Isa. 9, 1-7.
For there shall be another trouble that shall trouble them, as in the former time, when it was easy in the land of Zebulun, and in the land of Naphtali, and afterward it was harder by the way of the sea, on this side Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. The. The people that walk in darkness behold a great light, and upon them that dwell in the land of darkness it shineth brightly. Thou makest the Gentiles much, but thou makest not much joy. But before thee shall they rejoice, as one rejoiceth in harvest; as one rejoiceth when he divideth the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulder, and the staff of their driver, as in the days of Midian. For all warfare with fierceness and bloody garments shall be burned up, and consumed with fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, whose dominion is upon his shoulder; and he is called Wonderful, Counsellor, Power, Hero, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace; that his dominion may be great, and that there be no end of peace, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom; that he may establish and strengthen with judgment and righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
(1) This prophecy refers primarily to today's feast; therefore it is useful and good that one not only learns the history from the evangelist Luca, but also diligently examines what God preached through the dear prophets about such a birth so long ago. For the prophets also indicate the history, as Isaiah does here, when he says: "A child is born to us, a son is given to us"; and above in the 7th Cap. (v. 14): "Behold, a virgin is with child, and shall bring forth a son" etc. But after that they proceed with special diligence to show what God's counsel and will was, and what he wanted to accomplish with us humans through such a birth. This is the right core of such a trade, by which consciences can protect themselves against sin and death, against God's wrath and the devil.
(2) The light that the prophet says shines in the dark land over those who dwell in darkness is nothing else but the great grace and mercy preached through the gospel, that God takes care of poor sinners and condemned wretches, and sends His Son to them, so that He, through His incarnation and sacrifice, may rid them of death, sin, and all the devil's kingdom.
(3) Such light and gracious preaching, saith the prophet, shineth and shineth in the
dark land, over those who dwell in darkness, that is, among the Gentiles, who know nothing of God's word and the right consolation against sin and condemnation, and for this reason are like a man who either has his eyes gouged out or is in darkness: he cannot put a foot in front of him, he must fear he will bump and hurt himself. So we have been heathens here on earth.
4 The Jews had an excellent advantage over us, because they had God's word: not only the law, so that they knew what they should do, but also God's promise of the seed of the woman, so that they could comfort themselves against sin and the evil conscience. This was not the case with the Gentiles: they were in sin, and yet did not know how to get out. And if this was still the highest misery, when they thought they wanted to serve God best, they sinned most abominably. This is the darkness and the blind people, who (as Zacharias, St. John's father, also says) sit in darkness and in the shadow of death; But through this light of the holy gospel they come to the knowledge of God, that they know that God is gracious and merciful, and will forgive and grant all sins for the sake of Christ His Son; and that he cannot be served in any other way, but that everyone accepts with faith such grace as has been purchased for us through Christ, and then
The light of the Lord is the light that brings this light to the Gentiles. Such knowledge and art brings this light among the Gentiles.
5 Therefore the prophet says, "You make many things for the Gentiles. For no one wanted to be condemned; everyone wants to have a gracious God. Therefore the Gentiles accepted such preaching with multitudes, as history shows. This hurt the Jews. They would not believe what the Gentiles believed, and they angered Christ and His kingdom. This is what the prophet means when he says: "You do not add much to the joy. For when he came among the Jews as his own, as John says, his own did not want to accept him.
006 But what the Gentiles and the Jews have received, there, saith the prophet, there followed also a joy, as it is in a rich autumn or harvest; there every man is glad, every man sings and rejoiceth, and doth not trouble men with toil or labour; they are merry and glad for it. Item, a joy followed, as it is among an army after a glorious victory, when the enemies are slain. There is no one idle, everyone promotes and gambols, that he may bring away a good spoil. In the same way, says the prophet, when the good gospel is preached among the Gentiles, everyone will rush, and no one will want to be the last; for it is not a mere empty preaching, it brings a very good prey, as follows:
For thou hast broken the yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulders, and the staff of their driver, as in the days of Midian.
