Marc. 16, 1-8.
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary Jacob, and Salome, bought specimens, that they might come and baptize him. And they came unto the sepulchre on a sabbath day very early, when the sun was gone out. And they said one to another, Who shall roll us the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And they looked there, and perceived that the stone was rolled away; for it was very great. And they entered into the sepulchre, and saw a young man sitting on the right hand, clothed in a long white garment; and they arose. And he said unto them: Do not be dismayed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified one; he has risen and is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Petro that he will go before you into Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for trembling and terror had come upon them; and they told no man; for they were afraid.
Dear friends, you have often heard the story of what happened on that day after Christ rose from the dead, and you know how the dear disciples of Christ and the women came to the unexpected joy, since they had no thoughts about it. This history should be emphasized in more words, although there are many of them who become wise too early and think that they can do this and similar histories quite well, and such wait and wait for something new. But, dear friends, we want to stand up as those who do not yet know, and want to say why such histories have been written.
*) First published by the Holstein theologian Johann Melchior Kraft, pastor at Husum, in 1730. - The text is reproduced in all these sermons according to Kraft's edition.
**Held at Coburg on April 17, 1530.
and what it is useful for us. It is a very bad art to know such history and to be able to talk about it, if one does not know what it is useful and serves for me and you. For all this has happened so that we may all be advised and helped by it.
(2) And this is the very reason why St. Paul preaches and praises this history in so many words, that it is a triumph and victory over sin, death, the devil, hell, and all evil; that Christ should be regarded as having not done this for his own sake, but that such histories should be taken from his benefit to the benefit of others and of all of us. For he could not have been glorified without such a resurrection, as he proved on Mount Thabor when he was glorified before his disciples. But he
took this way before himself, so that he could serve us with it. On Good Friday, he lifted up and stepped into our person, holding such an image in front of the devil's nose, so that he would run to it.
(3) For the devil is a prince of death, that he may strangle men, and cast them into sin and hell; wherefore he is commonly called a prince of sin and a prince of death; and hath so long wrought the craft, that no man could resist him, nor escape. That is why he became very proud and brave. Then our dear Lord God came and put a morsel before him, where he should eat death, and sent Christ on earth into the flesh. But the devil did not even think of this, thinking that he would soon eat him up, and put him first into sin, so that he was condemned and judged like a blasphemer and rebel; as the title that was put over the cross also shows: he must die like a desperate, rebellious wicked man, who undertook to challenge the whole Roman Empire and to take it to himself. That is why the devil thinks he has him for sure and wanted to strangle him, as he does. Now that he has executed him, he thinks he must remain in this death forever. But what happens? Christ suddenly rises from death, and tramples the devil with sin, death and hell under his feet, and thus becomes a lord over the devil, sin and death; he does not do this by force, but has the right that even the devil himself must give him this right.
(4) Then the lovely feast of Easter begins, when the dear Christ takes the devil, sin and death, and brings them to trial, accusing the devil: Why have you judged and condemned me as a rebel, when I myself am the Son of God, the eternal righteousness? Why have you cast me into death and hell, when I am eternal life and blessedness? Against such accusations the devil can't muster anything and even has to stifle. Then it breaks out with force that the Christ, who was hung on the cross and killed, is eternal righteousness, wisdom and life. Thus, the devil has to fight for half of the law.
his rule and power even come. Before he had the right to strangle us, then he was our executioner and needed his right. But what does he want to do now? This man, Christ, has never committed any sin, and yet he has strangled him out of courage. So now God Almighty judges in this matter, and says: Devil, you have neglected your office in this man, I will take your life, you have spoiled the mouth and have loaded too much on one bite. Then the judgment comes with force, that the devil together with sin and death are subjected to Christ. This is now the praiseworthy and glorious triumph of this feast, that the devil is thus, and everything that has been against Christ, rightly awarded and subjected to Christ, that the devil sits down between two chairs, and must give back what he has ever eaten. Everything must come forth and come to life again for the sake of the one man.
