Phil. 4, 4-7.
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice. Let your joy be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious; but in all things let your petition be made known in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving before God. And the peace of God, which is higher than all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
(1) There is no doubt that this epistle is read in Advent because the apostle says here: "The Lord is near. This is also appropriate for the last Sunday, which is closest to the birthday of Christ; although Paul's word is somewhat forced, since Paul does not speak of the feast of the birth of Christ being near, but of the daily assistance of God. But because this is without danger to faith and Christian understanding, we should hold this to the credit of all Christianity when they draw and rhyme something from the Scriptures of their liking to their thing. This is what I say, lest a presumptuous reader despise and reject such usage by the churches, and hold all too sharply against the right understanding, and thus cause trouble and strife; since it is better to stray a little from the grammatical or even proper sense, if one nevertheless remains with the general faith of Christianity, than to stand all too stiffly on the right sense.
and causes disagreement and strife about it. Since unity, peace and harmony are so dear to us in the Scriptures, we should also let go of everything about them, but keep silent about our mind and opinion, so that we may be of one mind, according to the commandment of St. Paul in this epistle, that our wisdom may be known to all men.
2 "Rejoice," he says, but "in the Lord" and "always. How briefly but beautifully the apostle describes the joy of a Christian, which is heavenly and eternal! It is heavenly, because it happens in the Lord; eternal, because it lasts forever. Those who rejoice, whether in riches, power, honor, or pleasure, rejoice in pagan worldly joy, for this is not the joy of a Christian. Neither do those rejoice in the Lord who rejoice in their wisdom, prudence, arts, powers, and good works, or in other spiritual gifts. For as the apostle saith:
"Rejoice in the Lord," he indicates, that everything that is not the Lord Himself, as glorious a gift and creature of God as it may be, is not that in which a Christian can and should rejoice. For those who rejoice in other things than in the Lord, rejoice in pleasure, exalt themselves in hope, and have pleasure in themselves, which is all sin. But how does one rejoice in the Lord? No other way than when one recognizes the Lord; as it is written in Jer. 9:24, "Let him who boasts boast that he knows me and knows that I am the Lord"; 1 Cor. 1:31, "Let him who boasts boast of the Lord"; item in Psalm 32:11, "Rejoice in the Lord, and be glad, you righteous, and boast, all you godly." This is what happens when we believe in Christ and are sure, in a happy conscience, to obtain forgiveness of sins through his mercy.
3 Now it is not enough that we rejoice in the Lord only some of the time, but we are to rejoice in the Lord "always. Here the apostle meets those who alone rejoice in the Lord, praising and singing to him in the time of peace and fullness of all things; but in the time of adversity and tribulation they become soft and sorrowful. That they may show that they have never fully rejoiced in the Lord. So he rejoices of whom David says, "He will thank thee when thou hast pleased him"; and in the 78th Psalm v. 35, 36, 37: "And they remembered that God is their refuge, and God Most High is their Redeemer. And pretended unto him with their mouth, and lied unto him with their tongue; but their heart was not steadfast unto him, neither did they keep his covenant faithfully."
004 But since this feigned joy deceives many, and there are few of them that truly or always rejoice in the Lord, therefore St. Paul repeats the word, saying again, And again I say, Rejoice. For the knowledge of the Lord and the joy in him must be so righteous and constant that even if the consciousness of sin grieves you, yes, even if you fall into sin, you should still overcome all this by trusting in God's mercy,
and rather rejoice in the Lord than grieve in yourselves, and esteem God's mercy above your sin.
(5) Such exhortation is almost necessary for anyone who wants to rejoice in the Lord, because we are in the midst of sins and tribulations, since both guilt and punishment continually afflict us to the sorrow of the spirit, which we must resist continually through joy and a good conscience in the goodness of God. For we are never without sin; but where there is sin, there is always in the conscience fear and dread of the judgment to come. Therefore Christ teaches that we should be ready and firm in the Lord against this fear.