These are dark, unintelligible words; but this is the right opinion and the true understanding of it, as Genesis 2 (3:15) says: that the serpent the devil's head should be crushed, and his tyranny and power torn in pieces; that the Gentiles should have forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and resist the enemy the devil, who until this hour has been their tyrant, tormenting and afflicting them as he pleased. This is now the joyful harvest, the rich autumn, and the fitting harvest.
The prey to which we come through the gospel.
8 But how shall such things be done? Or how will we come to it? Must it come about through our strength or ability? Oh no! We are too weak; our enemies, sin, death and the devil, are superior to us, we will not win against them. That is why this battle should be like the one when Gideon defeated the Midianites in the seventh chapter of the book of Judges. He had a great multitude of people with him, but the Lord said, "There are too many people with you for me to give Midian into their hands. Israel would boast against me, and say, My hand hath done me in." Mark these words well. For here it will also be found that God alone wants the glory of this victory, and we should or can do nothing about it; as the mad papists always cry out: Whoever wants to go to heaven must help it with his own works.
(9) Therefore the Lord commanded Gideon to proclaim: Let him that is foolish and despondent to battle depart without harm, and make himself at home. At this proclamation twenty-two thousand men departed and only ten thousand remained. But the Lord said, "There are still too many of them," and told Gideon to lead all the people to the water and tell them to drink, paying attention to those who drew the water with their hands and licked it out with their tongues like dogs; he was to take them with him and no one else. But there were only three hundred of them. This was very unequal to the Midianites and Amalekites, who had settled in the land like locusts, so that, as the text says, they and their camelems could not be numbered. When Giedeon had taken these three hundred men, he divided them into three groups and gave each of them a trumpet in his right hand and an empty jar with a burning light in his left hand, commanding them to do as he did. When they were about to attack the enemy, none of them drew a sword, but at the same time they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars, holding the burning lights in their hands.
cried out, "Here is the Lord's sword and Gideon's." Because Gideon and his people did this, the Lord caused the enemies to go astray and strike and choke each other and flee with their homes. Gideoni's sword and hand did nothing for such a battle, but it was all the work and power of the Lord alone.
(10) The prophet is saying that this victory will be the same: men will not overcome sin, death and the devil with their good works and devotion; they are far too weak, the Lord alone must do it. He also alone shall have the praise and glory of it, that we are delivered from sins and eternal death, and we are not.
011 But as Gideon, after the enemies were smitten and put to flight, exhorted them in mount Ephraim to pursue after the enemies, and to lose their way by Jordan, that they might not pass over; and the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh slew the enemies: so shall it be with us Christians. Because Christ, our dear Lord, has slain the devil, sin and death and put them to flight, we are to pursue such enemies, that is, we are to kill sin, resist the devil and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, give ourselves over to obedience to God. This means then to hurry after the defeated Midianites and to plunder them at the Jordan, where the blessed baptism for the forgiveness of sins has begun; to which we also came, and thereby found our enemies in flight and defeated.
(12) But that Gideon and his company (who are an image of the Christian church) have trumpets and lights in their hands, because the enemies choke themselves among themselves: this signifies the preaching of the holy gospel and the faith that we have in jars that are broken. As Paul also says, "We bear such a precious treasure," the knowledge of the clarity of God, "in earthly vessels, that the abundant power may be of God, and not of us." There is no doubt that Paul was looking at this very history, since the prophet reports about it.
13 This is now the excellent, peaceful
Victory of the Lord, where all joy comes from, that henceforth we men have peace, because through such victory, as the prophet further speaks, all wars and bloody garments have been burned with fire and consumed. The prophet goes on to point out such a deal, and reports the person through whom such a victory has been acquired, and says:
A child is given to us, a son is born to us.
(14) This is a somewhat wonderful and strange thing to say. For what should a child do in battle, and especially against such great and formidable enemies? But the prophet wants to teach us that we should regard this child much differently than other children. Otherwise he would not praise this child and this son, if he were a child and son like other children and sons.