5 So Job also gives a simile of the Leviathan, the great whale, Cap. 40:20: "Do you think," he says, "that you would pull out the Leviathan with a hook, and bind its tongue with ropes?" Gregory also treats this saying delicately, as if he wanted to say: "It will be much too big for you, you must have another hammer for it, this one will not do, you must have a good rifle. Nevertheless, God finished with it; he took a sharp rod and hung an earthworm on it, and threw the rod into the sea. The earthworm is now Christ, the sharp rod is his divinity; the earthworm is tied to the rod, namely, the humanity of Christ and the flesh, which deceives the devil. He thinks: Should I not be able to swallow the little earthworm? He is not aware of the sharp fishing rod and bites into it. Then Christ comes and pulls him out, and brings out with him what the devil has ever done. For it was too high, death against life, sin against grace, hell against heaven.
(6) As the devil succeeded in such a struggle, so did sin. The same also took Christ and accused him before Pilate, and the pious Christ went away.
there. But how did it turn out? Under the same sin that was laid on Christ, there was hidden an eternal righteousness, which now clashes with the temporal sin. So guess who will win and go down in the ravine? This is certain, that the righteousness of Christ cannot perish nor be condemned; for it is an eternal righteousness, where no sin can enter. Therefore, even sin has been turned away from Christ. He lets it have its way for a while, so that it can be condemned, but it is not worth it. So he clings to himself and strangles all the sin of the world. Now, when sin clings to us, it pushes us down without any work. Why is this? Because there is not so much strength and power in us to resist it. But Christ is the man who can do it: sin cannot harm him, for he has and is eternal righteousness, to whom neither temporal sin nor anything else can do harm.
So also the unkind death happened to Christo. He met a person who was immortal. So it is a forgiven presumption and foolish action that poor Death wants to lay hold of an eternal life that cannot die. Nor has he done so and thus been deceived; indeed, he deceives himself and wants to devour eternal life. No, dear death, that would be too much. It was too much in him that he deprived us of the bodily life in paradise and brought it to us. So Christ has also clamped and subdued death in himself.
8 The devil, as I have said, was also accustomed to power and dominion; but he saw not the eternal dominion of Christ: so now he runneth upon him, and seeketh to overcome him that cannot be overcome. So now they go in one heap, devil, sin and death; and all these things the resurrection of Christ has brought to pass. That is why St. Paul praises it so gloriously. On Good Friday Christ entered into our sin and died; but now the picture becomes more comforting: there is no sin, no death, nor any wounds nor marks on Him. If then it has been my sin, my death and my devil; well, he is swallowed up; as also Isaiah says in 53 Cap. V. 4: "All
our sins are laid upon him." If they are laid on Christ, where do they remain? St. Paul answers, 1 Cor. 15:54: "Death is swallowed up in victory"; there it remains together with sin and the devil. Now look at Christ, and you will see that he sees things much differently than he saw them on the cross on the Feast of Christ. There they were all with heaps, sin, death, and devils, and laid themselves upon poor Christ: now they lie all caught and bound under his feet, that now they are all signs of eternal life, blessedness, and righteousness in Christ.
9 This is called and is the art of Christians, since Christians alone know how to deal with things. Other people can teach and say about outward life and works. But this is the right main thing, the ground, that I learn no more than to look at this Christ with my heart. It is not a matter of works here; only watch me play, and learn to know the man well in his works, that he takes your sin and mine upon himself, and needs no other weapons but his body. It is a lovely and kindly game, which no man can recover nor wipe out with words." It is also a delicious and glorious triumph that he does nothing more to it but his own body, and wages such a battle that he deprives the devil, sin and death of all their dominion.
(10) How difficult it is for us when we want to beat ourselves with sins and put them away by ourselves! The monks have thought up so many works and prayers, we have fasted, made pilgrimages and done countless other things. And all this because we would have liked to be rid of our sins. So it still hangs on us that we would like to help ourselves; but it does not. This alone is the art of watching the man Christ, so we will see that he bites the devil, sin and death, and strangles them in his blood. For he hath eternal life and righteousness; whereunto also flesh and blood and Godhead are One Christ. How then can sin and righteousness, death and life remain together? One must eat itself with the other and one must bite the other away. So then the
Person died, yet cannot die; and the flesh is dead, yet must have life for the sake of the Godhead.
(11) This sight and appearance makes thee a Christian, and if thou believest and holdest it to be true, thou hast the righteousness and the life which he hath. For he does not do this for his own sake, but for your benefit and good. For your own good, he has captured the devil and given you his victory as your own; he could not do it for himself, and the right he has against the devil he has given to you as your own; you must not do any good works to earn it; he gives it to you. But be pious and accept the gifts in gratitude. But it is such a great work, and we are such wretched unbelieving people that we cannot grasp it nor bring it into our hearts.
