contemplation for the simple. Let every man seek for himself. All words are like fire, making the heart warm, if only someone grasps them, as he says Jer. 23, 29: "My words are like fire. And as we see, the nature of divine words is that they teach us to recognize God and His works, only to the end that this life be nothing. For as he lives not after this life, and hath not goods, honor, and power temporal
He does not pay attention to them, nor does he speak of them, but only teaches the contradiction, also works against sense, sees where the world turns away from, teaches what it flees, picks up what it leaves behind.
Although we do not like to suffer such a work of God and do not want to give up our property, honor and life in this way, it must be so. For there is no other way out. God teaches and does not do otherwise. We must be guided by him; he will not be guided by us. Even he who does not respect his word, his work, his comfort, certainly has no good sign of blessedness in himself. How could he more sweetly show how gracious he is to all the lowly and despised of the earth than in this poor birth, when the angels rejoice and make it known to none but the poor shepherds?
23 Now let us also see what mysteria, secret things, are presented to us in this history. Two in particular are indicated in all mysteriis, the gospel and the faith, that is, what one should preach, what one should believe. Who the preachers and who the listeners are to be, we also want to see here.
The first is faith, which is to be recognized first in all the words of God. This faith is not only that you believe that this story is true, as it says; for this does not help, because all sinners, even the damned, believe this. The Scriptures and God's Word do not teach that faith is a natural work without grace. But this is the right faith, full of grace, which God's word and work demands: that you firmly believe that Christ has been born to you, and that his birth is yours, to your good. For the gospel teaches that Christ was born for our sake, and that all things were done and suffered for our sake; just as here the angel also says, "I proclaim to you great joy, which will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the HEART." In these words you see clearly that he is born to us.
25. he does not speak par excellence: be it Chri
stus born; but: Unto you, unto you is he born. Item, do not say: I proclaim a joy; but: To you, to you I proclaim great joy. Item, which joy does not remain in Christ, but will be to all people. This faith hath not, neither may any reprobate or wicked man have. For this is the true ground of all happiness, which unites Christ and the believing heart in such a way that everything they have on both sides becomes common. But what do they have?
26. Christ has a pure, innocent, holy birth; man has an impure, sinful, damned birth, as David Ps. 51, 7. says: "Behold, I was made in sins, in my mother's womb, and my mother conceived me in sins." The same may not be helped but by the pure birth of Christ. So the birth of Christ cannot be given out bodily, nor would it help; therefore it is given out spiritually through the word to everyone, as the angel says here, that all who firmly believe that it was thus given to him shall not be harmed by his unclean birth. This is the way and measure to become pure from our wretched Adam birth. Therefore Christ wanted to be born, so that we would be born again through Him, as He says John 3:3. Which happens through such faith, as James says Cap. 1:18: "He has willingly given birth to us through the word of truth, that we might begin to be His new creature."
(27) Behold, Christ thus takes our birth from us, and immerses it in his birth, and gives us his own, that we may become pure and new therein, as if it were our own; so that every Christian may no less rejoice and glory in this birth of Christ, than if he also, like Christ, were bodily born of Mary. Whoever does not believe this, or doubts, is not a Christian.
28 O, this is the great joy that the angel says about. This is the comfort and the abundant goodness of God, that man, if he believes, may boast of such treasure, that Mary is his true mother, Christ his brother, God his Father. For all these things are true and come to pass if we believe. This is the main piece and main good
in all the Gospels, before the teaching of good works is taken from them. Christ must be ours and ours before we take hold of the works. Now this does not happen, because through such faith, which teaches to understand the gospels rightly, he also takes hold of them in the right place. This means that Christ is rightly recognized; from this the conscience becomes happy, free and satisfied; from this grows love and praise to God, as He has given us such abundant goods for free in Christ. Then follows a right willingness to do, leave and suffer everything that pleases God, whether living or dying; as I have said many times. This is what Isaiah Cap. 9, 6. means: "A child is born to us, and a son is given to us." To us, to us, born and given to us.
029 Therefore see that thou receive not from the gospel only the pleasure of history itself; for it is not long continued: neither the example only; for that is not without faith: but see that thou make the birth thine own, and change thyself with him, that thou mayest be rid of thy birth, and overcome his. If you believe, you will certainly be seated in the womb of the Virgin Mary and be her dear child. You have to practice and ask for faith, because you live and can never strengthen it enough. This is our foundation and inheritance, on which good works are to be built.
