Luc. 8, 4-15.
And when there were many people together, and they hasted to him out of the cities, he said by a parable, There went out a sower to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and were taken up, and the fowls of the air did eat them up. And some fell on the rock; and when it went out, it withered, because it had no sap. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns came up with it, and choked it. And some fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. When he had said this, he cried out, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What is this like? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto others in parables, that they should not see, though they see; neither understand, though they hear. But this is the same: The seed is the word of God. But they that are in the way are they which hear it: afterward cometh the devil, and taketh away the word from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But they
on the rock are those who, when they hear it, accept the word with joy; and they have no root; for a time they believe, and in time of temptation they fall away. But that which fell among thorns are they which hear it, and go away among the cares, riches, and lusts of this life, and choke, and bring no fruit. But that in the good land are they which hear the word, and keep it in a fine and good heart, and bring forth fruit in patience.
This gospel speaks of the disciples and fruits that the word of God has in the world. For it speaks not of the law, nor of the ordinances of men; but, as he himself saith, of the word of God, which he himself, the sower, Christ, preacheth: neither bringeth the law forth fruit, as little as the ordinances of men do. But he sets four kinds of disciples of the word of God.
2. the first are those who hear, and hear not, neither regard. And these are not the bad people on earth, but the greatest, wisest and holiest, and summa, they are the greatest crowd; for he does not speak here of those who persecute the word or do not listen, but of those who hear it and are disciples, who also want to be called true Christians and live among the Christian assembly with us, and are partakers with us of baptism and sacrament. But they are and remain carnal hearts, they do not receive the word, it goes in one ear and out the other. Just as the grain on the road does not fill the earth, but remains outside on the road; for the road is hard-surfaced by the feet of men and animals.
(3) Therefore he says that the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they will not believe and be saved. Which power of the devil means not only that the hearts, hardened by worldly mind and life,' lose the word and let it go, so that they neither understand nor recognize it; but also that instead of God's word the devil sends false teachers, who trample it under foot with the teachings of men. For both of these things are written here, that the seed is trodden down by the way, and is eaten up by the birds. By the birds Christ himself indicates the devils who take away the word and eat it up; which happens when he turns away their hearts and blinds them, so that they neither hear nor respect it, as St. Paul says
2 Tim. 4, 4. says: "They turn away their ears from the truth and turn to the fables." By trampling on men he understands the doctrines of men that rule in our hearts; as he also says of the foolish salt that is thrown out and trampled on by men; that is, as St. Paul says, 2 Thess. 2:11, they must believe the lie because they have not obeyed the truth.
4 So in this number are all the heretics, the spiritualists, and the enthusiasts, who hear the gospel in the flesh, and interpret it according to their own will, who all hear the gospel, and yet bear no fruit, but rather are ruled by the devil and oppressed more severely by the statutes of men than before. For it is terribly said, that Christ saith here, The devil taketh away the word out of their hearts; that he may testify that the devil ruleth mightily over their hearts, though they be called Christians, and hear the word. Item, it is also miserable that they are trampled underfoot and must be subject to men in their pernicious teachings, by which the devil takes the word from them under the appearance and name of the gospel, so that they never understand it, nor are saved, but must be eternally lost; just as our enthusiasts are doing in all countries. For where this word abideth not, there is no salvation, neither do great works or holy living help them; for in saying, "They shall not be saved," because the word is from them, he bears strong enough witness that it is not works, but faith by the word alone, that saves; as Paul says to the Romans, Cap. 1:16, "It is a divine power to save all them that believe it."
5 The others are those who receive it with joy, but they do not persevere. This also is a great multitude, which hear the word aright, and take it purely, without all sects and divisions, or rejoicers, rejoicing also that they have received it.
they may know the right truth, and how to be saved by faith without works; also that they have been set free from the prison of the law, conscience and human doctrine: But when they come to the point of suffering harm, dishonor, loss of body or good, they fall away and deny it; for they have not root enough, nor are they deep enough; therefore they are like the seed on a rock, which springs up fresh and grows green, so that it is pleasant to look at and gives good hope: but when the sun shines hot, it perishes; for there is no earth or sap, and there is only rock. So do these also: In the time of persecution they deny, or ever hold their peace, and do, speak, and suffer all things that the persecutors are called, or want, who before went forth, and spake and confessed of it cheerfully, when there was peace, and no heat, that it was hoped they would bring forth much fruit and profit among men: for these fruits are not works only, but rather the confessing, preaching, and spreading of the word, that many might be converted thereby, and that the kingdom of God might be increased.
(6) The third, who hear and understand, but fall on the other side, that is, on the pleasure and chamber of this life, that they also do nothing by the word. And this company also is almost great: for though they work not heresy, as the first do, but have always the pure and lawful word; though they be not controverted on the left side, as the rest are, with odiousness and persecution; yet they fall on the right side, and their ruin is that they have peace and good days. Therefore they do not give themselves in earnest to the word; but become slothful, and sink into the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life, that they are not useful. Therefore they are like the seed that falls among thorns. Though there be no rock, but good earth; though there be no way, but land plowed deep enough, yet the thorns will not come up and choke them. So these have all that pertains to salvation in the word, without which they have no need, and rot in this life in the flesh. Now here belong those who hear it and do not tame their flesh;
They know and do not follow it; they teach and do not follow it themselves; they remain for hire as before.