(12) From all this we learn that our righteousness is not of our own merit, nor of our own covetousness, but of grace and mercy alone. For who could ever more think of such things from the Son of God? The preaching, as Paul says and experience teaches, has always been considered foolishness by the heathen and the wise of this world, and still today by the Turks; for it is a great and difficult article to hang on to.
13 Therefore this is the benefit of Christ's suffering and resurrection, that he did it not for himself but for the whole world, that he trampled underfoot the devil and my sin, which clung to him on the silent Friday, so that the devil also flees from the name of Christ. If you need such great things, he has already given them to you; do him such honor and receive it with thanksgiving.
(14) Now when sin or devils come to lay hold on thee, how wilt thou prepare thyself against them, and defend thyself? What wilt thou do to drive them from thee? So you must tell him: This resurrection of Christ has now become yours through the word, the gospel tells you that it is to be your own; so now you cannot put it in any other monstrance than your heart. Now when sin comes and accuses you, say:
You have done this and that, where will you stay? You must go to death and hell. If you are not a Christian, you will go there. For there no one can keep but a Christian, who then can answer: I have done wrong, I know that well, but to deal with sins belongs to men; Christians are not concerned, for there is only one, and his name is Christ. So come here, dear sin, and let us look at him, whether he also has sin, death, devil in him? But I understand that you will not find any in him. Know therefore, sin, death, and devils, and all things that also offend, that thou findest not right. I am not one of those who are afraid of you; for Christ, my dear Lord, gave me his triumph and victory when you were trampled to the ground inside; and it is from this same gift that I have been called a Christian, and from no other thing. My sin and death hung on his neck on silent Friday, but on Easter Day they disappeared and were swallowed up; this victory he gave me, therefore I turn nothing to you.
(15) Therefore let a Christian learn and be sure that Christ has not only done these things, but has given them to him as his own, that he may know how to put away from himself all offences; otherwise he would not be a Christian, but a foolish man, who looks at sins differently from the way they are looked at. For thou mayest see sins as thou wilt, but if thou regard them not as laid upon Christ, and as trodden under foot by Christ, and as given thee afterward, they bring nothing but anguish, terror, and destruction. Now therefore send thee in, holding it sure that Christ took thy death and sin upon Himself on Silent Friday, and afterward cometh again on Easter Day, and offereth thee a good day, saying, Look at me now, where are thy sins? Here you see no more sin, they are all gone, what will you be afraid of? In this way, this work of resurrection is given to me and to you and to all people who believe in Christ. If I do not need it in this way, then I do great injustice to my Lord Christ by letting his triumph and victory happen in this way.
stand idle. It shall not be an idle victory; he truly wants to accomplish much with it, so that in all temptations, sins and terrors I see nothing but the joyful resurrection of Christ.
(16) Whosoever therefore can put this victory into his heart is already blessed. For come sin, evil conscience, hunger, pestilence, war, and whatever else it may be: if you are trained and equipped in the resurrection of Christ, you will soon see that such terrible images are nothing but the devil's weapons, who can never have rest. As it is now also very adventurous under the eyes. The devil wears such strange walls and armor. What will you do in such a journey, because you are sure that these are the devil's weapons? Will you first deal with them for a long time and polish them beautifully, and then let the weapons of Christ rust, so that he fought at this feast? No, by all means, but let it all go and stop, and say: I cannot deal with sins; Jesus Christ who can, I will watch how he will do to him, on him alone I will have respect, what he will do with. The same Christ lets sin hang on him and beats it away. I cannot, therefore I do not want to deal with it.
(17) If I therefore take the treasure, sin, death, the devil, and all terrors must cease. And even if it happens that at times one still feels sin and terror, as it cannot be lifted because we are in the old sack," well, it does no harm, this victory and triumph is not taken away from you. And even if you feel that your sins still weigh you down, still say, "I do not feel them; for on a quiet Friday I still saw all my sins clinging to Christ, but on Easter Day they are all gone. It usually happens in this way that a person is afraid of the judgment, even if he is innocent; nevertheless, he has the hope that he will not be harmed. So also here: sin and death can certainly frighten us; but because we know a stronger one, who rose from the dead on Easter Day, without all sin, we take
We believe in this resurrection, and that we have righteousness in sins and life in death through Christ.
