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 village 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 burthen of an ass. 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; the 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.
The Jews had many beautiful and glorious promises of the Messiah or Christ, how he would come on earth, establish an eternal kingdom, and deliver his people from all evil and help them forever; as is seen in all the sermons of the prophets, that they speak exceedingly gloriously of the future kingdom of Christ. And such sermons were very well known among the Jews.
Held in the house 1533.
(2) But there were false preachers and carnal teachers, who led the people to think that Christ should come with worldly splendor, riding in, and as worldly kings usually do, since everything is most splendid and delicious; and then should make of the Jews in all the world vain great and mighty princes and rulers. As they still think today, when their Messiah will come, they will be lords of all the world and the Gentiles will be their servants.
They are still gawking at such a Messiah or Christ, not desiring the Messiah, that is, the Lord Christ anywhere, to save them from sins and eternal death.
3 So that the Jews might be warned and not be deceived by such carnal teachers, God proclaimed long before through the prophet Zechariah: Christ would not come as a worldly king, with great splendor and splendid armor; but as a poor beggar he would ride into Jerusalem, his capital, on an ass, as the history of today's Gospel indicates. Lest the Jews should excuse themselves, saying, If we had known that he should be such a poor king, we would have accepted him. For the prophet had indicated this to them clearly enough so long before. So the story also happened publicly in broad daylight, that Christ rode on a borrowed donkey, which had neither saddle nor other equipment, and because of this the disciples had to put their clothes on the donkey, so that the poor king could help himself. For this reason, the Jews can hardly excuse themselves. For here is a bright and clear prophecy: When Christ rides into Jerusalem, he will not come on high horses, with armor, spear, swords and guns, as worldly kings usually do, which all belong to seriousness and indicate violence; but he will come, as the evangelist calls it, "meekly," or as the prophet says, "poor and miserable. As if the prophet wanted to warn everyone and say: Take good heed to the ass, and know that he who comes on it is the true Messiah. Therefore beware, and do not look on the golden crown, or on the garments of gold, or on the golden pieces, or on the great stuff of rice. For Christ will come miserable, with a sorrowful and meek heart, and will be seen on an ass. This is all his splendor and glory, which he will display before the world as he rides into Jerusalem.
4 Now the prophecy caused the Lord to make this entry, and he was very anxious about it. For this reason, he so diligently commands the disciples to do the thing.
not by night, nor secretly, but publicly, in broad daylight, entering Jerusalem, not alone, but with many people going before and after, shouting to him as the right king and son of David, wishing him happiness and salvation for his kingdom; So that all Jerusalem must be aware of this entry, see and hear the donkey and this poor king, of whom Zechariah had prophesied and warned the Jews that they should not be offended at the poor figure and the beggarly entry, but should drop the delusion that they thought Christ would come with worldly splendor. He will be a king, says Zechariah, but a poor, miserable king, who has absolutely no appearance of a king, if one wants to count and regard him according to the outward splendor, which the worldly kings and princes lead before the world.
5 But Zacharias says that this poor and beggarly king will have another power than all the kings and emperors who ever came on earth have, because they were as great and powerful lords as they were able to be. For his name is Justus et Salvator. Not a rich, splendid, glorious king before the world; but a righteous man and a savior, who shall bring righteousness and salvation, and shall attack sin and death, and be an enemy of sin and death, and shall save from sin and eternal death all them that believe on him, and receive him as their king, and shall not suffer the poor borrowed ass to offend them. Those who do this will be forgiven of sin and will not be harmed by death, but will have eternal life. And though they die and be buried in the flesh, yet shall it not be called death, but only sleep. This is what the prophet wants to teach us about this king by giving him these two names and calling him righteous and a savior who will break the teeth of death, tear the belly of the devil, and thus free us who believe in him from sins and death, and lead us to the angels, where there is eternal life and bliss.
(6) He leaves the other kings their splendor, their castles, their houses, their money and their goods, and makes them delicious.
They can certainly eat, drink, clothe, build, than other people; but they cannot do this art, which this poor mendicant Christ can do. For there is neither emperor, nor king, nor pope with all his power, who could help from the least sin, and with his money and goods heal the least disease; let alone help against eternal death and hell. But this beggar Christ does not help against one sin alone, but against all my sin; and not against my sin alone, but against the whole world's sin. He comes to take away, not the sickness alone, but death; and not my death alone, but the death of the whole world.
