Luc. 2, 22-32.
And when the days of their purification came according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him unto the Lord: as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that first breaketh the mother shall be called holy unto the Lord. And that they should offer the sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. And, behold, there was a man at Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was devout, and feared God, and waited for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in him. And an answer was given him of the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, because he had first seen the Christ of the Lord. And by inspiration of the Spirit he came into the temple. And when the parents had brought the child Jesus into the temple, to do for him according to the law, he took him up in his arms, and praised God, saying, Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace, as thou hast said: for mine eyes have seen thy Saviour, whom thou hast prepared before all nations to be a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and for the praise of thy people Israel.
In today's gospel, your beloved hear the story of how the infant Jesus, when he was six weeks old, was brought into the temple, and the evangelist calls such six weeks according to the law the days of purification, for Moses also calls it that. Now this was not a natural law, therefore the Gentiles did not keep it, but God took His people and gave them such a commandment that they had to keep it,
*) Held in the house, 1534.
That every mother, when she had given birth, after six weeks, if it was a baby, or after twelve weeks, if it was a girl, had to go to the temple and present herself with a sacrifice.
2 The pope has also given such a commandment to our childbed worshippers, that after the childbed they must be blessed in front of the church, as if they were unclean, and otherwise must not go into the church or among the people. But this is wrong; for the impurity which the law imposes on the child-bed-women is not a right.
The uncleanness that was assigned to them is not a natural uncleanness, but an imposed uncleanness, which is not valid apart from the law, and for this reason it is not to be imposed on anyone.
(3) After this also it was commanded in the law, that the first son after six weeks should be presented unto the Lord, and given for his own. For thus it is written in Moses, Ex. 34, 19. *): "Every male that first breaks his mother shall be called sanctified unto the Lord." The first must always be sacrificed in the temple and given to our Lord God, not only the people, but also the cattle, cows, oxen, sheep etc. All this should be called and be of our Lord God. Therefore the firstborn son also had his special glory, that he was the lord of the house, priest and father of the house, king and pope among the other brothers. But because this would be too much among such a great people, that the firstborn should always remain in the temple and be the Lord's own, God befriended the people and gave the parents this freedom, so that they could redeem the child for half a florin, or a quarter of a florin, and a lamb of a year, or a pair of turtledoves, according to whether one was poor or rich. So they took their son back, and he was still called the son of our Lord God.
It seems as if the Virgin Mary was poor and did not have any special property, because she only brings the begging sacrifice that poor people used to bring, a pair of turtledoves. With such a sacrifice she redeemed her son, and confessed whether she was the right mother, but that the son was not hers, but God's son and his own, because he was the firstborn.
005 This was the law of Mosi concerning the firstborn sons, that the parents came into the temple unto the priest, and said: Dear priest, the son is born to me first, but he is not my son, but the son of our Lord God; so I bring my sacrifice and offering for him. The Turk also does this, taking from each parent the tenth son who is the most skilled and raising them up for himself; that is why he has so many good soldiers.
*) Original: "Levit. 12."
(6) But our Lord God was more lenient with the Jews and took the first birth to Himself or let it go, but nevertheless called it His own for testimony and remembrance, so that they knew they had such a God who had redeemed them from Egypt and had slain all the firstborn in all of Egypt in one night. As a sign of this redemption, he ordered the firstborn male to be sacrificed and presented in the temple among men and cattle. This has now been abolished and does not bind us Christians any more than other ceremonies and laws given to the Jews alone.
(7) Now here is nothing special for us to learn, without seeing how Christ gave himself under the law, when he was not guilty. Your love heard of this at the feast of the circumcision of Christ, which we should take comfort in. For this reason we want to draw such obedience down, so that just as it serves us there for faith, it may also serve us here for outward life and good works. For here the obedience of the infant Jesus and his mother is praised and held up to us as a shame to punish ourselves with it, since God cannot bring it about with us that we do only half of what we are obliged to do in case of loss of our blessedness and forfeiture of eternal damnation and hellish fire.
8. such our disobedience and abominable naughtiness rhymes very badly with this example, that the infant Jesus, who is Lord over the law and everything, and since Moses is a man and a beggar, nevertheless humbles himself and does what Moses, his servant, called other children to do, who were unclean and sinners. The Virgin Mary did the same. She knew well that she was still a virgin and therefore owed nothing to the law (for Moses speaks of such women who become pregnant in a common way); nevertheless, she goes, does not want to need such freedom, because it might be annoying to others, who knew nothing about such trade, to do what other women were obliged to do according to the law.
