On the day of St. Andrew the Apostle.
Matth. 4, 18-22.
Now as Jesus went by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting their nets into the sea; for they were fishermen. And he said to them: Follow me; I will make you fishers of men. Soon they left their nets and followed him. And as he passed away from thence, he saw two other brethren, Jacobum the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and he called unto them. Soon they left the ship and their father and followed him.
The feast of St. Andrew the Apostle is celebrated today. Let us not speak about the legend written about him, because it stinks of flesh and blood. It is enough for us to know that he was an apostle, called to the high office. For "apostles" means "messengers" whom God has chosen by Himself to preach the gospel, and to lay a foundation which is without means, and then to confirm the gospel by their death and shedding of blood; and these are the highest titles that can be given to them, let it be so. Further, how they are to be honored, you have now often heard, namely, that we let the dear saints remain where they are, and care for those who live here with us. For we have enough to send with us, that we may go rightly as Christians ought; therefore let them remain as God has sent them: we cannot know nor understand how they live there. That world is much different from this one: this one is mistaken about days and hours, that world is not like that; that St. Peter 2 Ep. 3, 8. probably said from the Psalter, Psalm 90, 4: "But one thing be not withheld from you, beloved, that one day in the sight of the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Therefore, leave such useless sorrow and do what we need to do,
That is, that we live divinely through faith and Christianly through love; these are the two pieces in which our life should stand. When we die, God will order us and send us wherever He wants us to go.
(2) We want to give a little history of the Gospel. Since the Lord Christ, after the death of John the Baptist, was commanded by his heavenly Father to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, first through the Jewish country, because he was a man, mortal like us, and at one time could not be in many places, he chose several helpers whom he would also send out to preach the kingdom of God in the Jewish country. He especially chose twelve of them, among whom Andrew was one, as Matthew writes here. And this was the other calling. John describes the first calling and says that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, and when he heard his master testify of Christ that he was the Lamb of God and the true Messiah, he followed the Lord and stayed with him for a whole day; and when he went thereafter, he also called Peter, his brother, and said, "He has found the Messiah," 2c, John 1:41. This was the beginning and the first calling, that is, the first calling.
They had to hear the gospel of the Lord Christ. For if they were to preach to others, they had to hear and learn it first. After that, when they were to preach to others, the Lord called them specially and commanded them how and what they should do, Matt. 10.
3 Now the Lord is not a little concerned about this appointment; therefore he did not plump into it and appoint anyone to such an office without distinction. He would certainly not have done this without the counsel and will of his heavenly Father; as Lucas Cap. 6, 12. 13. clearly shows, when he says: The Lord went at one time to a mountain to pray there, and remained a whole night in prayer to God; and in the morning he called his disciples to him, and appointed twelve of them, and called them apostles. From this we are to learn, if we lack preachers, that we should ask them of God, as Christ Himself says in Matthew Cap. 9, 38: "Ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest."
Now there are two kinds of callings to the ministry of preaching: one is without means, from God; the other is through men, and yet also from God. The first is not to be believed unless it is proved by miraculous signs, as happened with Christ and his apostles, who confirmed their preaching with subsequent signs. Therefore, when they come and say that God has called them, that the Holy Spirit is driving them, that they must preach, ask them boldly, "What signs do you do that people should believe you? Marc. 16, 20. We truly do not want to listen to your bad words. Yes, even if you do signs for us, we still want to see what your teaching is, if it also agrees with the word of God; for false prophets can also do signs, as Moses said to the Jews Deut. 13, 1-4.If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams stand up among you, and give thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder come, whereof he hath told thee, saying, Let us walk after other gods, which ye know not, and serve them: then shalt thou not hearken unto the words of such a prophet or dreamer.
Dreamer. For the Lord your God is testing you to see if you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. For ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and serve him, and cleave unto him." Therefore let us take heed of those who boast of the Holy Spirit, lest they lead us astray from the true word of God; believe them not, for they prove their spirit with miraculous signs: and see where the miraculous signs are drawn; for the devil also is able to perform miraculous signs.
