On the first Sunday of Advent.
Matth. 21, 1-9.
Now when they were come near Jerusalem to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, and said unto them: Go into the place which is before you, and soon ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose her, and bring her unto me. And if any man say any thing unto you, say, The Lord hath need of her; and he will soon let her go unto you. Now all these things came to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee meekly, riding upon an ass, and upon a colt of the ass that beareth weight. The disciples went and did as Jesus had commanded them, and brought the ass and the colt, and laid their garments thereon, and set him thereon. But many of the people spread the garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and scattered them on the road. And the people that went before and followed cried out, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.
(1) Whoever wants to interpret the Gospels must make much more effort than he who explains the epistles. For he must first compare the different gospels and pay attention to what the individual evangelists say or conceal about one and the same thing. St. Marcus, Lucas and John ge-
think only of the stuffing on which Christ sat before a man rode on it, as Marcus and Lucas write. Therefore, some have undertaken to defend both opinions, and said that Christ first sat on the stuffing, but afterwards, because it was too unruly, also on the donkey. But I was surprised that a donkey, as a melancholic animal, should have been as untamed and bad to ride as an unruly stallion.
2. it would be better to say that he did not sit on the donkey at all, but on the colt alone, and yet he is described as if he sat on both, because
the donkey was also present. For Scripture often speaks in the same way as St. Matthew Cap. 27, 44. says that the thieves on the cross reviled Christ, while Lucas Cap. 23, 39. writes that only one of them did so. For there is almost no more common and meaningful speech in Scripture than the one called synecdoche, according to which the whole is taken and understood for a part, or again, often the part for the whole. Thus, in the prophets, the whole people are sometimes punished, although many of them were pious; and again, the whole people are often praised, although many of them were wicked. And this is a fine speech and figure of Christian love, which makes common all that is good, and also makes common all that is evil, so that one may bear another's burden, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.
3 So also here the evangelist writes that Christ sat on the ass, when he sat on the colt, because the ass and the colt belonged together and were one thing; and signified the whole people of God, among whom there are many on whom Christ does not sit: but it is rightly said that he rules and reigns over the whole people. Thus it is said that the city, country, or house has done or suffered this, when only some in it have done or suffered it. This is how common this speech is. In this way of speaking we are also called "righteous," since we have only begun to be righteous; as St. Paul says Rom. 8:10: "If Christ be in you, the body indeed is dead because of sin, but the spirit liveth because of righteousness"; and in 7 Cap. V. 25: "I serve the law of God with my mind, but the law of sin with my flesh."
4 But the fact that Christ alone sat on the filler has its own secret meaning, for in it he shows very clearly what both law and grace are able to do. For as St. Paul says in Romans 3:20, "The law makes no one righteous. In order that you may understand this, you should know that all laws, both divine and human, do no more than outwardly compel a man to do works, either with threats or with rewards. But that with pleasure and love, and neither
If you keep the law out of fear of punishment, nor out of love for the reward, nothing will come of it. This can only be done by the grace of God. So the common saying is: Thoughts are free of duty. Accordingly, no law can bring and move a man's will to do the law with pleasure and love, no matter how much he is forced to do the works from outside, but he is always unwilling and hostile to the law. So the ass is burdened and under the yoke, that is, man is outwardly driven, forced or lured by many works of various laws; but no man has ever sat on the fill, without Christ, that is, the spirit, desire and love for it, no one makes ready and skillful, without only God's grace. Therefore, under Christ alone, we live and walk freely, without restraint, with pleasure and love, keeping the law, fearing no punishment and loving no reward.
(5) To which the word of the gospel, which is a word of grace and forgiveness of sins, leads and brings us through the ministry and example of the apostles and preachers. For before the apostles' ministry and office came to us, we were bound under the lords, that is, under the teachers of the law, by whom we threatened to do the work of the law outwardly, but with inward displeasure of heart. Therefore Christ now sits upon our will, which cheerfully bears it by His grace, gladly obeys it, and willingly serves it.
