Matth. 22, 34-46.
But when the Pharisees heard that he had shut the Sadducees' mouths, they gathered together. And one of them, a scribe, tempted him, saying, Master, which is the chief commandment of the law? And JESUS said unto him, Thou shalt love God thy Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the noblest and greatest commandment. But the other is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. In these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. When the Pharisees were together, Jesus asked them, "What do you think of Christ? What son is he? They said: David's. And he said unto them: How then doth David in the spirit call him a Lord, saying, The Lord hath said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? Now if David calls him a Lord, how is he his son? And no man could answer him a word, neither could any man from that day forth inquire of him.
*) Delivered on 3V. Three printings, the first of which we follow, appeared in the same year.
(1) This gospel has two parts in it: first, that the Jews ask Christ; second, that Christ asks them again.
The first is that reason always wants to be something as well, to be plump with its piety, so that it ever destroys the pious Christ. Thus the Sadducees (who were a mob among the Jews) thought to put Christ in a sack, so that he would know nothing to say. But Christ shut their mouths so that they could not protest.
3 Then the Pharisees came and wanted to silence Christ. But they only brought shame and mockery from him. They thought they were the most pious and learned, had no master or righteousness maker, and wanted to advise Christ. All this came from envy, because they were hostile to Christ because of his teachings and piety, which were highly and greatly esteemed by the simple, afflicted people, so that the glees' teachings and piety became equally worthless. That is why this ugly man wanted to make Christ stink in front of the people, so that they would not think so much of him if he could not answer their question correctly. So the game is turned around and he himself falls into the pit of all shame and mockery that they wanted to inflict on Christ. And the saying of Christ Matth. 21, 44. is fulfilled: "On whom this rock falls, he is crushed and shattered." I mean, they have started honestly; rub against Christ more!
4. as the Jews are of the same mind, so are we all of the same mind, all of us want to be wise in our noses, and do not realize that we are only so blind, and do not realize how Christ chides the gospelers, who confessed with their mouths that loving God with all their heart is the highest commandment, and loving their neighbor is greater than all sacrifices, Marc. 12, 32. 33. 12, 32. 33. But for the sake of their avarice they taught much differently; as it is written in Matth. 15, 5. 6. that the children should leave their father and mother in their distress, not help them, but say: This good that you want, dear father, I cannot give you now, I have pledged it to God for a sacrifice etc. So father and mother suffer great poverty before they let such goods be taken. Marc. 7, 10. ff. says
it much clearer. In this sense, unfortunately, we have been in the papacy for a long time. That the love of God and neighbor is the greatest commandment, we have well known with our mouths; but basically we have not regarded any commandment worse or less. Rather, we have kept the statutes and laws of the fathers and conciliationists than God's commandment. The reason for this is: the unfortunate miserliness. These commandments of the Pope brought more money into the kitchen, therefore they were considered the highest commandments, against the clear word of God.
But here we are to take to heart the commandment which the Lord Christ sets forth as the highest commandment, namely, the love of God and neighbor. In this commandment he does not say much about great sacrifices, but he confuses it in the 50th Psalm, where he says in v. 12, 13: "What desire have I to drink the blood of oxen and goats? Is it not all mine before?" So also Isaiah punishes them in 1 Cap. V. 11. and Jeremiah Cap. 6, 20.; and Isaiah Cap. 66, 1. 2. says, "What house dost thou build me? For heaven is my seat, the earth my footstool. To whom should I turn, but to a bruised spirit, and who with trembling accepts my word?" Therefore, observe here what Christ requires of us: not the fist, not the eyes or feet; he wants the whole heart, Prov. 23, 26. He says, "Thou shalt be pleasing to me, and with all thy desire thou shalt be obedient to me. Yes, this heartfelt love is such a high word that reason cannot understand it, let alone that it should. Yes, even the right Christians have enough to learn about it, and yet they cannot learn it. This lesson of love makes fools of us all, so that we may well confess that we are nothing but poor and disobedient sinners, completely contrary to God's love.
