Marc. 10, 35-45.
Then Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to him and said: Master, we would that thou wouldest do unto us whatsoever we shall ask of thee. He said to them: What would ye that I should do unto you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left, in thy glory. But Jesus said unto them: Ye know not what ye ask. Can ye drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said unto him, Yea, we are able. But Jesus said to them: Ye shall drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, it is not for me to give you, but to whom it is prepared. And when the ten heard this, they were displeased with Jacob and John. But Jesus called them and said to them: Ye know that the worldly princes rule, and the mighty among them have power. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your servant. And whosoever will be chief among you, he shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man is not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life in payment for many.
1. it is very good that in the church some histories of the saints have been preserved, which are so diligently distinguished in the holy scriptures for this reason, that we may follow such examples and improve our lives. For this cause the Holy Spirit has decreed that one should not
of their holiness, faith, and good works alone, but also of their weakness and sins: to instruct and teach us, that as their faith and good works are to shine before us, and we are to follow their example; so also their sin and weakness are to warn us, that we may
not to be safe, but to keep ourselves in good stead. For it has happened to such great and excellent people, to whom we will not be like in our lifetime, that they have stumbled and sometimes even fallen: how much more can it happen to us, even though we are now standing, that we fall and lie down unawares! Therefore, it requires great diligence and constant prayer that God will preserve us and not let us fall into temptation.
2 So Lucas the evangelist remembers how Paul and Barnabas were at strife with one another, not because of them, who are now long dead and gone, but because of us, that we should beware of the devil, be of one mind, be diligentlyware of dissension, and of all that can occasion it. For where the devil causes preachers to be divided among themselves, it is to be feared that all evil will follow. So in the Gospel, the evangelists diligently report the case of Peter, that he so severely forgets himself, and three times denies Christ his Lord, who before was willing to go with him even unto death. For such a case serves us to pray always and not to be sure, as it has happened to them very soon, that the devil will shamefully take us.
(3) So hear your beloved in today's Gospel, how James and John are doing exceedingly badly, and want to badly urge the Lord Christ to make something special of them above all his other disciples. There is not only the shameful sin (which can suffer nowhere less than in preachers), the hope and their own honor; for whoever wants to see his honor, benefit and the like, and to direct his preaching to it, will not do much good: but they also have no understanding at all what Christ or his kingdom is. For they think that he is to establish a worldly government, like other worldly lords. That he will forgive sins and give eternal life, and that they need him for this, they cannot think of; but think that if they were great princes and lords, they would have enough already. The other ten disciples are neither much wiser nor more devout. For the sake of such things
they also raise a murmur, and did not like to give anything to the two brothers.
004 But why do the apostles write these things, and not be silent of their own shame? This is done for our sake: not only that we may beware and not be sure, but that we may pray diligently and not give way to temptation; but also that we may learn by such examples how Christ deals with such sinners and weak people.
(5) For although most people live in such a way that they do not ask much about the sermon, nor do they care much about their sin, yet we learn that the devout hearts have no greater complaint nor higher concern than sin. Cause, they see the punishment decreed for sin, eternal death. Therefore, they cannot be satisfied, they must fear and be afraid of God's judgment and sentence. These examples serve for such fear and distress, so that we should not only learn that when we are sometimes overtaken by the devil and sin and fall, such things have happened to other and greater saints, that we are not alone; but that God wants to deal with us with compassion, not to throw us away for our sins, but to accept us with grace and bring us to justice. As we see here in the case of the two brothers, they fall with great difficulty, and yet they think that they are not doing wrong, that they will succeed.
But what does Christ do about it? Does he also treat them badly, or does he no longer want to consider them his disciples, because they have been with him so long and yet have learned nothing at all? No, he deals with them in the most gentle way, gives them no evil word, but instructs them in the most kind way that they should refrain from such desires, that they should have other thoughts about his kingdom and their ministry, as a father admonishes his children in all kindness.