(30) Therefore, if Christ has become yours, and you have been cleansed through him in such faith, and have received your inheritance and chief possession, without any merit on your part, as you see, but out of pure love of God, who gives you his Son's good and work as your own, the example of good works follows, that you also do to your neighbor as you see Christ has done to you. Now here the good works teach themselves. For, say, what good works has Christ? Is it not true that they are all good because they have been done for your good, for the sake of God, who commanded him to do such works for your good? and so Christ was obedient to the Father in loving and serving us.
31 So, now that you are full and rich, you have
There is no more commandment for you to serve and obey Christ than to direct all your works to be good and useful to your neighbor, just as Christ's works are good and useful to you. Therefore he said at the supper, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you," John 13:34. Do you see here that he loved us and did all his works for us, so that we in turn should not do so to him (for he has no need) but also to our neighbor? This is his commandment, this is our obedience. So faith makes Christ ours, and his love makes us his. He loves, so we believe, and a cake is made of it. Again, our neighbor believes and waits for our love; so we should love him also and not let our desire nor wait in vain. It is the same one as the other: Christ helps us, so we help our neighbor, and we all have enough.
(32) Now see for thyself how far they are gone out of the street that have good works bound up in stone, and in wood, and in raiment, and in food, and in drink. What does it help your neighbor if you could build a church of pure gold? What good is the sound of great and many bells? What does the great glittering and giving in the churches with chasuble, sanctuary, silver image and vessel help him? How does it help to burn a lot of light and incense? What does much sound, murmuring, singing of vigils and masses help him? Do you think that God will pay you with the sound of bells, the smoke of candles, the glittering of gold, and the like? He has commanded you none of these, but if you see your neighbor err, sin, suffer distress in body, goods, or soul, then you should go to him, leave everything else, and help him with all that you are and have; if you can no longer do this, then you should help him with words and offerings. For Christ has done this to you and given you an example to do the same.
(33) Behold, these are the two things wherein a Christian ought to exercise himself: one against Christ, that he draw him into himself, and make him his own by faith, and clothe himself in Christ's goods, and build boldly thereon. The other is toward his neighbor, that he may lower himself to him, and let him also so clothe himself in his goods.
He must rule in his own goods as he rules in Christ's goods. Whoever does not practice these two things, it does not help him whether he fasts to death, tortures, burns and performs all miracles, as St. Paul teaches 1 Cor. 13:1 ff.
(34) The other mystery or secret doctrine is that nothing more than the gospel should be preached in the church. Now the gospel teaches nothing more than the two former things, Christ and his example; two kinds of good works: one, Christ's own, by which we are saved in faith; the other, our own, by which our neighbor is helped. And he that teacheth otherwise than the gospel deceiveth; and he that teacheth not the gospel according to these two things deceiveth still more, and is worse than he that teacheth without the gospel, because he defileth and deceiveth the word of God, as St. Paul complaineth of some 2 Cor. 2:17.
(35) Nature has not yet invented such a doctrine, nor has all men's wit, reason and wisdom conceived it. For who would know by himself that faith in Christ makes us one with Christ and gives us all the goods of Christ for our own? Who would think that no works are good except those which are done for our neighbor, or are put before him? Nature teaches nothing more than to work according to the words of the commandments. Therefore it falls to its own work, that he with pencils, he with fasting, he with garments, he with walls, one otherwise, the other so thinks to fulfill the commandments, and yet they are no more than their own exquisite, useless works, from which no one is helped; as now, alas, all the world goes astray through the doctrine and work of men, that faith and love have perished with the gospel.
Therefore the gospel and its understanding is a completely supernatural preaching and light, which shows only Christ. This is first of all because not one man to another, but an angel came from heaven and announced this birth of Christ to the shepherds, no man knew anything about it.
37 Secondly, this also means the midnight in which Christ was born;
so that it shows that all the world is dark in its future, and no reason can recognize Christ. It must be revealed from heaven.
