Matth, 11, 2-10.
And when John heard the works of Christ in prison, he sent two of his disciples, saying, Art thou he that should come, or shall we wait for another? Jesus answered and said unto them: Go and tell John again what you see and hear; the blind see, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who does not take offense at me. As they went, Jesus began to speak to the people of John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? Did you want to see a reed that the wind weaves to and fro? Or what went ye out to see? would ye see a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft garments are in the houses of kings. Or what went ye out to see? would ye see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, he also is more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my angel before thee, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
When John heard the works of Christ in prison, he sent two of his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?
Here many have different opinion of John. St. Ambrose thinks that John did not ask out of doubt or ignorance, but out of Christian opinion: Whether the great Son of God would die for men? St. Jerome, with whom Gregory agrees, writes that John asked: "Would Christ also go to hell for the damned, as he went for living men? And I think that this opinion cannot be rejected, because St. Peter 1. Ep. 3, 18. 19. 20. clearly says: Christ was killed and sacrificed for us; in the same he went to hell.
I preached to the spirits in prison who did not believe in the days of Noah when the ark was being prepared.
The other opinion is that of St. Chrysostom, with whom we now agree. He writes that John knew for certain that he was the Christ for whom they were waiting that he should come, for he had learned this when he heard the voice of the Father, Matth. 3, 17: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And had pointed to him with his finger that he was the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world. Joh. 1, 36. And God had said to him, "On whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding on him, the same is he that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost and with fire," as Joh. 1 is widely described. Therefore he sent his disciples to Christ, not that he knew it.
but that his disciples might know for certain how Christ stood. For although he had told them and the people much about Christ, at that time they did not think more highly of Christ than they did of John; but it grieved them that Christ baptized and that many came to him, as John 3:25, 26. "There arose a question among the disciples of John, with the Jews, concerning cleansing," that is, baptism, "and they came," that is, the disciples with the Jews, to stir up this question, "unto John, and said unto him, Master, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, of whom thou testifiedst, behold, he baptizeth, and every man cometh unto him." Then John quieted them with many words, and pointed them away from himself to Christ, saying in v. 30: "He must increase, but I must decrease"; and he told them much more about Christ, the Son of God. But since they would not be moved by this, because Christ had not yet done a sign, he finally commands his disciples, whom he had taught with words until then, when he was put in prison and heard the works of Christ, that they should now go to Christ himself, and see his words and works, and ask him. Therefore also the words are, as if he said of many, "Or shall we wait for another?" that it is spoken of many, that is, in the person of the disciples and of the Jews. And Christ acts his words and works in such a way that he teaches the disciples more than John. "What ye see and hear," saith he; and, "Blessed is he that taketh not offense at me."
3 Thus, St. John does not want to subject his disciples and the people to his power with his faithful service, but to Christ, so that they will not cling to him superstitiously after his death and let Christ go. He wants to do this most powerfully with Christ's own words, works and reputation. To this end, he does not demand this of Christ as his forerunner, who would rather have been like him, but as a humble servant; because he knew that Christ knew everything that each one lacked, he puts forward his request quite modestly in one question, so that he also showed by this modesty that Christ was greater than he.
himself. Thus he cares for his disciples, so that it would not look as if he wanted to meet Christ, who knew everything, with impetuosity. If St. Ambrose, through the Christian opinion of John, understood his modesty towards Christ and his care for the disciples, he was right. Therefore he says: "When he heard the works, that is, the miracles, of Christ.
4 For he thought that this would be the most convenient time in which he could point his disciples to Christ, whom he would not move by the testimony he gave to Christ, and they themselves were also more angry at Christ's baptism and preaching, out of zeal for their master John.
(5) Then you see that John did not want to suddenly push his disciples away and leave them, but that he bore their ignorance and weakness until they gradually, out of love for themselves, moved by the works of Christ, left him and followed Christ. For it is difficult when an old opinion, especially of the common people, is to be hurriedly abandoned and eradicated; for if one wants to do this by force and suddenly, it cannot fail, it must become worse. In the same way, Christ himself did not teach his disciples all at once, nor did he do all at once, but tolerated their great ignorance until he gradually set them right.