(6) After St. Paul has thus instructed the Christians how they should conduct themselves toward God, he goes on to report how they should also conduct themselves toward man, saying: "Let your gentleness be known to all men. As if to say, "It is necessary in the sight of God that you serve him with joy and gladness in all things and at all times, for he does not want sad and sullen servants, but those who are courageous and confident and have good faith in his power and goodness. Therefore God punishes through the prophet Malachi Cap. 3 who say, "We walk sorrowfully before the Lord." But in the sight of men it is necessary that ye walk so, that as much as there is in you, your walk may please all men. Therefore you should arrange your lives in such a way that you not only do not offend anyone, but also do, suffer and pray everything that you can do without violating God's commandment, so that you may please people. This saying that St. Paul uses here: "Let your honesty be known to all men", he uses to the Romans Cap. 12, 17. 18. thus: "Make every effort to be respectable, not only before God, but also before men; if it is possible, as much as is in you, be at peace with all men"; 1 Cor. 10, 32. 33: "Be not angry either with the Jews or with the Greeks, or with the congregation of God; even as I am pleasing to all men in all things, seeking not that which is good for me, but that which is good for many, that they may be saved"; item 2 Cor. 4:2: "We prove ourselves good in the sight of God against all men's consciences." That is,
We shall all walk, that all men, when they shall say it with a good conscience, may praise and extol us, and in no thing accuse or speak evil of us. And that is, to make our leniency known to all men.
7 St. Paul uses a Greek word here, which we have Germanized "Lindigkeit", although the German word does not fully reach the Greek mind; For it comprehends a great deal in itself, and expresses virtue, so that a man may make himself agreeable and pleasing to all men, and may be in everyone's way, so that no one has a grievance, does good to everyone, yields to everyone, and suffers and endures everything that he can suffer without offending God, even the loss of his goods, body and honor, and whatever else he may encounter. For he does not seek what is his own, but what is useful to many, so that they may be saved; as said before. Such a man, who seeks not his own, but what is another's, must ever be dear and valuable to everyone; for he is not burdensome, unreasonable, or vexatious to anyone.
(8) Against this rule of peace and unity, those who do not want to let go of their right, opinion, authority and cause, but want to force everyone to let go of their own cause and right, to seek their right, to follow their sense, to give way to their authority and to adhere only to their cause, argue vehemently. And so they desire that everyone should follow them, even to their detriment; but they do not want to follow anyone's way, but stand stiffly and firmly on their right, remain stiff-necked on their opinion, do not want to suffer or give in for the sake of peace. But if it is impossible for all people to yield to one man's will, mind and opinion, or if they are already forced to yield by force, that they should love and be content with the same man, then these hard, incompatible people are a cause of all dissension, strife, war and murder in the world, and a founder of all unrest, turmoil, confusion and discord. And yet these blind, senseless people boast that this evil is not their fault, pretending that they are doing it out of their own right, out of love for humanity.
justice against injustice. Since they are the more guilty, because they esteem their own right and justice higher than the common peace and harmony, and prefer their mind and opinion to all other men's minds and opinions, to whom they should have yielded and yielded with kindness in many things, and at times let their right be violated for the sake of peace; and that they behaved in the other way, and showed themselves friendly and compliant toward everyone, even with their own harm.
(9) If the princes and prelates needed this leniency or equity, there would be no need for so much Christian blood to be shed. There would be no division of Greeks and Bohemians, and there would be little quarreling and strife in the courts, and not so much sectarianism and sedition would be found in the church. But now, those who should teach this virtue are the first and foremost, who follow it out of all strength and great blindness. Therefore, their time will come for these disturbers of peace and selfish people, when one people will revolt against another, and many other terrible signs will arise.
(10) Therefore he that would live quietly and peaceably with men must take heed that he do not do or desire all things that he can and is permitted to do, nor all things that he has a right to do; but say with Paul, "I have it all in my power, but it is not all good," 1 Cor. 6:12. 6, 12. We must see many things and yet not see, yield much, and judge all things according to the time, place, and people's custom, that we may obtain peace and love; which is what Paul 1 Cor. 9, 22. speaks of, becoming all things to all men, and having peace with all men. But he that would make all things after his own fashion, that every man should give way to him, and judge according to his own right and opinion, shall not long have peace, even with one man, nor with himself, much less with all men. Therefore Terentius rightly said: The highest right is the highest injustice. And Eccl. 7:17: "Be not too just, and too wise." For as being unwise in season and out of season is the highest wisdom, so is the highest righteousness, that man should be without righteousness.
For if God Himself would always deal with us according to His justice and righteousness, He would not let a man live. How often did David fail to do what he could have done with full justice to Saul, Joab and others? So let us, for the love of others, measure out our wisdom, our righteousness, our prudence, and all that we have.