Thirdly, the light that shines around the shepherds means to teach that there must be another light than all reason, and St. Lucas says here: Gloria Dei, the glory of God has shone around them, calls the same light a glory or honor of God. Why this? Namely, to touch the mystery and indicate the nature of the Gospel. For since the gospel is a heavenly light that teaches no more than Christ, in which God's grace is given to us and our thing is rejected altogether, it only sets up God's glory, so that no one can henceforth boast of any wealth, but must give God the glory and leave Him the credit that His pure love and goodness is that we may be saved through Christ. Behold, the divine glory, the divine honor is the light in the gospel that shines around us from heaven through the apostles and their followers who preach the gospel. For the angel was in the place of all preachers of the gospel, and the shepherds in the place of all hearers; as we shall see. Therefore the gospel cannot suffer any other doctrine beside it. For the doctrine of men is the light of the earth, the glory of men, the glory and praise of men, the arrogance of souls to their own work; for the gospel is to be presumed on Christ, on the grace and goodness of God, to boast on Christ, and to brave Christ.
39) Item four, this is the name of Judea and Bethlehem, where Christ was born. Judea in German means confession or thanksgiving; as when we confess, praise and thank God that all our goods are His gifts. Such a confessor and ruler is called Judea. Such a king of the Jews is Christ, as his rhyme is: Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judaeorum. So we say also in German of a thankful or ungrateful one: He recognizes himself nevertheless; he does not recognize it etc. Thus it is evident that no doctrine makes such a confession, but the gospel alone, which teaches Christ.
40. item, Beth is called a house; Lehem
means food or bread; Bethlehem, a house of bread. And the city had the name because it was situated in a good fertile land, rich in grain, that it was considered like the surrounding cities a granary, as we call such a city a lard pit. And in former times it was called Ephratha, that is, fertile; both names from one cause, that it had a fertile, grain-rich soil. This means that without the gospel there is nothing but desolation on earth, neither confession of God nor thanksgiving.
41 But where the gospel and Christ are, there is Bethlehem full of grain and thankful Judea. There, in Christ, everyone has enough, and there is a great deal of thanksgiving for divine grace. But the doctrines of men give thanks to themselves, yet they leave barren land and deadly hunger. No heart is ever satisfied, unless Christ preaches rightly in the gospel; then he comes to Bethlehem and finds him; then he also comes and remains in Judea, and gives thanks to his God forever: there he is satisfied; there God also has his praise and confession; and apart from the gospel nothing but ingratitude, and we nothing but die of hunger.
42) But the angel shows most clearly by his words the gospel, and that there is nothing else to preach in Christendom, taking to himself the ministry and word according to the gospel, and saying, Euangelizo; saying not evil, I preach unto you; but: A gospel I tell you, I am an evangelist, my word is a gospel. Thus gospel is called, as it is said above in Advent, a good cheerful message, which is to be the preaching of the New Testament. Of what then is the gospel? Listen, he says, "A great joy I proclaim to you"; my gospel says full of a great joy. Where is it? Hear further, "Penn unto you is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord in the city of David."
(43) Behold, what the gospel is, a joyful preaching of Christ our Savior. He that preacheth him aright preacheth the gospel and joy. How can a heart hear greater joy than that Christ is given to it as its own? He
Speaks not alone, Christ is born; but appropriates to us his birth, saying, "Your Savior."
44 Thus the gospel not only teaches the history and story of Christ, but also gives it to all who believe in it, which, as I said above, is the true nature of the gospel. What good would it do me if he were born a thousand times, and were sung to me daily in the sweetest voice, because I should not hear that the same was true to me and should be my own? When the voice sounds, how secret and evil it sounds, then my heart listens with joy, that penetrates and sounds heartily well. If something else were to be preached, the evangelical angel and angelic evangelist would also have touched on it.
45 He continues: "You will have this as a sign: you will find the child wrapped in cloth and placed in a manger. The little cloths are nothing else than the holy scripture, in which the Christian truth is wrapped, there one finds the faith described. For the whole Old Testament has nothing else in it but Christ as he is preached by the Gospel. Therefore, we see how the apostles testify from the Scriptures, proving everything that is to be preached and believed about Christ. Thus Paul says in Romans 3:21 that the faith of Christ, by which we are justified, is attested by the law and the prophets. And he himself, Christ, after his resurrection, opened the Scriptures to them, showing how they speak of him. Luc. 24, 27. Item, on Mount Thabor, Matth. 17, 3. when he was transfigured, the two, Moses and Elias, stood with him, that is, the law and prophets, as his two witnesses, are signs that point to him. Therefore the angel says that the sign by which he is known is the cloth. For there is no other testimony on earth to Christian truth than the holy scriptures.