This commandment of love is drawn through all laws, and all laws must go through love. For it is a rule and master of all laws, which must all be guided by love. It makes and makes laws, and breaks them again, regardless of the other commandments. Faith alone must command it, otherwise it commands all other commandments.
7 If anyone asks, "What is this high thing?
Commandment of love? Answer: It is that I have a great desire to do willingly and with joy what is dear to God. Whomsoever I love, with him I am and dwell gladly, with all diligence and diligence; and all my joy is that many good things are said of him.
(8) Now let each one inquire in his heart whether he is thus minded toward God? whether he also likes to hear him called? and you will find the contradiction. For if all men were gathered together in one heap, we would not find such love that we would gladly say we love to hear about God. Yes, we shy away from him and flee from him, as the Jews on Mount Sinai, Exodus 20:19, did not want to hear God speak to them. What kind of love is that, if I don't like someone to talk to me? So we are fine people against God, we do not have a willingly joyful heart toward Him, but consider Him as an angry judge who stands behind us and beats us with a club. As a result, if we fear God's wrath, death, hell and the devil for the sake of sin, we heartily wish that there were no God to let sin go unpunished. Thus we are hostile to God and His judgment in our hearts: no matter how much we murmur beautiful prayers to Him by heart, we all act like a thief to the executioner. The thief wanted all the executioners and judges, gallows, swords and wheels to be lost to the devil, but that he might be free to steal and rob. Just as a thief gives good words to the executioner, calling him a father with his mouth, if he is now in the executioner's power, so he wanted in his heart that the executioner should hang on the gallows for him. We are all such pious children by nature. What does it help that we blaspheme a lot, sacrifice and keep all the outward laws most beautifully, and yet in our hearts we have no desire for God? Yes, if only we could flee far from Him, so that He would be nowhere where we are, that would be dear to us. We are such poisonous enemies of God, and yet we adorn this black, ugly heart with seemingly external works. What favor can God have from us? If we loved God with all our heart, we would not flee from Him so shamefully; indeed, we would gladly hear
of him, our desire would be to be with him; if only we could come to him soon, our joy would be. For then sin, death and His wrath would not be so terrifying to us that they should make us timid and fearful of God.
(9) Now let each one inquire what is the mind of his heart, what is the mind of his heart toward God, whether he has the desire to hear His holy word? We will find in ourselves that we hold his word in low esteem, we throw it to the winds, it does not come to us as if it were not the voice of God's word; God's word gives us little to do; we prefer beer and drinking houses; we think we have even caught it; we have now become full and weary of his word, it is no longer to our liking, since Christ alone is blessedness; Matth. 5, 6: Those who are hungry and thirsty for the word of God, and who continue to the end, Matth. 10, 22. 24, 13. What good is it that we have begun in the word of God, and now we despise it, always desiring only new things?
(10) In this, one should take away what love the world has for God. It calls His almighty holy word a heresy, a seduction of the people, seditious, error, and with many other shameful words it rejects the high sanctuary of divine honor. We are all such fine children, born of Adam, enemies of God, who grant God His judgment and power, wishing there were no God to punish sin. Therefore it is also our reward that God pushes us as his enemies into the abyss of hell, that we go in so securely with our fictitious apparent works, as if we were the pious dear children of God in his bosom; we think we want to blot out our sin with repentance and works, and yet we are never really aware of our hateful and unbelieving heart: that we are thus enemies of God in our heart. What good can God find in our envy? He wants a happy, willing, good heart, which would gladly be with God, and would gladly desire to hear from Him. Whoever does not find such a thing in himself, let him be almost frightened, and call upon God, that for the sake of Christ's merit, God will give him a good heart.
wanted to give such a cheerfully pure heart etc.
