Matth. 13, 24-30.
He set before them another similitude, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field. But while the people slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. Now when the herb grew and bore fruit, the tares were also found. Then the servants came to the father of the house and said: Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? where then did the weeds come from? He said to them: The enemy has done this. Then said the servants: Do you want us to go and weed it out? And he said, Nay; lest, when ye sow the tares, ye also pluck up the wheat. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather first the tares, and bind them in bundles to be burned; but gather me the wheat into my sheaves.
In this likeness our dear Lord Jesus Christ warns us that we should not be offended or angry when we see and experience that the dear gospel is so, that weeds are sown among the good seeds, that is, that evil and good, false Christians and righteous Christians are mixed together. But he speaks especially of those who want to be bishops and teachers in the church, and yet are the tares and Christ's enemies, who would gladly suppress Christ and his gospel. As if the Lord wanted to say: He who has the gospel, let him prepare himself and send his heart to patience. For beside the true and pure doctrine of the gospel, there will arise many heresies, heresies, and heresies. Let him take heed lest he offend himself.
2) It is a common saying: Where God builds a church, the devil builds one.
*Held on December 9, 1528 in the parish church, when Luther explained some chapters of the Evangelist Matthew.
Kretschmar next to it. And once upon a time, a fable was told: Since God made man out of the earthen lump, and blew the living breath into his nose, so that man became a living soul, the devil wanted to imitate God in this way, and also took an earthen lump and wanted to make man out of it, but a toad came out of it. With this one wanted to indicate that the devil is always our Lord God's monkey, always presents himself in divine form, and leads the appearance, as if he were God.
(3) This can be seen today, how the devil praises God's word through his swarm spirits and mobs, and pours out his poison under the appearance and name of God's word, and deceives all the world. Item, how he enters in gray skirts, poses devoutly and looks sour, so that one would think that there is a spirit, and yet it is a devil's deception and lie under such glittering humility and spirituality. And what is the whole Pabst
What else is the devil hiding underneath, other than vain beauty and glittering holiness? The devil always wants to imitate God. When he sees that God is speaking, he cannot stand it. If he cannot resist, nor forcefully hinder God's word, he opposes it with a beautiful appearance, takes the very same words that God uses, and twists them so that he sells his lie and poison underneath.
This annoys many people, and also deceives those who have and know God's word. As we are now preaching the freedom of consciences, the devil comes by his mobs, Anabaptists, sacrament-obsessives and rebellious spirits, and speaks the same word, but in the wrong way. For the freedom that God has given to the poor consciences, who are imprisoned under the law's accusations and curse, for comfort, he points to the freedom of the flesh, and sets up vain, disorderly beings, so that they want to be free of all things and lord it over all authorities, and rule over all. Thus the devil adorns himself under the pretense of the gospel and Christian liberty, and yet he knocks both gospel and Christian liberty to the ground. Since we preach: Faith alone makes blessed, he takes the same word and also converts it, falsely interprets it against holy baptism, and thus strengthens the Anabaptists. Because faith alone makes blessed, he says, baptism does not; therefore baptism is bad water and does not help the soul. Just under the appearance that the devil pretends to preach faith, he destroys faith. This is the devil's art.
5 When such devil-mouths appear among the Christians, who pervert and misinterpret everything, and create sects and factions, this is so great an offense that all the world is offended, and turns away eyes, ears and heart from the gospel. For what has reason, is prudent and wise, speaks from the beginning: Who would accept the teaching, because the teachers themselves are divided among themselves? This has such an excellent appearance, which no human reason can overcome. Even among us, when we are weak and not well equipped with God's word,
the devil can put on such an appearance that it is beyond all measure. Thus, God's word teaches: One should believe in the one Christ; among Christians there should be one faith, one heart, one mind and one courage. No reason can punish or reprove this teaching. But when reason sees that this man boasts that he is a Christian, and yet lives as an un-Christian; that man boasts that he has the right faith, and yet teaches against the right Christian faith, and so on, as the aversions are innumerable: then it cannot fail that reason must take offense at it, even though it cannot punish the doctrine itself.