(6) But our ass, which is now free from the work of the law, follows after the flesh which bears Christ; that is, the outward man is brought to the obedience of the inward will, in that by the spirit of the flesh we kill the business which by the law had prevailed and become mighty. But of this difference of law and grace we have said more elsewhere.
7 This is what St. Marcus writes in Cap. 11, 4, that the disciples found the bottle outside, standing at the crossroads; thus he indicates that the man, who is bound to the law but still stands outside at the crossroads, does not obey the law.
But he was still bound by it and not yet released from it, nor brought to Christ through the preaching of the gospel, which was only fulfilled afterwards through the apostles, when they preached the gospel; so that they dissolved and brought to Christ all those who were of the Jews from eternity by the filling.
8 But that Marcus and Lucas write that the masters of the filling, who were standing there, said, "What do you do, that you take away the filling?" Luc. 19, 33, and the disciples answered, as Christ had commanded them, "The Lord has need of them": this means the cruel persecution of the Jews, so that they would oppose the apostles, so that they would not preach the gospel, and so that they would lead the Jewish people to Christ; for they wanted to be considered lords and masters of all the people. With this word the Lord also instructs the apostles and all teachers of the word that they must wait for the unbelievers to resist them fiercely, if they teach the truth and lead the people to Christ.
009 But again he strengtheneth them with the most powerful causes, that they should not be challenged. First of all, that he so contemptuously calls the great city nothing but a "speck that is before you," so that he leaves it neither name nor reputation. For he will not diligently say, Go to the city of Jerusalem; but saith, Go to the speck that is before you; as if he would say, Dearly beloved, return not to the name and renown of a thing; it seemeth to be a great city, but it is no more than a speck and a city. For it is not possible for him to preach God's word righteously who looks at people's persons and things' appearances. He will soon be deterred by many and great appearances, names, titles, dignity and authority. Christ takes all this out of their hearts by calling it a stain, and teaches through the evangelists that one should not pay attention to splendid words. Then, because people in general flatter themselves and seek favor with a splendid character, Christ teaches his disciples the contradiction, that they should know,
that all the world's splendor is against them, and therefore should not be surprised that their preaching does not please the most and most distinguished.
010 Secondly, that before they knew the least of it, he made it certain that they should find and have the filling, signifying that he had foreknown all things, and that he knew them which should believe and be led unto him. As if to say, Go ye, ye shall find: ye shall do no more than preach the word, and go and teach: but they that are taught are known unto me even now. Your word will solve and find those you never thought of. Therefore do not be afraid of persecution, because many will not hear you; those are certain who will hear and come to me, loosed by your word. For this reason, the apostles and ministers of the word must not worry any further, except to go, that is, to teach and preach, but for those who will hear, let God take care of them.
11 Thirdly: But to the persecutors and the unruly they can do no better than to say freely to them, "The Lord has need of them"; that is, we do not come from ourselves, nor do we do and conduct our work and business, but God's office, and do not lead people to ourselves, but to God; as we see that the apostles did. It is not necessary for them to quarrel with them, but to command the matter to God and only to stand firm on the word; so God gives the prosperity that those come of themselves who are to come. With this the apostles comforted themselves in the first place, that they knew how they did not do their thing; therefore they also desired that they should be respected and held as Christ's servants.
The procession means the whole being and life of the church, which in and with Christ goes from this world to the Father in the heavenly Jerusalem. Let us see this. First, the evangelist writes that he came near Jerusalem, to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives: for Bethphage is on the Mount of Olives, as Bethany is on the side of the mountain; and is called "Bethania," as they say, a house of the
mouth. This means the Christian church, which is a true house of the mouth, in which the living word of grace and the voice of salvation is preached, which in the past was silent in the synagogue, and in its place was taught the dead letter of the written law, which rather killed by sin, and was rather a word of death and sin.
So Christ comes to Bethphage, that is, to the house of living preaching, and not to the house of dead scripture. For from Christ's future the church begins, and the disciples are frequently sent forth to preach the gospel and to speak with a living voice of the word of life. By this approaching is signified the first future of Christ into the flesh to men, for it is a future of mercy and grace, which grace is signified by the olive trees; and the olive tree is the Christian church itself, as being fruitful of the oil of grace, since otherwise all that nature is able to do is desolate and unfruitful. From this future the Lord sends the apostles, and calls them to lead the filling of the burdened ass, as said above.
