Luc. 24:13-35.
And, behold, two of them went that same day unto a place which was sixty leagues from Jerusalem, whose name is Emmaus. And they talked with one another of all these things. And it came to pass, as they thus spake and consulted one with another, Jesus drew nigh unto them, and walked with them. But their eyes were stopped, that they knew him not. And he said unto them: What are these sayings which ye do among yourselves in the way, and are grieved? Then answered one, named Cleophas, and said unto him, Art thou alone among the strangers at Jerusalem, who knowest not what is done in these days within? And he said unto them: Which? And they said unto him, That of JEsu of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; as our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified. But we hoped that he would redeem Israel. And of all this this day is the third day that it hath come to pass. We were also frightened by some of our women, who were at the tomb early and did not find his body, but came and said they had seen the visions of angels, who said he was alive. And some of us went to the sepulcher, and found as the women said; but they found him not. And he said unto them:
*) The interpretation of this Gospel is found only in the editions a b c (as also in "Ordnung und Bericht" [see above note Columne 608] and in two separate editions from 1534. Cf. Erl. A. 11, 243.
D. Red.)
O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Did not Christ have to suffer these things and enter into his glory? And began from Moses and all the prophets, and expounded unto them all the scriptures which were spoken of him. And they came near to the place where they were going, and he stood as though he would go away. And they urged him, saying: Stay with us, for it will be evening, and the day has come. And he went in to abide with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave it unto them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he disappeared before them. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, when he spake unto us in the way, when he opened unto us the scriptures? And they arose at that hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the ephah gathered together, and them that were with them saying: The Lord is risen indeed, and Simoni appeared. And they told them what had happened on the way, and how he was known of them when he broke bread.
Interpretation of the Gospel and further teaching of the Sacrament.
1 This gospel, in one piece, teaches us and provokes us to speak and act gladly of the Lord Jesus Christ, in that it shows what fruit follows from it, although it is not understood and grasped as clearly as it ought to be. As you see here, the two disciples are still full of unbelief; nevertheless, because they speak of him in vain, he cannot remain from them, but comes to them, opens their eyes, and transfigures the Scriptures to them. You should grasp this and keep it, for it is quite a noble piece. But before I go on with the Gospel, which is easy according to history, I must first say a little about the Sacrament for the sake of the simple.
2. your love has heard that we have preached which people are qualified to receive the sacrament, namely, those who are moved in their hearts by the word of God to believe; and whoever does not find himself qualified in this way, he should stay away from it. And it is right for everyone to be frightened off, so that they do not run away, as they have done up to now, and run away by their own preparation. This is rightly preached, and God wanted many of them to be frightened by it; but again, I sense in many, and also in myself, that the evil spirit also presses too much on the right side, that it leaves and makes sluggish hearts to take the Sacrament, that they do not want to go to it, for they certainly feel that they are inflamed with faith. This is also dangerous, and it should be done in such a way that the readiness, which was hitherto practiced
I would break it off, but I would set up a new one, which would not be righteous either.
(3) We have fed those who prepare themselves by their own works for the sacrament, which God cannot suffer; but we should probably, on the other hand, cause people to become sluggish and always wait until God comes and gives perfect faith, and thus never go near. Therefore, faith is such a thing that it cannot be preached sufficiently, and even if it has been preached long and much, reason still cannot understand it. Therefore, in order to meet this calamity, let us continue to speak of it, and let us divide it into two pieces, or two kinds of persons, who are preparing themselves for it.
(4) In the first place, we have taught that there is nothing worth preparing for the sacrament by our own efforts that those who have tried to make themselves worthy of receiving the sacrament by their confession and other works have done. This is an abominable error and abuse, and those who undertake it are faithfully advised to refrain from it, or to remain far from the Sacrament.
(5) The other preparation, which takes place in faith, of which we have spoken enough, is the right one, which comes and flows from God; which is not done in such a way that one always feels that one is certainly prepared, for otherwise where would faith remain? Rather, the word of God comes to me without all my willing and doing. I may well do this, that I go and hear it, read it or preach it, so that it enters my heart. And this is the right preparation, which is not in man's power and ability, but in God's.