7. The fourth, who take hold of it with a fine good heart, and keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience; these are they that hear the word, and keep it continually, that they also dare and forbear all things concerning it, from whom the devil taketh not away the same, nor deceiveth them thereby; neither doth the heat of persecution chase them away, nor the thorns of pleasant air, nor the avarice of this time hinder them; but bringeth forth fruit, that they also teach others the same, and increase the kingdom of God, after that they also do good to their neighbor in love; wherefore he saith: "with patience." For such must suffer much for the word's sake, shame and disgrace from the mobs and heretics, hatred and envy with damage to body and goods from the persecutors, without what the thorns and own temptations of the flesh do; that it is well called a word of the cross; for he who is to keep it must bear and overcome cross and misfortune with patience.
8 He says: "in a fine and good heart". Just as a field without thorns and bushes is fine, even and spacious, like a beautiful clean place, so is a heart fine and pure, wide and spacious, which is without care and avarice for temporal food, so that God's word may well find room there. But the field is good, if it is not only fine and equal, but also fat and fertile, that it has a good soil and is rich in grain, not like the stony or gravelly field: so is a heart that has good ground, and with a full spirit, strong, fat and good, to keep the word and to bring forth fruit with patience.
(9) Then we see how it is no wonder that there are so few true Christians, for the seed does not fall into the good field alone, but only the fourth and fewest part: and that those are not to be trusted who boast of being Christians and praise the teaching of the gospel; like Demas, St. Paul's disciple, who left him last, 2 Tim. 4:10; item, like Christ's disciples, John 6:66, who departed from him. For he himself calls out and says, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear," as if to say, "Oh, how few are the true Christians;
Yes, you must not believe all those who are called Christians and hear the gospel, there is more to it.
(10) All this is said for our learning, that we should not be deceived, because so many abuse the gospel, and so few understand it aright; though it is a grievous thing to preach to them that do so shamefully, and that do contrary to the gospel. For it is a sermon that should be so common that it should be preached to all creatures; as Christ says Marc. 16, 15: "Preach the gospel to all creatures"; and Ps. 19, 15: "Their sound is heard in every land, and their words to the end of the world. What do we care that many despise? It must be that many are called and few are chosen; for the sake of the good earth that bears fruit with patience, the seed must also fall in vain by the way, on the rock, and among the thorns; since we are also sure that God's word does not depart without fruit, but always finds good soil; as he says here that some seed of the sower also falls on good soil, not only by the way, among the thorns, and on the rock. For where the gospel goes, there are Christians, Isa. 55:11: "My word shall not come empty."
11. it is to be noted that Marcus Cap. 4, 8. and Matthew Cap. 13, 8. say that the seed bears some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, some a hundredfold fruit; which, according to all interpretation, is understood of three kinds of chastity, as there is virginal, conjugal and widowly chastity; and have imputed to virginity a hundredfold fruit; to conjugality thirtyfold, as the least; to widowhood sixtyfold. This is such a grossly idle talk that it is a sin and a disgrace that it has remained so lukewarm in Christendom and has been led by so many high teachers and has not been noticed by anyone. From this you can see how many brave, hard-working teachers there have been up to now, and how one blindly believes the other, and how God has allowed such great saints and people to be so grossly deceived in such great matters of the soul, so that He might
warned not to believe any teacher, no matter how holy and great he may be, because he leads the bright word of God.
First, if this were too close to the word of God, that it should have no more fruit than chastity, as St. Paul praises Gal. 5, 22. much differently. And summa, the word of God does all good, makes wise, understanding, prudent, careful, pious, kind, patient, faithful, chaste etc. Therefore this gloss is quite unchristian about the threefold chastity alone. Item, the pagans and evil people, who do not have the gospel or also persecute, have virgins, widows and married people. No doubt Annas and Caiphas would have been honest married people. Item, so would be the virginity before the word of God, also the widowhood and marriage; for virgins are born, and when the gospel comes, it finds both virgins, widows and married people, and does not make them virgins, widows or married people in the first place.
(13) Secondly, marriage, virginity, and widowhood are not fruits, nor virtues, nor works, but three estates, created and ordained by God, and are not in our power, but are divine works and creatures, as all other creatures are. For if this were true, that one wanted to make the ranks into fruits, then one would also have to say that dominion, servitude, team, filiation, and all offices would be fruits of the gospel; thus no fruit at all would remain for the gospel, because such ranks are all found apart from the gospel. But chastity, for the sake of its great appearance, is thus drawn out, to great danger and harm of souls; just as if there were no other virtue that adorned a Christian than virginity.
(14) I will say further that chastity is a different and much higher thing than virginity, and is nothing else than that a woman's image has not been guilty of any man. Nevertheless, according to the nature of their female bodies, virgins not only have the desire and desire for men, but must also be full of seed and blood, bear children and be able to
to multiply, as God created them, and such a creature is not their work, but God's alone; therefore they may not hinder it, it must go, as nature gives it, created by God, there will be children from it or not: Chastity, however, must be such a courage, which has nothing or little desire for men, and in the body also nothing or little seed for the fruits or children.