014 And when they have brought it, they put their garments thereon, and set him thereon; that is, they prepare the people for Christ, that he may rule them, and dwell therein, teaching that Christ must be obeyed unto salvation. But the garments are nothing else than the works, examples and virtue of the apostles, as can be seen from time to time in Scripture. So St. Paul teaches in this Sunday's epistle that we should put on Christ and the weapons of light, so that the garments are the good works with which the apostles and their successors should serve, not themselves, but the people, so that they form Christ in their audience and his kingdom.
15 The garments of the people spread on the way are the examples of the martyrs, especially the arch-fathers before Christ, with which the way of Christ's faithful is adorned by the preachers; as the apostle does Heb. 11, when he puts on the histories of the fathers.
016 But the olive branches and palm trees are the words taken from the Scriptures; for the Scriptures are full of words of grace, which
is signified by the oil tree, and also full of the word of the cross, which overcomes everything, and such cross is signified by the palm tree. That is, the Christian doctrine consists entirely in the two pieces, mortification of sin and justification of the spirit. For it is said that the palm tree gives way to no burden; so does the word of the cross and suffering. It is different with the oil tree, from which the dove brought a green branch into the box in the evening, Gen. 8, 11, namely, the word of the grace of God and forgiveness of sin.
(17) The people that go forth and follow, singing and praising, signify the joy of the church in the grace of Christ, in which the fathers and we all rejoice in Christ, praising and glorifying the Father of mercies on high. And now it is clear that all the people here mean the various offices of ministers and preachers; only the one ass shows the new people of the Lord Christ, on whom he enters heaven; for in the one ass is praised the unity, simplicity and strength of faith etc. From this it can be seen that both the epistle and the gospel of this Sunday are of the same mind; for in both it is indicated that we are on the way between the first and the other future of the Lord, that we walk honorably, put on and carry Christ, and put off the works of darkness.
18 Let this be said enough about the secret interpretation; now we want to come back to history. Christ, the king of the daughter of Zion, is pictured here, not in majesty, worldly splendor and power, as other worldly kings lead, but that he comes meekly. And this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. Let us see both of these things.
19 First of all, it is known that in the Jewish land it was customary to ride on donkeys, just as we ride horses. So we read that David, Solomon, Balaam and others rode on donkeys, but horses were used in war. So sings Deborah Judg. 5, 9. 10.: "Praise the Lord, you who ride on beautiful donkeys." As if she wanted to say: You noblemen, princes and
Lords, who govern their land and people; for it is fitting for such people to ride on beautiful donkeys. Item Cap. 10, 4: Jair had thirty sons who rode on thirty asses and had thirty cities. Therefore Christ also rode on a donkey's colt, but only on an ass that could carry a load, and he rode because he was poor, as the evangelist says.
(20) Now let us hold this future of Christ and the future of the law on Mount Sinai against one another as things repugnant to one another. For the law, as it is read in Exodus 19:18, 19, is given in a terrible form. The whole mountain of Sinai, says the Scripture, smoked, so that the Lord descended upon it in fire, and smoke went up like a furnace, and the whole mountain shook greatly, and the sound of the trumpets increased. With this terror the law's office is shown, as it only causes wrath, terrifies the conscience, brings all men under sin, and makes all the world guilty; for by the law comes knowledge of sin: for by the law we know how wretched, evil, and depraved we are, and what we have deserved, namely, death and hell. And although it thus disgraces us, it does not give us the ability to do what it requires, but only proves that we are sinners and condemned, and stirs up wrath in us. For the more a man endeavors to do the work of the law by his own efforts, the more grievously he falls away, unless he is first justified and helped. Such a conscience is found in every man who goes into himself and looks at his life, and his sins make him frightened and fleeting before God, as happened to the Jews in Exodus 20:18.