Power. Therefore, there is no better preparation for all the sacraments to be done or suffered than for God to do it in us. That is what has been said recently about the preparation. Now let us take the persons before us.
The gospel and word of God, which is a speech and talk of Christ, sometimes falls on those who do not accept it, and even strikes them off guard, and as Christ says Luc. 8:5, it falls on the way, that is, into raw hearts.
(7) Then there are others who are rude, and are in great vices, though they hear it at once, and do not oppose it, yet it does not grieve them greatly; as you see our enthusiasts doing now, who can talk and spout much of it, especially when they are full, and beat it down, but have nothing grasped of it, except that they know how to talk of it; these are all wicked hearts. Such also are those who are in deep avarice, so coarse that they feel it. And so on in other coarse things, that they have little regard for the holy gospel, when they can speak much of it. To all of these we do not want to preach anything, because it is lost on them, and the gospel makes them neither humble nor hungry.
(8) Thirdly, there are the worst, who persecute the gospel above all things; of whom Christ says in Matthew, Cap. 7:6, "Give not the holy things to the dogs, neither cast ye pearls before swine. These three sects do not belong to the gospel at all; we do not preach to them either, and I would like to see them punished, the coarse swine who talk about it so uselessly, as if it were a story by Dietrich of Bern or some other fairy tale. He who wants to be a sow, let him know what belongs to a sow. I would like to be able to conclude from the sermon that they never hear it and are far from it; for they can do nothing more than misuse the gospel to harm and only put us to shame, that for their sake God's word must suffer dishonor and shame. Out with the desolate sows!
(9) Last of all, there are some who are like these in the gospel. There you see how they are still lacking and lacking
They said, "We hoped that he would redeem Israel," as if to say, "We do not know where he will remain; we can see that nothing will come of it; he is now dead, and even if he comes to life and rises again, he will not be able to redeem the people and become a king. So they thought that the redemption was over. Therefore these two are the multitude who taste the gospel in their hearts and do not want it to be despised and acted against; but still they are stupid, so that they do not like to go to it, because they feel that they are not strong enough nor inflamed, so they pull away and do not want to go to it until they feel and sense that they are strong in the faith; These are the ones to whom the gospel belongs, even if they sometimes stumble, that they nevertheless have an unwillingness against themselves, feel their sickness and would like to be rid of it, so that they are not hardened in heart; they must be stirred up and drawn to Christ. We have not yet preached to anyone but such people.
(10) For this is the way of faith, that a man feels his infirmity and would gladly be delivered from it. No one is to wait until God performs a special miraculous sign with him, and not as with others, to whom he gives it through the gospel and the sacraments. For this reason God has given us the treasure and opened it up for us to take. Therefore, when you feel your weakness, you should go and say: My Lord, I am fallen, and would that I were strong; therefore thou hast instituted the sacrament for us, that we may kindle and strengthen our faith thereby, and that we may be helped: therefore am I here, and I will receive it. We should take comfort in this and cheerfully use the word and the sacrament when we feel that we lack faith and would like to be helped, so that we can seek help and strength; this is where it is found.
(11) For thou needest not make a tyrant of Christ, but let him, as he truly is, be vain abundant grace. If thou feelest in thy heart that thou dost not think it, nor believe it, and yet wouldst willingly-
test, that thou mightest believe, yet thou must not despair and flee from the sacrament, but there seek help that thy faith may be kindled and increase. For although some have been horribly punished for receiving the Sacrament unworthily and without faith, these alone are the ones we mentioned above, the hardened and reprobate hearts. But so thou shalt do, thinking, Lord, behold, here is the word; here is my infirmity and my sickness: for thou hast thyself said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, Matt. 11:28. Thinkest thou that he hath said these things unto them which are already burning and strong in the faith? His kingdom is not to promote the righteous, but to help sinners and make them righteous; therefore let him who is sick and feels it go and be helped.
