The second sermon.*)
1. your love has heard about the resurrection of Christ, how it is done, why it is done, and how we should use and enjoy it. Of such use of the resurrection this gospel also teaches.
(2) For this is first of all a great thing, that the dear angels are the first messengers to win the glad tidings that Christ is risen and is no longer in the grave; and
*From the explanation of the 28th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
remind the women that Christ had foretold them this, even though they did not believe or understand it. Such a message is a certain sign, although the angels are pure and holy spirits, but we are poor sinners, that they nevertheless neither flee nor despise us, but want to be good friends with us, since Christ died for us too well and rose again.
3) If God had not wanted us to accept such a resurrection, and had not wanted us to
he would have kept his messengers, the dear angels, in heaven and not let us know about it. But because the angels are ordained and sent to be the first preachers to proclaim to us the resurrection of Christ, this is a certain sign that the Lord Christ, as we have heard before, has risen to our good, and that God's will is that we should comfort ourselves and believe the angels' preaching. So first of all the work stands in itself, because the angels are sent, that we must conclude: The resurrection of Christ is to serve us as well as his suffering, and was done for our sake.
(4) Besides the work, we can also hear from the words what they think about the resurrection of Christ. For the angels come with two commands: the first is to the women, that they should not fear on account of themselves, but rejoice that Christ is risen; the other command is, that they should not keep this resurrection secret, but should go quickly and proclaim it to the disciples. This is to rejoice greatly for both parts.
5 For the angel to say first, "Fear not, for I know that ye seek Jesus crucified: for he is not here, but is risen from the dead" is as much as to say, "What foolish, simple folk are ye, that ye should be astonished and afraid? Christ is alive and has risen from the dead. Therefore you should be happy and not worry about anything else. For that Christ liveth, he liveth well for you, that ye may enjoy him, be protected by him, and be preserved from all distress. For this is the way of languages: he who is not to be afraid should be cheerful and of good cheer, hoping and waiting for the best. But he that is afraid must wait for a worse thing, which he would rather have. So you see, whoever is afraid of the executioner, of death, of sins and of the wrath of God, there is no joy, no hope, but only lamentation and mourning, worry and unrest. These things shall be no more with you, says the angel, because Christ is risen. This is to indicate that we should
The resurrection of Christ comforts us against the devil, sin, death and hell. For where these enemies should or could do more harm, it is impossible that we should not fear. This is the first command, not only to women, but to all baptized and believing Christians who believe and know that Christ is risen, that they should not fear.
(6) The other command seems to be different from this, but it is just an opinion that the angel tells the women to go in haste and proclaim to his disciples how Christ has risen from the dead. For this is also a certain indication that the disciples should rejoice and accept the resurrection. But now, behold, who are the disciples? Aren't they poor sinners, who have wronged the Lord, and in his greatest trouble have shamefully forsaken him, and Peter has denied him altogether? Above this they are now with each other, not to be seen before the Jews. There is no thought that Christ should live again and first establish his kingdom. And since the women are already coming, saying that they have seen the Lord, since Simon Peter and those from Emmaus are also coming, no one wants to believe them and thinks it is a fable. Yes, when the Lord himself comes and shows them hands and feet, lets himself be felt and attacked, they still do not even want to believe that it is true, they think it is a ghost.
(7) The fact that the angel was so anxious that the resurrection of Christ should be proclaimed to the disciples, who were drowned in unbelief and had an evil conscience, is a certain indication that the Lord Christ has risen as a comfort to the poor weak believers, even to those who are completely unbelieving, so that they may enjoy his mercy. They should seek and find help and protection with him.
(8) Therefore, if we find such weakness, sin, and unbelief in ourselves, let us not despair on that account, nor think that Christ does not want us; for here we see that for the comfort of such poor, weak, miserable sinners the angels come from heaven, and must order through the women that they may know that Christ is risen, and therefore draw comfort and joy from it.
should be. For, as heard in the next sermon, where the resurrection of Christ is, there must be comfort, joy and a good conscience, since neither death, sin, nor the wrath of God is found in such an image.
(9) Now these are the sermons of the dear angels concerning the resurrection of Christ, which come from heaven for this reason, so that the poor, frightened consciences may become aware of them and rejoice and be comforted. Such preaching and testimony should be enough for us. But Christ himself comes to the women and preaches to them like angels, greets them in the most friendly way, and also tells them not to be afraid. With this he wants to teach us all how we should rightly use his resurrection, that we should cast out all fear, be joyful and of good cheer.