(5) The other calling is through men, and yet it is also from God, namely, through means. And this is a calling of love, as when one of the multitude is chosen as a bishop or preacher, to whom one is confident that he has the word of God and can communicate it to others through his teaching and preaching. Then one should be careful that there is not also a sham eye there, that one penetrates oneself to preach, be it for the sake of one's belly or honor; for it is dangerous, it will never go out well. If you are learned and understand God's word well, if you think you want to preach righteously and usefully to others, wait, God will have it, he will find you well. Dear one, do not let art tear your belly, God has not forgotten you; if you preach his word, he will demand you in his time. Set him no goal, time, or place; for where thou wouldest not go, there he will drive thee, and where thou wouldst gladly be, there thou shalt not come.
(6) But since there is not a little concern about how to come to this high office, and there are now many of them who boast of the apostleship or ever consider themselves worthy of it, I must say a little more about it, for the comfort of some consciences who are deceived by the devil: if they can say a little about the gospel, they think they must soon appear and preach it to others as well.
7 St. Paul boasts in the epistle to the Galatians Cap. 1, 1. that he is an apostle,
not of men, nor by man, but by JESUS CHRIST, and God the FATHER: which he saith especially against the false apostles, which boast of none. Let us look at these words of St. Paul, which will serve us well in this matter, and first show what this word "apostle" means.
8) "Apostle" is said as much as a messenger, because he is sent by another. This name is a shameful name, but nevertheless high and honest; in addition it leads to a great humility in that he who has this name is sent by another. It also indicates servitude and obedience, lest anyone should boast of the name and place false hope in it, as if it were a name of great worthiness and high title; but rather be drawn and drawn by this servant name to the one who sent him, from whom the reputation and worthiness of the messenger and servant should be respected, so that the servant and messenger may be the more honestly accepted and acted upon: not as in our times, when these names, "apostle," "bishop," and others, begin to be not offices or ministries, but dignities and dominions. Which Christ in John Cap. 10, 8. calls by a perverse name, not "sent ones," but which come of themselves; yea, he calls them "thieves and murderers," as not bringing the sender's word, that they might feed, but that they might only carry away their gain in that they slay the sheep; for thus he saith, "As many as came unto you," that is, that were not sent, "these are thieves and murderers." And as St. Paul also says to the Romans Cap. 10, 15. "How shall they preach, if they be not sent?"
O God would that the bishops, pastors and rulers of the Christian people at this time would accept such teaching worthily. Who can preach that he is an apostle? But who is an apostle but he who brings the word of God? Who can bring God's word, but he who has heard God? But may he also be called an apostle who brings nothing but his dreams and human statutes and philosophical teachings?
to the people? Yes, he is a thief, a murderer, a corrupter and strangler of souls, who is not sent but comes from himself. And this is well recognized by the troubled, anxious consciences. For as often as God's word is preached, it makes a happy, broad, secure conscience; for it is a word of grace, of forgiveness, and a good and sweet word at that. But when the word of man is preached, it makes a sad, narrow and trembling conscience within oneself; for it is a word of law, wrath and sin, showing what man has not done and yet what he ought to do. For this reason, the church has never been more wretched from the beginning than it is now, and it becomes more and more wretched every day, since the poor consciences are tortured and tormented with so many articles, statutes, with innumerable ropes and tortures, much more severely than in the times of the martyrs, who were only tormented in body; but we are both blinded, deceived and fundamentally corrupted in body and soul with such their articles [laws*].
(10) And it should be noted here that Christ did not want anyone to become an apostle by choice of men, but He Himself required and called them to do so. Therefore the other apostles were not allowed to choose St. Matthiam, Apost. 1, 24, but acquired him from heaven through prayer. And Christ himself called Paul from heaven and made him an apostle, Apost. 9:6, and especially by the voice of the Holy Spirit, as it is written in the Acts of the Apostles, Cap. 13:2: "Separate unto me Barnabam and Paulum, for the work whereunto I have called them." So Paul himself boasts to the Romans that he was set apart to the gospel of God, Rom, 1, 1.; and to the Galatians Cap. 2, 7. he says, as the other apostles were sent among the circumcision, that is, among the Jews, but he with Barnaba was set apart among the foreskin, that is, among the Gentiles. All this is so that you may see how Christ has so carefully prepared and preserved his church, so that no one may ever be caught with iniquity.
*) (b)
to teach, than he who is required and called by him or by those whom he has sent. For just as the word of God is the noblest and greatest benefit of the church of Christ, so again the church of God is not corrupted with any greater harm than with the word of men and worldly statutes. God alone is true, but all men are liars, Rom. 3, 4. And for this very purpose Christ has left His gospel and other holy Scriptures for us, so that His church would be built with them and not with human statutes. The state of the Christian community today sufficiently shows how it has been so miserably despised, even completely perverted, for more than three hundred years.