15. Now it is common that a wife does not feel such lust and heat, rivers or semen so often, for she gets rid of them with and through the husband; and in addition, where a virgin has vain lust with thoughts in her heart and semen in her body, a wife has much unwillingness mixed in with the husband, so that, according to common speech, the high and best chastity is in the conjugal state, because there is less heat and lust in it, and the least chastity in virginity, because there is much more heat and lust in it. Therefore chastity is a virtue, high above virginity; for a bride is still called a virgin, even if she is full of ardor, lust and love toward the bridegroom. Chastity hovers over all three states, over marriage, widowhood and virginity. But, where God does not work miracles, it lowers and is most in marriage, and least in virginity, and are not three kinds of chastity, but three states of chastity.
(16) It is true that if virginity is counted by outward appearance, it seems great that she abstains and does not atone for her lust with a man. But what is it, if one carries his lust longer without man or woman and expiates better than with man or woman? Is it not more unchastity where there is greater heat, love, lust and titillation, than where there is less? Therefore, to reckon by heat and titillation, as one should reckon by unchastity, virginity is more unchaste than matrimony. This can also be seen in the young men who are virgins and yet are full of lust and arrogance, and have greater thoughts about it than it is in itself. In short, I would like to see a virgin who is twenty years old and has a healthy, righteous body.
(17) Let this be enough of chastity, that we may know how these fruits of the word are to be understood otherwise and more widely than of chastity, and especially of the fruits, that many men may be converted thereby, and come to the knowledge of the truth. For although the works are also called fruits, he is speaking here primarily of the fruits that it produces in the hearts, so that they become enlightened, faithful, confident and wise in Christ; as St. Paul Rom. 1, 13. says: "That I also might create a fruit among you, as among other Gentiles"; and Col. 1:6: "The gospel bringeth forth fruit in all the world, as it doeth also among you"; that is, many are quickened thereby, loosed from sins, and saved; as the gospel's own works are to save from sins, death, and the devil, as a word of life, grace, and salvation. After this fruit then follow the fruits of the Spirit, the works, as, patience, love, faithfulness etc.
(18) Now that some bring forth thirtyfold fruit, some sixtyfold fruit, and some a hundredfold fruit, this much is said: that in one place more people are converted than in another, and one apostle and preacher preaches farther and more than another; for the people are not the same in all places, nor are there Christians in equal numbers, nor do the preachers preach equally far and much, but as God has provided and ordained. St. Paul's words, who preached the farthest and most, may well be credited with the hundredfold fruit, even though he was not a virgin.
19 But what is it that he says, "It is given unto you to know the mystery of the kingdom of God" etc.? What is the secret? If it is not to be known, why does one preach it? "Secret" means a hidden, secret thing that is not known; and "secret of the kingdom of God" means the things hidden in the kingdom of God, as there is Christ with all his grace that he has shown us, as Paul calls him; for he who rightly knows Christ knows what is the kingdom of God and what is in it. For this reason it is called a secret, because it is spiritual and secret, and will remain so unless the Spirit reveals it. For although there are many who see and hear it, they do not hear it. As, much find now, that Christ
preach and hear how he is given for us; but all this is still on the tongue and not in the heart; for they do not believe it themselves, nor do they feel it, as Paul says in 1 Cor. 2:14: "The natural man hears nothing of the Spirit of God." Therefore he speaks here: "It is given to you," that is, the Spirit gives it to you, so that you not only hear and see it, but also recognize and believe it with your heart; therefore it is no longer a mystery to you. But to others, who hear it as well as you, but do not have faith in their hearts, they do not see or understand it; to them it is a secret and remains unknown, and everything they hear is no different than if someone heard a parable or a dark saying. This is also proven now by our enthusiasts, who know much about Christ to preach; but because they do not feel it in their hearts themselves, they go on, and leave the right ground of the mystery, and go about with questions and strange little things; even when it comes to the meeting, they know nothing at all how to trust God and find forgiveness of sins in Christ.
20. but Marcus speaks Marc. 4, 33., Chri
stus therefore spake unto the people in parables, that they might hear them, every man according to his ability; how does this rhyme with this which Matthew saith, Matt. 13:13, 14: He therefore speaketh in parables, that they might not hear them? This must be so, of course, that Matthew means to say, "The parables serve to outwardly grasp coarse men, though they do not hear them, yet afterwards they may be taught and know them; for the parables naturally please the simple, and keep them fine, because they are taken from the ordinary things that men deal with. But Matthew means to say that these parables are of such a kind that no one can understand them, let him take hold of them and hear them as much as he likes, unless the Spirit makes them known and reveals them. Not that they are preached for this reason, that they should not be understood; but that it naturally follows, where the Spirit does not reveal them, that no one understands them. Yet Christ took these words from Isa. 6:9, 10, in which the high mind of divine providence is moved to conceal and reveal what he wills and has purposed from eternity.