(9) These two examples, of the infant Jesus and of Mary his mother, which cause us to sin and to be ashamed, are also written and preached for this reason, that we should beware of them.
We should be ashamed that for the sake of the Lord, since we have everything from him, we do not do what we are obligated to do, since he does it for our sake, since his servant is called Moses and he is not obligated to do it by law. Whoever would have the color to turn red here should spit on himself and say, "I am not worthy to have the sun shine on me, since my Lord and Savior thus throws himself under the law and condemns our disobedience so highly with his own example that he could not be more shamefully defiled. For that he throws himself down so low and makes such a superfluous obedience, with the same he mocks and disgraces us, who are not obedient to the Lord, who can cast us into hell or give us heaven.
010 Therefore let all men be ashamed in their hearts, saying, I poor sack of maggots, what am I doing? Will I not also be obedient to the Lord, and follow his example, who for my sake became man, and was laid in the cradle, and carried to Jerusalem, and obeyed his servant Moses, to whom he owed no obedience? For he himself is the Lord, but Moses is hardly worthy to be called his servant; yet he does what he is not obliged to do. Again, I do not do that which I owe and am bound to do in condemnation. This is the first simple teaching of children, that we should be ashamed for the sake of the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we are so wicked and disobedient.
The other teaching is about the glory of the first son, that God holds him so high that he should be called God's own and His son. This was a very great glory and freedom, which the Jews also took upon themselves, and others took their brothers for, as if God did not respect them, they alone being the dear children. As the examples are clearly evident, in which one can see that the firstborn have generally done the worst and behaved most shamefully. For they have been deceived by hope, and have thought: I am the sanctuary of our Lord God, you are not; so they despised the others.
And if it were still, we would also become proud drops for the sake of such fame, as may be felt in the monks. If they could lead the fame and say: I am the holy child of our Lord God, there is his word and order, how do you think they would boast, because the lousy cap makes them so hopeful?
(12) Now this hopefulness has dealt a blow to the firstborn, so that they have fallen, like Lucifer, the first and highest angel. Cain was the first son, and there was a wonderful thing about him, so that Eve named him as if he were the right man to crush the serpent's head, and as soon as he was born, she painted a sacred shield or crown over his head, and called him the man of the Lord. But as the first angel Lucifer became a devil, so Cain became an arch-villain.
13 Ishmael was also Abraham's firstborn son, but he was so proud that he could not stand his brother Isaac in the house and thought he had the dominion. Therefore the scripture says, Gen. 21, 9: Ishmael was a scoffer. Thus, the firstborn have commonly gone in the court, as if they alone were the sanctuary of our Lord God, and no one else. That is why God had to overthrow them. Esau also thought that he could not fail to be the chief, and could not lose his firstborn; but our Lord God did otherwise. For when he thought that he was the firstborn, that he should be hopeful, that he should oppress and despise his brother, God said, "Do you think that you should be proud because you are the firstborn? The firstborn have done such arrogance through and through.
The Jews also do this: they would be the first child in God's kingdom and in Christianity, and we Gentiles would be the other child. The first were the apostles, who were Jews, but the other Jews wanted to be proud; therefore our Lord God said, "No, you shall not be; for this is why I did not sanctify you as a people to me, that you should be proud and despise others, but that you should be proud and despise others.
you should thank me the more and be the more obedient. Because you do not want to do this, control yourselves and let the Gentiles come to me; they shall have the preference, and you shall go behind, yes, you shall even be excluded.
(15) So did David, when his sons began to joke and quarrel. Ammon, the firstborn, overpowered his sister Tamar and weakened her, and then he was strangled by his brother Absalom, 2 Sam. 13. When David saw the distress, he took away the rights of all the eldest sons and made Solomon, the youngest son, king. For our Lord God would have it so, since otherwise he could not control the court.
016 And the same was the case with David himself. David had seven brothers. And when the Lord sent Samuel the prophet to anoint the son of Jesse king in Saul's stead, the eldest came forth first, a proud wretch; as it is seen, he accosted poor David shamefully in the camp, as if he were his servant, saying, Why stayedest thou not at home with the sheep? But our Lord God said to Samuel, Anoint me the youngest to be king over my people. All the brothers were summoned and passed by. But what did our Lord God do? He rejected all the seven brothers, the firstborn and the others.