11 From these words of St. Paul, when he says to the Galatians Cap. 1, 1, that he is an apostle, not chosen by man nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, Jerome identifies four kinds of apostles. First, there are some apostles who are not chosen by men, nor through men, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, such as the prophets and all the apostles.
12. secondly, some are indeed called by God, but through men, as the disciples of the apostles, and all who righteously enter the ministry of preaching in place of the apostles, as bishops and priests, until the end of the world. And these cannot be without the first, from whom they have their beginning.
(13) Thirdly, there are some who are chosen by men and not by God, as when one is taken by favor and friendship; as we now see many of them who are taken to the priestly office by favor of the common people alone. These are Hieronymi's words. If misfortune began in Hieronymi's time, yes, began to become strong, then it is no wonder that it now triumphs, rules and reigns, [and has the upper hand*]. For all those must be of this kind who offer themselves as bishops and priests before they are called to it, which only
*) (d)
They are vassals and ambitious people. Therefore, we can see how the Christian community can benefit from them.
Fourteenth, there is a kind of apostle that comes neither from God nor from men, nor through men, but from themselves, as the false prophets and false apostles, which St. Paul touches upon in many places, and especially in the epistle to the Galatians. The Scriptures call such false apostles evildoers and those who can disguise themselves into the righteous apostles of Christ; and in John Cap. 10, 6, the Lord calls them thieves and murderers, and those who come from themselves. So also God says in Jeremiah Cap. 23, 21. "I did not send the prophets, nor did they run; I did not speak with them, nor did they preach or prophesy." One should be especiallyware of this piece. For this is why Christ did not want the devils to speak of him, Luc. 4, 35, even though they spoke the truth, lest under the appearance of truth the lies of death should enter in; for he who speaks from himself can speak nothing but lies, as Christ says in John Cap. 8, 44. Therefore, so that the apostles would not speak from themselves, Christ gave them His Spirit, of which He says: "It is not you who speak, but your Father's Spirit who speaks through you," Matth. 10, 20. And in Luca Cap. 21, 15. he says: "I will give you mouth and wisdom, which shall not gainsay nor resist all your adversaries."
15. I must here speak of a foolish complaint of many people, and especially of monks and priests, who are very much tempted by it, for they complain how they have the Lord's penny, and therefore, out of compulsion and necessity of the evangelical commandment, they are urged to preach and to teach other people, and therefore, where they do not preach, they have a very foolish conscience about it, and believe that they bury their Lord's money and are therefore guilty of eternal damnation. The devil causes all this, so that he may make them unstable in the profession to which they have been called. O dear brother, Christ sets you free with
a word about this question and sorrow, just look at the same gospel and listen to how it says: "As a man going over the land, prepare his servants, and give them his goods", Matth. 25, 14. Behold, he prepares his servants: who has called you? Dear one, wait until God calls you, until then you will be safe and of good courage. Yes, if you were wiser and wiser than Solomon and Daniel, but you should flee from it as from hell, that you should speak even one word, because you would be required and called to do so. If God needs you, he will call you: he will not call you. Dear, do not let your art tear out your belly. You think very foolishly of the benefit and piety you would create: believe me, no one will create benefit by preaching, for he who is without his will and desire to preach and teach is required and urged. For we have but one Master, our Lord Jesus Christ, Matt. 23:10, who alone teaches and bears fruit through his servants whom he has called; but he who teaches without being called does not teach without harm to both himself and his hearers, because Christ is not with him.
16 Christ faithfully warns us against such false apostles and prophets when he says: "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves," Matth. 7:15. In the same way Paul warns the Romans: "I urge you, brethren, to watch out for those who cause division and trouble apart from the teaching you have learned, and to depart from them," Rom. 16, 17. And the bishops of Ephesus he also diligently exhorts to beware of the host, for false teachers and ravening wolves will surely come among them, Acts 20, 29. 20, 29. The same is done by Peter, who says: "Just as there have always been false prophets, so there will not be any lack of them now, 2 Petr. 2, 1. For it is certain, even if one is bold, that false doctrine will always be mixed in with righteous doctrine: the devil is too cunning, it grieves him that his kingdom should be destroyed and challenged by righteous doctrine, which he alone can destroy with lies and false doctrine.