6 From this we see why John asks the disciples, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we waiting for another? And that I speak my opinion here, it seems to me that when he says: "or do we wait for another?" he wants to indicate that his disciples and the Jews believed him when he said Joh. 1, 27.He that cometh after me is greater than I, that I am not worthy to loose the laces of his shoes"; but that they believed not that Jesus should be the greater, and thought that there should be another that should come; wherefore they were first persuaded, because John had much greater name and reputation among great and small than Christ. Therefore they could not understand John's word "of the greater" who was to come, because of their weakness and lack of understanding.
They did not rhyme with Christ because of their knowledge. Secondly, because they, with their carnal mind, thought that he who was to come would go forth in great glory, with great splendor of the world: since they did not see this in Christ, they hovered between heaven and earth, thinking that John's word was true, but it did not rhyme with Christ. For the earthly and worldly thoughts of Christ sat deep in the hearts of all the Jews, so that it was difficult for them if they should learn to understand it spiritually.
(7) That this is so, Christ confirms, when he strikes down their carnal mind, saying, "Blessed is he that is not offended in me. For they had indeed been offended at him, as can be seen from their question about cleansing, of which we said above. They could well let John praise him, testifying of him as of a pious and holy man; but that he was the one whom John proclaimed, that he should come after him, this they did not understand, but were offended at his poverty and lowliness, which seemed to them to be quite at variance with the glorious, high word of John. Therefore, when John hears the works of Christ, he hopes that they will be strengthened by them, and so he sends them to him.
And Jesus answered and said unto them: Go ye, and declare unto John the things which ye see and hear. The blind see, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them; and blessed is he that is not offended in me.
8 Christ answers not only with words but also with works, and takes special care that no one says anything about him or thinks anything about him without works or before works. After that, when he had shown them the works, he finally confesses and answers with words that he is the one they were waiting for.
(9) But these things are not well spoken, when he saith, Blessed is he that taketh not offense at me. If he were not the one who was to come, he would not call blessed those who received him and did not take offense at him.
As if he wanted to say: I am the one you are looking for, but I appear in such a bad form that you must take care that you do not get angry with me, because that would be unbelief. So that at the same time he shows that he who can make himself famous by works, so that it is known who he is, does not need many and great words. For so we do in general, that we speak of ourselves with few words, when we have many works in us; and this is fitting for a great and noble mind. Again, Solomon says Proverbs 14:23, "Where words are used, there is want," for even the rabble believe little those who speak much of themselves; so that it has become a proverb: Self-praise stinks. That Christ therefore might avoid such things, and teach that we should avoid them, and that he might well awaken their faith, he set before them many and clear works, but few and obscure words.
(10) Therefore he answered them with dark words, that he might keep the manner of speaking of the Scriptures, wherein we read that God always used such appearances and visions from without, as they were from within, to whom they came. Thus Christ presents Himself as a stranger to the disciples who went to Emmaus, because they did not recognize Him inwardly; and to Mary Magdalene He appeared in the form of the gardener; and Mount Sinai was terrible to the Jews from without, because they feared and did not love the law inwardly; thus, the covering of Moses signifies the blindness of their heart; and the like is found much in Scripture. So, because Christ was contemptible and unknown before the disciples of John, he also speaks to them with dark words, and paints with them the mind of those who were angry with him.
(11) But since almost all Scripture is in the right knowledge of the law and the gospel, and John and Christ here give us good opportunity to speak of them, let us also say a little of them, that we may hereafter understand all the gospels the better; and let us see what the law and the gospel are, how they are distinguished, and what they accomplish. Christ says here in the sixth place: "The poor have the gospel preached to them"; so that if we do not know what the gospel is, we will not know what it is.
we cannot consider this a great miracle.