7th These things, saith the prophet, tell the daughter of Zion, that she be not offended at his miserable future: but shut thine eyes, and open thine ears, and see not how poorly he goeth, but hear what is preached and said of this poor king. The misery and poverty are seen, that he rides on a donkey without saddle and spurs like a beggar; but that he will take away sin from us, strangle death, give eternal holiness, eternal blessedness and eternal life, that is not seen. Therefore we must hear it and believe it. Therefore Zacharias says: "Tell it to the daughter of Zion", so that she knows it, and does not take offense at it, nor is offended that he rides in so miserably and dies so shamefully. For all these things are well done for thee, O Zion, that he will save thee as a Saviour against the devil and death, and sanctify thee, and cleanse thee from sins.
(8) Whoever will not grasp these things with his ears, but will see them with his eyes and grasp them with his hands, will fall short; for this king is far different from other kings. What they do, they do with splendor, and everything has a great, brave appearance. This is not the case with Christ, who put his work of saving from sins and death first in baptism. There the eyes see nothing but bad water like other water. He put it in the word and in the sermon. There the eyes see nothing but a man's breath. But we must beware and not follow our eyes.
but close your eyes and open your ears, and hear the word. The same teaches how our Lord Jesus Christ shed his blood for the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. He will give us such gifts in holy baptism, in the Lord's Supper, in the sermon or absolution, where we shall surely find it. Well, it is true that it seems small and insignificant that through the water bath, word and sacrament such things are to be accomplished; but do not let your eyes be deceived. There it was also small and insignificant, that he who rode in on a borrowed donkey and was crucified afterwards should take away sin, death and hell. No one could see him, but the prophet says so. Therefore it must also be believed and grasped with the ears, with the eyes it will not be seen.
9 Therefore saith the evangelist, Tell the daughter of Zion. And the prophet says, "Zion, rejoice, be glad," dance and leap, "for your king is coming." What king? A holy, righteous king, and a savior or helper, who wants to be your sanctifier and your savior. For he will put his holiness and righteousness upon thee, that thou mayest be delivered from sin; and he will lay down his life for thee, that by his' death thou mayest be delivered from everlasting death. Therefore do not be offended at his wretched and poor form, but thank him for it and be comforted. For all things are done for your sake and for your good; so he will save you from your sins and death, and make you righteous and saved.
(10) Now this is our King, the dear Lord Jesus Christ, and this is his kingdom and office. He does not deal in thalers, crowns, great kingdoms, and worldly splendor; no, but when we must die, and can no longer keep life here, this is his office and work, that by his suffering and death we may know where we are to abide; that we may say, I am sanctified by my King JESUS Christ, who for this cause came in such misery, and for this cause suffered himself to be crucified, that he might sanctify me, and in me drown my sin and death. Whoever believes this, as he hears it and as it is preached in the Gospel, has it. For therefore is the
Holy baptism instituted by Christ, that by it he might put on thee his righteousness, that his holiness might be thine and his innocence thine also. For we are wretched, poor sinners, but in baptism Christ comforts us and says: "Give me your sin, and have my righteousness and holiness; let your death be taken away, and put on my life. This actually means Christ's regiment. For all his office and work is this, that he should daily put off our sin and death, and put on his holiness and life.
This sermon should be heard and accepted with great joy, and one should improve and become pious from it. Unfortunately, this is how things turn around, and the world only gets worse the longer this teaching lasts; this is the work and business of the devil. As you can see, people are now more stingy, merciless, lewd, impudent and angry than before under the papacy. What does it matter? Nothing else, but that people do not accept this sermon with joy, but rather everyone throws it to the wind, cares more about money and goods than about the blessed treasure, which our Lord Christ brings to us. Therefore our Lord God punishes them again and says: "Will you not thank me because I have taken away sin and death through the death and dying of my only begotten Son? Well then, I will make sin and death enough for you, because you want it that way; and where only one devil possessed you and rode you before, seven worse devils shall ride you now. As can be seen in citizens and peasants with the shameful, stingy, disorderly life, fornication and other naughtiness.