46 Accordingly, Christ's unholy skirt also means the Scriptures of the New Testament, which were divided and wasted in His suffering, John 19:23, 24. This means, as the pope, the Antichrist, would not deny the Gospels, but would tear them apart and use them as a joke through false glosses,
that Christ would no longer be found in it. For the four soldiers who crucified the Lord were figures of all bishops and teachers in four places of the world, who tore apart the gospel and killed Christ and his faith with their teachings of men. Now the pope and his papists have long since accomplished what they set out to do.
(47) So we see that even the law and the prophets are not rightly preached nor known, but we see Christ wrapped up in them. It is true that Christ does not appear to be in it, nor do the Jews see him in it. They are unattractive, small cloths, bad words, and they seem to speak of small outward things, so that they cannot be recognized by themselves; but the New Testament, the gospel, must show, open and enlighten, as has been said.
(48) The gospel must first be heard, and the angel's appearance and voice must be believed. If the shepherds had not heard from the angels that Christ was lying there, if they had looked at him a thousand times, they would still not have understood that Christ was the child. Thus St. Paul says in 2 Cor. 3:16: "The law remains dark and covered before the Jews until they are converted to Christ." For Christ must first be heard in the Gospel, and then one sees how finely the whole Old Testament agrees with Him alone; and it rhymes so sweetly that man must give himself up in faith, and realize how true it is that Christ says John 5:46: "Moses wrote of Me; if ye believed him, ye would believe Me also."
Therefore let us beware of all doctrines that do not teach Christ. What more do you want to know? What more may you know, if you know Christ as it is said above, that through him you walk in faith toward God and in love toward your neighbor, and do to your neighbor as he has done to you? This is how the whole scripture is understood in a nutshell, that no more words or books are needed, but only life and deeds.
50. He lies in the manger. Behold, that thou mayest ever be assured that nothing but Christ shall be preached in all the world. What is the manger but the assembly of the
Christian people in the church to preach. We are the animals to this manger, there Christ is presented to us, from which we are to feed our souls, that is, lead to the sermon. He who goes to the sermon goes to this manger; yes, but they must be sermons from Christ. For not all mangers have Christ, nor do all sermons teach the faith; indeed, there was only one manger in Bethlehem, where this treasure lay within, and it was also an empty, despised manger, since there was no other food within. So the preaching of the gospel is free from all other things, has and teaches no more than Christ; but if it teaches anything else, it is no longer Christ's manger, but the manger of the stallions, full of temporal teaching of bodily food.
51 Now that it may be seen how Christ signified the faith of the Old Testament in the little cloth, we will give some examples. We read Matt. 8:4, where Christ cleanses the leper, saying to him, "Go, show thyself to the priest, and offer thy sacrifice, which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." Here you hear that Moses' law was given to the Jews for a testimony or sign; as also here the angel says, namely, that such a law signifies something other than itself. What? Christ is the priest, all men are spiritually leprous because of unbelief; but if we believe in him, he touches us with his hand, gives and lays his works upon us, by which we are made clean and whole without all our merit. In this way we should show ourselves to him, that is, be thankful, and confess that we have become righteous not by our works but by his grace; thus we are rightly judged against God. To this end, we are to offer our gift, that is, to give what is ours to our neighbor, and also to do good to him, as Christ did to us. This means, then, that we have served and sacrificed to Christ, the right priest; for it is done for his sake, and for his love and praise. Do you see here how finely Christ and faith are wrapped up in the bad scripture and figure? There you see that Moses only gave a testimony and interpretation to Christ with the law. In this way, one should understand the entire Old Testament and leave it alone.
These little cloths are a sign that identifies and confesses Christ.
