Luc. 22, 24-30.
There was also a dispute among them as to which of them should be considered the greatest. But he said to them: The worldly kings reign, and the mighty are called gracious lords; but ye are not so: but the greatest among you shall be as the youngest, and the chiefest as a servant. For which is the greatest, he that sitteth at meat, or he that ministereth? is it not so, that he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as a servant. But you are you who have persevered with me in my temptations. And I will appoint unto you the kingdom, as my Father hath appointed me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit in seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
In today's Gospel your love hears how the disciples, at the last supper, when the Lord Christ had met with them and had prepared and instituted the New Testament, began to quarrel among themselves, because each one would have liked to be the most important and to be the master of the others. And it seems as if such quarrels had given the Lord Christ cause to wash his feet, since
*) Melanchthon wrote this sermon to a friend.
John reports chapter 13: For just as the Lord says in John: "You call me Lord and Master, and do right, for I am also. Therefore if I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye shall also wash one another's feet. The servant is not greater than his lord, nor the apostle greater than he who sends him"; so he also says here, "The greatest among you shall be as the youngest, and the chiefest as a servant" etc. Is
Therefore this is the opinion of today's gospel, that the Lord makes a difference between his kingdom and the kingdom of the world. And especially he that hath an office in his kingdom will beware of presumption, and will not seek worldly power thereby, but will serve others, and from such service expect nothing but toil, labor, and ingratitude in the world. As we can see, this is what happened to our dear Lord Christ himself.
2 Basil has a very good saying, and says: If those who are in church offices begin to quarrel about the glory, so that each one wants to be more and higher than the other, this is like a trade, as if the shipmen quarreled among themselves, which one wants to drown himself first, if there is a tempest out of the sea. This is not only a foolish but also a dangerous quarrel. For necessity demands that they be united and sit down together to see if they can save the ship, and it is not at all fitting that they should be divided, one wanting to go out this way and the other that way. It is the same with the apostles. There was a terrible weather in the sky, namely, the great sorrow that Christ, their Lord and Master, should die so shamefully on the cross the next day. But they are sure that they do not see such an affliction, and in the meantime they begin to quarrel because no one gives way to the other, and always one wants to be more and better than the other.
Therefore the Lord preaches to them seriously and says that they do not want to suffer such things in his kingdom. If they want to become great lords, let them stay with the world empire. But whoever wants to be in his kingdom must not rule and be splendid, but humble himself and serve. The Lord saw it well with the disciples that there would be no need. For they were so deeply troubled and afraid that they forgot all glory and did not know where to stay because of suffering and fear, so that their ambition was exhausted and even lost.
4 Therefore, this sermon is mainly about the last time of the world, when the church will be at the
And yet the priests, regardless of such misery, that the church with the doctrine and other gifts is so much pleased, are scrambling for temporal goods and worldly splendor, and each wants to dampen and squeeze the other. As the example of the pope shows, the popes did not ask anything about doctrine and proper worship, but only sought and calculated how they could rise high, bring much land and people under them, and make a large income.
Now we see that this kind of quarrel took place among the apostles also before, when Matthew on the 18th and afterwards on the 20th. But here, since it is just at the hour that the Lord Christ is to go to his torture and be captured by the Jews, this quarrel arises once again.
(6) Therefore we are to notice two things in particular about this history: the first, what a harmful poison such hopefulness is, and how it tends to take hold once it has been set on the church servants; the second, because the Lord admonishes the disciples right now before his suffering that we should take such a warning to heart and guard against such devilish poison all the more diligently. For we are to hold this very teaching here as a piece of the testament and last will of our Lord Christ Jesus, since it was given so hard before his death.
(7) In this doctrine the Lord set forth two things, both of which are particularly noteworthy. The first is that he teaches what the church offices should be, that they should be ordered only for service, and not for glory or worldly splendor. The other, that the Lord here freely confesses publicly that worldly authority and government is an order of God; for this reason they remain in it, and nothing is to be done by Christians that is contrary to such an order of God or destroys it. "The worldly kings reign," he says, "and the mighty are called gracious lords." This is a bright and clear saying, that order is to remain in the world, that some are to rule and the rest are to be their subjects; and that those who are in the world are to be the rulers.
The governors shall have the power to punish their subjects with the sword if they commit anything contrary to law and equity, and to the detriment of others.
