Luc. 7, 11-17.
And it came to pass afterward, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. And when he was come nigh unto the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was carried out, which was an only son of his mother; and she was a widow; and much people of the city went with her. And when the Lord saw her, he was sorry for her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the coffin, and the bearers stopped. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And the dead man arose and began to speak". And he gave him to his mother. And they all felt fear and praised God, saying: A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited His people. And this speech of his went out into all the land of Judah and into all the surrounding countries.
In this gospel you see how the evangelist again holds up a divine miracle to us, so that he wants to provoke us to turn our hearts to God, where it is our duty, as it was with this widow at that time; for it is not written for the sake of the widow, but for the sake of those who would hear the gospel until the end of the world, among whom we are also counted.
First of all, you see here what kindness and grace is shown to this woman by Christ, that we must truly confess that she does not deserve it; for she goes out through the city with her friends, where there is nothing but weeping and wailing. The good woman has thought of nothing less than that she should lead her son back alive into the city, and therefore she does not desire it, nor does she ask for it, much less does she deserve it. She never thought that Christ would come; indeed, she did not know Christ, nor did she know of him.
*) This sermon is found in a b c. D. Red.
He knew something so that he could help people; all merit and preparation is nullified.
(3) Now all this is written because, just as this widow's blessing was given freely and purely by grace, only that it grieved Christ, we can also infer from this a common rule in "all" blessings of God: that they all come to us without our merit, even before we seek them; he lays the foundation and begins. But what is the cause? It grieves him. So it remains God's grace; otherwise, if we deserved it, it would not be grace. And therefore it happens that we can say to him: You are a merciful God, you do good even to those who do not deserve it.
This sermon seems easy to us, but where are they who mean it with heart? If we believed that everything comes to us out of God's grace and mercy, we would walk in leaps and bounds every day, our hearts would be lifted up and always be in heaven. When we get there one day, we will see that it is so, now no one believes it. The god of this world, the devil, has such a great power on earth that we cannot believe God's
We do not see or recognize the work of God, 2 Cor. 4:4; therefore we do not care for them, we abuse the benefits of God and are completely ungrateful to Him.
If I only thought that he had given me eyes, truly such a great treasure, it would be no wonder that I would be ashamed to death of the ingratitude that I have never thanked him for this blessing. But we do not see the blessing and the noble treasure, it is too mean. But when a blind child is born, you see what a pain it is and what a precious thing it is to have an eye, and what a divine gift it is to have a healthy fresh face: it serves us through all our lives, and without it one would rather be dead; nor is there anyone who thanks God for it. Look at the whole body, and you will feel God's grace and goodness everywhere. That is why the 33rd Psalm v. 5. says: "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." He had pure eyes and could see deeply that the whole world was full of God's goodness and benevolence. But from where did this goodness come? Did we deserve it? No, but it has pleased God so, who throws his gifts into the world, which seize the ungrateful as much as the grateful. It grieves us when we have to throw away one or two guilders, or even less, or even give to poor people; how much does God throw his gifts into the world every day, and there is no one to thank him for one? yes, who still recognizes it?
(6) Thus we may look upon all creatures, and we shall abundantly perceive the goodness of God in them. Christ says in Matthew 5:45: "He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. As if he wanted to say: He strikes the rape, but who thanks him for it? He enlightens my eyes and yours, but no one recognizes that it is God's gift. If the sun did not go out one morning, or three hours too slowly, what misery and distress would there be? How would we open our mouths and eyes? Then everyone would say: Thanks be to God and praise be to Him, who has given us
has put on such a light! But because it happens daily that the sun rises and shines at the right time, there is no one who considers it a blessing. So it is also with the rain, with the grain in the field, and with all creatures: there are too many goods, we are daily showered with benefits, therefore we do not see it.