(11) You see that the prudence of which St. Paul speaks here is nothing else than a fairness, comfort, and moderation of ourselves against other people's weakness, foolishness, and inequity, and an indulgence of our strict law; so that our prudence may be known and felt by all men. That is why St. Ambrose has so finely called such a virtue a reasonable walk and has so beautifully expressed the meaning of this word. For it is not enough to speak of it, to think of it, to disputate and preach it artificially; but it is necessary to prove it by life. Notice the diligence of Paul when he says, "to all men. May someone ask, how can one man be known to all men? And yet Paul commands all men that our leniency may be known to all men. Then he never commands that we should boast of our excellence and make it known to everyone through fame. No. For he does not say, "Boast about your excellence," but: Let your excellence be known, or let it be known; that it may be done outwardly in the sight of men, without our doing, that they may know that our excellence is for the service of all men. As Christ also saith Matt. 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Nor is it in our power to please men with our leniency. But we have done enough if we show it to all men and make it known to them by the example of our lives and deeds.
(12) Now one finds some who give in to their good friends or to themselves and show this leniency toward them. For who can live in the world without friends? But no one may live with
He should not deal with his friends unless he overlooks many things, is soft on many things, tolerates many things, and shows himself to be fair, kind, helpful, and compliant, as one would have him be. Dear, how much does one friend do for another? How often do they praise their friends' vices for virtues, or do they belittle and mistreat them, and are helpful to each other in every way? But whoever wants to take everything exactly with friends and do everything to the highest right, will soon turn peace and friendship into hostile discord. But in this they sin, that while they are so toward themselves and their own kind, they do not show themselves so toward all others; and so they violate the law of nature itself, in that they are fair and yielding toward themselves and their own, but against others they are unreasonable and harsh, and thus wish and do to themselves what they do not wish and do to others. That is why Paul adds these words to his teaching: "to all men"; by this he wants to give the understanding that our goodness and gentleness should be rounded and perfect, yes, even be at the service of the enemies, because they are also men and not unreasonable animals. But how difficult and strange it is that we interpret and tolerate the vices of our enemies as we interpret and tolerate our own and ours. Therefore we are not just, but unjust. Take note of the beautiful short words of Paul, how far they spread in the mind, how superfluous and emphatic he presents all our conduct among men, when he says: "Let your gentleness, goodness and goodness be known to all men. Keep yourselves therefore, that no man complain of you.
The Lord is near.
(13) This is what St. Paul says, that he may confirm in us the joy in the Lord, and make us sure and swift to do what is right and just? in life and walk. For it should be enough for a Christian that the Lord is near to him, that is, willing and ready to do whatever he desires. If a man knows that the Lord is near him, he should be joyful and confident, fearing nothing, seeking nothing, nor worrying, except that he may be near according to God's example.
He who is against all men, sends himself into their will and desire, and thus holds himself against his neighbor, as he sees that God holds himself against him; who seeks nothing else than to show mercy to men, and to forgive them all their sin, which he would like to punish and avenge according to his divine right. He who does not imagine God, then, may never be cheerful and confident. But he who is sad and troubled, neither will he be kind and gentle toward all men.
Do not be diligent, but in all things let your petition be made known to God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
(14) Behold, this is Christian liberty, which is not to be careful about any thing; as Christ saith Matt. 6:25: "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; neither for your body, what ye shall put on"; and Rom. 14:7, 8: "None of us liveth unto himself, neither dieth to himself. If we live, we live unto the Lord; if we die, we die unto the Lord." Therefore we have no cause to be anxious for ourselves, and should only be glad and act confidently in the Lord, because He is near. The apostle takes away one care, and yet sets up another beside it; for he commands us to show gentleness to all men; as elsewhere he says, "Be diligent to keep unity in the Spirit through the bond of peace," Eph. 4:3. For ourselves we ought not to care; for we have the Lord near us, and willing to all our need: but for other men we ought to care, that we may meet them also with our gentleness and good-will. And to the Philippians Cap. 4:2: "Let not every man take care of his own, but of that which is another's." This care of unity in the spirit is precisely the kindness, equity and goodwill that St. Paul teaches here.
15. after this he also teaches how we should cast on God the care which he forbids, because he is near, saying, "but in all things" etc. For here a little pause is to be made, and we must not connect the "in all things" too closely with "praying"; and would better render the matter thus: But in whatsoever thing it be-
Let only your requests be made known in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving before God. So that this is the opinion: You should not worry about any thing; and if any thing makes you worry, do not worry about it with your own worry, but do it this way: put aside your care and flee to God, ask and desire whatever you need, and let Him take care of you. Thus St. Peter teaches: "Cast all your care upon him, for he cares for you," 1 Pet 5:7; and David in the 40th Psalm v. 18: "The Lord cares for me." Oh, with what great erroneous questions a man entangles himself, who, when he is in need, first tries how he can get out of it by his wisdom and ability, before he runs to God with his prayer! How foolishly and in vain he does this, because he cannot help himself, but becomes more entangled the more he stubbornly tries to help himself out of his troubles by slackening his prayers; we have many examples of this every day in the turmoil of our and other people's lives.