(10) For there is nothing in the whole world that can frighten a Christian who has Christ for his Lord. Sin will not do it, for we know that Christ paid for it. Nor will death, for Christ has overcome it. He has torn hell asunder, and bound and captured the devil. Whether the world then is hostile to the Christian by its nature, and puts on every plague, how shall we do to him? It is only a temporal suffering, since we know that we shall enjoy the resurrection of Christ to eternal life. Therefore this sermon of the angel, and after that of our Lord Christ, shall go and remain among Christians forever: Fear not, be glad, give thanks and praise to God; for Christ is risen and is no longer here.
Now Christ does not leave us with this comfort; he goes further and makes it much greater and more glorious. For thus he says, "Go and tell my brethren, that they may go into Galilee, and there they shall see me," or as John tells us in the 20th chapter, v. 17, that he said to Mary, "Go unto my brethren, and say, I ascend unto my Father, and to your Father, and to my God, and to your God."
(12) This can ever be called comforting preaching, that he calls his disciples "brethren. Such a name is nothing special among men. For where one calls another brother
If we call ourselves brothers, such a name brings nothing more with it than an advantage of money and friendship. But when Christ calls us brothers, who is the Son of God, then it is first of all an excellent, high, unspeakable name. For if he calls us brethren, he will also have to share with us, and not only keep the inheritance that he has, but also throw it in with us. For this we must take care of the Lord Christ in every way, that he does not use such a name only for appearance, as the world is wont to do, since one often writes to another: Dear brother, and yet in his heart he is his worst enemy, to whom he wishes all unhappiness. We should not be so unkind to Christ. If he calls us brothers, he means from the bottom of his heart that he is our brother and wants to consider us brothers and deal with us as brothers.
(13) How then did the apostles get such honor? Did they deserve such a name because they so shamefully ran away from him, denied him, and no longer had a heart for him, that he should live again and establish his kingdom? This should ever have given the Lord cause to consider them his enemies and not brothers. But, as said before, he wants to deal with poor sinners, and wants the poor sinners of his resurrection to receive and comfort themselves; otherwise he would not call his disciples brethren in truth, who had behaved so very badly against him and did not deserve such a name; just as little as we, who are also poor sinners, and yet should accept this name. Just as Christ commands all Christians, when they want to pray, to say: Our Father, who art in heaven. For if we call God in heaven "Father," we must ever be Christ's brethren, as he says here, "I ascend unto my Father and your Father, unto my God and your God." But the difference is that Christ is the natural and eternal Son of God for Himself; but we come to glory through Christ, because He died for us and rose again for our good, so that through faith in Christ we become God's children, filii adoptati, non nati, adopted ones.
but not born children, as Paul distinguishes.
14 Now the word that the Lord calls his disciples brethren is the right absolution, that he may absolve them from all sins, that they may forget them, and fear them no more. For Christ has never had any sin. If then the disciples are to be called brethren of Christ, they must also have no sin; otherwise Christ would have an advantage in the inheritance and would not be properly our brother. But because he says we are brothers, it follows that we belong to the same inheritance.
15 What then is the inheritance of Christ? It is not money, goods, great power and splendor. For experience teaches us that such goods are also possessed by those who are not children of God nor brothers of Christ. Therefore such cannot be the rightful inheritance of Christ, which he and his brothers alone have. Rather, this temporal thing is like the sun, the rain and other gifts of God, which God gives equally to the pious and the wicked. But the true inheritance of Christ is this, as Paul says of it, 1 Cor. 1:30, 31: "Christ is made unto us of God wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption; that, as it is written, he that boasteth, let him boast of the Lord."
We poor people are so blinded by sin that we know nothing certain about God, about sins, or about righteousness. And although there is still a little knowledge of God in us, as Paul says in Romans 1, we can see how soon it is lost, so that we fall into error and idolatry. This is now the first part of our inheritance, to which we come through Christ, that we learn to know God rightly; as he says, Matth. 11, 27: "No one knows the Father, except the Son, and to whom the Son wills to reveal it." Now this is the highest and greatest wisdom, whereas all the wisdom of the world is mere foolishness. For though it has great renown before the world, it will last no longer than here on earth. But this wisdom, that Christ teaches us to know God, that God will be gracious and merciful to us, is eternal wisdom, and eternal life itself, as Christ says, John 17:3;
and serves us to defend ourselves not only against men, but also against the devil himself, and to know and judge him.
The other part of our inheritance is that Christ made us righteous. For we do not live in sins alone, but were also conceived and born in sins. But through Christ we come to this, that God will not see such sin nor impute it to us, but give it to us and forbear it. This is what it means to be righteous, if God considers us righteous, even though we are poor, miserable sinners.