(17) Why does God do this? They were all older than David. Why does God not keep His own law and make David a king who was the youngest son, when according to God's word and order the firstborn should be king? That is why He does not want to celebrate anyone, nor does He want His law, blessings and gifts to be bestowed upon us, so that we may become proud and exalt ourselves. He wants to have humble, not proud children. But he that will be proud, though he have set him high, yet may he cast him down, and set him lower. Therefore, since Cain, Ishmael, Esau, Eliab, the Jews and the angels themselves were proud, and wanted to have their advantage, which was given to them by grace, as a right, and to despise and insist on others for it, they had to go to the devil, regardless of their first birth.
Abyss of hell; as the 113th Psalm, v. 5. 6. 7. also says: "Who is like the Lord our God, who has set himself so high, and looks upon the lowly in heaven and earth; who lifts up the lowly from the dust, and exalts the poor from the mire?" And the Virgin Mary in her song, "He pusheth down the mighty from their seats, and exalteth the lowly."
18 Now this is the art and work of our Lord God, that he overthrows the proud etc. For he cannot and will not suffer pride or defiance, nor does he give his gifts so that we should respect them as if we had them from ourselves; for this reason he often pulls out a despised lousy boy, and on the other hand throws a king from the throne, into prison, death and all misfortune. This is the game of our Lord God.
19 Let this be said as an example. The firstborn was highly honored among the Jews; for the rule in worldly and spiritual affairs was due to the firstborn sons according to the word and order of God. But because they wanted to abuse such honor for their own pride and preservation, God broke such law and order for them. Reuben was also the first son, but Jacob left behind the curse that he should have neither kingdom nor priesthood, both of which were due to him by birth. Abraham, as it is considered, was also the youngest son, but God gave him the right that was bestowed on the eldest and firstborn.
(20) That it is therefore a common example that the first sons are seldom well-born; this has made nothing but the great hope that they thought: I am the first son, therefore I am lord of the house, I am our Lord God's sanctuary and his own, my brothers are nothing, God does not look at them. With this they boasted and made our Lord God so angry,*) that he threw them down.
(21) Therefore let no man exalt himself to any grace or gift. If anyone has art or any other advantage, let him not exalt himself above another who has not; but let him use them in honor of God and for the benefit of his neighbor.
*) moody -- moody, grumpy, peevish. D. Red.
Benefit. If one is beautiful, pious, holy, rich, do not be proud against his neighbor who is shapeless, a sinner and poor. For God proved it enough in the first and highest patriarchs that he does not want to suffer our pride; they are almost all misguided, the firstborn. John the Baptist is well-deserved, but he is almost alone. Christ must have been well-done, for there was no sin in him.
(22) The other firstborns, in common, have all abused such glory, have fallen away because of pride and arrogance, until finally all Judaism has fallen away and we have come in their place. For Christianity is now our Lord God's own and His firstborn: not because of outward power and splendor, as the Pope boasts that he is the supreme bishop, and yet (if you will pardon the expression) he is dirt; but because of the Word and the holy sacraments. For although we are unequal among ourselves according to outward birth, yet we are all equal because of baptism. For we are all born of the Christian Church, which is a pure virgin in the Spirit, having the pure Word of God and the holy sacraments, from which she conceives and ever gives birth to Christians, who are the true firstfruits, and are our Lord God's own; I as well as you, you as well as me. There it goes right in the work, which was there only in the image and figure.
If God had done something special, baptized me and you specially, given me and you a special word and a special sacrament, we would have gone to the devil because of hope. But because God does not make anything special for any of us, we must all say and confess: We have one kind of baptism, one kind of mother, the
Christian church, one faith, word, and sacrament, none can despise the other; you must let me be a firstborn son as well as you, and I you as well as me; thus all are at the same time, one as well as the other, kings and priests, but only in the spiritual regiment. For in the outward being a difference must remain.
24 But that the pope makes himself better than others according to the spiritual rule, he has no command, therefore no one has called him but the wretched devil. For among true Christians it must and should be that none is better than the other. Cause, no one has a better baptism than the other. For the fact that one must have preachers, pastors and other church servants: these are only offices that make no one a child of God. But baptism and the word and faith in the word must do it, so that we become God's children and firstborn.
(25) Now let everyone learn that those in the Old Testament were an example in which our Lord God made us see that He cannot suffer pride, but overthrows everything that wants to go up, unless someone humbles himself and puts himself down. The world does not want to believe this, and even today abuses even the poor, small gifts for the sake of hope. For this reason, God throws them down one by one, so that they tumble down like Lucifer and his angels from heaven.
26 Let this be said of today's Gospel, as far as the story of the sacrifice in the temple is concerned. Let us pray to God for His grace to protect us from all hope and, through His Holy Spirit, to awaken our hearts to right and earnest obedience and graciously keep them therein until the end, amen.