According to John.
John 18:1-38.
When Jesus had spoken these things, he went out with his disciples over the brook Kidron; there was a garden, into which Jesus and his disciples went. Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the place; for Jesus often met there with his disciples. When Judas had taken the multitude, and the officers of the chief priests and Pharisees, he came thither with torches and lamps, and with weapons. When Jesus therefore knew all that he should meet with, he went out, and said unto them: Whom seek ye? They answered him, JEsum of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them: It is I. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. When therefore Jesus said unto them: I am he, they drew back, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said: JEsum of Nazareth. Jesus answered: I have told you that I am he. If then ye seek me, let these go. That the word might be fulfilled which he said, I have lost none of those whom thou gavest me. Then Simon Peter had a sword, and drew it, and smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear: and the servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Petro, Put up thy sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which my father hath given me? And the multitude, and the chief captain, and the servants of the Jews, took JEsum, and bound him, and brought him first unto Annas, which was Caiphas' brother in law, which was the high priest of the year. It was Caiphas who advised the Jews that it was good for a man to be put to death for the people. Simon Peter followed Jesus, and another disciple. The same disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the high priest's palace. Peter stood outside the door. Then the other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, went out, and spake unto the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. Then said the maid, the doorkeeper, unto Peter, Art not thou also this man's disciple? He said: I am not. And the servants and menservants stood by, having made a fire of cabbage; for it was cold, and they were warming themselves. And Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. But the high priest asked JEsum about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered him, "I have spoken freely before the world. I have always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where all the Jews come together, and have spoken nothing in secret. Why do you ask me this? Ask those who have heard what I have said to them. Behold, they know what I have said. And as he spake these things, the servant gave Jesus a blow on the cheek to one of them that stood by, saying, Answerest thou the high priest thus? And Jesus answered, If I have spoken evil, let it be proved that it is evil: but if I have spoken right, why hast thou smote me? And Annas sent him bound unto Caiphas the high priest. And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Then said they unto him, Art not thou one of his disciples? But he denied it, saying: I am not. One of the servants of the high priest, a friend of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, Did I not see you in the garden with him? Then Peter denied again, and straightway the cock crowed. Then they led Jesus away from Caiphas to the judgment house. And it was early. And they went not into the judgment house, lest they should be defiled, and eat the passover. Then Pilate went out to them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an offender, we would not have delivered him unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take him therefore, and judge him according to your law. Then said the Jews unto him, We may kill no man. That the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, saying, What death he should die. Then Pilate went again into the judgment house, and called JEsu, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered, Speakest thou this of thyself, or did others tell thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thy people and the chief priests delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be on the street.
fight, that I should not be delivered unto the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou yet a king? Jesus answered, "You said it, I am a king. I was born for this purpose, and came into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. He that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate said to him, "What is truth?
First. This is how history is to be read in its entirety before the people, so that it may be grasped and retained.
Secondly, the history is to be divided into six parts, which are: of the supper; of the garden; of Caipha; of Pilato; of the cross; of the tomb.
3. proceeding to the first part, that is, to the Lord's Supper, it must be said in advance, before each is properly treated, that the passion of Christ is to be distinguished from the sufferings of other saints; and this must be diligently impressed upon the hearts of the people. First, that the history may be grasped and retained, and beware of disgust etc.; but it is to be performed daily, and remembered according to all the circumstances of the person, the time, the place, the enemies, the nature and magnitude of the punishments, as much as can be done. But, this must be touched only lately on such days; for to say all would be a matter of infinite labor. First, what kind and how great the person is who suffers; second, in what kind of inconvenient place and city, where such a thing should not have happened; third, at what kind of inconvenient time, namely, at the most holy time, in which all nations are present.
Fourthly, how shameful the enemy is, which is the people of God, to whom Christ was promised; fifthly, how many, various and severe the punishment has been, which has been inflicted, not on property and honor, but even on the body and soul. These things, I say, cannot all be explained on this or that day, nor thus expounded and crossed out, but only touched upon above and brought in where the place suffers.
4. secondly, that this history is about the suffering he took on for us: not for himself, not because of his guilt, but only to show his obedience and patience towards the Father. In these two pieces it is enough where they are driven in these days.
(5) The remaining three, namely, first, the use, that is, faith, which takes hold of this suffering of Christ, done for us; secondly, the fruit, that is, love, which impels the works that are like the works of Christ; thirdly, the probation, that is, the cross, which suffers the like of which Christ suffered: these, I say, are only to be touched upon and postponed to another time. But they are only hinted at here, so that the whole transaction may be imagined in the mind.
On the Sunday Quasimodogeniti. *)
John 20:19-23.