21. so that such evil may be remedied and the law may be satisfied, our poor conscience satisfied and sin taken away from us, Christ is introduced here, that he comes in pure meekness: not, as the law, driving and demanding, but forgiving and giving to everyone, even to himself; for he himself says Matth. 5:17: "I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it"; only that we also may become his asses and fillings, that we may carry him.
in firm faith, and put it on with good works. So he who has Christ has done enough for the law and is no longer troubled in conscience; but if his heart is still troubled, he does not yet have Christ; but to have Christ and to put him on is nothing else than to believe in him. But what shall you believe? You should believe that he is gentle and a helper who forgives sin and gives grace. But he that imagineth him otherwise, believeth not Christ: but he that believeth that he shall be such unto him, the same hath he assuredly. Whoever then has Christ for his Savior and for the forgiver of his sins, how can his conscience be fearful, and not rather joyful and glad forever? What law can grieve him, because Christ answers for him? That the Jews did not recognize this future of his in the flesh, Christ laments with tears when he weeps over Jerusalem this day, as St. Lucas Cap. 19, 42. says: "If you understood, you would consider on this your day what is for your peace"; that is, if you knew why I was coming and what I would bring, namely, peace, forgiveness of sins, freedom from the tyranny of the law; "but now it is hidden from your eyes." Oh, how many are still hiding today what serves for peace of heart, who do not know Christ, and yet presume to do enough and satisfy themselves not by faith in Christ, but by their own work, when there is no peace apart from Christ, the gentle King, who alone forgives sin.
22 And this is that the evangelist exhorts to preach, saying, Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee meekly; as if to say, He cometh for thy good, for thy peace, salvation, and joy of heart: and because they believed it not, he prophesieth that it should be spoken and preached. So whoever believes that Christ comes in this way has him. O of strange preaching and of this time quite extinct! Consider every word. The little word "behold" is a word of joy and exhortation, and points to a thing for which one has waited long and anxiously.
1002 ii. 32g d. 327 a. On the first Sunday of Advent. W. xii, E-ini. 1003
"Thy King", who destroys the tyrant of thy conscience, namely, the law, and rules thee in peace and sweetness, giving thee forgiveness of sins and power to perform the law. "Thine," that is, promised to thee, for whom thou hast waited, whom, laden with sins, thou hast called and sighed for. "He cometh," willingly, without thy merit, out of great love, for thou hast not brought him, nor ascended into heaven, nor deserved his future, but he hath left his own, and cometh to thee unworthy, who, under the constraint and dominion of the law, hast deserved nothing but punishment with many sins. "He comes to you, that is, for your good, in which you need him: he comes to seek your own, only to serve you and do you good; he comes not for himself, not to seek his own from you, as the law does; because you do not have what the law demands, therefore he comes to give you his own, and desires nothing from you, but that you alone may have your sins taken away from you and make yourself blessed.
23 Further, he comes to you "meekly," not restlessly, like Mount Sinai, but quietly and gently; he does not threaten, he does not punish, he does not avenge the transgression of the law. And that you believe this, he rides on a common donkey's colt, on a simple, innocent animal, which alone is sent to serve, so that you may be lured by the figure of his future, and learn to understand that he comes to serve you without your harm, only out of love. In him there is no terrible sign, he thunders, flashes and smokes - not, as in former times the mountain Sinai; for he has come to help, to give, to make blessed, to comfort and to give peace, not to frighten, to hunt or to desecrate. And therefore, as he appears in his future, so is he also in his heart. He could not walk more simple-mindedly, than sitting on a horse, on which no man had sat; therefore he abstained from the rattling chariot. He had clothes spread on the road, and the people went ahead and followed, not with weapons, but with shouting and rejoicing, so that nothing would ever be lacking to show meekness and gentleness.
(24) This joy and gladness of the future of the Lord was more clearly described by the prophet Zechariah, Cap. 9:9, than by the evangelist, when he says: "Daughter of Zion, rejoice greatly, and daughter of Jerusalem, exult; behold, thy King cometh unto thee, a righteous man and a helper, poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a young colt of the ass." For when he exhorts to joy and rejoicing, he extols the gracious and lovely future to the poor sinners who are oppressed by the dominion of the law; which is also signified by the fact that he has set his entry from the Mount of Olives, as of the greatness of mercy and peace.