(7) So these examples are exceedingly comforting, and agree well with the doctrine of our dear Lord Christ. For he commands that repentance and forgiveness of sins be preached in his name. But repentance is nothing
other than to confess that we are poor, frail sinners, and for this reason we should be careful and not indulge in sin. And after that we are to believe forgiveness of sins through Christ. So we see in this example that James and John fall into such hopefulness and foolishness. This is an indication that we are all, one and the other, frail, poor people. Therefore we should not be secure nor hopeful, but humble and godly. But that Christ should deal so kindly with such sinners, not giving them a harsh word, let alone beating them or pushing them away, is an indication that he does not want to avenge sin but to forgive it, and to deal graciously with sinners. This much we should learn today from the story that happened here with the two apostles, Jacobo and Johanne, and their mother, as Matthew reports.
(8) Besides the history, we must also look at the two sermons the Lord preaches; one to the two brothers, and the other to the other ten disciples. They, the two brothers, go about with the thought that because they have such a Lord and Master, they will yet come to great honors and become mighty lords.
(9) But what does Christ say to them? Ye, saith he, if ye would be my disciples, and partake of my kingdom, ye must drink my cup, and be baptized with my baptism: yet shall ye not sit on my right hand, nor on my left.
This is a sermon that does not rhyme at all with the disciples' thoughts. They think of great, worldly glory; so the Lord tells them of great suffering, of anguish and adversity. So that the sum of this sermon is: Whoever wants to be a Christian and confesses the Lord Christ as a disciple, let him only let go of the thoughts as if he wanted to enjoy the Lord Christ for worldly honor, power and wealth, and send himself to suffer and await all misfortune. As Paul also says: "All who want to live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution.
This is the kingdom of the Lord Christ, and he himself, the king in this kingdom, starts the round dance. He drinks the cup and is baptized, that is, he suffers, and suffers more and more severely than all his subjects, as we see in his history. Such an example must be followed by all those who recognize Christ as their Head and Lord; as Paul says to the Romans in 8 Cap. V. 17, that we must be conformed to the image of the Son of God in suffering, and afterward also in glory. And Christ, John 15:20: "The servant is not greater than his lord: if they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also." This is the color of the court that this King gives out; whoever is ashamed of it, and will not bear it, is ashamed of the Lord Christ, and does not abide with Him.
(12) As it is seen, it does great harm to the kingdom of our dear Lord Christ, as he himself testifies in Matthew 13, when he says of the seed that falls on the stony ground, that though it sprouts, it cannot remain in the heat, for it has no root, and withers. So it is with many Christians: if it were not for the temptation and the cross, they would well remain Christians; but that they should risk their life and limb, wife and child, house and farm, money and goods, honor and power, for the sake of the gospel, they will not do it. But now it is decided: If thou wilt be in the kingdom of Christ, thou must drink the cup with him and other Christians, when thou wouldst rather be thirsty; and be baptized, when thou wouldest rather be unsaved. For he will not have such a kingdom as to divide money and goods and honor and other things among men. "My kingdom," he says, "is not of this world." Therefore, what the world has, he does not care for, but goes about with other higher and greater things. Money and goods do not remain long; and even if they remain, we must still get rid of them and cannot take them away with us or enjoy them in another life.
13 Because our dear Lord Jesus Christ has not a worldly kingdom, but an eternal kingdom, it follows that we should stand in peril for the sake of the worldly, but wait for the eternal goods through him, that
Our sins are forgiven, the Holy Spirit is given, and we are heirs of eternal life. These are the things the Lord wants us to see and wait for from Him.
(14) But there it is, as is seen here in the two apostles. If Christ were to pay a thousand, a hundred, or even less florins to every Christian who is baptized, how would there be a fuss about baptism? And there is no doubt that the Jews themselves, no matter how hostile they are to Christ, would still come for money and want to be called Christians, just as they sometimes let themselves be baptized for the sake of the baptismal penny. But because Christ not only does not give money or goods, but whoever wants to be a Christian must put money and goods on the road and risk everything for Christ's sake: this makes his kingdom thin and narrow, so that few turn to him from the heart and want to suffer and leave something for his sake, even though he promises his Christians eternal goods and eternal life instead of temporal things.