6. Especially because the word teaches that Christians are to be one, and yet there is greater disunity, discord, and division among those who call themselves Christians than under the papacy; because the word teaches that Christians are not to condemn one another, and yet those who bear the name and are called Christians condemn one another more than under the papacy: Here reason concludes and says, "The doctrine is of the devil, and is therefore so beautifully conceived that only such misery and distress would be caused in the world. In spite of reason and all the wisdom of this world, that it should leap over such distress; for it cannot conclude otherwise than thus: If the doctrine were thus found in the work, it would be the right doctrine; but since the contradiction is found in the work, how then can it be the right doctrine? For this reason also our adversaries persist in their own righteousness, and more and more despise, hate, and curse the doctrine of faith which we preach. For the mobs frighten them away from the gospel, and strengthen them in their hypocrisy, so that they become harder and harder.
(7) Therefore our mobs do more harm to ourselves and to others, and do more harm to our gospel, than do the tyrants and persecutors of the gospel. For the tyrants would finally have to be ashamed, would grow weary, and would stop persecuting if there were unity among ourselves. But because there is disunity, discord and division among us, even those who cause such division all want to be good.
If we are Christians and evangelicals, the tyrants think that they have every right to persecute and kill us. For this reason, our mobs and fanatics do nothing but strengthen our enemies and tyrants. This is what Judas the betrayer did to Christ and his disciples: when he separated himself from Christ and joined the Pharisees and chief priests, they became defiant. This is how it is with us today.
(8) Now this parable goes on to warn that one should beware and not attribute such offenses to the Word and the Christian church, but to the enemy, the devil, who sows the tares among the good wheat through his apostles. For it says here that the tares are sown by the enemy, not in a special place in the field, but among the wheat. Therefore be thou prudent, be thou careful, and say not, There are tares in the field, therefore the field is good for nothing; or, There are many tares among the wheat in the field, therefore there is neither corn nor wheat: no; but say, The devil soweth his tares nowhere rather than among the wheat; and he casteth his plagues nowhere rather than among the true Christians. We must not hope or wait for this, that just as the teaching of the gospel is good and unanimous, so all the people who hear it will also be good and unanimous; but it will remain so, that you will find many of them among the wheat, who are not wheat, but tares.
(9) I would that the wheat were in a clean place, and that there were no weeds mixed in, as the servants of the householder would have it. But it is not possible. Where there is wheat, there are also tares. Where there are Christians, there are also red spirits, false teachers and false Christians. We must not look far for them, I mean, we have enough of them next to us on all sides. Here in Wittemberg, praise God, there is now a small patch of pure wheat, even though we are not entirely without weeds; but all around us everything is full of weeds, almost in all places, with the exception of a few. Whoever wants to be a Christian must suffer that those who call themselves Christians are his worst enemies,
and that false teachers and false Christians will be among the righteous teachers and Christians.
(10) For the human body is such that it cannot be completely pure and clean. Our body must be such that not everything is pure flesh, blood and bone; but there must also be something unclean in the body, which the body does not keep with itself, but throws out from itself. The mouth has saliva, the belly is full of dung, filth, eyes, ears, nose have their abundance etc. It will not suffer you, when you see a young child, to say: This is not a human being, but filth. As soon as the child's mother would hear that, she would say: Thou wretch, what a great fool and Thor art thou? Do you look no further than the filth? Do you not see that the child has a healthy body, a fine neck, beautiful eyes, and all the limbs of a naturally healthy person?
(11) Just as it is the case with the human body that it cannot be completely pure in this life, so it is also the case with Christianity, which is a spiritual body, that it cannot be without filth and impurity here on earth. If our natural body should not throw out dung, sweat, saliva and filth, it would have to languish. And it is far better that it should expel such filth from itself, cast it out and purify itself, than that all flesh and blood should become vain filth, if the body should keep everything with itself. So also, if the Christian church here on earth should be completely pure and without weeds, and if there should not go out from it any rottenness, sects and antichrists, it would not be a good sign. For it would be a certain indication that it would not be a right spiritual body, that is, the right church, just as it could not be a right natural human body in this life, which would be without tares; or that the church would have become vain taints, as is a corrupt body that no longer produces.
