The supper is now executed. Now let us see the entrance into the Passion. Christ, when the supper was done, went with his disciples into a field called Gethsemane, as he used to do. There was a garden under Mount Oliveti, where he went in and made the disciples sit down. And he took with him John, and Peter, and Jacob. Meanwhile Judas was going about in the city, and was setting up his business, and bringing servants together. For he thought that there would be a great crowd about Christ. And the government of Jerusalem was divided into three orders. The first were the chief priests, as the clergy are now called, who were to be canons. Then the other regiment
The rulers among the people were the councilors. After that, the two powers were under Pilate's hand, who was made up of Romans, who now held many travelers and servants, who waited where something wanted to rise up. Meanwhile Judas seized the power, so that he raised up the people of the three overlords, the spiritual, the secular and the pagan or Roman. When Christ saw this, he began to mourn and to tremble, and said to the disciples, "Sit down, and pray that ye enter not into temptation." And going a little from them, he prayed, "Father, if it be done, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. After this he went, and found the disciples asleep, and said to Petro, "Petre, wilt thou not watch with me one hour? The spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak. And to the other he went, and said the same prayer, Father, can it be no other way, but that I must drink it, and thy divine will be done? Then he came once, and
found them sleeping, for their eyes were weighed down. Then he left them once, and went the third time, and said the same prayer once, and sweated a bloody sweat. After this he returned to his disciples, and found them asleep the third time, and said, "Yes, now sleep; behold, now approacheth he that betrayeth me; arise, and let us go forth to meet him."
Now let us see what it is that the evangelist says that he began to mourn and to tremble. Behold, you must let Christ here remain a fine pure man (as we all are, except that he has been without sin). That is why he mourned and trembled here in the anguish of death. Now, how frightened he was here, we cannot say. If we had tried a little and stood in the anguish of death, we would know something about it. But the fear is, before one dies, an hour or four before death, when one sees death before one's eyes, sees death in the face, sees that death opens its jaws and wants to fall on him: then such distress and fear sets in, such trembling and mourning, that it goes through all his limbs, through body and life, through marrow and all bones, that there is not a limb, it is most distressed. Just as one should execute a man now, so that he sees his death before his eyes, so he is afraid and grieved, and if all the pleasure of the world were there, one could not give him a drop of joy. Behold, the fear and mourning Christ also had here, and much harder than any man has tried. For this is reserved for him, that he did not go mad. His reason remained clear and pure. And the clearer reason sees death, the more terrible it is, the more fear it causes. But a part of people become mad and nonsensical, they do not feel it so hard.
3 Christ suffered this, not because he needed it, but because of us. God has ordered him to love. We deserved to die and to suffer the agony that we should suffer. Now our God has suffered it for us and turned it into Himself,
so that death and fear become powerless and impotent, and thus sweet to us to overcome, if we believe in him. Therefore, if one were to be "offended", learn here how to be skillful, so that when death begins to fall upon us and to frighten us, we remember that God has set his body and blood for us, and that all "be". Let death happen for us, and for the sake of overcoming death's hardships, so that, even as they would push us, we might look to Him and cling to Him in faith: so we also overcome them. Although I believe that no saint has ever suffered so severely as Christ. For we read of many saints, namely of St. Stephen, who have fallen asleep over their death. Still, that one plays the certain, it is better to prepare oneself for it.
4 On the other hand, death's compulsion is much more severe when death now attacks and wrestles with you. We can see this in those who die, how they writhe and writhe, but not all of them. Christ also had them here in the very best way. And is an unspeakable chastisement, much less (recognized *) to him who has not tried. Therefore, there is such a struggle, since now and then man, now and then death lies above, and penetrates **) him, as he must sink in an instant into the abyss of hells, as the devil, death, hell wants to swallow him at once, that all manhood falls away, the heart melts and flows away completely like wax in the sun, that penetrates him through marrow and leg, and makes the legs as soft as the flesh is.
5 King Ezekiel also tried to do this, and so he writes Is 38:13: Quasi leo contrivit omnia ossa mea: "Like a lion he has crushed all my legs." And of this we have an example of a reeve who happened on the Schneeberg. He also wanted to think himself higher than the common man, and wanted to receive such a great host as the priest: then God punished him before
**) Instead of "dringt" the 27 sermons have "dünkt".
D. Red.
The earth opened up and wanted to swallow him up. Then it seemed to him that hell, death and everything would fall upon him and that he would sink into it. Then he fell down and wanted to hold on to the altar in fear, and he smashed his hands into the stone, so that even today you can see all his fingers. There one sees how one must be afraid, so that even his flesh becomes bones because of fear. And this is what Christ felt most keenly. For he always remained by his pure reason, so that he also let go of bloody sweat and was contained by divine power; otherwise he could not have overcome it.
Now the struggle, the death, the Lord alone has overcome and set free for our benefit; he did not need it. This must be well remembered in all things, that what he suffered was done for our benefit, and the corpse of suffering was made a shield for us, that we might learn to trust in God and believe, and go into death rejoicing in God; so must he also be overcome in us.