(12) All law, most of all God's law, is a word of wrath, a power of sin, a law of death. This is what you must understand: Since man is corrupted by the fall and inclined to all evil, as Scripture says Genesis 6:5, no law can compel him or heal him, so that he should not be inclined to all evil. Therefore, where a law is given to him, as often as it happens, he is immediately hostile to the law according to his depraved nature; he would that there were no law, and that he might do what he desires; as we all experience this in ourselves. Whether by outward punishment and threat of hell, or by outward promise of the law and heaven, we do what the law commands, we would rather there were no punishment, and that we were allowed to do nothing, but that God would give us all good freely. Therefore we can never love and do the law from the heart and in vain, as we love the opposite of the law from the heart. As if you ask a fornicator why he commits fornication, he can answer nothing but because it pleases him and because he loves shameful pleasure; for he does not do it because of anyone's promise or fear of punishment, but voluntarily and freely, merely for the love of pleasure.
Thou shalt not find such a desire for the law in any man: for there is none that doeth good because it pleaseth him, or because he hath a desire for the law; but because he feareth the present and future punishment, or because he hopeth for a present or future reward. But all of these serve for reward; inwardly they are hostile to the law and love sin, and would do so unashamedly even if they did not fear punishment; in addition, with their imaginary works, which they do not do out of a pure heart, they do not seek what is God's, but their own, and do not serve God as pious children to their father, but want to reconcile him as a judge with forced works.
14 This inward hatred of the law is very deep in the heart of man, but it would not be so great if the law were not there,
That is, it would not be recognized, but man would sin against the law without fear and ignorance. But now that the law is revealed and known, immediately the desire that is hindered and forced against its will must also hate the law that forbids and hurts man; and so it happens that the desire, when it is hindered, becomes unwilling, grows and increases. This is what St. Paul says: "The law increases sin," Rom. 5:20. Thus the law is the power of sin, because it strengthens and increases sin; and therefore it is called a law of death, because it kills by making sin greater. Item, it is called a word of wrath; for it casts the guilty conscience under God's wrath, accusing and convicting it; for by the law not only is sin revealed, but we are also found to love sin and to hate righteousness, as the antithesis of sin.
(15) And so the law teaches man who he is, that he is ungodly and an enemy of God, because he not only does not love God's law, which is good, holy and just, from the heart, but also hates it, and would that there were no God or law, so that he might live freely according to his desires. And so it is rightly said, "All men are liars"; for they are hostile and contrary to the truth of God. But some of the scholars of Christ, who follow philosophy, do not believe this; they may have a good opinion and be guided by natural reason, but they understand neither their deep inward wickedness nor the law.
016 But the gospel is a word of grace, life, and salvation, a word of righteousness and peace, and is contrary to the law, and yet agrees very well with the law; for it is called in the German language a joyful fable and proclamation; as it is written, Rom. 10:15, "How sweet are the feet of them that proclaim peace, that proclaim good." For in the gospel is revealed another lust and desire, which is contrary to that, namely, the love and grace of the Holy Spirit, which heals the corrupt nature and teaches man to do good; for he now gladly does it, and
has his pleasure in the law, to which he was previously an enemy.
17 In the Gospel we read nothing but good deeds; there no one is killed, beaten, or dealt with evil, but all people who were evil are made better, and Christ is dear and pleasing to all the people. Again, in the law, how often were the Jews smitten in the wilderness? There everything is frightened and evil done; for it is not read that Moses healed anyone, as Aaron indeed did once; therefore they were also angry with Mosiah and often wanted to stone him. All this is because the gospel is a word of grace, in which forgiveness of sin is proclaimed, and how we can fulfill the law; namely, whoever feels that he is hostile to the law (as all men are certainly hostile to it), and feels his sin in his conscience, let him hear and believe, and call on Jesus Christ the Savior. By faith one deserves to receive the Holy Spirit; when he has it, he loves the law and hates the sin that is contrary to the law, and thus becomes righteous before God. This is why Paul praises faith in Christ everywhere, Rom. 1, 17: "The righteous lives by faith. Why? Because faith in Christ immediately obtains the Holy Spirit, who pours out the love of God into our hearts, Rom. 5, 5. Then man begins to love the law and to hate the rest of sin. Just as the law increases sin, so the gospel increases righteousness. The gospel gives what the law demands. Thus says St. Augustine, in his book of the spirit and the letter: The law of faith obtains what the law of works commands. This is that the law threatens, but it does not help, but oppresses; and the hands of Moses are heavy, for he cannot make anyone righteous; but he does no more than make man more guilty, and makes him hostile to the law. But the gospel helps and shares with us the works of Christ.