(12) For this reason I urge you to listen to such preaching with joy and love, and to accept it with all thankfulness, and to ask our Lord God from the bottom of your hearts to give you strong faith so that you may keep such teaching; then the fruit will surely follow, that you will become more humble, obedient, kind, disciplined and pious from day to day. For this doctrine is of this kind and nature, that it makes chaste, obedient, pious people. But those who will not accept it with love will become seven times worse than they were,
before they have come to this teaching, as is seen everywhere. Therefore beware, for the hour will surely come when God will punish such ingratitude. Then it will be found what the world has earned with it.
Therefore learn well this history of today's gospel. For because the Jews would not follow the prophet, we are told that our King will come meek and poor, so that we may not be offended at such poverty, nor gape at worldly splendor and riches with the Jews; but learn that in our Lord Christ we have such a King, who is righteous and a Savior, and will save us from sins and eternal death. You should accept such preaching with willingness and joy, and thank God for it from the bottom of your heart; otherwise you will have to accept the sorrowful devil with weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.
14 The example of the apostles and others who enter Jerusalem with the Lord Christ reminds us of this. For since the Lord Christ is a king, he must also have a kingdom or people, and the same people must show proper service to this king. What such service is, the Historia shows very finely. For here we find people who recognize the Lord Christ as a king and are not afraid to walk beside the miserable donkey and poor king. Among them, the apostles are the first to recognize the Lord Christ as the true Messiah, who will make righteous and be a savior against sin and death. For this reason they bring the donkey to the Lord Christ, that is, they bring to Christ the Jews who had lived under the law until then and had carried such a burden as a donkey. Then, with the donkey, they also bring to Christ the young flock, the Gentiles, who were still untamed and had not been under any law. For Christ is a Savior of all men. Therefore all righteous preachers and teachers should lead and guide the people to Christ. This is the one worship that is due to this king, that he should be recognized, accepted, praised and glorified as a righteous man and a savior, and that everyone should be directed to him.
The other service is to sing Osanna to the Lord Christ on the donkey, that is, after recognizing him and accepting him as a savior, to wish him happiness and salvation in his kingdom, and to do everything that serves to increase and promote his kingdom. God grant it; say the Pharisees and high priests to it what they will. For "Osanna" means as much in German as: HErr, hilf, HErr, geben Glück dem Sohn David. Just as we pray in the Our Father: Zukommen uns dein Reich. For the devil and his members will not leave it untried how they can hinder this kingdom, and either destroy or counterfeit the word. It is therefore necessary to pray and wish that God will break the will of the devil and drive it back.
16. The third is that we should not only pray, but also take off our clothes and put them on the way of the Lord Christ, so that he may have a little glorious and honest entrance; This happens when we promote the preaching ministry according to our ability, that we help with money and goods, so that we raise up fine, learned, pious people who lead the church with the word and good conduct; that we keep those who are in the ministry in such a way that they wait for their ministry, devote themselves to study, and do not either leave half of the food or have to deal with other trades. In sum, where money and goods can be used to ensure that the church offices are well appointed and the people are well provided with proper leaders, then the clothes are spread under the Lord Christ, so that he may ride in all the more honestly.
17 Therefore serve this king, and ask nothing of the chief priests and Pharisees, to whom this entry and poor show is very repugnant and contrary; indeed, they would gladly resist it. But Christ wants to have it unresisted. For because he is a king, he must have his court people and court service. And good to them that serve him; for he is such a king, who will serve us again, not with money and goods, which is a very small service, but with righteousness against sin, and salvation against death and eternal damnation. For this reason we should be ready and willing for his service, and not be offended at the popes, bishops and other examples, who, like the apostles, do not lead the donkey to the Lord Christ and put him on it, but want to ride on the donkey themselves and rule the people with doctrine and other things as they wish. But they let Christ go on foot, and cannot suffer him to ride in and be seen through his gospel.
(18) These false teachers also have their disciples, who pretend to them, scattering palms and olive branches by the way; but to the poor Christ they cast stones. For they persecute him, his gospel, and all who preach it. Such will come to know in that day with the Jews that they have despised the righteous King and Savior, and for that reason must bear God's wrath forever; whereas those who have accepted him, confessed him, and turned their poverty to his honor will receive through him eternal righteousness and eternal life. May our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ grant this to us all, Amen.