7 And this is where Paul's sayings go. He who believes in God has life in death, righteousness in sin, bliss and salvation in hell. Therefore he says 1 Cor. 15, 55: "Death, where is your sting?" and introduces the prophet. I will send forth a wind, which shall wither the veins of death, that they may fail, and swallow up death in the overcoming; that death may be an overcoming unto all them which cleave unto it. The wind is the Holy Spirit, in whose power Christ overcame death. For here you must let Christ remain a pure man, on whom death, hell, sin with their powers have fallen. But Christ, by divine help and virtue, overcame them. And the struggle was by far the greatest. For neither scourge, nor crown, nor cross made him sweat blood like this battle. For afterward in the body he died easily; but there, in the spirit, he was afraid that he had to overcome it. This spiritual contact, I think, no one sees, except the damned,
when body and soul have been separated. Therefore, learn here in faith the need of the Passion, that we may not insist on any one thing, but merely close our eyes, and look to the overcomer, Christ, on whom we freely cling; and death will be swallowed up in us.
8. follow now, how he met his enemies, and henceforth come into bodily suffering. And this may be divided into three parts: the first, the spiritual, in the garden; the second, the bodily; the third is mixed, that is, the shame and mockery he suffered, half spiritual and half bodily.
(9) Before we come to this, we must say a little about the custom. For this reason the evangelists also used few words in it; for they well knew that if they were not led in the custom, they could never say enough about it. And now, to make an entrance, let us contrast the old Adam and the new Adam, as Paul says that the old Adam is a figure of the new Adam: that the old one has poisoned with his sin all that comes from him; the new one has made blessed and sanctified by the Spirit all that comes from him. So he has reversed that which he commanded him: Do not eat of the tree, do not sin, lest you die through sin. That he should not sin because of the punishment of death is commanded to Adam here. But Adam passes through and comes to death, whom now Christ has helped out; just as he comes in another way, saying, Die, that thou sin not; and not, Sin not, that thou die not.
Now, we are in death; if we want to get out, we have to die. Adam did not want to be deterred by the punishment; now God comes and says: "Well, then, accept the punishment, and you will be clean. So death, which before was a punishment of sin, is now a medicine of sin; so here it is given. This is what happens when we die willingly. If we do not die willingly, we do not get out of the punishment and have to die eternally afterwards. So God has reversed the case. Now we are so poor
wretched children, that we cannot die willingly; one cannot give so much to the free will that it likes to die; yes, the free will flees from death. Therefore it is with vain dying and murdering that we get rid of sin. But this is the best of dying, that the will may give itself up. For the body is soon dead, when the spirit has given itself up to it. Therefore, because nature is so weak, God has appointed one to lead us, and to cast out hell and sin, so that all who come after may not die. Now when nature says, O woe, it is hard; Christ says, Follow in my footsteps, and walk finely. So we die willingly; so sin must die, and death in our death. So God is ours, to be taken for an image. Now, where he is not, there must be destruction, there is no help for it; for nature does not like to go there. Although the servants run toward the sword and guns in a manly way, that alone is a stubbornness. But when they are struck that body and soul must separate, then it comes differently. That is why we must keep the guide and leader, who says, "Come, follow in my footsteps and look to me, and where I stay, there you will also stay; so we will get through. You have to have a guide.
(11) That is why we must have the image first; it gives us courage and makes us manly, so that we go up fresh. Yet it is still weak. Therefore we have a promise concerning the image, that if we go after him, we will also feel a manhood and a strength in our hearts. For he went in such a manly way, because of the Spirit. He also promises to give us the Spirit, which also makes us manly, even though we do not receive the Spirit completely. We still have a consolation in the suffering that Christ is also struggling here. For if he had not let us see him wriggle, it would have made us weak, so that we would think in suffering: O how bravely he goes to death, how I am so weak, alas! I cannot follow him. So he says, "Behold, I will bow down low and wriggle, and it shall be
We will do much better than you.) But in the midst of trouble I will be strongest and overcome. Therefore stand firm on me, and in tribulations you also shall overcome. This is what is needed in the Passion.
(12) So we should be prepared for death and not expect help from anywhere else but from God. So Paul says: We are nothing but sheep for slaughter, to be killed today or tomorrow. So it must be, as Christ himself says: "If you want to follow me, take up your cross; but if not, you are not worthy of me. So it was in the old days: when the bride was young, one day she was twenty, the next thirty; now she has grown old and wrinkled. It must become completely new again and come into Christ, so that honor, property and everything can be put in the redoubt.
(13) So then we must use the image, that in all our temptation we may look upon Christ's image, and smite it in our eyes, and follow it freely. For Christ goes through how it grieves him, and becomes courageous. So we must pray that he will also give us courage and the Spirit, and may we also learn to become strong in stupidity and overcome in the midst of adversity. So Christ does not only come into us like an image, but he plants all his strength in us, so that we can also suffer. Therefore, come what may, however great the shame, let it be seen that Christ our Duke also sees it and overcomes it manfully. That we also ask for manhood, to become strong in the midst of things, and to come through.