18 So, in this gospel is shown the power and work of the gospel, when Christ says: "The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the blind are healed.
the deaf hear, the dead rise"; for in these five benefits of Christ are comprehended all the benefits of the gospel. But why, you may ask, does this happen in five pieces? Because the rational soul of man, which alone may count, lives and works in man through five senses, as Augustine significantly indicates in the book of the ten virgins. From this it follows that the office of the law is to make sinners, reprobate, guilty, poor, sorrowful, and afflicted, and wholly to burden the conscience with sins; again, the office of the gospel is to make righteous, wholesome, blessed, happy, and quiet men, and to satisfy and relieve the conscience. This is what Isaiah Cap. 9:4 says: "Thou hast overcome the rod of his shoulder, and the yoke of his burden, and the scepter of his driver, as in the days of Midian"; that is, thou hast fulfilled the law that weighed us down.
(19) From this it follows that whoever still has a sad and evil conscience after the fulfillment of the law knows neither Christ nor the gospel. For it is impossible for the soul of man to be sorrowful who truly believes in Christ and knows the gospel; for the gospel is a sweet and good message, proclaiming nothing but goodness, given to us unworthy sinners in Christ, and whoever believes this receives the Spirit of the Father and becomes joyful.
20 For this reason, those who seek peace of conscience through works, pilgrimages, indulgences, and the like, when there is no other way but faith in Christ preached through the gospel, resist the gospel fiercely; so also the law has many false teachers, who do not point people to the gospel, as John did, but torture the poor people with works alone. It is also difficult and unfamiliar for the people to believe in Christ and to seek peace through faith alone; that is why it takes so much work here before the disciples of John learn to recognize Christ. Just as in our time there are many preachers of fables who teach people only works and laws, but never faith.
It happens that such people, who are used to works, hardly accept faith.
From all of the above, it is easy to understand that Christ says in the sixth place: "The gospel is preached to the poor"; that the gospel, that is, the benefits of God in Christ, is not preached to the rich, the powerful, the wise, but to the poor. And does the word "gospel" that works in the poor, according to the understanding of the letter, mean, as Isaiah saith Cap. 61, 1: "He hath sent me to preach the gospel to the poor." By the "poor" here is not only understood those who are poor in goods, but also all who are oppressed, afflicted, miserable, sad, humiliated; to which affliction the poor people are commonly subjected; for so it also reads in Hebrew: to preach the gospel to the poor, Isaiah 61, 1. 61, 1. Accordingly, the blind, the deaf, the lame, the lepers, the dead, and in general all who need the benefits of Christ, especially grace and forgiveness of sins, are counted among the poor. For "he fills the hungry with good things, and leaves the rich empty", Luc. 1, 53. In these words Christ gives the reason why his benefits are not given to the great and rich according to the custom of the world. Therefore, he says, I am sent to teach that my benefits should be given only to the poor; therefore I make the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lepers to be clean, and the sinners to be saved.
(22) In this way Christ also touches and punishes the disciples of John and the fleshly mind of all the Jews, who hoped that he would come with great splendor and worldly glory, because John called him "great"; who thought that Christ, like other princes and great lords, would come in purple and gold, with armed hands, and subdue the people with power and might. These same princes and lords, because they need human help, attach themselves to the rich, the strong, and the worldly, with whose help they accomplish their plans. But the poor, the blind, the lame, the lepers, and all that is despised and worthless, they have
Neither science nor care, as those who are not fit for their courts and business. For those who wear soft garments are in the houses of kings, as follows.