Notice further in Paul's words how finely he contrasts "nothing" and "everything". "Worry about nothing," he says, "but in all things," etc. For no thing shall you be anxious, but in all things have your refuge in God. So that he may sufficiently indicate how many things there are that make us anxious and troubled; as there are many tribulations and adversities: but it shall not overwhelm them that have the Lord near, by whom they may obtain all things, if they desire it, by supplication and supplication. But now let us look at the individual words in which he instructs us on the manner of prayer; for he teaches how to form and formulate an effective and fervent petition, and this is done by prayer, supplication and thanksgiving. By the word "pray" one simply thinks of the words or the sense of the words in themselves. "Supplication," however, means to stop, to press on, and to ask for the sake of others in holy things and for merit. Rom. 12:1: "I beseech you by the mercies of God" etc. "Supplication," however, is the naming of that thing which we seek in prayer and supplication. Strong, then, is prayer by supplication; but pleasant, sweet, and acceptable by thanksgiving; so
1106 ii. 342 v. 343 p. On the fourth Sunday of Advent. W. xn. i44s-i4si. 1107
that by its strength and sweetness it acquires and obtains what is asked for.
(17) And in these words St. Paul beautifully explains the mystery of the censer and incense burner in the Old Testament, in which prayer is modeled. First, the censer is golden or silver, and this signifies the sacred and precious words of prayer, in which the mind is put, like wine in a vessel. Thus the golden cup of Babel signifies the words, and the wine therein signifies the mind and meaning of the words in Jeremiah and in the book of secret revelation. But the glowing coals of the altar are the benefits of God that we have received in Christ, which we are to contemplate with prayer, so that prayer may rise up to God with gratitude. Thus Paul calls the good deeds done to the enemies, fiery coals borne on their heads, from the Proverbs of Solomon, Cap. 25, 21. 22. 25, 21. 22. But these coals should be fiery, which means that one remembers the good deeds of God alive and with fervor. On them is placed the incense offering, that is, the petition that rises above it like a pillar of smoke, and God smells this sweet odor.
But thanksgiving and the awareness of the benefits received from God give a wonderful confidence to pray and make prayer not only pleasant but also easy for the one who prays, for otherwise (as the ancient fathers said) no work is so difficult as praying. And this way of praying we see and find in the Psalms of David, in the common usage of the Church, and of all the Fathers in the Old Testament. And therefore prayer without praise to God is like a censer without coals. Thus, the most noble prayer of praise to God begins when we pray: Our Father, who art in heaven. Would God that we would accept and follow this wholesome teaching of Paul, and in all things that afflict us, run first to God with our prayer. Oh how much and easily we would overcome the temptations, and be superfluous in joy and peace without ceasing in the Lord. For in recounting the benefits of God through thanksgiving, we would pray at the same time,
and fulfill the saying of the wise man: In the evil day remember the good; then we would be comforted by the remembrance of the good and have pleasure in praying; and if we prayed with pleasure, we would easily receive our request; and if we cast our care on God, we would have joy and peace. In saying, "Let your petition be made known to God," he is speaking through a similitude, comparing prayer to the smoke of incense that rises up like prayer to God. And it is a strange thing how prayer can become known to God, since God precedes all prayer and gives us prayer in our hearts. But this is to be understood according to the custom of speech, so that when our prayer is brought before God, it is also made known to God; as the angel also said to Tobiah and Cornelio. Tob. 3, 24. Acts 10, 4.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ.
19 See the beautiful order of Paul in his words. He has taught how we are to hold ourselves against God, so that we may always rejoice in the Lord and serve him with joy. But if any man ask further, How shall I keep myself toward men? He says immediately, "Be kind to everyone, forgetting yourself and your own, and considering what is another's. Then you ask, "How can I do this? Answer: He, the Lord, is near. But how, askest thou, when I meet with adversity, how shall I always be cheerful, or what shall I do then? Answer: Take care of nothing, but bring everything before God through prayer and thanksgiving. Yes, but in the meantime I will be sorrowful, you say. Oh no, Paul answers, but the peace of God will keep you in all that you encounter. Well, something about that is necessary to write.