(12) Let this likeness be well known, and let the Christian church be rightly discerned, that we be not offended when we see the tares growing up in heaps among the wheat. For where Christ casts the wheat seed, there the devil casts the tares.
miserable weeds in between. Christ does not sow the tares and the blight, but sows fine wheat; but the devil sows the tares. Therefore do not blame Christ or the wheat, or say, "The seed of the wheat has borne the tares and the weeds," but say, "The devil also wants to be in the heap where the Christians are pure. Where the pure wheat is, there also will he have his rank, his hazel, and his tares.
(13) Look at Christianity at its best, in the time of the apostles. When Paul preached in Corinth, Christ sowed through him beautiful, glorious wheat. But how did it go? Read the same epistle and you will find how he himself complains about the weeds. As soon as he gave his back, the false apostles, awakened by the devil, came and sowed their seed among the wheat and spoiled everything. After the time of the apostles, when the bishops ruled, things were even worse: there were few righteous bishops and teachers, such as Cyprian, Hilarius, Athanasius and others, through whom Christ sowed good seed; but the devil had many thousands of false bishops, Arians and other heretics, through whom he sowed vain tares. One might as well have said (as the blind, hardened heathen undoubtedly did), "There is all discord and division, how can it be true doctrine? Should they be Christians, since there is so much trouble and since things are so bad? I would rather remain a heathen than become a Christian, and keep company with those who preach fine things about Christian unity, but prove nothing less than Christian unity and love among themselves.
(14) The devil has a special desire for this, and he works day and night to bring it about. And this is his best argument today, so that he strengthens himself and challenges our doctrine and makes it hateful to everyone, so that he reproaches us: "From the Lutheran doctrine come so many pagans, how can it be the right doctrine?
We do not want to see them. Therefore we should know how to answer and say, "Have you not read in the gospel that wheat and tares grow together in the same field, not each separately, but both mixed together, and that the tares want to sell themselves for the good wheat? They want to be among the Christians, and yet they are not Christians. Let this be said at the outset; let us now take the text in hand, and act upon it word by word.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
15 The good seed are the good devout Christians. For this is how the Lord Himself interprets it, saying, "The good seed are the children of the kingdom.
But while the people slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.
(16) These are the children of wickedness, which are found among the children of the kingdom and true Christians; as St. Paul also saith, 1 Cor. 11:19, "There must be brethren among you." For thoughts should be put out of the heart, since many think that all people who hear the gospel should be as pure as the teaching of the gospel is pure. For many find who hear and accept the gospel, and yet are and remain unclean.
17 Note that the enemy sows the weeds at night, because people are asleep, and when he has sown them, he turns around early in the morning and pretends not to know about them. Sleep is when people are safe, or even when Christians are already busy preaching and are least concerned about it. So, we preach today with all seriousness and diligence, but we cannot see nor know whether those who hear us accept our gospel or not. This is hidden from us. When I see that they hear or read it, I think they accept it, and yet they can deceive me with such an appearance. Therefore I am a sleeper in my heart toward him that heareth the gospel. Just as people sleep, and cannot prevent the enemy from coming to them.
as the night sows tares in the field, so I also sleep. That is, when I have preached, I cannot and shall not judge whether he that heareth my sermon is a righteous disciple and disciple, or not. But if those go out from us who were not of us, as St. John says, then they have outhosted us, and then we see the evil first of all. About such companions Christ complains very much, Ps. 55, 13. ff.: "If my enemy would desecrate me, I would suffer it; and if my hater would poke me, I would hide myself from him. But you are my companion, my keeper, and my kinsman, who have been kind to one another among us. We walked in the house of God in heaps"; and Ps. 41, 10.: "Even my friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, tramples me under foot"; item v. 7.: "They come to look, and yet do not mean it from the heart, but seek something that they may blaspheme, and go and bear it."