The third part of our inheritance is that Christ has been made holy for us by God. Not only by sanctifying Himself for us and offering Himself as a sacrifice, as John 17:19 says, but also by giving us His Holy Spirit, who establishes a new life in us, resists sin and drives us to heartfelt obedience to God.
The fourth part is that he is made unto us also unto salvation. There are temptations, hardships, troubles, persecutions, whatever they may be, but Christ is with us and holds us up, so that we may finally be victorious and experience salvation; not only temporal, but eternal salvation.
20 We should accept and rejoice in such a rich, eternal inheritance. For Christ calls us to such hope, because he calls us his brothers. But it is a pity above all pity that we have more joy when a hundred guilders are given or created for us by a man than when the Son of God places us in such a rich and eternal inheritance. Now it is true that we should be content with this if Christ would let us be his disciples, his servants, his disciples, or if he would call us his friends. For who would not want to take on such a great Lord and Master? But he lifts us higher, and will not let it remain with a lowly one, and calls us his brothers. Therefore, we should not forget this great comfort, and always remember this rich, eternal brotherhood, and take comfort from it in all hardships and in the midst of death.
21 But what does the devil have to do?
He drives the pope and the false, seductive teachers to not report such brotherhoods, and in the meantime they make other brotherhoods in the name of the devil, because they distribute good works as an inheritance to the deceased saints, monks and priests. Such punishment befalls them justly. For whoever does not want to rejoice or be comforted by this brotherhood is worth nothing better than to put his heart and trust in other godless, idolatrous, earthly and futile brotherhoods.
(22) Therefore let us be thankful for this blessed doctrine, and accept it with all our hearts, and so depend on the resurrection of Christ, that we may have a firm confidence in Christ as our brother, that he will use his life, now that he is alive, for our salvation, and, as Paul says, keep us from all wrath. Whoever could firmly believe this, would not let any misfortune trouble him. For whatever may be the need or the want, we know that Christ lives, and we also shall live with him. What can temporal suffering trouble us, if we have eternal life through Christ so surely? Why should we be angry with those who do us wrong? Is it not true that it would be better for us to grieve with them and have compassion on them, since their hatred and envy of us is sufficient proof that they are not in this brotherhood and should not enjoy this eternal inheritance? What good is their temporal inheritance, their power, money, goods and splendor, which they misuse for more sins and more severe condemnation?
So, if we could believe in this brotherhood, we would not care so much about the temporal, but would always look more to the eternal inheritance, which is offered to us in this brotherhood. As St. Paul very finely admonishes when he preaches about the resurrection of Christ in the 3rd chapter to the Colossians, and says vv. 1-3: "If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and seek the things that are above, and not the things that are on earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid in Christ, in God."
For if we want to take this brotherhood seriously and boast that we are children of God, then we must always do our Father's will and not be disobedient children. And, as Paul says, we must put to death and put off our members on earth, that is, evil lusts and works, and, as God's elect, saints and beloved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, so that one may bear with the other and forgive etc.
(24) For this cause we have before remembered, under the inheritance of Christ, sanctification also, which is to follow in all things, both in faith and life; as Paul also saith in another place, 1 Cor. 5:7, 8: "We have a paschal lamb, which is Christ, sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep Easter, not in the old leaven; neither in the leaven of malice and wickedness; but in the sweet dough of sincerity and truth"; item: "Let us sweep out the old leaven, and be a new dough, as ye are already unleavened." This is strangely said; but it is just what we heard above from Paul, that Christ is made unto us for righteousness and sanctification. For because we believe in Christ, that he paid for our sin, by such faith we have forgiveness of sin, and are justified, or, as Paul calls it, we are without leaven. Nevertheless, we still have flesh and blood on us, which is not yet dead, but full of leaven and evil desire. We are to sweep them out and kill them, not to cling to them, but to keep ourselves holy. For to this end our Lord Christ gives us his Holy Spirit, that we may resist sin and keep ourselves according to God's word and will.
(25) Thus your love sees what the resurrection of Christ is to accomplish and work in us, namely, that we should not fear henceforth, and should recognize and glory in Christ as our brother, and take comfort in the right inheritance which he has given us. And we are also to be careful in what we do, so that we do not lose this inheritance again through disobedience, like children who have gone astray. That is, then, to make right and good use of the joyful resurrection, and to make the
Celebrate Easter properly. But where this does not happen, either because we lie in sins and disobedience, or because we do not want to reach for this consolation in hardships and temptations, nothing is more certain than that we have nothing of this resurrection and this glorious inheritance.
nor knows. May God grant us His Holy Spirit through Christ, that we may take comfort in such a resurrection, and that in such faith, confidence and hope we may increase from day to day, and that we may finally be saved, amen.