(15) But when he says, "To us it is given, to us it is born," he is referring to the promise that the Jews had of Christ. We Gentiles did not have such a promise, nor did we know anything about it. Therefore the prophet says, "It has been given to us Jews, but they, the Jews, should not enjoy it alone; as it says above, this child also belongs to the Gentiles, who need him just as much as they do, because they both sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
(16) This is first of all a testimony that Christ the Lord is a true, natural man, born of a woman like another child or son, but there is a difference in his conception. For, as it says in the 7th chapter above, his mother is a virgin, and, as the New Testament teaches, such a virgin is pregnant by the Holy Spirit without male seed. Therefore, in such a child there is not the sinful nature that is in us humans. Otherwise, it is a man of all things, like us. But not only is he a man; as follows:
His dominion is on his disciple.
7 First of all, learn that this child has a dominion, that is, he is a king or prince who has his own kingdom here on earth. But in this he is a different king, as all worldly kings are, since it is connected with
worldly kings have the order from God that their rule must sustain them. For land and people must nourish a prince and give him from their work and food, so that he can maintain himself. Thus God has decreed that the temporal authorities on earth must exercise discipline, honesty and integrity, punish evil and create peace and tranquility for their subjects. But this king does not let himself be carried by his rule, but he gives his back and carries his rule. As Christ says: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for the redemption of many," Matth. 20, 28. And Luc. 15, 4. 5. he compares himself to a shepherd who follows the lost sheep until he finds them, and when he has found them, he takes them on his shoulders and carries them. In this way, St. John also preaches about him, calling him the little lamb of God that bears the sin of the world. For we are such people: because he takes us up, he also takes up sin; because he carries us, he also carries sin.
(18) Now think what strength this child has behind him. If he were no more than a man, he would not be able to carry the burden of sins of a single man. For sin, and death that follows, is too heavy and utterly inescapable for us men. But now Isaiah says clearly: This child does not carry only one man, but his whole dominion, that is, as John says, he carries the sin of the whole world. This means that this child is eternal God; otherwise he would have to leave this burden behind. As we have learned, no man has ever been free from sin, nor has he ever been able to protect himself against death.
19 This is very comforting, if only we could form it in our hearts and believe it firmly. For we cannot deny that we are sinners; we must also despair and despair because of it. But what comforts us? Nothing else, but that God has given us this blessed child and has allowed this Son to be born to us, who has not given his dominion, that is, to us poor people.
We must not let ourselves go astray, but seek and bring us to God's grace, and lead us to God's kingdom, to eternal life. We should comfort ourselves with this support, and thank God for such grace, and ask Him to keep us in such faith forever. As he will gladly do, as will soon follow. For this child was not born for the sake of a little, short help, for twenty or thirty years; it is to bring an eternal help, as it is eternal. Now follows further:
He is called Wonderful, Counsel, Power, Hero, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
20 The prophet gives such names to the Lord JEsu, so that he may present his ministry and help (which he wants to give us) to us all the more, and so that we may be provoked to faith. "Wonderful" is the name of this child. For what more can we do, indeed, what more can the angels themselves do, than to marvel: first, at this great work of God becoming man; and second, at the great immeasurable grace and love of God toward us men, that He thus helps us from the devil, sin, death and damnation? We will not be able to grasp it with our reason, nor will we be able to fathom it with our heart. It is too high. We may be astonished; we will not get any higher in this life. Now this child is not only wonderful because of his person, as reported now, but also because of all his works, which he does with us humans.
(21) Among these marvelous works, the first is that he is called "Counselor," who shall and will help us, not in matters pertaining to the body and the temporal, but in eternal matters, against sin, against death, against the wrath of God, and against all calamities. But how does he counsel? Very miraculously, as we heard above about the battle of Gideoni. He does nothing more than give his word, which is the trumpet, and tells us to hold fast to it, to believe and confess; this is the light that shines for us through the darkness of sin, the wrath of God, and death. For thus saith Christ, I am the way, the truth, and the life;
"Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world"; "He that believeth on me shall never see death"; "This is life eternal, that they may know thee, who alone art the true God, and whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ"; "Go ye, preach repentance and remission of sins in my name"; "Go ye, teach, and baptize all nations: he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" etc.; and who can tell all such sayings? This then is the counsel which Christ gives, that we may be delivered from sins and death, if we accept his word and the holy sacraments with right faith.