8. For this reason the Lord here gives the title to secular authorities, calling them "gracious lords," to indicate what their office is, what they need it for, and what they are to accomplish with it, namely: That they should not be tyrants, and should not use their power and authority to oppress others with it; but that they should show mercy and help, protect the pious, punish the wicked, administer discipline and respectability, enforce equal justice, promote marital status and domestic discipline, keep peace, and especially take care that the youth is educated properly and not seduced by annoying examples. This is what secular authorities are supposed to do, which is why they are called gracious lords who do everything good for everyone. Yes, that is why they alone have more power and authority than others, so that they alone should keep such things. As Paul says, Rom. 13, 4: "The authorities are God's servants for your good. Wherever the worldly authorities act in this way, God is pleased with them and wants to bless them. But where it does not do so, and wants to abuse its power for its own glory and to oppress its subjects with it, God is not pleased with it and will not let it go unpunished. This is a part of this doctrine, so that everyone may learn that worldly authority is in a divine, holy state, if it only wants to get itself right.
(9) "But ye," saith Christ, "not so: but let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the chiefest as a servant." As if to say, Mark me well this doctrine; for there is much in it. Worldly authority should and must be, so that discipline and respectability, peace and justice may be preserved, and all public trouble may be punished and abolished. For this reason, they have the power to set and order everything that they deem useful for the promotion of peace and justice. This pleases God well. Therefore, let it remain so. But you who are in church offices and teach others with the word
You have another office and another command, namely, to preach the gospel, through which men receive the Holy Spirit and come to the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. By such doctrine ye shall abide, and preach nothing else, nor establish any new laws, nor any other worship. Whoever does not accept such teaching and does not want to follow you, you shall not punish him with force or with the sword; for the sword is not commanded to you, but with the word that you threaten them with the law and wrath of God, and exclude them from the church by banishment. As Christ says, "Whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven."
(10) This is called the church office or church government: such a government, where one alone has the word, and thus rules, that one does not need any force, nor does one lay hands, nor does one seek any power or sovereignty before others. But why this? Because God wants to preserve and govern His Church by His Word alone, and not by human power. Those who are in church offices and have the ministry of preaching have the word only for the purpose of serving others with it, and not for the purpose of making themselves lords through it. Therefore it is of equal importance, whether a minister is great or small, young or old, if he only has the word and leads rightly. For it is the word alone that is to be seen and to rule, and not the person who speaks the word.
11.. But is it not a pity above all pity that the Lord so diligently teaches and warns at his last end, how these two kingdoms are not to be mixed, but are to be finely divided, each remaining in its own circle: and yet the shameful pope, notwithstanding such teaching and warning, sets himself up for a head of the church; and because he wants to be the head of the church, he also wants to be a lord over temporal authorities, and himself, like other kings and princes, to rule with the sword? Hence it came about that they lost the word and made the church a secular government, arranged new services, and sought and invented everything, so that they might have the
The money brought by the people and the priestly splendor could increase.
012 But now would any man ask, saying, What manner of government is this, and how can it be, seeing there is no head; and they that are in office are all equal, and none shall have more power nor authority than another? For reason considers such equality a deformity and a harmful thing. Again, where there is a head, on whom others may look and be guided by the same, such an order reason considers useful and good; and concludes from it: If it is to be right in the church, it must also be so, or there will be a loud confusion and disorder. And this is the cause that still holds many sensible, wise people captive. For even though they are hostile to the pope, and see the public, irresistible trouble, they still think that there must be order in the church government; for this reason, they do not want to keep up with those who tear such order apart, and do not want to accept and recognize either the pope or others as a head.
(13) To such a question let us answer thus: It is true that reason considers it a deformity and a harmful error that all who are in church offices should be equal, and that one should have as much command, power and authority as the other. Therefore, to prevent such deformity, the pope has made an order in the church just as in the secular government, where one is higher, has more command and greater power than the other. But here we have an expressed command of our dear Lord Christ, who wants things to be different in his kingdom, which is a spiritual kingdom, than in the temporal kingdom: so that everyone may learn how in the kingdom of Christ human power or great prestige should not apply and rule, but only the word of God.
(14) And yet even in such church government there is an order and difference, which is called: Differentia donorum, sed non potestatis. (Difference of gifts, but not of power.) For no one has more power, or a different command, than the other; and yet one has different gifts and a different calling than the other; as St. Paul says, Eph. 4:11: "He made some apostles.
but some were appointed prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers" etc. These are the distinct offices, and therefore the gifts must also be distinct. But for the sake of such differentiated gifts and offices, no one is to assume worldly authority nor want to rule in a worldly way. They are all bound together by the gospel, that they may abide by it and do nothing contrary to it. This is the right order that should go and remain in the church, and is a far better order than that of the pope, who makes an order not of offices but of external authority, contrary to the command of Christ.