20) First, the peace of God is not understood here to mean that God is peaceful, quiet and tranquil in Himself, but that He makes us quiet and tranquil; and by the peace of God here is understood the gift of peace from God, as righteousness is
God, the work of God, the word of God, is understood according to the use of Scripture.
(21) These words, "which surpasses all understanding," or all sense, should not be understood to mean that the peace of God is not felt in the soul of man, but that it is incomprehensible to the mind. For this peace is in faith, which alone deals with invisible things, and can be comprehended neither with the sense of the flesh nor of the mind. This is what you must understand: When we are afflicted with tribulation, careful men, who do not know how to flee to God with prayer, seek peace with much labor and effort, namely, such peace as they may comprehend, that is, that they may be rid of evil, or that they may escape evil. For this peace is comprehended by man's mind and soul, which surpasses no mind, and is called the peace of man, because it is brought about by man's work and art. Thus, when one is sick or wounded, he understands and desires the health that is contrary to sickness and wounds. But those who take refuge in God do not flee from evil, but persevere and suffer it confidently according to God's will, nor do they desire peace, which their mind or reason shows them (that is, the putting away of evil); but rather expect an inward strengthening of the Word through faith, so that they may overcome the evil, not knowing at all how long it will last or how it will have an end, and so they understand nothing of peace, nor do they know what kind of peace it will be. But if they stand still, and with the bride in Song of Songs Cap. 3, 4, they will soon find the one whom their soul loves. Behold, the peace of God surpasses all reason, for faith captivates all reason in its obedience. But after they have persevered and attained peace, they feel that it is such a peace, which they could neither think of with all their senses, much less desire. For the right hand of God leads His saints miraculously, Ps. 4, 4, by putting an end to their evil, with such fruit, that
it no man might have hoped to see nor before.
(22) And not only does the apostle speak of this peace, when the evil ends; but most of all of the peace, which confidently suffers and endures the evil in its remedy, so that the spirit of man may not be troubled. For that a man may live in peace under the cross, and not be troubled, if he is already troubled, even that he may rejoice in affliction, this reason cannot comprehend; but it is a work of God, of which no one knows but he who has experienced it. Of this peace and joy St. Paul says on the other Sunday of Advent, Rom. 15:13: "But let the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through faith." Behold, he calls it a joy and peace of faith, which he here calls the peace of God, as it alone is the gift of God.
(23) Here it should be noted that no one should presume to attain this patience or peace in adversity by his own efforts, either by despising the adversity and throwing it to the wind, or, as some people say, by ordering God to do it alone. No, this is not the way, but one must earnestly persevere with prayer, supplication, petition and thanksgiving, and not worry about anything else, but comfortingly rely on the fact that God is near. For St. Paul does not say that the peace of God should keep the hearts of those who first make themselves known to God with prayer and thanksgiving.
24 This peace of God preserves the heart, mind and spirit, that is, the heart and mind that is in Christ or in the knowledge of Christ, so that man may persevere to the end and thus be saved. For affliction and temptation soon turn even those who think well of Christ (unless they are established by the peace of God and patience in the Lord), so that they do and think far differently than is fitting for a Christian. For there is nothing else that preserves the piety begun in Christ than the peace of faith and patience; without which preservation man soon falls into the peace of men and of the world,
that is, on the abolition of evil; then one must diligently avoid the teachings of men who pretend that one should take offense at the word of the cross and flee from it. Soon the true knowledge of God and the trust in Him will be corrupted, and man's heart and mind will already be wrong, because he will seek from himself and from men what can only be expected from God.
(25) Therefore, when the heart, mind, and spirit of man are spoken of, do not understand the natural mind, powers, and affections of the soul, as the philosophers speak of them; but the spiritual knowledge, opinion, and desire, that is, the effects of faith, hope, and love; as we also heard before on the other Sunday of Advent, when the apostle says Romans 15:13: "But let the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through faith, that you may abound in the glory of the Lord.
are in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Since he expresses in other words the preservation of the heart and the senses.
(26) Behold, how Paul thus portrays in a short speech the mind and manner of a Christian man, both toward God and toward men, namely, that he has all things in God and becomes all things to men. A Christian, he wants to say, should thus hold himself against men, as God holds himself against him. The power of the venerable sacrament of the altar is noted, which is nothing other than a communion of all evil and good in and with Christ.
With this, the diligent reader will have enough for this time. For I have let this interpretation of the epistles and gospels from the four Sundays precede in such a way that I may learn with what fruit my work will be received; and afterwards, when I learn with what eagerness the Christian people accept the gospel of Christ after their long and hard Babylonian imprisonment, something further.