(52) For the fact that the Sabbath was so strictly commanded, and that no work was to be done in it, shows that it is not our work but Christ's that is to be in us; for as it is said, it is not our works but Christ's that make us blessed. Now these are of two kinds, as indicated above. The first are the works that Christ has personally done without us, which are the chief works we believe in; the second are the works that he does in us toward our neighbor in love. That the first may be called the evening works, the other the morning works, and so evening and morning may become one day, as it is written in Genesis 1:5. For the Scripture begins the day in the evening and ends it in the morning, that is, the evening with the night is the first half, the morning with the day is the other half of the whole natural day. Now, as the first half is dark, the other light: so the first works of Christ are ours, hid in faith; but the others, of love, shall come forth in the day, to be publicly shown to the neighbor. Behold, thus is the whole Sabbath celebrated and sanctified.
Do you see how finely Christ lies here in this little cloth? how finely the Old Testament shows the faith and love in Christ and his Christians? Now, as children's diapers are commonly of two kinds? one outside, coarse cloth, the other inside, linen, more subtle. The woollen, coarse outer cloth are the figures now told from the Law; but the linen ones are the sayings of the prophets, set without figure. As Isaiah, Cap. 7, 14, says: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be Emmanuel"; and the like, which would not be understood of Christ, if the gospel did not point them out, and point out Christ in them.
(54) Thus we have signified the two, faith and the gospel, that the same and nothing else should be preached in Christendom. Now let us see who the preachers and disciples are to be. The preachers are to be angels, that is, God's messengers, and to lead a heavenly life, always handling God's Word, so that they will never be men or women.
preach the doctrine of God. It is even an unfeasible thing to be God's messenger and not to advertise His message. But Angelus is called a messenger, and Lucas calls him here, angelus Domini, God's messenger. It is also more about the message than about his life. If he leads an evil life, he harms himself; but if he brings a false message for God's message, he deceives and harms everyone who listens to him, and makes idolatry among the people, so that they honor lies for truth, men for God, and worship the devil in God's place.
Therefore, there is no more horrible plague, misery, and misfortune on earth than a preacher who does not preach God's word; of whom now, alas, all the world is full, and yet they think they do well and are pious, and nothing else is their nature but murdering souls, blaspheming God, and establishing idolatry; that it would be much more blessed for them if they had been robbers, murderers, and the worst of boys, yet they knew that they were doing evil. But now they go about under the priestly, episcopal, papal, spiritual name and appearance, and are only ravening wolves in sheep's clothing, so that it would be good if their sermon were heard by no one.
The disciples are shepherds, poor people in the field. Here Christ keeps what he says Matth. 11, 5: "The poor have the gospel preached to them"; and Matth. 5, 3: "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Here are no scholars, no rich, no mighty; for such people do not receive the gospel. The gospel is a heavenly treasure, does not want to suffer another treasure with it, cannot get along in the heart with an earthly guest. Therefore, whoever loves one thing must leave the other; as Christ says Matth. 6, 24: "You cannot serve God and mammon at the same time. The shepherds indicate this by the fact that they are found in the field under heaven, not in houses, and do not cling to temporal possessions; moreover, they are in the field at night, so that they are despised and unknown to the world, which sleeps at night and likes to walk and be seen during the day. But the poor shepherds go about their work by night;
These are all the lowly who live a poor, despised, unattractive life on earth, and dwell only under heaven, in God's power; they are worthy of the gospel.
57 For the fact that there are shepherds means that no one should hear the gospel for himself alone, but that each should tell the other who does not know it. For he that believeth for himself hath enough, and shall henceforth see how he may bring others also to such faith and knowledge: and so be one shepherd of another, feeding him, and waiting for him in this world, in the night of this life. The angel also frightens the shepherds for the first time. For nature is first terrified when it hears in the Gospel that all our things are nothing and condemned in the sight of God, and does not like to abandon its conceit and presumption.
(58) Now let every man judge himself against the gospel, and see how near or far he is from Christ, and how he stands in faith and love. Many are they who are inflamed with dreaming devotion when they hear such poverty of Christ; they are almost angry with the citizens of Bethlehem, chastising their blindness and ingratitude, thinking that if they had been there, they would have done great service to the Lord and his mother, and not have been so miserable. But they do not see beside themselves how many of their neighbors are around them, who might well need their help, but whom they let go and remain as they are. Who is there on earth who does not have poor, miserable, sick, erring or sinful people around him? Why does he not exercise his love here? Why does he not do to them as Christ did to him?