The apostles and the devil themselves say: "Such false apostles and deceitful workers pretend to be Christ's apostles. This is also the intention of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, when he says of the false apostles and of the devil himself: "Such false apostles and deceitful workers disguise themselves as Christ's apostles, and this is no wonder. For he himself, the devil, disguises himself as an angel of light," 2 Cor. 11:13, 14. Therefore it is not a great thing if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of the preaching of righteousness, which end will be according to their works.
17 Let this be said of the apostles and of the ministry. Now we want to say one more thing about the gospel, and here is a question: Why Christ demanded such simple, bad people for the apostleship, and did not take some rich, powerful, illustrious and holy people for it, who would have had a reputation in the world. There are three reasons for this. First, that the power and might of God might be shown by the fact that he began and carried out such a great work with such small, simple people; so that it might be recognized how this was done not by human power, but by divine power and might. For all the works of God are to make the world a fool, so that it cannot judge God's work with its reason. Therefore St. Paul says 1 Cor. 1, 26-29.Consider, brethren, your call: not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but whatsoever is foolish in the sight of the world, that God hath chosen to put to shame the wise; and whatsoever is weak in the sight of the world, that God hath chosen to put to shame whatsoever is strong; and what is base in the sight of the world, and what is despised, that God hath chosen, and that which is nothing, that He should put to death whatsoever is something, that no flesh should glory in His sight."
(18) The other cause, that one should not think that God is an acceptor of persons, honored the rich, the noble, the wise, and despised the poor, the simple, the unlearned. And this God has proven in many that He is not an acceptor of persons, as in David and others; as St. Peter also says of Him: "Now I learn with the truth that He is not an acceptor of persons.
God does not look at the person, but in all the people, whoever fears Him and does right, is pleasing to Him", Acts 10, 34. 10, 34.
19 Third, Christ chose simple poor people for the ministry, so that they might follow him more easily. For no rich man would have followed him so soon and let his goods go. For riches are a great hindrance to following Christ; as he said in Luc. 14:19, who was to come to the wedding: "I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go now to see them; I pray thee, excuse me." There is also a beautiful example in Matthew 19:21-24 of the rich young man to whom the Lord said, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. When the young man heard the word," says the evangelist, "he went away sorrowful, because he had much goods. Then said the Lord unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." It is dangerous and difficult to have great goods, for it is not possible for the human heart not to cling to them or to rely on them. If a man is attached to goods, he cannot be attached to Christ or follow him, for "no one can serve two masters," Matth. 6:24.
20 Therefore these apostles easily followed the Lord, leaving everything they had. But Christ did not look at what they had left, but at their heart and desire to leave it. For their heart was then like this, if they had had much, yes, the whole world, they would have left it all. It is also to be wondered at that they were up so soon and followed Christ without promise and promise, only that they should be fishers of men; but what does not Christ's word accomplish where it comes into the heart? It is a living, active, fiery word, it does not come back without piety and benefit, Hebr. 4, 12. Is. 65, 11. After that it is also something that they have no excuse before.
But they freely leave what they have, and from this single word: "Follow me", they follow the Lord from that moment on. Summa Summarum, it is the power of the word of Christ: if he speaks into the heart, it is already done. But if he does not speak to the heart, an excuse may easily be found; as the man in Matthew 8:21, whom the Lord commanded to follow him, saying, "Lord, give me leave to go and bury my father first." It may be easy to be drawn away from the gospel. Yes, in part, good works are turned forward; as this very one, of which it is now said. Well then, to whom it is given, he has it; but let us pray that he will also give us such an easy courage to believe the gospel and to follow it.
21 From this we should also learn that this calling and fast following teaches us nothing else, but that we should see how all our flesh is to be killed, until such time that we can rightly recognize Christ and say with St. Peter: "Lord, behold, we have forsaken all and followed you," Matth. 19, 27. For no one will recognize Christ unless he forsakes all and no longer clings with his heart and desire to any creature. Therefore Christ says Matth. 10, 37. 38.: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. These sayings are all to the effect that we should put our flesh to death, and as St. Paul says: Christians should use this world as if they did not need it, 1 Cor. 7:31. In this, each one will know well according to the measure of his faith and spirit what he should and should not do, and the Spirit will give it to him.