(12) But here is another ulcer, which is also not on the right track: we have prophets in the land to and fro, who teach the people to defy too freely, and speak to the high majesty as to a cobbler's servant; the insolent and proud spirits are also by no means to be followed. For it is good that thou shouldest be dumb and despondent, that thou shouldest be frightened and fidgety; such fear pleaseth me not evil, and there abide, and so go thy way, that thy conscience may be strengthened. But such proud spirits and unbroken heads, which drive so defiantly, and want to throb with God, as if he should be afraid of them, he does not want to have.
(13) Therefore you should humble yourself and stand in fear, feeling your faltering and weakness, and wishing that you had faith. If you feel this, thank God; for this is a sure sign that the word has struck you and moved you, and is exercising, penetrating and driving you. What kind of faith would it be if I went and did not have any trembling or trembling in my heart, by which faith should be exercised? For this is the very nature of faith, that it proves its power in fear, in death, in sins, and in everything that makes a man stupid or despondent. Therefore, if you feel this way, it is just the right time to
If you go there, faith will have to work. And there the secret confession is good for, that you go to a pious man, and denounce your affliction, ask for advice, and follow that advice, if he recognizes that you are so skilled that you should go to the sacrament. Confession and the sacrament actually serve this purpose, otherwise they should not be used, and that is why they are used, so that weak consciences, which are oppressed by their sin, may be counseled.
Fourteenth, then, you say: How then, because I am so lazy and cold that I have no desire for it, and yet I feel well that I need it; yet the gospel and sacrament will not taste good to me, so that all the sparks in my heart are almost extinguished? Answer: Nevertheless, you should not let it go. For because you still feel this, you are not yet corrupt, yet you are not as wicked as those we spoke of above; for you ever wanted to burn. Therefore, you should do this: take the word of God before you, go and listen to it being preached, read it, write it, or even sing it, so that you only handle it and act on it, and you will feel something that will not be lacking; and go to the sacrament and say: "Lord, I am a lazy ass, that is why I have come, so that you may help me and set my heart on fire. You must not think how you will prepare yourself so that you will be worthy to receive the sacrament; but be ready already now, when you feel that you would like to be helped, and that need urges you to go.
(15) It has often happened to me also that I have shied away from it, and so only stepped away more; until I saw that nothing helped, then I had to go. So you will also find that you see that it is the devil's ghost that pulls people away in such a way that the more they shy away and want to wait until they feel faith in their hearts, the further they get away from it; that at last, if they remain in the sense, all desire and craving in them go out, both to the Gospel and to the Sacrament, so that they never get there. Therefore, you must put aside your mind and shyness, and go and ask God to help you. If you do this often, you will
that you will gain more and more desire for it, which you would not have gained otherwise. That is why I would like you to do the same, and there would be many of you who would go to the sacrament in such an opinion, so that they would gain more and more pleasure and become stronger and stronger; otherwise, if you do not go, you will always remain cold and only become colder and colder.
16 You should now take comfort in this, and you will know it when you try it. For it is impossible that God's word should not produce fruit and benefit. Thus God said in Isaiah 55:10, 11: "My word that goes forth from my mouth shall not return to me void, but shall accomplish all that I will. As the rain and snow fall from heaven, and make the earth moist and fruitful; so shall my word do." This saying should ever make us bold and joyful when we are already cold. We have by God's grace the word of God, so we should lift up our hands and thank God. How many are there in the world who do not have it? How else can you get it? Since you have the supply and all the readiness that serves for it, you have enough trouble on your neck. Therefore, because God says that His word will not go without fruit and that you will do the same, so that you do not make a mockery of it, but deal with it seriously, you will undoubtedly feel and sense something; and the more you do this, the better you will feel it. You cannot have such evil thoughts in your heart, if you take something from the Scriptures before you and read it, or come to another and talk to him about it, then the evil lusts will lie down and the flesh will be quieted. This I have often tried; and if you try it, you will also find the fruits and grasp that it is as God says. What more do you want to prepare?