But we should learn it here, and not let our reason and the world's example deceive us. For when our dear Lord Christ offers us his cup and wants to baptize us with his baptism, that is, when he lays out his cross for us, we judge that such a cup and baptism is an indication that God is angry with us and does not mean well with us. For this is what reason holds: whoever is happy and well, has a gracious God; but whoever is unwell, has an ungracious God. But here we see that the judgment is wrong. For Christ himself drinks the cup and is baptized; and yet he is his Father's dear child, in whom the Father has the highest and greatest pleasure, and cannot be angry with him. Now Christ also means well to his Christians, and in the most kindly way; for otherwise he would not have given himself to death for their sake. Since he himself gives the cup to his Christians, it must follow that such a cup is not an indication of an ungracious will. For this reason, Christians should not be terrified under the cross, but should accept it (as it is in truth) as a certain sign that they are
are children of God and in the kingdom of Christ. For there it shall be so, and not otherwise.
16 But for what purpose such a cup and baptism serve, hear your love at other times, that our old Adam very well needs to be girded and restrained between the spurs, for otherwise he would become too brave and unruly. But when the cross weighs him down, he has cause to pray, to keep the word, and to exercise faith. For there is no other means for the flesh to be fed and sin to be subdued, except that God keeps His Christians under the rod, as a father does his children, and does not translate too much to them; otherwise they would be accustomed to disobedience and would not want to be drawn at all. Therefore the rod, as Solomon says, is nothing but an indication that God is not hostile to us (as reason judges without reason), but that we are his children and he is our father and loves us dearly. For otherwise, if he did not love us, he would leave us in our souls. But that would be our ruin in body and soul; against this the rod and the cross forbid.
17 So this is the sum of this sermon, that the kingdom of our dear Lord Christ is such a kingdom, where we have to do a little bit of hardship, so that our eyes go over, that is, we have to give ourselves up under the cross. For the devil and the world are bitter enemies to Christians. For this reason our Father in heaven must tie a shillelagh to the dog, so that we do not run out of his way and he can hold us; besides that we owe God our obedience and follow the example of our dear Lord Christ. This is what has been decided here; therefore we should learn to live by it, and with Jacobo and Johanne not look for great power, honor, goods, and the like. For here it is not called sitting on the right hand or on the left; it is called drinking the cup and being bathed.
18 According to this teaching, we must also realize that our dear Lord Christ in his kingdom and glory does not want anyone to be like him or to suffer. For he is, as it is written in the prophet Isaiah, Cap. 63,
who alone has trodden the winepress. He alone died for us and paid for our sin with his death. He alone is the one who wants to help and save us from all our troubles. He alone wants to hear our prayer and finally make us blessed. Therefore, he can suffer no one to be placed beside him and equal to himself. Yet the pope, contrary to his command and will, places the Virgin Mary and other saints at his left and right, teaching that they should be invoked and that we may enjoy their intercession and merit. Christians should beware of such idolatry. For besides the fact that Christ forbids it, it is dishonoring Christ to the highest degree if we place our comfort and confidence in men, and in the meantime leave our Lord Christ behind, who alone through his suffering reconciled us to God, paid for our sin and overcame death.
(19) The other sermon which the Lord preached unto the ten disciples was chiefly to teach them concerning the ministry of preaching. For as the evangelist writes, when they heard that James and John would be somewhat more than they, they were displeased with them, and thought that they were as worthy to sit on high as they. The Lord sees this and admonishes them in the most friendly way, saying: "You know that the worldly rulers rule, and the mighty among them have power"; this is what God has decreed and must be, so that there may be peace, unity and good government among the people. But you shall not think according to such an example. "Among you," he says, "it shall not be so; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your servant; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be servant of all." This means that the office of preaching has not only been stripped of its worldly power and authority, but also that it is to be nothing but an office of service, with nothing to gain but toil and labor, and after that all ingratitude, and even all misfortune.