This day we also have to lament over such people. For those who present themselves as faithful brothers cause us the greatest heartache. When we are happy, and in good hope, as if all were pure and quiet, these same false brethren and bands rise up against us. Our heart cannot discern their mischievous heart; the devil sows them among our multitude before we know it, who can guard against them?
But as the herb grew and bore fruit, so did the tares.
19 The herb grows first, followed by the flower and the grain. By the leaves you can tell whether it is wheat or tares; after that comes the fruit. So also the false preachers are felt by the leaf, that is, by their preaching; after that also the fruits come, and further reveal the tree. Because they still hear the word and do not preach themselves, they are not known. But as soon as they appear and preach themselves, it is found that our doctrine is nothing, but their doctrine alone is valid. Then they begin to preach against us, and we against them, until at last the fruit also breaks forth and the tares continue to be known.
20. but the field should not be
Nor do they despise it, even though weeds grow among the wheat; nor do they mind that the wheat leaf and the leaf of the field are seen at the same time in the same field. If there were only weeds and no wheat in the field, then the field would be despised. But because not only weeds, but also beautiful wheat grows out of it, it should not be despised. The Pabst's sermon is to be rejected, for there grows a vain tares, there one sees a vain leaf, and no wheat. But let not the preaching of the gospel be rejected: for there groweth goodly wheat, though the tares also run with it. Therefore a Christian should love the field for the sake of the wheat, and not despise it for the sake of the tares. For the sake of a pious man, seven husks must often be spared. When the tares are sown, they cannot be seen as soon as they are sown, for the enemy goes away and wipes his mouth as if he had never been there; but when the weeds grow, they are seen.
Then the servants came to the father of the house and said: Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where then did he get the weeds? He said to them: This hath the enemy done. Then said the servants: Do you want us to go and weed it out? And he said, Nay; lest, when ye sow the tares, ye also pluck up the wheat. Let both grow together until the harvest.
(21) Where I know a Christian, I would rather tolerate a whole nation that are not Christians, than cut off a Christian with the unbelievers. But what is this that the Lord says here, "Let both grow together"? Should the weeds not be rooted out at all? This is a necessary lesson for us preachers, for I would also like to be the servant of one who helps to root out the tares. But it cannot and should not be. Should we do nothing and let the weeds grow unhindered? Our papists have become wise for once, hold this text up to us, and say: We here at Wittemberg have done wrong, that we have
have put down the angle mass; we should let masses and monasteries stay. But they do not look at the text correctly. For the Lord does not say that one should not fight against the weeds, but says that one should not root them out. Then they continue the text, and because many monasteries have been destroyed by the peasants' rebellion, due to God's wrath, they want to prove from this that the destroyed monasteries should be rebuilt.
22 These are desperate boys. They themselves confess that their clergy, priesthood and monasticism are evil; and yet they not only want it undestroyed, but also to have it built up and erected as if it were a deliciously good thing. For that they say, Let our profaneness and monasticism grow, because Christ hath commanded that the tares should grow; whereby they confess that they are tares, and yet hold them to be wheat, because they have planted and built them. Now Christ does not say that one should sow or build the tares, but says that the tares are sown by the enemy because people are asleep. It does not follow that one with eyes to see should allow the tares to be sown, if one can well prevent them. But if it is sown and grows among the wheat, both should be allowed to grow together. The papists catch the word "let it grow" and do not see, yes, do not want to see that it says: "Let both grow. They want us to leave our own alone, but to do away with our own. The word "both" should mean as much to them as the word "ours. For they point to theirs alone, and say: Let ours grow, or let it remain. If this were true, the Jews also might have said to the apostles: Put away your gospel, and let our Judaism alone remain. The Gentiles could have done the same.