Now we should also say something about the secret interpretation. Recently, Christ himself speaks: He will make them fishers of men, that is, preachers. But the net, so that they should catch the people, is the gospel; as elsewhere in Matthew Cap. 13, 47-50, the kingdom of heaven is compared to a net, "which is put into the sea".
The water is thrown out to sow all kinds of seeds. But when it is full, they draw it out," says the Lord, "to the shore, and sit down and gather the good into a vessel, but they cast down the bad. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." It is a fine likeness. The gospel and the doctrine, by which forgiveness of sin is preached, is a net in the world; but the elect and called by the gospel remain in the world, that is, in this kingdom, of sin, in this turbulence and waters of the world; after which they shall be drawn to the shore, and separated from the wicked, that is, in death: when one shall confess the gospel and the truth, there shall be a wriggling and a tingling.
23 But the fishermen, that is, the ministers of the word, catch nothing, except the Lord cast the net into the sea, as it is written in John Cap. 21:6; that is, those who are to preach the gospel must be called to do so, as we said above. Therefore it is no wonder that those who are not called do not profit by their preaching, but those who are called do great deeds, be they weak, lowly or simple as they like; for it is not in the preachers but in the word, which is the power of God to all those who believe in it, Romans 1:16. 1, 16. Notice the saying of Paul to the Corinthians, that God accepts the unwise, so that He may put to shame the wise of this world, 1 Cor. 1, 27. Is this not a strange counsel of God, that He begins such a great mighty thing with such simple poor people? Through twelve fishermen he wants to draw the whole world to himself: is this not a foolish thing in the sight of reason? He still pulls them through, even though all the kings and the whole world oppose him. All this is so that he may make reason a fool, and that we may learn what God's works are, and how they go about, as you have heard: that he should use a man for a thing that would never have been provided for. St. Pau-
lum he has used to convert a noticeably large part of the world; item, through Eliam, Elisäum, Jonam and other people more, who have been of little reputation, he has accomplished excellent deeds. Foolish are the people's counsel and suggestions, who now say: If this were God's counsel and will, he would let a concilium be demanded together, or would give this teaching to the bishops and prelates of the churches; but the fools do not see what God's counsel and will is. Those who are doing the gospel now are not doing it; they are only a larva and mummery through which God is doing His work and will. You are not, he says, the ones who catch the fish; I myself draw the net. But no one can see how God works through weakness, except he who believes.
(24) The reason they mend the net is that the righteous preachers shut the mouths of the false teachers with the Scriptures and overcome them. For the false apostles and teachers do nothing else but tear the net, that is, the gospel, the sound doctrine, with false teaching and pull one fish after another out of the net. So let the right apostles be and defend the Scriptures with the gospel and right understanding; as St. Paul says to Tito Cap. 1, 9: "Let a bishop keep the certain word of doctrine, that he may be mighty to exhort by sound doctrine, and to punish the gainsayers."
(25) This then is the sum and substance of this gospel, and of its secret interpretation: Christ calls us to Himself, that we may feel and know His goodness; and after that, when we know His goodness, we shall also communicate it to others, and preach it openly; but no sooner than we are required to catch and bring others also. The net is the Word of God and the Gospel of Christ, which is cast into the turbulent sea, that is, into the world, to catch fish, that is, the souls of men. Our bishops and priests are the fishermen who, instead of the net, should have the Word of God, the holy Gospel of Christ, and should guard against the impetuosity of the sea.
If they do not fear the sea, if the world rages and roars as it pleases, they must preach the word and spare no one; for this is not a prudent fisherman who may not venture freely onto the water or into the sea, even at the risk of his life, if there is a profit in it. This fisherman will not catch any of the Lord's fish, unless he leaves his own net, that is, forgets his wages and benefits and follows the Lord Jesus. This would truly be a foolish fisherman, if a harmless storm came upon the water, and he wanted to let the fish go again, if he had caught them, because of fear; since it is the nature and manner of the gospel, to cause turmoil and discord.
As Christ himself says in Matthew 10:34, 35: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I am not come to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to stir up a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the cord against her sister-in-law; and a man's enemies shall be his own household." And all preachers, indeed all Christians, must certainly take care of this. That is enough of this gospel for now, let us leave it at that and call upon God for His grace and mercy.