22 The pope and his preachers also take the name and want to counsel against sin and death. But they do not point people to Christ alone, but to their own works, to the saints' merit and intercession, to the sacrifice of the mass, and the like. But it is such counselors who hinder the poor people from this right counsel. It is Christ alone who can give right counsel. As John says: "No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared it to us.
Now Christ is not only called counsel, but also "power," for we men can also mean one another faithfully and counsel well, but such counsel does not always proceed and work out. Such care is not needed here with this Counselor, the infant Jesus; for he has the power and the ability with him, so that whoever follows his counsel must succeed, and the devil and the gates of hell shall not be able to do anything against it. The devil and the gates of hell shall not be able to oppose it. But how he counsels and how we find counsel with him is reported above: that he gives us his word. This, as Paul calls it, is a divine power, by which all who believe in it are saved.
(24) Where this child gets such strength from, the third name indicates that he is also called "hero," that is, a strong man who has proven his strength by action. Because no hero is called, he has proved it before with the fist, that he is manly, bold and strong. With this name, the Holy Spirit looks at the word that was said to Adam in paradise, how the seed of the woman is the
Serpent should crush the head. For this was the work of our Lord Christ soon after Adam's fall, that he lay down against the devil for ever, protected his faithful, and repulsed the enemy; until at last he also overcame and slew him in the flesh and in his body, since the evil enemy tried himself to the utmost and according to his best ability on the Son of God, but accomplished nothing. For since he had already strangled him on the cross, Christ rose again from the dead on the third day and, as the eternal God and true man, reigns over the devil and everything. The prophet sees such a victory, which the Son of God received against the devil for and for, that he calls him a hero. Just as the Lord, Luke 11:21, 22, preaches about himself and his victory over the devil, when he says: "When a strong man keeps his palace, his own remains in peace; but when a stronger man comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor, on which he relied, and divides the spoil."
(25) Therefore he calls this child a hero, because he has beaten the evil enemy so often and so thickly, and has kept the field against him. And in such distress we should seek help nowhere else but from this hero. For although Adam, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David were excellent great saints, there was not one of them who could have taken on such an enemy on his own and won something from him; just as we can see that death has finally destroyed and subdued them all. What do the wicked people, the papists, show themselves, that in such a fight against the devil they point people to their own works and to the dead saints? Why do they not point them here, to this child, who alone is the right counsel, whom they cannot overthrow? because he has always been victorious against the devil, even when the devil strangled him; whereas no such great and highly-graced saint has ever come to earth whom this enemy has not often felled and overpowered. But where they existed and were
*) What does etc. D. Red.
In such a case, they alone enjoyed the help of this infant.
(26) But listen further, you do not yet know this child, for there are two other special names behind it, which you must also learn. It is called Pater aeternitatis, "Eternal Father. How does it come to this name, since otherwise his name is called: Eternal Son of the Eternal Father? But just as you must interpret the other names as referring only to this Son of God's office and work, which he performs for us, so you must do the same here. He is eternally born of God, the eternal Father; therefore no other name is due to Him in relation to the Father, except that He is called Son; but He wants to be called and known as our eternal Father. This is his right name towards us, which comforts us in the highest temptation we can have.
(27) For this is the special trial and sorrow of Christians, that they may see how easy it is for the devil to overthrow us. As the examples of great saints are before our eyes, who fell so miserably into error and trouble, and died in it, who before were such fine people. Therefore, Christians are increasingly afraid and think: "Who knows what misfortune lies ahead of you? Who knows whether you will always remain steadfast and not let the word out of your eyes and heart, so that you will be condemned for eternity? Against such thoughts this name comforts, that the child Jesus will not take care of us for one, two, ten, twenty years; but what was promised to us in baptism, when God adopted us as children, through Christ, that shall remain firm and certain for eternity. This child wants to be our father forever, that is, to protect, save and give us what we need forever. That there should be no lack of him at all, if only we remain pious children, and do not run away from such a father of grace, like the disobedient children, who do not want to tolerate their parents' punishment, and rather run away to a foreign country, because they have to suffer one day more misfortune, than with father and mother a whole year. Such wicked, disobedient children are justified. Therefore we should beware of
and not run from this Father who wants to carry us and keep us for eternity.