(18) Now this is a strange and unheard-of sermon before the world, which no reason can comprehend or believe, that though we feel sin and death and the devil's kingdom, we shall be rid of them and be delivered from them through another who takes care of us. It is natural that he who has sinned should suffer punishment, and it is from this delusion that he has covered up Christ with the merit of our own works. That is why so many works have been done by the monks and also by the Turks today. For the whole world must conclude thus: No one pays for the other. Then the pope came up with satisfaction and repentance for sin, which is nothing else than to charge sin upon oneself. But it is not called thus. Another's righteousness shall and must do this. When my sins are upon me, they press me to the earth and drive me to despair; but the righteousness of Christ comforts, strengthens, and redeems us.
(19) It is a strange sermon, it is true; but it alone makes Christians. With my sins I have forfeited death, that is true: no good work, no good opinion, no satisfaction will help, be it what it may; there must come a foreign thing that is not mine and that I cannot have in me. So now it costs a Christian no more than the reputation with the heart; the pious Christ is now called Martinus, Peter and Magdalena; the Christ became Peter on silent Friday, who nevertheless denied him; but on Easter Day he comes forth, and says: Here is no more sin.
20 So our art is not in works, they are called whatever they want, they are small or great, evil or good, it depends only on the fact that we look at Christ and accept from him with thanksgiving what he gives us. And this is also what the figure in the 4th book of Moses Cap. 21. of the brazen serpent: there it cost health no more than reputation; otherwise nothing helped at all, they had to let their fists fall; what they wanted to tear down or do was all in vain, yes, they
made the serpents only fiercer and angrier, and made evil only worse; that was the only art, looked at the serpent of brass, without all pharmacy and medicine. It is the same with us: the fiery serpents also bite us, we feel the sin in us, and see that we are eternally lost; what shall we do to get rid of them? Nothing more than look. If I break the serpents with my fists without the Easter day, as they have taught, we will be like the Jews, who make evil worse, and where there was one sin before, there are now ten others.
(21) For thou countest it out thyself: If thou wilt put away sin, thou hast not only done wrong in sin, but also wilt take hold of Christ in his office, saying, I will be Christ. This then is to submit more than to God, which is the greatest sin. Oh, not for God's sake, but let him remain Christ, let him have his office. It is enough of the other sins that we do etc.; Christ rightly said Matth. 24, 24: "Many false prophets will come and say, I am Christ." For we ourselves, as you know, have taught and done so, and the priests and monks even to this day. When they say, Dear friends, give us your alms, and we will pray for you, fast, watch, and make you partakers of all our good works, what else do they say and do, but that they are Christ and take hold of Christ in his office? Alas, that you should set yourselves up in Christ's stead, and yet give us nothing in return but dark masses and such foolish games. Nevertheless, this still happens everywhere in the papacy; that Christ should or could do it alone, nothing will come of it.
22 Therefore, dear friends, let us pray diligently that we may remain with the Easter Day; where this happens, there is no need for all the rot and error. But if we lose it, it is over; then no error can be controlled everywhere, not even the slightest; as you see that the monks, nuns and priests had fallen into this state, and still do, that they worshiped stone and wood. Although some of them do not want to do this now, it is nevertheless true that the pope has made us much more horrible than the Turk. We have circumvented such foolishness so that it remains true: Whoever does not have the silent Friday and Easter Day does not have a good day in the year; that is, whoever does not believe that Christ suffered and rose for him is finished. For therefore we are called Christians, that we may look upon Christ, and say, Lord, thou hast taken my sin upon thee, and hast become Martinus, Peter, and Paul, and hast thus trodden down and swallowed up my sin: there shall I seek my sin, and thereunto hast thou directed me. On Friday I still see my sin, but on Easter a new man and a new hand have come into being, and no sin is seen any more; you have given me all this and said that you have overcome my sin, my death and my devil.
(23) In this way, we alone, by the grace of God, preach the benefits and customs of Christ's resurrection, as you have often heard me say. Beware of this alone, lest you think you can. I and you and all of us together have to learn from this as long as we live. God grant that we may learn well. Amen.