23 Secondly, Christ says about growing and not about sowing, planting or planting. He says, "Let both grow together," and does not say, "Let both sow or plant together. The tares are not to be sown, planted, or set; but if they are sown, planted, or set in our sleep, and grow among the wheat, they are not to be weeded out, but are to be planted with the
Let wheat grow. That is why the papists do violence to this text twice. First, from the word that Christ says, "Let both grow with one another," they make, "Let one, that is, ours alone grow. Secondly, that Christ says: "Let us grow", they make: "Let us sow or plant".
The opinion of the Lord Christ is this: He wants to show that his kingdom is and should be different from the kingdom of the world. Christ's kingdom does nothing with fist and sword. God has commanded the worldly kingdom to use the sword and to exterminate evil, to punish adulterers, thieves, murderers and death-rowers. But in Christ's kingdom there is neither sword nor fist law. We preachers and Christians have to war and contend with the Word alone. As the prophet Isaiah Cap. 2, v. 3, 4: "From Zion shall go forth the law, and from Jerusalem the word of the Lord: and he shall judge the nations, and punish many people. Then shall they beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. For no nation shall lift up a sword against another, neither shall they learn war any more." And Christ, John 18:36: "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight to keep me from being delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from hence"; item v. 37: "I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth." Therefore the Lord wants to say this much here: Christians should not exterminate heretics, nor fight with the sword against the mobs, as the pope does. He exterminates, executes, drowns, burns, strangles and kills what is against him, and his princes do the same. Thomas Muenzer was also of this kind; he took up the sword and violently drove out the parable of the mustard seed, which, as Christ says, is the smallest of all seeds; but when it grows, it is the largest of the cabbages, and becomes a tree, so that birds dwell under its branches. He interpreted this to mean that the gospel had to be spread by force. But this similitude of the tares, which are to be left to grow among the wheat until the harvest, he did not consider.
(25) It has a great prestige and seems as if it has a just cause that heretics and fanciers should be exterminated with the sword. In the face of such prestige and appearance, Christ says, "Let both grow together until the harvest. As if he wanted to say: "Let it go, you are not to judge with the sword; just go on with the word, and preach confidently against the heretics and the mobs. If you cannot ward off the tares with the word, but they are sown because you are asleep, then let them grow together with the wheat until the harvest. Then someone will be found who will root it out. St. Paul also teaches thus, Titus 3:10: "Avoid a heretical man, when he is once and again admonished." He does not say to kill a heretical man; but says to admonish him once or twice. But if he will not be admonished, he is to be shunned as one who is perverse and has condemned himself.
26 Therefore this likeness is set before us for our consolation, that we may know that we sin not in this, if we let live the rioters and seditionists. For the fact that the Lord says here, "Let both grow together," refers to the sword, that Christians should not take up the sword, nor root out the weeds with the sword.
The pope blames us as if we were rebels. But he does us wrong. For rebels are those who take up the sword and use their fists, which they are not commanded to do. Now we do not take up the sword, nor do we need the fist, but we war only with the word; therefore we are not rebels. But the pope and his bishops are rebels. They boast that they are the church, and yet they wield the sword, choke and kill with the sword. By the same fruits they are known, which spirit children they are. Muenzer wanted to be of our part, and yet he belonged closer to the pope than to us, even though he already boasted of the gospel. We, however, preach that the secular sword should be left alone and that the secular authorities, to whom God has commanded the sword, should be honored; we do not wield the sword as the pope does. To the pope
As a bishop is commanded to avoid the people with the word of God, he goes and grabs your sword, takes the sword out of the emperor's hand and strikes him on the head with it, and yet he wants to be the ruler over Christendom. With this he sufficiently shows that he and his bishops are the real bloodhounds and rebels in the world.
28 Christ well saw that the bishops would try to counsel the matter with the sword. Therefore he faithfully warned against it, both in this parable and elsewhere. But it has helped little. For it is very unprofitable to sow good seed, and suffer the tares to grow among the wheat; to preach the gospel pure and clear, and see all manner of pests and sects springing up, and yet not to throw in the towel, but to fight against it with the word alone; for everyone would gladly, like these servants, weed out the tares. But Christ says, No, "let both grow together until the harvest." As if to say, "If you cannot win the mobs with your mouth or convert them with the word, you must leave them unrooted with the sword.