(28) Who then could believe these things assuredly, and keep them in his heart: what thinkest thou that such men should care or be troubled in the wide world? For let misfortune come, as it will, so says such a believing heart: Let it go, it is not eternal; but on the other hand I have an eternal Father, who will protect me against sin, the devil and death for eternity. This shall comfort me more than temporal misfortune can frighten me. So a heart is satisfied over such things.
29 Therefore this child is called with honor by the sixth name, "Prince of Peace," that is, such a lord, who is in his kingdom, must have a peaceful heart, even in the midst of adversity. For what would grieve him? Sin cannot condemn him; for he knows Christ has borne it. The devil cannot frighten him, for he knows that Christ has smitten him. Nor can death hold him, for he knows, because he has an eternal Father in the Lord Christ, that another and eternal life shall follow the short physical death. This can be a child that we should rejoice in from the bottom of our hearts that the gracious God has granted and given it to us. Therefore, the prophet interprets all these names himself, why he named this child in this way, and says:
That his dominion may be great, and that there be no end of peace, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom; that he may establish and strengthen it with judgment and righteousness from henceforth even for ever.
(30) These six names testify what kind of ministry the child will have on earth and what he will accomplish with us. Therefore, he says, his dominion will be great: not only that many people will find their way to such a child and desire his grace, but also that it will be an eternal kingdom, where peace and all good things will never fail. Such things are brought about here on earth by the Word and by faith; but in the life to come we shall feel them, and have them in our hands, as the Word now tells us, and as we believe. As the pro-
The prophet finely indicates this by saying, "The child will establish his kingdom with judgment and strengthen it with righteousness. For both of these things must take place here on earth and be established by word and faith; as Christ says in the last verse of Luke 46, 47: Christ must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name among all nations.
For the word "judgment" means nothing else than the preaching of repentance, that through the gospel the Holy Spirit punishes the world for sin, because it does not believe in the Son of God; therefore threatens eternal death to all who remain in such unbelief. Such preaching makes stupid, frightened hearts that recognize their sin and fear God's wrath; that is the right judgment. Then it follows that one does not continue in sin, but repents and mourns over it, and thinks how one may henceforth become more pious. Through this the Lord Christ establishes his kingdom. For through preaching the way is prepared for him, so that hearts may rejoice, hunger and thirst after righteousness, and accept with all their heart the joyful message of this child.
32 Where therefore this judgment is, it shall be followed, because the kingdom of Christ is begun, that it may henceforth be strengthened with righteousness. For to recognize sin and to be sorry for it, that will not make it; first of all the first throw is done and, as they say, the first stone is laid. But that is what makes it and completes the construction that has been started, that righteousness is done for us, which is, as Paul himself puts it, Romans 4, forgiveness of sins. For here on earth we will otherwise come to no righteousness. Although the Christians begin and practice in the
right obedience to God, it is still a weak and impure obedience, since a great deal of disobedience and sin is involved. But that we have forgiveness of sins through Christ, that is how we are preserved.
(33) Now where there is such righteousness as believing in the forgiveness of sins through Christ, let it follow, as we have heard above in the history of Gideon, that we should hasten after the beaten and conquered enemies, and plunder them and strangle them completely. That is, we are to keep ourselves in holy living, not letting sin and the devil drive and lead us, as the world lets itself be driven and led; but know that both sin and the devil have been slain on the head by Christ and put to flight, yes (as John 16 says) that the devil has already been judged. Therefore we are to oppose such an enemy with strong courage, not yielding to him nor following him; in this way God will dwell with us with His Spirit, and help us to defeat the enemy completely. So that these two parts, judgment and righteousness, should always run together. Faith should not doubt the forgiveness of sins; and yet judgment or repentance should always go along with it, so that we keep ourselves in the fear of God, practice God's commandments, and kill sin from day to day, and hasten after it; as Gideon's people hastened after the enemies who were slain by the Lord, and slew them completely at the Jordan.
(34) So this kingdom of the child is prepared by judgment, and strengthened by righteousness, "from henceforth even unto ages of ages. For for the sake of this temporal life it was not begun; we are therefore to pass from the temporal to the eternal. May this be granted to us all by our dear Lord Jesus, the wonderful Child, our Counsel, Strength, Hero, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace, Amen.