(23) And if the will of Christ and the ministry of his gospel is to minister only to the poor and afflicted, it is necessary that all who lift up their eyes and lift up their eyelids, as it is written, Prov. 30:13, should be offended at him; these are they who seek only Christ and his gospel, which is great in the sight of men, as were the disciples of John, to whom the Lord says, "Blessed is he who does not offend at me. For because they imagined that Christ would come with glory and power, they did not believe that he would be the one who walks among the poor fishermen, and has to do only with the blind, the deaf, and other infirm people, yes, with tax collectors and sinners, and so shows nothing at all that they were waiting for him.
(24) And in this is the meaning of this whole gospel, and the whole cause of the unbelief of the Jews, that Christ should appear in so low a form, which was quite unlike the great testimony of John done by him. For this reason John sends his disciples to Christ, and for this reason Christ sends them again to John, after he first showed them his works and gave them a faithful admonition, so that he would keep them from being offended by his lowly stature.
(25) There are also many at this time who take offense at the word of Christ, especially those who consider only the high and glorious, and pay no attention to the poor and afflicted. Then those who presume to satisfy and justify themselves by their own powers and works; or those who, because of their senseless hardness, are neither poor nor afflicted, and therefore are not worthy of the gospel or its benefits. For the gospel does all things, if we believe it: it comforts the afflicted, it raises up the downhearted, it strengthens the fainthearted, and it takes away all sickness of soul. All other works are works of presumption and despair. Follow on:
And as they went, Jesus began to say of John unto the people, Why went ye out into the wilderness to see? Did ye desire to see a reed which the wind winnoweth to and fro? Or what did you go out to see? Would ye see a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft garments are in the houses of kings. Or what went ye out to see? Did you want to see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, he is more than a prophet. He it is of whom it is written, Behold, I send my angel before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
(26) To a simple mind of the above words it is to be noted that Christ praises John so highly for this reason, that he might continue in his pretension that one should not be offended at him; for we have said above how in such great danger of unbelief the Jews stood over this figure of Christ, when they saw Christ walking in poverty and humility. For this reason he praises John, so that he might bring their faith to himself. For John had testified to them beforehand that Christ was the Lamb of God, and that he was the greater to come after him; so that everything depended on his testimony. For if they believed John's testimony, they already had Christ; but if they did not believe him, neither had they Christ. But this faith of theirs was opposed, as mentioned above, by the poor and insignificant person and nature of Christ. Now to the text.
27 Christ first praises John for his steadfastness, saying that he is not like a reed that the wind tosses. As if he said, "You went out into the wilderness to see John and hear his testimony; now you know of whom he testified, that is, of me. Why then do you not believe him? Why do you not accept me, because he gives me such clear and obvious testimony? Why do you take offense at me? Do you think that John will ever say anything else than what he said? Do you think that he will be changed for your sake by the wind of inconstancy, just as you now and then change him?
Are you driven by the wind of your opinions, suspicion and unbelief? If you are an unstable reed, you must not think that he will likewise depart from your unstableness, and show you another than me, the true Messiah, in whom you hope according to your carnal mind. I am present here, of whom John testified, and you despise me and wait for another with uncertain suspicion.
28 With the praise of John's steadfastness, Christ so finely punishes their unsteadiness of heart that they were not moved by John's certain testimony to believe his certain presence. And by drawing the disciples of John so sweetly and kindly to faith in him from the danger of distress, he speaks and does everything to make everyone blessed.