(14) So Paul presents Christ to us in all the epistles: first, as an image to be followed; then, that he may give us the spirit and the courage that he has. And this is the right Christian teaching. But if one teaches that one should do something good and leave Christ, that is seductive.
(15) Now this is to learn how to use the Passion, and that no one may study it unless he has been in trouble, and has exercised himself with Christ, so that
1368 p. 16. p16-31p. The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. W. xn, 1780-1782. IZZA
he suffered it and went through it and thus received through him to go through it. So one must come in and need it. It is not enough to put it in the ears alone; the leaven must be kneaded into it. Now this is what Adam is told: Do not sin, lest you die. But unto us it is said, Die, that thou depart from sin. [Therefore, if we would be willing to suffer in this way, we must look to the image of Christ, who thus presents Himself to us; and afterward ask of Him His courage, that in our weakness we may also suffer this.]
The Petri case.
(16) The case of Peter pleases me very much, for he was the most distinguished of the apostles, and for this reason he was the hardest to please, so that he henceforth learned to deal kindly with the conscience. For there is nothing more tender and soft on earth than a good conscience, especially when it is still young and has just been conceived. Therefore the apostles and rulers must fall first of all, that they know that they are fools and sinners, that they deal delicately and gently with the conscience, and spread themselves out, and let their feet go down upon them. For the poor souls have to overcome, and before their eyes stand hell, death and sin, so that they are very weak. Therefore they must be well led, and rightly guided and shepherded, as gentle little sheep.
(17) But now we see that the bishops deal with the poor consciences as if they were iron and adamantine, and come and force and coerce them, and only want to stab, torment and banish them horribly. This alone belongs to the executioner and this alone harms the poor weak consciences: the hard, hardened ones do not pay much attention. They still go about with crowned caps, they are to be worshipped, they bind the poor consciences with their laws; but if they were to stake life and limb on it, they would burden all weak consciences, and strengthen them and lead them quietly to faith. This is what St. Peter did afterwards; for he knew his infirmity from the fall, and he made an epistle that tastes in the heart of a weak conscience.
*14 and 27 sermons. D. Red.
De Regno Christi.*)
18 Christ says the saying Joh. 18, 36: "My kingdom is not of this world"; item v. 37: "He who is of the truth hears my voice. There he says where his kingdom is and where it is not, namely, in the heart alone. Therefore the papists, who reign in outward adornment and showmanship, are not a hair of his governors. For he says: My kingdom is not in this world. And this is true. For the gospel cannot be contained, neither in boxes nor castles; it cannot be clothed nor adorned; but it is in the heart. He who is of the truth is rich. So it stands in spiritual things alone, not in external things. Christ's kingdom is a kingdom of truth. Do you want to know what its armor, castles and cities are? Not, but faith alone, which is the truth, that one clings to God alone. In it is the kingdom and blessedness; in the external kingdom it is not. For that alone is a larva and a carnival play, and nothing right. However, those who are in God's kingdom must still live outwardly in eating and drinking and enjoying the world; but moderately: inwardly stands the right kingdom. But the pope has drawn it out in the outward regiment, in eating and drinking. So if one does to the green wood, which ought to be green, how will it be with the dry and condemned?
The third part, Passio mixta.**)
19 Now the shame begins here, mixed with the spiritual and physical suffering. And these are the four main sufferings, that he must hang here on the cross with the worst offenders.
020 Now that he hung, he became a true priest. Then he is our priest, sacrifice and altar, that we may follow him, and crucify the old Adam inwardly and outwardly with Christ. Behold, what does free will want to be able to do? God must sacrifice His only Son for us here, He must overcome sin, death and hell for us here.
*) Of the kingdom of Christ.
**) The blended suffering.
so that all who cling to him may come to salvation and help through the prayer that is made here: ["Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."] Then let God be the right priest to offer and take away sin. And therefore learn righteousness.
Heli, Heli, lama sabathani.
Twenty-one after that: Heli, Heli; in all three afflictions he had no comfort at all, neither inwardly nor outwardly: inwardly he wriggled, outwardly he suffered. After that, in weakness, everyone mocked who could.
Remember me, O Lord, when thou comest into thy kingdom. Truly, truly, you will be with me in the garden.
(22) Then Christ takes the priestly office, takes the keys, and absolves him of sins. All this is done for our comfort.
[And from that hour the disciple took them to himself.*)]
This is that here Christ dies so merely that even the mother does not remain. For it
*14 and 27 sermons. D. Red.
completely must be left with a Christian man, everything must be taken off it.
Everything is now accomplished.
24. the sacrifice is there, sin, hell, death, and all things in particular are overcome. Therefore it follows:
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
(25) Now we have to learn throughout our lives that we form all the pieces before us and thus follow them.
And darkness fell over the whole land.
26. Then there was a new world, and God came to raise up the Son again.
Truly, this is God's Son.
27 There the Christian being starts again. [Now then, dear friends, you should take the Passion to heart and contemplate it.] That is the most important thing, you will have to use it. But I have let go of the presumptuousness that some seek. Now let us call upon God, so that we may grasp His suffering, that through it we may overcome death, hell and the devil. Amen, let this be done.
*) 27 sermons. D. Red.