Now in the evening of the same Sabbath, when the disciples were gathered together, and the doors were shut, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith unto them: Peace be unto you! And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands, and his side. Then the disciples were glad to see the Lord. Then said Jesus unto them again: Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
*) Cf. Erl. A. opp. var. arg. VII, 399 8^. D. Red.
(1) In these words there are three things to notice. The first is: the divine institution, namely, that God Himself lets Himself down, and decrees with a divine prestige that the forgiveness of a man shall be God's forgiveness Himself; so that whoever hears a man absolving sins shall be sure that he is absolved by God Himself in heaven. And this institution is the power and strength of the keys; for what would it be to absolve or bind a man if such were done foolhardily and according to human conceit and arbitrariness, without God's command or institution? But since God thus orders and commands to absolve or to forgive, and to bind or to retain, the forgiveness and retention does not depend on the work or the deed, but on the one who orders and establishes it, namely, God, whether the one who receives it is worthy or not; just as baptism is valid, whether a worthy or unworthy person receives it, because it is an order of God, but not an arbitrariness, conceit, or work of a man.
(2) The other [to be noted here] is: the ordered or appointed thing, namely, the forgiveness and retention of sins. And this also is to be diligently noted, because he clearly says, "Whom ye shall sin," etc. because namely, it deals with the sins which are to be either remitted or retained. He does not say, To whom ye will give laws; neither does he say, To whom ye will bind their goods and chattels, bodies and hearts, with laws; but thus he says, "To whom ye will give sins," sins, sins, I say; hearest thou not? sins I say. But what is sin? For it is, as Augustine says, that which is done, spoken and thought against God's law, not against the invented statutes of men. Therefore, sins are seen here, sins, I say, against God's law; but not those which are invented by the statutes of men, that is, [sins are seen] so that one sins against God.
3 It is therefore an appalling abomination of the pope that he has forcibly drawn these and similar passages to the power of making laws of his own; since Christ
gives power to remit sin, namely, that which is done against God's law. The greatness of this frightful corruption cannot be sufficiently expressed nor reflected upon, that since Christ ordained the office of the keys for the relief of pious consciences, when they have sinned, they turn such to the oppression of pious consciences. O a wrath and fury of God! O a malice of the devil! Christ absolves the wicked from sins committed against God by this institution; and the papacy overflows the pious with sins by perverse laws. Therefore, these two things, namely, the institution itself and the thing that has been instituted, are to be diligently considered and opposed to the tyranny of Antichrist. For what can be more against Christ than that they [namely, the papists] interpret that which he ordained for the forgiveness of sins in such a way that sin is increased? On the contrary, where Christ commands that sins be retained, namely, those committed by the impenitent and hardened against God, they absolve and remit them, because they do not punish such, but rejoice in them, and live most insolently and unbound in all kinds of pride, avarice, lust, murder, blasphemy and denial of the truth. But who will say this sufficiently?
The third [to be noted here] concerns the persons to whom this appointment is made and to whom this thing is to be done, which are indicated by God's word, for it says, "To whom ye sin," etc.; as if to say, I do not give you a dominion, but a service, because I do not entrust to you kings, kingdoms, goods, glories, but sin and sinners. "Whom ye remit sin," etc., that is, If sinners ask that their sins may be remitted unto them, ye shall have power here to remit them; but if they ask not and will not, ye shall have power here to retain, not goods, not kingdoms, not glories, but sins; because I will that ye should be ministers of the kingdom of heaven, not of the kingdom of the earth. Let your work therefore be with sinners and transgressors, whether they be husband or wife,
Lord or servant. Only the sins I hand over to you, except this nothing.
(5) And this third part is glorious for the poor and miserable sinners, that they may know that they and their sins are the final cause of this appointment and of this thing appointed; for Christ hath not ordained this thing for the servants themselves, who have no need of it, much less that they should reign; but for the sinners' sakes, that such should have comfort in "this appointment. And though the ministers, inasmuch as they are men, have need of it also, as sinners: yet because the minister neither looseth nor bindeth himself in this appointment, it is clear that this appointment of Christ belongeth not to the power and tyranny of them that bind or loose, but that it belongeth to them that shall be bound and loosed. And the honor of this institution is purely identical.
lich, because it only concerns the sufferers or patients, that is, the sinners. So he says: "Whom you sin" etc. Therefore, where the pope, or any other minister, uses this institution outside of sins, so as to bind or loose, he is entirely the Antichrist; because nothing civil or worldly, not temporal or corporeal, is here given to him to govern, bind and loose, but only that which is spiritual, heavenly and eternal; Such things are not possessions and goods and glories, but sins committed against the eternal God, for the remission of which heaven is given, but not the kingdoms of this world, and for the keeping of which hellish fire is given, but not the gallows or any other civil punishment. These things are to be distinguished and treated diligently and in the best way according to the dialectic.