29 Secondly, Christ also praises the sternness of John's life against the softness of the court flatterers, which compares well with one another. For as constancy is not frightened by the adversaries to give way to them; so severity is not driven away by the smooth words of the flatterers. These two virtues are both good for a faithful witness of the truth. Thus Christ would say, Ye went out to see and to hear John, and, behold, ye have seen and heard him; but why believe ye not? Do you think that he will preach less to you about me, which is pleasing to you? You do not like my form and nature in which I appear to you, and that is why you do not believe John and are angry with me; but your thoughts are set on another, who is to come to you in a different form from me, with glorious royal splendor; that would be a Christ for you, such a one you desire according to your soft and carnal mind, and if John would give you testimony of such a one, and speak what you like to hear, you would be satisfied. That would be a dear friendly John to you, if he spoke after your mouth; but he would also be a false witness against me. But now, as he is roughly clothed, so is his word rough and harsh to you, because he testifies of me,
Whose form angers you, is hard and terrible in your eyes.
30 Again, take heed how Christ, under the praise of John's hard life, punishes his disciples' soft and effeminate mind and opinion of Christ's temporal and worldly future, and yet at the same time stirs them up to a spiritual and constant faith in him, through John's testimony.
Third, Christ commends John for his worthiness, that though they would not turn to his constancy and hard life, yet they were moved by the worthiness of his ministry. This is the meaning of Christ's words: "You disciples of John believe that John is a prophet, but you will not believe in me because of his testimony, because you think that he speaks of someone other than me, who will come as you would like. But I tell you, John is not only a prophet in this way, but he is more than a prophet; for he does not prophesy of me as of one who is to come, but shows me present to you. Therefore you have no reason to turn your angry and fleeting thoughts to anything but me: John prophesieth unto you of no other, but of me whom he hath pointed out with his finger.
32 Again, notice how Christ strikes their hearts. For they could well believe John, and yet they pretended to excuse their anger, saying that they could not accept Christ because John, as a prophet, spoke of him as the one to come, thinking that John either spoke of another, or that he would come in a different form than Christ. Thus, Christ everywhere obstructs the excuses of their unbelief, and leaves them no excuse to make up for not believing in him. Therefore, he says, you must not wait for another, neither for him who is coming in a more acceptable form than I, nor for him who is coming after me; but I am the one whom John proclaimed to be coming, because he is an angel, that is, a messenger sent before me, not to proclaim my future first, but to prepare my way.
33 And it is to be noted that Christ so often repeats the words, "Why did you go out into the wilderness?" that he thereby hits the letter that kills; how they only went out with the body into the bodily wilderness to John, to whom they also should have gone out in the spirit, that is, with the mind and will, and should have left behind the fleshly imagination of the future Messiah, which is annoying, and cannot accept the testimony of John, nor let Christ prepare the way in them. That is enough of the Historia.
Of the secret meaning of John and Christ.
Although John and Christ are not now bodily in the church, their ministry is still being performed by the priests, no less than they performed it themselves at that time. Here it is to be known that John is called a voice of a caller in the wilderness (as we will see on the following Sunday), who prepares the way for the Lord. All those who preach the Gospel have this voice today. The word of the gospel of the church, I say, is the voice of John in the wilderness, doing just as John did, as we shall see.
35 First, the gospel has a twofold ministry. The first is that it interprets the law. Thus the saying Matt. 5:21, Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not swear falsely, is interpreted in such a way that it does not extend only to the performance of the outward work, as the rude Jews understood it according to the letter and the words, but that it also understands the inward desire of the heart. "I say unto you," said Christ Matt. 5:22, "every man that is wroth with his brother;" item v. 28, "He that looketh on a woman to lust after her;" item v. 34, "I say unto you, that ye swear not."
(36) By this interpretation of the law we are all found sinners and guilty of the law. For though some abstain from works for fear of punishment, yet they are found guilty.