At times God causes some man to fall in anguish and distress, in pain and sorrow, so that the world is as if it had no God, makes one blind, lame, addicted to water, causes one to die, as here the widow's son; for they are his creatures, he may do with them as he pleases. Well, why does he do that? He does it only for a surplus, that we may ever feel his kindness. Therefore, when the disciples asked the Lord about the blind man in John 9:23, whether he or his parents had sinned, the Lord answered and said, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God might be revealed in him. As if to say: God wants to be praised in this blind man; for God sees that the treasures of the whole world do not move us: therefore He does this for an abundance, out of pure grace, that He sets a blind man before our eyes, so that we may see what a noble treasure we have on our face, whether we cannot recognize His grace and good deeds in the pious, that we nevertheless recognize and notice them in the harm. Therefore this one had to be blind, so that the others would recognize themselves and say: Oh, good God, what a precious gift I have, what a good thing it is to have a healthy body and a fresh face! But no one takes it to heart; yes, we say, cows have eyes too! Well, if you were blind, you would feel the damage, which you do not feel now, because you are healthy and showered with God's blessings.
(8) So it happened here with this widow, in whom God shows what kind of God he is, what he thinks of us and what we should think of him. This woman has two misfortunes on her neck. First, she is a widow; that is misfortune enough for a woman, that she is abandoned and alone,
has no one to whom she can turn for comfort. For this reason, God is often called a father of widows and orphans in Scripture; as in Psalm 68, v. 6, and Psalm 146, 9: "The Lord preserves strangers and orphans, and raises up widows. On the other hand, she has only one son, who dies to her, who should have been her comfort. Now God leads to her, takes away her husband and son; she would much rather have lost her house and farm, even her own body, than this son and husband. But the Lord turns it around. When the man was alive, the woman did not know what a gift it was to have a husband, but when he died, she knew. When he was alive, she thought, "Oh, but other women have husbands, too!" thinking that her husband was like other men, but then, when he died, she realized what a husband she had lost. So also, when the son was fresh and healthy, she did not recognize the gift of God; but when he died, she first saw what a treasure she had lost. Before, she would not have done much about it, but now that he is dead, she has done everything about it and herself. It is the same with us. There are many of them who do not dare to spend ten guilders to educate their child; when the child dies, the parents wish and say: "O God, if he were alive, I could give many hundred guilders for it! Why did you not do this before, so that he would have learned something? What is the cause? You do not recognize the benefits and gifts of God. Summa Summarum: The world remains the world, nothing will change.
Now the woman was walking along, not knowing what God had given her, but she was soon to know. For before she looks around and is most sure, God comes, examines the woman a little, teaches her mores, takes away her husband and her son. All this is written for us, so that we may take an example and learn to recognize God when he gives us good things, a healthy body, a fresh face, and other benefits, not so that you may rejoice in them, but so that you may know what to think of him. If he takes away a limb from thee, or causes thy wife to die, or any eye to perish, all these things shall be done.
so that you may see what you have had.
(10) And this is the common teaching throughout all the Gospels, that we may see what kind of God we have. This is also shown to us here in this gospel, that he does not want to leave anyone; therefore he lets the woman see anew what kind of God she has. For when she was forsaken, having neither husband nor son, Christ proved to her how he was with her, saying: "Learn to believe, trust in God, know him, in whom death and life are one thing; have a good heart, be of good cheer, do not weep, there is no need; bring about this, and raise up the deceased and restore him to his mother.
(11) God performs these and similar miracles so that the heart may learn how to relate to Him and how to relate to Him. When this woman thought that her son was lost, that it was impossible for her to bring him back to life; indeed, if someone had said to her, "Before one hour has passed, your son will come back to life," she would have considered it impossible, and would have said, "It is more likely that heaven will fall than that my son will come back to life. Why does God do this? Because he lets man fall into such peril and fear that there is no more counsel or help; and yet he wants us not to despair, but to trust in him who can make an impossible thing into a possible thing and nothing into something. If you are so deep and hard in sins that your heart also rejects all grace and mercy of God, and makes you think that it is now over with you; as then many consciences are in such fear and distress: turn back, and see how kindly and graciously God is portrayed in the Gospels through Christ, so that you may ever realize that He means well with you, and that He is not here to condemn or reject you, but to keep you in your soul forever. For for this purpose such miracles
and miraculous works, and for this purpose they also serve that we may see. As God helps this widow bodily through Christ, He also wants to help us not only bodily, but also much more spiritually and eternally in our souls, if we will only turn to Him.