(15) The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others were not high priests, though they had a very glorious profession and greater gifts than the high priests: and yet no one compelled them by force, or wished to have more power than others; but the pious Jews, without outward compulsion, willingly gave themselves up, and received their doctrine, because they knew it was not their doctrine, but God's, and not their word, but God's word. Thus St. Paul has many excellent and high gifts, and the pious bishops, as Timothy, Titus, and others, keep him in mind and act according to him: not because St. Paul has more power and can force them; but because the church, wherever it has seen the word and God's gifts, has honored the same persons, heard them, and accepted them, not because of the persons, but because of the word. For it is all in the word, and nothing at all in the person.
(16) So that the summary of today's gospel is this: There will be bishops, pastors, preachers, and other such officials in the church; they alone are to serve, and are not to arrogate to themselves any outward authority or glory because of such office or service; as the Lord Christ here sets before us his own example. "Which," saith he, "is the greatest, he that sitteth at meat, or that ministereth? Is it not true, he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as a servant." And Joh. 20, 21.: "I
send you as my Father has sent me." Now it is before our eyes and in our day that Christ was not sent by his Father to rule like a worldly prince and to seek worldly splendor. But he was sent to preach and to suffer. So he also sends his servants. Therefore, those who serve in the church should never let this image leave their eyes and hearts, and beware of the devil, who would gladly lead them to abuse their office for his own glory and splendor. In the secular government, it must be like this: he who has the office must also have the power. But in the church it means to serve and to suffer, not to rule or to have gentle, good days. He that will do it, let him do it; he that will not do it, let him not boast that he serves in the kingdom of Christ.
17 Therefore it is an abomination above all abominations, that, notwithstanding such doctrine and warning, the pope should be lord over all kings and emperors, because he is St. Peter's successor or descendant; whereas Peter undoubtedly kept himself according to the command of Christ, and renounced all temporal power and authority.
(18) Therefore let every man beware: the devil will not leave it alone, and will try thee, whether thou exalt thyself in thy office. Where this happens, it follows that one will think of how to press others and raise oneself even higher. This is what has happened to the word and the pure doctrine. The Lord warns of this here, and admonishes that honor, authority and other things must be abandoned, and that where one has most diligently carried out this ministry, the greatest ingratitude will follow, and he will have to suffer honestly.
(19) Someone might ask: If the ministry of preaching does not entail more than toil and labor and all misfortune, should it be much better to leave it and do something else? And indeed the world does it honestly. For the fewest part, and almost the weakest, who are thought to be good for nothing else, go to the church service.
20. but the lord says here finely what his
He says, "You who have persevered with me in my temptations," that is, "You see my example, that I have not had many good days, but all kinds of temptation, toil and labor from the preaching ministry; you know this and have seen it. Well then, as my Father has granted me the kingdom, so I will also grant it to you: through cross and suffering, through great toil and labor you will come to it. Then send yourselves up, and leave other thoughts behind. For it has happened to me in the same way. My kingdom on earth means nothing else but serving and suffering. Whoever wants to have it better on earth, he may look for it elsewhere and take a chance on my kingdom. But when it comes to that life, there it shall be different. Here you must serve at table, there you must sit; and the more is, you must sit with me at my table. Here you must suffer yourselves, and let the world deal with you and judge you as it will. There you shall sit on chairs and judge the world. In sum, in that life, Christians, especially those in the ministry of preaching, will be paid and repaid abundantly for all they have done and suffered here on earth.
21 For just as it is a sign of great grace when one sits at table with a prince, so also the Lord wants to show that if we faithfully wait for our ministry here, we will enjoy it in the other and better life. Therefore all Christians in general, but especially those in the preaching ministry, should set their hope on that life, and think: Christ, our dear Lord and Head, had it no other way, he himself had to suffer and through suffering enter into his glory; now the servant shall not have it better nor desire it better than his Lord: therefore only be bold; we must suffer here with Christ and for Christ's sake, we shall also reign with him in that life. For in both these things we are to become like the Lord Christ, as Paul says in Romans 8, with suffering and with glory and honor. May this be granted to us all by our dear Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, amen.