(25) The evangelist uses the word "gentle" alone, leaving the words "a righteous man and a helper" outside; for in the Hebrew language the word "poor" is very similar to the word "gentle" or "mild"; for the Hebrews call a man poor who is poor in spirit, humble, troubled, restless, and downcast; as all believers in Christ are commonly called in Scripture. For he is actually quite gentle and meek, who does not let himself be hurt by his neighbor other than when it happens to himself, and has mercy on him. The evangelist describes Christ as such a poor man, a man who is afflicted by our affliction, a man who is quite gentle, who comes alone afflicted with our affliction and is ready to help us with the most gentle love. Therefore, although the evangelist does not exactly use the words, he says as much in one word as in all three when he introduces Christ, that out of meekness he not only does not seek vengeance, nor press for the fulfillment of the law, but voluntarily has compassion on those who were afflicted with many sins under the law, and comes to them with a humble and sweet heart, that he may give them what they need, namely, grace and mercy. For when the prophet says "righteous," he does not mean, as is commonly said, one who judges sinners by his righteousness; but as Paul says, Rom. 3:26, a righteous man who makes righteous. "To you," says the pro-
phet, he comes righteous, that he may make thee righteous, which thou hast been guilty of by the law. Therefore, in the old interpretation, the word "righteous" is translated "holy," namely, he who sanctifies by the anointing of his grace, so that the word "holy" indicates Christ, that is, the anointed one, and the word "beatifier" indicates Jesus by his own name. For this reason he will justify and save, because he is poor, has mercy on you, takes your misery to heart, thirsts for your salvation. And that means meek.
26 And from this we see how near is our salvation, how present and how great it is; for this coming in and this future endure to the end of the world. Woe unto us if we know not these things also, which are for our peace in this our time, which is the time of our visitation in so great mercy. Therefore let us walk uprightly in this day and in this way.
27 The evangelist therefore wanted to cite the testimony of the prophet, so that he would praise grace to us all the more highly (as befits a preacher of grace), so that he would show that Christ did not come for our merit, but "for the truth of God," as St. Paul says to the Romans, Cap. 15, 8. Paul speaks to the Romans Cap. 15, 8. "to confirm the promise of the fathers", which He alone had done and given them out of pure mercy; as the apostle writes to the Galatians Cap. 3, 18. writes: "God gave it freely to Abraham by promise." Therefore the evangelist does not praise our worthiness, but God's mercy and truth, who so long before us freely promised such things, and now has fulfilled them and given them to us, not that we are worthy of them, but that He is true.
28. the last thing that the people sang, "Hosanna to the son of David," is taken away.
from the 118th Psalm v. 25. 26. where the prophet says: O Lord, make blessed! O Lord, make it prosperous! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Which in Hebrew is thus: Ana adonai, hoschia na, ana adonai hazeliach na, baruch habba beschem adonai. Here again it is seen that the evangelist did not put it all, perhaps that the people did not pronounce it all so perfectly; for they added, "the Son of David," which is not in the Psalm, because they drew this verse to Christ, the Son of David, of whose seed they knew that their King and Messiah should come. But Hosanna, Hebrew hoschia na, comprehends in itself two words: I pray, make blessed, or, make salvation, until a beatific. But the people add, "to the Son of David," so that they may have the understanding: "O Lord, we beseech thee, grant that it may go well with this Son of David, our king; grant that his kingdom may prosper, and that he may reign happily. For it is an acclamation and congratulation of the people to the new kingdom of Christ; which also the following words indicate: "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." This understanding is supported by the evangelist Marcus when he speaks Cap. 11, 9. 10.: "They cried out and said: Hosanna, blessed be the kingdom of David our father, which cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!"
29 Therefore, we also call out and cry out daily in the mass: Hosanna in the highest! and pray that Christ would lead and govern his church salutary and happily in this day and progress. And let this be the voice, earnestness and diligence of all preachers in Christ's church, so that Christ may rule and reign happily, and that the devil and the works of darkness may come to evil. This is figured here and means by the service and cry of the people, amen.