12. But all miracles and works of God are considered impossible in our eyes and are also impossible for nature to comprehend; and that is so that God may be recognized as an almighty Creator, who could make an impossible thing into a possible thing and nothing into something. It is impossible, when I have died, that I should come to life again; and even if I worshiped all the angels and all the saints for this purpose, still nothing comes of it; what then should free will do? Still I shall speak in death: I will live: not through me, but that I know that my God is so skillful, who does not make something out of wood, which is here before my eyes, but his nature and manner is that he can make a possible thing out of an impossible thing and create something out of nothing; otherwise he would not be a truly right God.
(13) Therefore, if death were here, and I could no longer live, I should know how to say, Nevertheless I live, and will live; so that death, which is about me, may be as a little flame, and life as the sea great. Now reason cannot understand how this happens; but he who has faith knows this for certain, to him death is like a little flame in the midst of the sea, which is extinguished in a moment. God is almighty, but he who believes is in God, therefore he is also in life, even if he were in the midst of death. So also, a poor man who believes, who remembers, like this one in death: O! Poverty is a little fire, and riches like the sea; now it is for a moment that poverty shall perish, and I shall be rich; for by faith God has completely surrounded him, who has all things in his hand and power. So also with the disgrace, when one's cry and good rumor
people think that it will never come back; if you believe and cling to God, it is for a moment, then you are again in great honor. For our God is able to turn insurmountable poverty into great wealth, and great shame into unspeakable honor. It is the same with sin; if you believe, sin is to righteousness as a little fire is to the whole sea.
14 You can see this very well in this female. She is surrounded by great pain and fear, so that she thinks that God, heaven, earth and everything is against her; and because she looks at the flesh as it is before her eyes, she must conclude that it is impossible for her to be released from such fear. But when the Son was raised from death to her, she was no different than when heaven and earth, wood and stone, laughed with her, and everything was happy with her; she forgot all pain and sorrow, which went away as a little fire goes out when it falls into the sea. Therefore God says in the prophet Isaiah Cap. 54, 7. 8.: "A moment and a little while have I forsaken thee; but none the less will I gather thee together again with great kindness and mercy; in a moment of my wrath have I hid my face from thee a little, but with everlasting mercy have I had mercy upon thee." But I do not see this, I let myself think that the moment is an eternal thing before God; but it is truly only a moment and is followed by much joy; as also the 8th Psalm v. 6. says: "You will make him lack a little in God, but with honors and adornment you will crown him." But all this is still hidden from us, and we do not see it, like this woman here. This son who died is in the midst of life, for God has him in his bosom, for he willed to raise him up; there is a little spark of death that kills him, which no one saw; but now that he has come to life, that which was hidden from all the world before has been revealed.
15 Thus God also certainly acts with us. Then we should learn what we can do for
We would have a God who surrounds us and is with us even in the greatest dangers and anxieties. Therefore, if anyone is poor, in sins, in death, in affliction, or in other trials, remember that it is a transition, a drop and a spark; for God has surrounded him with riches, righteousness, life, and joy, only that he is not seen; but it is for a little while, and we shall see and know. So here you have an example, not of faith, but of the pure grace and goodness of God. Now we must also say a little about the spiritual understanding or secret interpretation.
II. Secret interpretation.
(16) All the works and miracles which Christ thus performs visibly and outwardly are to be taken as indicating the works which he performs invisibly and spiritually, or inwardly, with men. Therefore, this bodily death means here the spiritual death of the soul, which must be believed. For while we live, no man can see into another man's soul; but when we are dead, we have other eyes, and see that the whole world is dead. Therefore the Lord said to a scribe, Matt. 8:22, who was about to go and bury his father, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead."
(17) This young man here is dead in body, whom they are burying here; but there are also some dead inwardly before God, who still live here in body. This soul is dead who does not believe in God and does not cling to Him; for whoever believes in God, even though he is in the midst of death, still lives, as was said above.