029 And what is the cause that one should not take up the sword? "Lest, when ye sow the tares, ye also pluck up the wheat," saith Christ. This is what is said: If I wanted to fight the mobs with the sword, or gather an army against the pope to root out the pabacy, what would I do? I would kill many of those who are still to be converted among the pope and the hawkmongers, and thus harm the wheat. Therefore Christ will not suffer that one should bend a hair of the pope or of the hordes for the sake of the elect. In our time, many are being killed, since it is possible and believable that some of them, whether Anabaptists or enthusiasts, would have come back. If I did as Muenzer did, I would undoubtedly find many in one of their cities who should still have learned to recognize Christ. I would forestall them and prevent this.
30 Therefore Christ gives this likeness,
to prevent this, saying, "I tell you beforehand, you will have tares among the wheat, and rottenness and sects among the true Christians. But how shall ye do to him? "Let both grow together until the harvest." It will be found in its time. So that this parable goes especially against the rebels, as against the pope and coiner, who take up the sword, which they are not commanded to do.
(31) But this may be done: if there be two preaching in one place, a prince or city may have understanding, and not suffer two preaching in one country or city, to prevent dissension and sedition. Interrogate both parts, and judge the matter according to a certain rule, namely, according to the Scriptures and the Word of God. Whichever part teaches rightly according to the Scriptures and the Word of God, let that part remain. But whichever part teaches wrongly against the Scriptures and the Word of God, to that part give leave. But do not exterminate.
And in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather first the tares, and bind them in bundles to be burned; but gather me the wheat into my barns.
32 "Let both grow together," says Christ, "that I may keep my wheat, that it be not plucked up with me, nor spoiled. I will decree that the reapers shall gather the tares in their season, that they may be thrown into the fire. Then you hear that the weeds are already condemned and condemned to the fire. Why do you want to put a heretic through much torture? Do you not hear that he is already condemned to his punishment? Who are you to seize and punish one who has already fallen under the punishment of a mightier lord? What will I do to a thief who has already been sentenced to the gallows? If the thief is condemned to death and is standing there bound, and someone comes and wants to beat the thief to death with a neck iron or girdles, would he not be worthy to have his head cut off, as one who is at the court?
would have committed sacrilege, since he has no command? This is what our bishops and princes are doing today, killing the heretics. God has already appointed His angels to be the executioners of heretics in His time. So these nobles go on, pretending that they want to serve God, and punish those whom God has reserved for Himself to punish. Truly, if anyone would not otherwise fall away from the pope, he should fall away from him for the sake of blood, so that the pope and his people may be incriminated and God may take hold of his judgment and sentence. They are bloodhounds and want to do God a service by killing people and shedding blood.
But Christ speaks here: My servants will gather the tares at harvest time and bind them in bundles. Just as a husbandman gathers the tares and makes bundles of them, and when he does so, they go to the fire: so also, God's angels will separate the tares from the wheat and bind them in bundles, that is, they will condemn the wicked to eternal death and fire, so that they burn in it forever. You heretic murderer should pray for the poor people, so that they will convert and not be judged and condemned in this way; then you will go and condemn them before the time.
34 This is the other reason why Christ does not want the weeds to be rooted out with the sword, because they are already condemned to the fire; as St. Paul also says, Titus 3:11, "A heretic man is corrupt and has condemned himself. This is more to be lamented and pitied than to put a heretic to death. The godly, pious preachers and Christians do this. The godless and hypocrites can do no more than strangle and kill, as the pope, coiner, and the red spirit do.
35 In this parable Christ teaches that in His kingdom here on earth there will also be tares, heretics, and swarms among the wheat, apostles, and Christians, and how we should behave toward them. May God give us His grace and Spirit that we may be the good wheat and do God's will always, amen.