1032 II, 339 a. 339 v. On the third Sunday of Advent. W. XII, I3SI-13ÜI. 1033
No one who does not feel evil desire in himself is not enraged, etc., most often when he is given cause to do so. Now to be angry is to kill with the heart; to desire lewdly is to commit adultery with the heart, though the work does not follow. Therefore St. Paul says Rom. 7, 14: "We know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal"; because the law not only forbids and demands word and deed, but also the stirring of the heart. Therefore, from the law comes only the knowledge of sin, by which we understand that it is impossible for us to be pious or to become pious of our own accord; therefore, the more evil desire recognizes that the law forbids and forbids it, the more it hates the law. The law must still be kept under the penalty of eternal damnation. Thus the declaration of the law and the first ministry of the gospel lead us to hell and death. If then sin is revealed and increased by the knowledge of the law, and the conscience is thereby terrified and led to hell, and has recognized its impossibility, there is nothing left but despair, for they find no one work that is pure and does justice to the law; this requires a pure heart, which no man has on earth, as mentioned above.
The other work of the gospel, which is its own ministry, is that it proclaims and shows us Christ; and if the heart believes in Him, it receives the Holy Spirit, who pours out love, so that we begin to love the law and thus to do good works with a clear conscience. Thus it is written Acts 15:9: "He purified their hearts through faith." When the declaration of the law increases the evil conscience, it forces it to groan, hunger and anxiously seek the mercy of God, that is, Christ; then he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Luc. 11, 10. So the gospel killeth and quickeneth, leadeth into hell and out again, smiteth and healeth. 1 Sam. 2, 6.
(38) John had both of these two offices of the gospel: the one in which he preached the baptism of repentance and brought the people to the knowledge of their sins. For with this ministry he prepared the way for the Lord.
God prepared a ready people, humbling them to the knowledge of themselves and making them eager for the future of Christ. For Christ does not come unless he comes to those alone who are ready and have prepared his way, that is, those who level the unequal and reject the unjust, put away all their hopefulness and presumption, and in humility groan for his mercy. Thus the true knowledge of the law makes man empty of all confidence in himself, and makes him capable of and eager for the grace of God.
(39) John performed the other ministry of the gospel when he bore witness to the light and pointed to Christ with his fingers, saying, "Behold, this is the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," John 1:29. As if to say, "If the law terrifies, afflicts, and grieves you, and you feel that you cannot fulfill the law, and therefore you have an evil conscience, behold, I will show you one who shall deliver you from this evil. Go to Christ and believe in him, for he takes away your sin, if you receive the Holy Spirit through faith. For I did not baptize you and make you sinners for this reason, that you should be sinners only; but that having been baptized with water, I should send you away to the righteousness of Christ, who baptizes you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
40 From this you see how far they are from the true gospel who teach men the law in the church, since even those are not gospel teachers who teach the law in such a way that they only exhort that it should be done. These do nothing but corrupt the consciences, as do the summists and sententiarians, who never get so far as to accomplish one of the two offices of the gospel, and neither rightly interpret the law, nor point to Christ, but strive only how they may do the works.
41 But these teach rightly, who terrify men by the law, and teach that they cannot do one work of the law, because their hearts may not be pure, as the law requires, and that it is
that it is impossible for them to fulfill the law; and after they have thus frightened and humbled them, send them to Christ the Savior, in whose faith they will also be saved. Thus Christ compares a scribe, taught in the kingdom of God, to a householder, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old; that is, he who teaches sin by the law, and grace by Christ, who smites and heals, and is an angel sent to prepare the way of grace by the explanation of the law.
It follows that no one resists John and Christ, that is, the gospel and grace, more stubbornly than those who have confidence in their righteousness, who rely on the letter and work of the law. These do not accept the interpretation of the law, and do not want to be punished as sinners and fools in their works; as both Christ Matth. 23, 33. and John Matth. 3, 7. call the Pharisees vipers, and says Matth. 21, 31.: "The publicans and fornicators will enter the kingdom of heaven sooner than they." For he that believeth not John receiveth not Christ: he that rejecteth the interpretation of the law receiveth not grace; for he will not be humbled in his sin. Such are also those at this time who boast of their free will, and do not want to be unclean and evil, nor let themselves be punished by God's law; but learn to do the law out of a good mind, so that they perform the works, so that they do not sin with it, even though they do not do a really good work. These do not need the Lamb of God to bear their sin, and John shows them Christ in vain after the other ministry, whom they despise after the first ministry.