(18) This spiritual death is of two kinds: some are dead in the soul, but it is not seen, as bodily death is seen, and they themselves neither see nor feel it; so the whole world is dead, but it does not feel it. After this, some are also spiritually dead, who feel it well, as those whom the law has rightly struck. We are not talking here about those who do not feel spiritual death.
but of those who feel that they are dead, whose heart is trembling, and who feel in their conscience that they have an unbelieving heart; he is dead in a much different way than he who does not feel it, and yet lives forever in a state of drunkenness. The one who does not feel it cannot be helped, because he does not recognize his illness, he lives in a state of drifting, he does not respect God or the world. But he who feels this death, there is misery and distress, there is fidgeting and trembling, the world becomes too narrow for him, he seeks help and advice, yes, he does not despise stone and wood if they could advise him, let alone that he should hear something from any man, even from the very least.
19 Who then gives him the feeling? This is done by the law, which reveals sin. The law says, "Thou shalt not have strange gods"; when I hear this, I must and shall do so to him; but I cannot: so I soon conclude that I am damned. If I deal with it in this way, death and such trembling soon come into my heart that if I were not helped, I would have to remain in such death and trembling forever. This then is the death of the only Son, who lies in the coffin, the bearers always carry him away to hell.
The bearers are the preachers of the law; they do nothing but lower man deeper and deeper into death; as they hasten with the dead to the grave, they frighten and drive longer and longer into hell, and nothing gets better with man, yes, worse and worse.
(21) This is what we experienced under the pope with confession and atonement for sin. We let ourselves think that we wanted to do enough with works, but it was only a fear of conscience. So we always sank toward hell. Therefore, if you have such people who fear sin and condemnation, they are already dead; you must not preach much more of the law to them; you must show them salvation and preach the gospel. Our papists, when they get such a sorrowful person, direct him to rosaries, to pilgrimages, to this and that work: but one thing helps like another.
22. the bearers there would have the dead always
If Christ had not come, then Christ must also come here with his word and grace. And now this is the other ministry of the gospel, which teaches not what thou shalt do, but where thou shalt take it, that thou mayest do it; even as Christ does here. He does not ask, "What is this?" or, "How do you do this? Do you want to have the young man alive again? He asks none of these questions, but takes pity on the mother, steps in, touches the coffin, and the bearers soon stand still. That is when one preaches the good deeds of God and how Christ gives us his merit and work, then the hand is laid on the coffin, then the bearers stand still; that is, then one no longer hears the preachers of the law, one no longer believes them, but one speaks thus: Preach work, preach work, we have another sermon. If our hands are on the coffin, they do no good, the dead do not come back to life; but if Christ's hand touches the coffin, it does. For when a man hears that Christ's works are done, and that his works are given to us, he says, "What may we do in addition to this?
(23) But the dead man does not come to life as soon as this is done; the word is preached to us, the benefits of God, and what is given to us through Christ: but it is not enough, it is only to touch the coffin; the voice of Christ must also come in the heart, so that we believe the word, that it is as the sermon says. The young man does not get up as soon as he is touched, but when the Lord said, "Young man, I say to you, get up," this voice stirred the heart and made the dead man alive. When I hear the word and let myself be human
Even though I am no longer moved by these statutes, I am still carried away by them, I still remain in such despondency, and it is of little help to me. Above the outward sermon, I must also hear this voice in my heart: "Young man, I say to you, arise," that is, I must believe this sermon, cling to it with my heart, rely on it, and not let sin, death, the devil or hell tear me away.
(24) So we have two sermons: one is only laying the hand on the coffin, it does not yet do it; the other, when the hand is laid on the coffin and the voice follows in the heart, it does it. The first proclaims to us the works of Christ, as they were done for us and given to us; but when the voice is heard in the heart, he who was dead before begins to speak and confesses the faith with his mouth, which he believes and feels in his heart; that is, when the heart believes, the work of love follows, namely, that you speak, that is, preach to the world, and thank God for the good deed and faith which he has shown you and given you.
(25) From this then follows great joy and thanksgiving, praising and glorifying God; as here Christ has obtained a great shout throughout all the Jewish land and in all the surrounding countries. Thus a Christian can bring many to faith. Therefore, do not make a joke out of miracles and miraculous signs, as the papists did.
(26) Let this be said of this gospel, in which we see how God helps and saves us out of pure grace and goodness, without any merit or effort on our part, even before we seek or ask for help from Him. God grant that we may believe it.