11 Thus it is seen that this commandment of love is therefore the greatest; for if we kept it, we would no longer need a commandment everywhere, the love of God would arrange everything itself, without commandment and compulsion. Just as a stingy, idolatrous lover of money must not be given many laws as to how he should keep the money safe; but out of the love he bears for the money, he learns himself to buy bolts and locks, and to keep it well. For his heart is in the box where the money is. So it is also with God: whoever loves him rightly in his heart, does to God everything that pleases him, with pleasure and joy, without all law and compulsion etc.
12. "The other commandment is like it," which is, "Love your neighbor as yourself. etc. In these two hang all the Law and all the Prophets." So, as God has enough in my faith that I love Him in my heart, as a mild God and merciful Father, of whom I like to hear say: so also He wants me to turn all my works down, only to my neighbor, Psalm 15, 3. He needs nothing at all of my works, nor of my preaching, nor of my clothing, eating, or drinking etc. He himself is rich enough without me and without my works. But for this reason he lets me live on earth, that I may show such friendship to my neighbor again, as God has graciously done for me. So he says to Petro Joh. 21, 15: "If you love me, then feed my sheep". As if he wanted to say: "Look at your neighbor, if you want to show me the works of love; Matth. 25, 45: "What you do to men, you have just done to me. Thus God melts the two commandments into one another, so that it is like One Work, One Love: what we do to our neighbor in preaching, teaching, clothing, feeding, is all done to Christ Himself.
Oh, dear Lord God, how blind we are that we do not take such love to heart! Who could have imagined that God would throw Himself so low, and take upon Himself the works of all that we do for the poor, as if they were done for Him? So the world is full, full of God, in every alley, at your door you will find Christ.
Do not stare at heaven and say: "If I should see our Lord God once, how I would prove all kinds of services to Him! You lie, says John in his first epistle Cap. 4, 20, that you say you love God and hate your neighbor, whom you see suffering hardship before your eyes. Listen, wretched man, will you serve God? You have him in your house, in your household and in your children: teach them to fear and love God and to trust in him alone; comfort the afflicted, sick neighbors; help them with your goods, wisdom and art; do not expel your sick servants and maids from the house soon, otherwise you will push Christ over the edge. Do you not hear Matth. 25, 45, Christum speak: What you have done to the least of these, he will accept as if you had done it to him yourself. Why do you go to Rome and to St. James? etc. I am very close to you in your house. Train your children to recognize me; keep them a good, pious disciplinarian; do not turn any cost away from them: everything has been done to me myself, I will pay you honestly. What will you do for me with monstrances, to build temples and altars, to decorate the saints? I do not need it; the saints do not need it either: they are in my hand and rest, they have enough. Hear what I say to you: will you love me, do me a favor, what pleases me? Help the poor with all that thou wouldst have them do unto thee, if thou wouldst thus be rebellious: then thou lovest me well. See now that you do not ignore me: I want to be close enough to you in every poor person who needs your help and teaching; there I am in the midst; you cannot do little or much for him, you have done it for me yourself. Nor shall the cold drink of water be given thee in vain; thou shalt bring forth a thousandfold fruit, not for thy work, but for my promise.
(14) But now let every man ask himself, Would he not gladly do great honor to Christ for once, and adorn him finely, as the nuns do to Jesus on the altar? He who desires to do this must go no further than to believe that this commandment, to love one's neighbor, is like the first; so that you may be sure of what you are doing to your neighbor.
If you do this to your neighbor, you do it to Christ himself in his person; as Christ says to Paul in Acts 9, 4. 9, 4. to Paul: "Why do you persecute me, Paul?" when Paul alone touches the Christians. But he who touches them grabs the apple of God's eye. Zech. 2, 8.