(17) Is it not enough that you have come so far that you have God's word beckoning you, and feel your misfortune driving you toward it? Christ is there, waiting to help you; what more can he do? and no one is excluded,
than the coarse insolent heads, and the unfaithful, who are not in earnest. Therefore you should go to it, and consider that Christ sees much deeper into your heart than you do yourself, as you also see here in the gospel. The two poor men should not have wished for what they encountered there, but such grace befell them that Christ himself came to them, because they spoke of him, and revealed to them that they knew him. There they are full of joy, which they should not have desired; yet it was so deep in the bottom of their hearts that they themselves did not see that they desired such things; although their hearts were so set that they would have liked nothing better than to see the Lord Christ rise again and become king. Therefore, God sees deeper into the heart than we ourselves do, and gives us more than we desire. So he does here also: if you feel that you are not burning as you would like, but he does not see deeper into your heart than you do, because you would like to be completely inflamed and burning; therefore you should not flee from it, but go to it fresh.
18 Many sayings in Paul serve this purpose, as when he speaks to the Ephesians Cap. 3, 20: "The Lord is able to do abundantly above all that we ask or understand. Now we see what he gives us when we receive it, and we feel that we receive it with joy; therefore he says that we do not see it because we desire it, and do not even think of it; but the Lord, who searches the hearts, sees it and gives us his grace abundantly. Thus it came to pass of St. Monica, St. Augustine's mother, that when she had wept for her son nine years in succession, her heart was such that she would gladly have seen him become a Christian, and she proposed many counsels to make him a Christian, and to give him a Christian wife, that she might thus bring him to be a bad married Christian man; but this she could not hope nor expect, that he should become such a man as he afterwards became, though she would gladly have seen it.
019 So see the examples in the gospel through and through. St. Peter was also too stupid when the Lord wanted to wash his feet, and did not understand that his need urged him to do so, and that his heart was in such a way that he needed Christ to wash him, as he soon after said, "Lord, wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head," John 13:9. 13:9. So it is also in our hearts that we see the Lord Christ wanting to help us, and yet we are so stupid that we are afraid of him and do not think as much of his goodness as we might say. For if we thought him to be what he is, we would also say like Peter, "Wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head," and so think, "Now I will go happily, and have more sin on my neck. Likewise also another example of St. Peter in Lucae Cap. 5, 6. 7. 8. when they sat in the ship, and caught so much fish that their nets were rent: then Peter was afraid, and fell down before the Lord, saying, "Lord, go out from me, for I am a sinful man." Behold, he was afraid of him, and commanded him to depart, when he should have called him to himself. Thus does stupid nature always shrink from Christ, since there is nothing but goodness, and he is there to help everyone. Therefore I have said that Christ should not be made a tyrant, but that he should be a friendly Lord and Savior, who desires nothing else than to help sinners and to entice and provoke everyone with words and examples.
20 This has been said clearly enough about the nature of faith, for the only thing we lack is a proper understanding of the nature of faith. Therefore do ye thus: Lift up and try, and ye shall feel it; and the more thou practisest it, the more thou shalt feel comfort and strength; and the more thou findest thyself unskilful, the more thou must take the word of God before thee, and do, or hear, or read, and speak of it, and thou shalt ever find and prove something that pleaseth thee and moveth thee. Besides, you should also ask and speak to God, as the apostles Luc. 17, 5:
"Lord, strengthen my faith." So go, and you will be strengthened. But if you want to follow your stupidity too much, you will never get there, because you are standing on the fact that you want to feel and not believe. You must feel your unhappiness and your fidgeting. Then it is time for you to go to the sacrament. And though thou be weak in faith, thou shalt not therefore withdraw: for he will not cast thee away: for he is there only to strengthen the weak, and to comfort the affrighted.