(59) It is a lie and a falsehood for thee to think that thou hast done much good to Christ, when thou hast not done it to these. If thou hadst been at Bethlehem, thou wouldest have regarded him as little as the rest; yea, because he is now declared who he is, thou wilt serve. Now if he came and lay in the manger, and told thee that he was he, of whom thou knowest so much now, thou wouldest have done something; but thou wouldest not have done it before. If anyone had told the rich man in the Gospel how great poor Lazarus would be in the future, that he would have been sure, he would not have let him lie and perish like that.
60 So if your neighbor were now that which he is to become in the future, and were then before you, you would well wait for him. But now this is not so, you throw it all to the winds and do not know your Lord in your neighbor, do not do to him as he has done to you. Therefore God also causes you to be blinded, deceived by priests and false preachers, so that you give to wood and stone, paper and wax, and lose that, so that you might have helped your neighbor.
Lastly, we must also act the angelic chant that we have daily in the Mass: Gloria in excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the highest). They order three things in this chant: the glory, the peace, the good pleasure or good will. The glory they give to God, the peace to the earth, the good pleasure to the people. The good will or good pleasure would like to be understood from the divine good will and good pleasure, which he has over men through Christ. But we want to leave it at the good will, which men have from this birth; as then also the words give, which are thus: Anthropis eudokia: hominibus beneplacitum: a good pleasure to men.
The first is the glory of God. This is where one should begin, so that in all things the glory and honor may be given to God, as to the one who does, gives and has all things, so that no one ascribes anything to himself or assumes anything for himself. For glory is due to no one but God alone, and cannot be shared or made common with anyone.
Adam stole honor through the evil spirit and appropriated it to himself, so that all men are disgraced with him, and it is still so deeply rooted in all men that no vice is so deep in them as the desire for honor. No one wants to be or like nothing, everyone pleases himself well, hence all misery, strife and war on earth comes.
(64) Christ brought glory back to God by teaching us how all our things are nothing but wrath and disgrace in the sight of God, that we should not boast in any way or please ourselves in it.
but must fear and be ashamed, as in the greatest danger and shame, that thus our honor and self-pleasure may be dashed to the ground and become nothing at all, and that we may be glad to be rid of them, so that we may be found and kept in Christ, as has been said.
The other is peace on earth. For at the same time as there must be strife where God's honor is not; as Solomon says, Prov. 13:10: Inter superbos: "Among the proud there is always strife"; so again: Where God's honor is, there must be peace. Why should they quarrel when they know that nothing is their own, but all that they are, have and are able to do is God's; they let Him have His way with them, and are content that they have a gracious God. Whoever knows that all his things are nothing in the sight of God, does not pay much attention to them, but thinks of another thing that is something in the sight of God, which is Christ.
It follows that where there are true Christians, there may be no strife, strife, strife among them; as Isaiah, Cap. 11:9, proclaims, saying, "They shall not kill one another, nor hurt one another on my holy mountain," that is, in Christendom. If the reason follows: "For the earth is full of the knowledge of God," that is, because they know God, that all things are his and our things are nothing, then they can have peace among themselves. As the same Isaiah Cap. 2, 4. says: "They will turn their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; they will not lift up swords against one another, nor practice war.
67 Therefore our Lord Christ is called a King of peace, and is signified by King Solomon, who in German is called Friedreich, that he may make us peace inwardly toward God in our conscience through faith built upon himself, and outwardly toward men in bodily conduct through love; that therefore through him there may be peace everywhere on earth.
The third is the good will of men. Here it is not called the good will that works good deeds; but the good pleasure and peaceful heart, which pleases everything that happens to it, whether good or evil. For the angels knew well that peace,
They sing about it, but they do not reach further than those who truly believe in Christ; they certainly have peace among themselves. But the world and the devil have no peace, leave them no peace, persecute them even unto death; as Christ Joh. 16, 33. says: "In me ye shall have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation."
69. Therefore it was not enough for the angels to sing peace on earth, but also the good pleasure of men, that is, that they let it all be pleasing to them, praise and thank God; let it seem right and good to them how God deals with them and lets them deal with Him; They do not murmur, they stand calmly and willingly in God's will; indeed, because they know that God does and creates everything, whom they have come to the gracious Father through Christ in faith, they boast and rejoice when they are persecuted; as St. Paul says in Romans 5:3. Paul Rom. 5, 3. says: "We boast and glory in persecutions." It seems to them that everything they encounter is the best, out of the abundance of the happy conscience they have in Christ.