(15) He who could believe such a commandment of love for his neighbor would be much more diligent in taking care of the poor than he is now. There would not be so many beggars running to our door; we would probably come to their homes ourselves and help them first, before they cry so miserably at the gaff. But in sum, it is only the desperate unbelief that is lacking; we are overflowing with avarice and unbelief; we fear that if we spent a penny, our belly would pine away; there is no God who could give us back other money and food. These worries of wealth and worldly splendor are real sharp thorns that suffocate and drown the implanted Word of God in us, so that it cannot bring forth any fruit of love from us. Although we see many poor miserable people walking before us, yes, they are at home with us. The children are impudent, foolish, wanton, without all fear of God, so we always let them sneak along, do not draw them to any good; if we have nothing to do with our work, we do not ask any further: but we do not see that Christ has hidden Himself in all our neighbors, and wants to be found there. So we spurn his order and commandment of love, as if the command of divine majesty were nothing good, and turn from divine will and business to our own cursed will and imaginary works: we put on gray skirts, sleep (sneak) into monasteries, have our plates shaved like fools, torture our bodies with fasting, and we do much such gimmickry without the command of God. And so we think that we are holy, pious people, if we look sour, like the gleissers: but do like envious wolves, let the poor suffer misery; as the poisonous Pharisees left the poor Lazarum, helped him nothing, Luc. 16, thought, if they fasted much, whined, gave much sacrifice and tithes, they were quite holy: but in their hearts they were the most unbelieving dogs and worst
Blasphemers, and abominable enemies of their neighbor, so that they did not even give Christ the honor: where he helped a poor, afflicted or otherwise needy person, they were envious and angry with the poor, thought that Christ should not walk with sinners and tax collectors, but if he were pious, he would deal with them as with holy people; as you have Matth. 9, 11. and Luc. 19, 9. of the Zachaeo.
(16) Therefore let us learn well how to please Christ, that all our life may be and become directed to the service of our neighbor with all possible diligence, for which he needs us. Down, down, says Christ, you will find me in your arms: I am too high for you in heaven; otherwise you will sell yourself. So it would be necessary for this great commandment of love to be written in letters of gold on all the foreheads of the poor, so that we might see and grasp how close Christ is to us on earth. But it would not help if it did not bring Christ into the heart. It is written enough by the Holy Spirit; whoever does not read it, it is unread wherever it is written. We pass by willfully, if it is already implanted in our hearts, that we should do to our neighbor as we would be done to us.
(17) We do now as we did in the priesthood, not practicing love at all; yes, we are ungrateful to God for his precious treasure, his holy word, that he has so graciously delivered us from such terrible darkness and error, not remembering in what snares we have been martyred and so hard in vain tormented in conscience. One went to the monastery, wore caps and plates; another fasted to death, preached without ceasing, without all faith and understanding; the third ran to the saints, ate what his wife and child should have eaten; the fourth gave it to the temple on the anniversary, brotherhood, rosary: all in the opinion, as if they wanted to serve God with it, and yet was only torture of the conscience. Now that we have been redeemed from this infernal seduction, we do not thank God for it, we do not serve Him as the Gospel teaches us, we do not take care of our neighbor.
We are faithful to the Lord, we use cunning and deceit to scrape each one into his own sack, so that his neighbor may eat or not. Therefore, because of this ingratitude, we must fear that God will plague us like the Jews, Luc. 19:42, so that we will not recognize the time of our gracious visitation. Yes, the greatest plague will be false teachers, cults, sects, which will be much worse than all the papists' teachings. This plague surpasses all misery, pestilence and war: we are not yet improving. The wrath of God is on our necks: we still despise the commandment of love. So if God leaves it unpunished, the Scripture is wrong.
The other part of the Gospel is that Christ also puts a question to the Jews, asking them, "Whose Son is Christ?" and they answer him so unintelligently, when they thought they were answering wisely; thus showing their greatest foolishness and ignorance. Therefore Christ gives them a lesson and says: "If David in the spirit calls Christ his Lord, how does it rhyme that he should also be his son? Is it not the custom among you Jews that a father calls his son Lord? Yes, in the papacy it was probably the worst custom that a pious old father had to call his wicked young son Lord when he became a priest. Therefore Christ concludes here: You Jews, you are fools in your highest wisdom, you do not yet rightly recognize Christ, that he alone should be David's son; you must have a higher understanding of Christ.