(21) All this I have not preached to the rough and hard-hearted, nor to our enthusiasts, but only to consciences, which are weak and foolish, and sometimes fall, that they may not despair, but know where to find help and comfort. Thus an old father in the wilderness said a good saying, when he saw that a brother was weak and stupid, he said, "Don't, my brother, you must not go away and retreat like that, you may go back so long that you get away from it altogether. For it is to be feared that the longer we remain from it, the colder and lazier we become; those shall remain from it, as we have said much, who lead a coarse and disorderly life, and do not think of mending. But they that would gladly amend themselves, and know their infirmity, and would gladly be rid of it, and see that they cannot help themselves, let them come hither to be helped.
(22) From this you see why God has appointed and ordained that His word should always be preached, and therefore it should not be despised. It is true that the word is of no use without the Spirit; but since God Almighty Himself says, as we have heard, "My word," which I preach, "shall not return to me empty," it must not be abandoned; for He will put the Holy Spirit into the heart through the word, and will not suffer you to open your mouth and wait for Him to give you a miraculous sign from heaven, and so abandon the Word and Sacrament. He himself thinks highly of the word and praises it highly, because he has decided that he will give his grace through it, as Christ says John 6:44: "No one comes to me except one whom my Father begets." How does
the Father? Through Christ. How through Christ? With the word. So he tempts and entices you; if your need drives you, go up cheerfully and bravely present your calamity; but ever bring the word with you.
023 But let this be commanded of God, how thou shalt abide continually, and go now, because thou hast the word, and feelest thine affliction: then shall the word itself teach thee how thou shalt rightly prepare thyself to go. For then you must complain to God and say: Lord, I am a sinner, and cannot help myself with my ability; therefore I come that thou mayest help me. If I have the grace that only the word of God is heartily pleasing to me, and I have joy and delight in it, then I can remain well. For it must be a great thing that God gives me his word and makes it taste good and pleasing to me. Even if I am not yet as strong as I ought to be, I will grow stronger as time goes on, so that at last I will come to such a point that I will confess it without fear and leave my life over it. Therefore Christ says Matth. 7, 7. 8.: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For whosoever asketh receiveth; and whosoever seeketh findeth; and whosoever knocketh, it shall be opened unto him."
(24) Wherefore I will faithfully exhort you that ye deal wisely in this matter. We have condemned those who are able to prepare themselves with their works so that they may go; but those who feel their need and see that they are unable to do anything on their own, nor can they advise and help themselves, we have enticed them to go, for they have a blessed need of the sacrament. Therefore, when thou feelest thyself, go first to a pious man, and complain to him of thy infirmities, saying, Behold, I am fallen, would that I might be helped again, and ask counsel what I should do. Then you shall comfort him and make him go to the sacrament, that he may exercise himself and be strengthened. For it is only for this reason that we are comforted and strengthened by it.
will be. Therefore you shall not be driven in any way. If thou feelest thy stupidity, it is well with thee: for thou must feel thine infirmity. But if thou feelest it not, it is not well with thee, and it is better that thou stay away.
025 Take before thee the gospel and the scriptures, the more, the better, if thou know them well, and hast read them oft. For this is surely the devil's ingenuity, that he should take away thy delight in the word: he will not suffer thee to come to it, for he knoweth well what fruit it bringeth. Therefore, if you handle the word and pursue it as much as you can, you will see that Christ is with you and sets your heart on fire. But the best thing is that two or three of them speak of it with one another with earnestness, so that the living voice may go. Then it is also much stronger and the devil must give way. So all evil desire and thoughts are gone, and there follows such light and knowledge as you have never felt before; the only thing missing is that we fools have the noble treasure lying at the door and do not know how to use it; and the devil deceives us, so that he pulls us away and makes us lazy, because he cannot restrain us. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves and resist the devil's entreaties. So Christ will come and reveal himself, if at first you are not aware of it; the more you speak of it and deal with it, the more clearly you will recognize him, and will feel him kindling your heart within; as you heard in the Gospel of the two disciples who went into the village of Emmaus.
26 I have yet to preach this about the sacrament, as much as God has given; and I urge you, my friends, to grasp it and use it well; where there are enthusiasts who only harm the gospel, they should be punished by secular authorities. We must also let them listen for the sake of the pious; for God's word must be preached publicly to everyone, since we do not know whom it should affect.