43 Now we understand how John is a mediator between the law and grace, and how he joins them together; for he both expounds the law and grace, and displays them when he expounds the law and displays grace. By interpreting the law he makes sinners, but by showing grace he makes men righteous: by interpreting the law he makes man despair of himself, and again by showing and proclaiming grace he makes man despise himself.
He makes man desire Christ. Therefore Christ says here v. 12: "From the time of John the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and those who do violence to it snatch it away. For by the first ministry of John men are humbled, so that they feel and recognize their sin in their conscience, and then rush to grace with great eagerness, and as it were snatch it to themselves by force; for they fervently desire to be redeemed from their sins, so that the law oppresses them. For such violence Christ means in these words, as when hungry men, when they have known a rich man's gentleness, rush to him in multitudes and with impetuosity: so is the ministry of the voice of the gospel and of John, to make sinners thirsty and eager for grace.
(44) Therefore he is more than a prophet, and therefore great things are said of him: for no prophet hath ever shewed Christ, but they have shewed the law only, without the shewing of grace; no doctrine hath ever shewed grace to sinners, without the doctrine of the gospel only: therefore is it a word of peace, and forgiveness of sins. Therefore John also is severe in garments and in his life, that by his first ministry, when he interprets the law, he makes sinners, from which all men are astonished.
45 Now this epistle also may be compared with the gospel; for the teachers of the word in the church are no more than ministers of Christ and stewards of God's mystery, that is, they are in the office of John, and make the people subject, not to themselves, but to Christ, teaching the understanding of the law and the knowledge of grace, and at the same time revealing sin and the forgiveness of sins.
46 For they also are angels of the Lord, sent before the face of Christ, to prepare his way before him; that is, they preach the gospel with an outward voice, by which men who hear it are prepared to receive grace inwardly. For faith and grace do not come without the Word of God alone; as St. Paul says, Rom. 10:14, 17: "How shall they believe from whom they have heard?
have heard nothing? So ever faith comes from hearing." So he compares himself and is one thing, a servant of Christ and a steward of God's mystery, and an angel, who prepares the way, that is, the faith in Christ, for people before Christ. This is also illustrated on the first Sunday of Advent in the bringing and preparation of the donkey's fill, on which the disciples placed Christ. All who teach the word of Christ in the church are such angels, because they lead the word, but Christ comes with the word, pours in the faith, and sits on it: just as he sent out the seventy disciples to all the places before him where he would come.
For this reason, the preachers and rulers of the churches should have in themselves all the virtue and glory that John had, namely, that they are not a reed that is woven to and fro by the wind, nor do they wear soft garments, and are more than prophets; so that they do not, overcome by adversity or luck, falsify God's word. But it is to be feared, unfortunately, that John still lies in prison today or is even beheaded, because before the power of the tyrants in the church, the clear, loud truth, that is, the voice of a caller in the wilderness, may not be preached publicly, yes, is completely extinguished, and in its place is accepted as human truth.
The same way that Herodias, the daughter of the adulteress, danced and played for the pleasure of her father, Herod, the carnal people are entertained.
48 Wherever the gospel is preached in such a way, it happens as in this gospel, namely, that not everyone believes the gospel, but always seeks another Christ, and is offended at the true Christ who is preached through the gospel; as St. Paul writes in his first epistle to the Corinthians, Cap. 3, 4: "One says, I am Pauline; the other, I am Apollonian; the third, I am Cephian." So hardened is the human mind, that it always wants to be saved by other ways than through Christ, that is, through humility and denial of itself, when it must happen through faith; for man flees the destruction of himself, and that he should live by the word of faith alone, thinking that he also wants to do something for it with his works and powers. But those are the most wicked who not only do not believe, but also persecute the word and oppose the truth. These are they who behead John in prison and in the bonds of their statutes, that they may freely teach, act, live, and govern according to their pleasure.