(19) So also the papists have never rightly recognized Christ: if they have already glorified him as true God and man, they have still robbed him of his honor and title, that he has not done enough for our sin; we must first do enough with our works. That was to deny Christ altogether, and to nullify his blood and death.
020 Therefore learn that to know Christ is nothing else than that he is such a high and mighty person, who rules and reigns over all things, and sits at the right hand of God the Father, having all his enemies mightily under him.
21. from this you can see that Christ is above
is one Lord over all creatures, and equal to God His Father. For the Father does not put Christ at the head, for he is not above God, but like God. He does not put him at the feet, for he is not under God according to the Godhead. He sets himself beside him, that he may have equal authority, honor and power with him. So God wants to extend Christ to the world, that he may have equal power and wisdom with him.
22 From this we learn that Christ is an almighty God, and Lord over death, sin, hell and all misfortune. Whoever therefore recognizes Christ, that he has put up with all his sin, death and devil, in vain through his suffering, has rightly recognized him as a Son of God, and a Son of David after mankind, who is over all things and in all things Lord.
The Christ cannot be measured into a corner, he is not bound to any place, he is everywhere; and yet he cannot be grasped anywhere, as our enthusiasts dream. Yes, they truly do not yet understand this verse of the 110th Psalm v. 1: "Sit down on the right side" etc. Christ must not descend from heaven onto the altar in bread or wine. He is already there. He is out of all place, and yet fills all things, divine and full, Col. 1, 16. ff. We cannot grasp Him in bread or invoke Him, as they falsely interpret from us. We say that Christ is at all ends and in all creatures, and that where he would make himself manifest, all creatures would see him essentially, as near as I would like to look at him if he opened himself on my hand. But that he actually wants to be found in bread and wine, makes his almighty word, when he says: "This is my body, this is my blood etc. This do in remembrance of me." Here he will certainly let himself be met by his word: but will also not let himself be seen until the last day. He must not fly from one place to another; he is everywhere before.
Therefore, it would be almost necessary that our sacrilegious people and the spirits of the red men go to school and learn to understand this 110th Psalm, which is taught to children in schools. It is a shame,
That such great learned doctors should first learn this verse, who otherwise write many great books and want to rule the world. What is lacking, that they do not know the knowledge of Christ? Faith. They want to measure it out with reason; thus Christ cannot be understood. Yes, he is as close to the devils in the abyss of hell as he is to his angels, if only he would let himself be seen and open himself in hell.
(25) Therefore, dear friends, beware, and learn to know Christ as you have heard him above; otherwise you will be deceived. For I fear that the time will yet come when our fools, with their reason, will want to cast out Christ, and leave him as no eternal true God. For they drop the word and go about with their reason, confusing themselves in their thoughts, so that they do not know where they stand: their brains shake, they fidget and do not know where to go. The Holy Spirit does not do this; he is courageous and fearless in the truth, certain of his reason.
(26) But how it is that Christ is everywhere, and you cannot reason it out, command God, and believe it to the glory of God, you will surely know one day.
come true. You shall feed on the faith that you have such a Lord, who holds all creatures in his hand and alone is powerful to give you the strength to keep the law of love, which is otherwise impossible for you to keep because of your nature, and also condemns you if you do not have a mild, kind, loving heart toward God and toward your neighbor.
27. Therefore we must know well the two things, viz: What God requires of us in the Law, namely, faith and love for Him and heartfelt help for our neighbor, so that we may exercise ourselves well and extend all our works to our neighbor; If we are not able to do this, we should despair of ourselves and cry out earnestly in faith to Christ to create in us a pure, pious, loving heart, so that we may give God His glory and consider Him to be a gracious God and a merciful, loving Father, who will not leave us in any distress and will not let us perish; so that we may always exercise our faith to the best of our ability in works of love for the good of our neighbor for the sake of Christ. May he keep us in such strong faith until our last end, to his praise and glory forever and ever, amen.