20 This is a very necessary teaching, for we see how there are different offices in the church. The apostles have more commands than the bishops; the bishops and pastors more than other common teachers and ministers.
Preachers, or their ministers and deacons. Our dear Lord Christ wants to make all these different offices equal with this command, so that no one will use them for his own honor or benefit, but only to serve other people, and to have trouble and work from them. For, saith he, if any man should have power and great glory of it, I would ever have it right before all others, who am the Son of God, and bring this command with me, that I should direct men unto the kingdom of God. But I do not need such a command and office to become glorious, great and mighty; I serve, and serve with my body and life, so that I pay for all the sin of the world. So learn to send yourselves also into your office, let not the devil deceive you, as if my kingdom were a world kingdom. In the world there are princes and lords who must have more and be more powerful than their subjects. But in my kingdom it is different; there it is the greatest prince and most powerful lord who lowers himself the lowest and serves the people the most diligently with his office, gifts and graces that he has.
(21) The wicked pope has not done this, for because he has the office, he wants to be honored above emperors and kings and to be lord of the whole world. Thus he testifies with his own work against himself that he is not Christ's disciple, but an antichrist or a counterchrist, who does everything differently than Christ commanded and said. But we will hear more about this on St. Bartholomew's Day.
(22) But the saying here is special, that Christ says, "The Son of man is come to give his life in payment for many. For such a saying teaches, as we heard on the day of Magdalene, of the forgiveness of sins, how we can obtain the same. With our works and merit it is lost; for we owe God such a great sum that it is impossible for us to pay. How then do we get rid of the debt? Not otherwise than that our dear Lord Christ enters into our debt, and takes away our sin from us, and lays it on his back, and suffers the death which we have with our sins.
so that we may be delivered from death and set free.
(23) In worldly affairs also it is so. If I owe a thousand guilders and do not have to pay, but find a good friend who is indebted to me, he says to my creditor, "I will be good to you for the man; I must not worry about the debt any further. For my creditor has no more promise to me; he has accepted another, who has become good for me and pays for me. In this way the Lord also speaks here, saying: He gives his life as payment for many, so that through his death we may be set free from death. Just as when one is a prisoner and cannot be set free until a certain sum of money is laid up for him. So the devil and death held us captive because of our sins, and it was impossible for us to help ourselves and set ourselves free. But God, out of fatherly love, sends His Son, who must answer for us and pay, since we cannot pay.
(24) But how is it, because the debt of sin is paid by Christ, that not everyone is saved, but only some? As the Lord says here, "This payment was made for many," that is, even though it was made for all men (Isa. 53, Jn. 2, 1 Jn. 1), there are only some who enjoy this payment and are saved. This is because not all want to accept such payment; they do not all want to believe. Some think they want to put away sin by their own works, like the pope and his crowd; some even want to believe Christ.
They do not accept him as the one who paid for sin, like the Turks and Jews. Therefore they see for themselves, and because they do not want Christ, they have no guarantor; therefore they must remain in sins, die and perish. For apart from our Lord Christ we shall find none else to pay for us; neither can we.
(25) Some are neither like the pope nor like the Turk; they do not think to go to heaven by their works, and do not deny Christ; neither do they want to accept him with all their heart; they are too well pleased with the world, which troubles them so much that they do not think of Christ. And because they continue in sins without repentance, and still take pleasure in them, they are not really serious about seeking forgiveness of sins. These also get away, and do not enjoy our Lord Christ and his payment. But those who confess their sin enjoy it, are sorry for it, ask for mercy, desire to amend, and wholeheartedly cling to the Lord Christ, as He paid for them with His death and reconciled them to God.
That is enough of today's Gospel, in which we see how the Lord deals so kindly with Jacob and John, who have stumbled, and teaches them that if they want to remain his disciples, they must not think of great honor, power and authority, but send themselves to suffer, and use their ministry with other apostles only for service. May God grant us all His grace through Christ, that we may keep such teaching and improve ourselves from it, amen.