On Easter Monday, afternoon.*)
Luc. 24:13-35.
And, behold, two of them went that same day unto a place which was sixty leagues from Jerusalem, whose name is Emmaus. And they talked with one another of all these things. And it came to pass, as they thus spake and consulted one with another, Jesus drew nigh unto them, and walked with them. But their eyes were stopped, that they knew him not. And he said unto them: What are these sayings which ye do among yourselves in the way, and are grieved? Then answered one, named Cleophas, and said unto him, Art thou alone among the strangers at Jerusalem, who knowest not what is done in these days within? And he said unto them: Which? And they said unto him, That of Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; as our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified. But we hoped that he would redeem Israel. And of all these things this day is the third day that these things have come to pass. We were also frightened by some of our women, who were at the tomb early and did not find his body, but came and said that they had seen a vision of angels, saying that he was alive. And some of us went to the sepulcher, and found as the women said; but they found him not. And he said unto them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Did not Christ have to suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them all the scriptures which were spoken of him. And they came near to the place where they were going, and he stood as though he would go on. And they urged him, saying: Stay with us, for it will be evening, and the day has come. And he went in to abide with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave it unto them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he disappeared before them. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, when he spake unto us in the way, when he opened unto us the scriptures? And they arose at that hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the ephah gathered together, and them that were with them saying: The Lord is risen indeed, and Simoni appeared. And they told them what had happened on the way, and how he was known of them when he broke bread.
1 You have heard of the goodness and grace of Jesus Christ, how gentle he is toward his own when they are weak; and if they sometimes fall, let them cling to his word, and there is no need. As he says at the evening seder, "You are now all pure." First, this is comforting to a stricken conscience; second, it teaches that the outward word is to be heard with the highest reverence; third, it teaches of the kingdom of Christ that it is altogether other than a kingdom of this world, in which Christ's kingdom is life in death etc. We also want to say something about this.
2. if then we have all the goods in Christ, it is profitable for us to keep them, so that
*) Held April 2, 1537. ed.
We will not get around it; just as a householder will get nowhere in the gathering of goods if he does not keep them; as Christ does here with the disciples. He admonishes them to keep what they have received from God through the Scriptures. Therefore he points them to Moses and the prophets, as Luc. 16, 29: "They have Moses and the prophets" etc. Christ wanted to impress this word on us, so that we would take it into our hearts, as if he wanted to say: "Do you read the Scriptures and the prophets daily, and cannot understand them? He does not rebuke them for the visions of angels or women, but for forgetting the Scriptures, to which the angels also point out to the disciples, as Christ does to them. So he always directs us to the Scriptures, only
because we cannot be strong enough in the articles of faith if we want to fight them out with reason; because there is no better way to prove the articles of faith than from the Scriptures, to believe simply, to close our eyes only, and to stay with the simple word.
(3) So do the enthusiasts: they say that Christ is risen with the body, should he now be in a piece of bread? You do not have to persuade me. Rather, I will do better if I let the words go. But he says Isa. 7:9, "If ye believe not, ye abide not." Satan cannot come near me, for if I do not abide in the Scriptures.
(4) Therefore, let every man beware of departing from the word. God has no better way to bring us to faith than to put it in the Word. After that, let God see to it how it can be done, or how it is possible or not. And leave reason alone; otherwise you will be like Ario and Pope, who put the forgiveness of sin in works, not in the merit of Christ. He follows what pleases reason: in fasting, monasteries, and convents, he thinks he can obtain forgiveness of sin. But beware; if you deny one article of faith, you have broken the whole faith, like a ring in a chain, especially those which are written in faith and cling to one another.
5. that authority should rule, subjects should be obedient, are not so high articles of faith; honor father and mother, do not steal etc. For one can understand them by reason. But they are not so high in harm as those in the first commandment.
Some sayings of Christ's resurrection.
(6) Secondly, let us look at some of the sayings of which Christ is speaking here. It would be a year to talk about them. Some are dark, some are publicly strong. The apostles did it in the Acts of the Apostles one after the other. And Paul and Peter from the 16th Psalm: "Preserve me, God". etc.; "You will not allow your Holy One to decay. You make known to me the way to life." These are words of a dying one.
yes, dead man, who says: I am passing away, my flesh is in the grave, but in hope my body is buried. He is dead, and yet he has hope, he shall not decay. So he must be resurrected and come forth again in his body, and he shall have his soul again before his body begins to decay. "You will make known to me" etc. He speaks how he is truly in death. But God will put him into life. Rom. 6, 9: He shall die no more, he shall meet the way to life. Third, he shall sit at the right hand of God, that is, equal to God in all things, a king with equal honor and dominion of God the Father. He shall be a right natural man, and yet neither body nor soul shall remain in death and hell, and shall sit like God. So, he is God, because God says: "I will not give my glory to anyone else". If Christ sits like him, then he is God; as the 2nd Psalm v. 7. says: "You are my son, today I have begotten you"; item of the 110th Psalm v. 4.: "The Lord has sworn and will not repent: You are a priest like Melchizedech." He was a man, but a priest like God; therefore he is God. And this one died for our sins, offered his body, which is valid as a sacrifice. See Heb. 7.
7 Christ has interpreted such a fine scripture. For where one comes from such a scripture, the death of Christ and the resurrection will slip our mind; as the Jews and Turks despise us, they want to have only one God. The rabble soon falls to reason, and begins to believe in only one God and cannot grasp Christ. This is pleasing to reason; it says, "There cannot be many gods, there need not be more than one ruler, it does not make sense that God should die and rise again. The common man falls in and soon believes it. But one must not speak with reason here, as if it were an awkward thing. We are not in a position to hear what seems strange or not, but what the Scriptures say.
8. as Ps. 110, 1: "The Lord has said to my Lord" etc. The God says to my Lord. Let yes the Lord here
not be a god, but a lord; yet this is followed by, "Sit at my right hand." What do you say to being like God? You must confess that he is equal to God in power, honor and glory etc.: thus, God. Although he lets him sink and die; as it says in the 8th Psalm v. 6: "You will let him be forsaken by God for a little while"; thus the: "Thou hast set him over all his works." But he who says "all" leaves out nothing. So Christ, the strange man, must be a Lord over the angels. If he were a high creature, as Arius says, he would not be set over all the works of God. If he himself were a creature, he would not be allowed to say: Above all works, also above the angels etc. Reason says: How can a creature, a miserable man, who is barely a span long, be given so much that he should sit over all things, equal to God? I answer: Read this book, and see what God says about it. If you cannot comprehend it with your reason, give him the glory; he is able rather than you are always able to comprehend. If you do not want to believe it, then ask
God does not care much about it, he still remains true. It is only pride and arrogance that argue the articles of faith with reason.
Conclusion.
(9) I have spoken a little more fully, so that you may read the Old Testament all the more eagerly, even though you understand it well. Also listen gladly to God's word. For I like to hear the divine scriptures, the Our Father, the faith, so that I may learn to believe the mere word. For Satan seeks to tear the symbol of the divine word from our mouths. Therefore, I strive to remain a child as long as I live, so that I may hear the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the faith. Those who are simple remain so, for it is the Scripture of God. It cannot be understood by reason. For those who are pious children like to hear the Lord's Prayer, for they do not know when God will give it to their hearts. No one should be ashamed of the children catechismi. Let's just stick to it etc.