(70) Behold, such good will, good pleasure, good judgment in all things, whether good or evil, is what the angels here mean in their song. For where there is no good will, there is not long peace. He *) also makes all things worst, always makes the evil great and one accident into two. Therefore, as God does with them, they do not like it, and want to have it differently; so it happens that Psalm 18:26, 27. It says: "O Lord God, with him who considers all things elect, you also make them elect," that is, he who has such pleasure in all things, you again please you and all; "but with the perverse you also consort," that as you and all your doings and creations are not pleasing to him, so he again does not please you and all your own.
71 St. Paul says of good will in 1 Cor. 10:33: "Be diligent to please everyone, as I please everyone." How does this happen? If you let all things be good to you and please you, you in turn please everyone. It is a short rule:
*) He, namely, the will that is not good. D. Red.
If you do not want to please anyone, do not let anyone please you; if you want to please everyone, let everyone please you; but do not let go of God's word, for that is where all pleasing and displeasing ends. But whatsoever may be left undone without the forbearance of God's word, that leave, that thou mayest be pleasing to all; and let it seem good in the sight of God, and thou shalt have that good will which the angels sing of.
From this song we may learn what kind of creatures the angels are; leave aside what the natural masters dream of them, here they are thus painted, that they may not be painted too much, that also their heart and thoughts are recognized here. First of all, in that they joyfully sing glory to God, they show how full of light and fire they are; they recognize how all things are of God alone, they give themselves nothing, with great fervor they give glory only to the one who is it. Therefore, as you would think of a humble, pure, obedient, praising God and joyful heart in God, so think of the angels. And this is the first thing, so that they may walk toward God.
The other is love toward us, as we are taught to do above. Here you see how favorably great friends they are to us, that they grant us nothing less than themselves, rejoicing also in our salvation as nearly as in their own, so that in this song they truly give us a comforting stimulus to provide the best for them as for the best of friends. Behold, this is right, the angels, not according to their nature, so that the natural masters are without all fruit, but according to their innermost, heart, courage and mind understood, that I know not what they are, but what is their highest desire and constant work, there you see into their heart. That is enough of this gospel. What Mary, Joseph and Nazareth mean, is to be said in the Gospel Luc. 1.
The harness of this gospel.
(74) In this gospel is founded the article of faith, in which we say, I believe in Jesus Christ, who was born of Mary the Virgin. For though the same article may be found in more places of Scripture
is founded, but in no place so clear and abundant. St. Marcus says no more than that Christ had a mother, the same also St. John, both say nothing of the birth. St. Matthew says that he was born of Mary in Bethlehem; also leaves it there, without preaching the virginity of Mary gloriously, as we will hear in his time. But Lucas describes it clearly and diligently.
75 It is also proclaimed before times in the patriarchs and prophets; as when God said to Abraham Gen. 22, 18: "In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed"; item, to David Ps. 89, 4. and Ps. 132, 11: "God has sworn an oath to David in truth, and will not fail him: of the fruit of your womb I will make a king on your throne." But these are dark sayings against the gospel.
76 Item, she is also meant in many figures. As, in the almond tree of Aaron, which blossomed supernaturally, although it was a scrawny stick of wood, Deut. 17, 5. Thus, Mary, a stranger to all natural and carnal blood, power and work, supernaturally gave birth to a true, natural son, she a natural mother; just as the almond tree also bore natural almonds and remained a natural almond tree. Item, by the skin of Gideon, Judg. 6:37, which was wet from the dew of heaven, and the land remained dry. And many more, which are not necessary to tell now. Nor do the figures dispute, but they adorn the faith; for it must first be believed and established before I believe that the figure serves for it.
Now it is very important that we do not let this article be taken away from us in our temptations, for the evil enemy attacks nothing so hard as faith. Therefore, we must be prepared and know where it is founded in the holy Scriptures, and if we point out its challenge, it is already weak, for it cannot stand against God's word.
(78) There are also many moral doctrines in the gospel, such as humility, patience, poverty, and many more: but these are sufficiently touched, and do not belong to the controversy; for they are fruits of faith and good works.