First sermon.*)
John 10:12-16.
I am a good shepherd; a good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. But a hireling that is not a shepherd, that owneth not the sheep, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep. But the hireling fleeth; for he is a hireling, and regardeth not the sheep. I am a good shepherd, and know mine own, and am known to mine own; as my Father knoweth me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. And these I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and shall become One fold and One Shepherd.
*) Held in the house, 1533.
1 Our dear Lord Jesus Christ began this gospel soon after the beginning of this chapter, preaching about the nature and characteristics of sheep. For our Lord God created the sheep in such a way that among all the animals on earth there is no animal that has such sharp and certain ears as a little sheep, as experience shows. For if there were ten thousand of them together, it would flee and be afraid, but it would not be afraid of the voice of its shepherd, which it knows and follows, so surely and keenly does it know the voice of its shepherd. So, when a thousand sheep are together in a bunch, and the mothers are all bleating, each little lamb knows its mother's voice, and runs after her until it finds her. So actually and certainly it can hear, which I myself have often noticed and wondered about.
2 Christ looks at this kind and quality and says: "I also have such little animals. For I am a shepherd, and my sheep also are of this nature, that they know my voice very surely and truly. But where my voice is not, there no one brings them. Will therefore teach us: If we want to be his sheep, we must also have certain ears that separate the voice of Christ from all other voices, so that it is as bright, beautiful, sweet and friendly as it wants to be.
(3) Therefore, we are to learn here and be diligent not only to hear the word of God, but also to hear it in such a way that we may be sure of it, so that we do not listen to the devil's inducements, which he dares to put into our hearts all kinds of false doctrine and deception. For a little sheep has not only a quiet and sharp hearing, but also a different and sure hearing, that it knows its shepherd's voice before all others and follows the same; it does not hear a stranger's voice, nor does it accept the same voice. We should also be such sheep, and not only hear the voice of our shepherd Jesus Christ, but also adhere to and follow it. Christ's voice is to say to us, "You are a poor sinner, but I died for your sin.
you blessed. This we shall hear, and follow, saying, This is the voice of my shepherd. But when we hear of terror, sorrow, and fall into such thoughts or doctrine, that we should despair, fear Christ, and run away from him, then we should say: I do not hear the voice, for it is not the voice of my shepherd, but the voice of the wolf.
4 Thus our dear Lord Jesus Christ wanted to accustom us by this likeness of the shepherd and the sheep, that we not only hear the word of God, but also learn to hear it with certainty, so that we can distinguish it correctly and well from all other words. As if to say, "Those who hear and do the word of God know me and are my sheep; I love these sheep so much that I lay down my life for them and give them eternal life; I take away their sin and death, for they know me, and I also know and love them.
5 Secondly, this sermon is comforting and sweet, that the Lord calls himself a shepherd, and us, who have and hear his word, his sheep. For from this it follows that we are not so forsaken, nor shall we be, though we have many a temptation and affliction on earth. One lacks money and goods, another lacks health, another lacks something else. And it seems as if we are in the midst of wolves and have no shepherd. As Christ said to his disciples, Matth. 10, 16: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. And we see it daily before our eyes that the Christian church and Christians are in no other situation than that of a little sheep which the wolf has caught by the pelt and wants to eat. It does not seem as if we have a shepherd who takes care of us, but it seems as if we are in the jaws of the wolf. It does not seem that Christ loves us so much, but we see and feel much differently, both in living and dying.
(6) But it must come to pass with us, that we seem to be forsaken, and to have no consolation; that we may hear the piping of this Shepherd, and learn to know him. But this is done by the voice, that he saith, I know mine own, and am
known to mine own." He who is guided by the voice does not look at how the devil makes him poor and sick, nor at how he is persecuted and afflicted in the world; but looks at the voice, and hears how his shepherd Christ cries out to him: I am your shepherd, you are my dear sheep, for which I laid down my life; for you hear my voice, therefore you know me and I know you. So such knowledge is in the word and faith, as the Lord himself says: "I know them, even as my Father knows me, and I know the Father.
When Christ, the Son of God, walked on earth, it seemed as if he was given over to all devils and evil men, who also crucified him and did everything they could with him. God acted as if he had forgotten him, as if he did not know anything about him and did not know him; all in all, it seemed as if there was no God the Father at home. Nevertheless, the father knew him, as he says: "My father knows me, and I know the father. As if he wanted to say: Even if it could be seen as if the Father did not know me, nevertheless I had to pretend that he knew me, as he also knew me in truth, because he took me out of hell and saved me from death. So shall you also, my sheep, do, and be not deceived, though it seem as if I knew you not. For I know you, and will not leave you, my sheep.
Therefore, Christians on earth must remain covered with misfortune, heartache, sin, and all kinds of afflictions and offenses, so that it seems with them that there is no difference between a Christian and an ungodly person. For life and death are the same in outward appearance; and what is more, it seems that a Christian is worse off with our Lord God than a heathen. For he is worse off and has more trials and temptations. But do not be deceived, but remember what your shepherd says: I know my sheep.
(9) Yea, saith the devil and reason, how can he know thee, seeing thou art in such a bad way? Then answer thou, I know that he knoweth me, and shall I believe in such faith.
I will not be prevented from dying and suffering all kinds of misfortune, for I know his voice and hear it, and I keep to it. For as a shepherd saith unto his sheep, Shepherd! So Christ also says to me, "I am your shepherd, I laid down my life for you and died for you. I hear this word and believe it. This is my sure and certain sign that he knows me and I know him. Whether I now feel differently, as Christ says here, does no harm, for all this is only a temporal challenge. On the other hand, the word of eternal life teaches me. Whether I feel death and must die like others who do not believe in Christ, what does it matter? But I have the voice of my shepherd, which promises me most kindly: "He that believeth in me shall never see death"; item: "I lay down my life for my sheep. Therefore I have no doubt that my faithful Shepherd, Jesus Christ, knows me.
(10) But such knowledge is hidden, that there may be room for faith. Otherwise, as soon as we were baptized pure and immortal, we would need neither word nor faith. But because the word is still alive, it must be believed and not experienced until that day when we no longer believe it, but will see and experience it in the work. So there is no doubt at all: when a person is baptized, he becomes so beautiful and bright before God as the dear sun, that no sin remains, but vain and eternal righteousness. For thus Christ himself says: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. But this cannot be seen outwardly. Nevertheless it is true, if one wants to judge according to the word and the voice of the shepherd. Therefore, it is all up to us to hold fast to the word and remain true to it until the time when it will be revealed in the blessed and eternal life to come, as we now hear and believe in the word. For just as the present life and that life are two different lives, so it is not possible to feel here in this life completely what one will feel and experience there.
(11) Therefore, it is a great art to know Christ.
You cannot learn this art on earth. So it is also a great art to know a Christian. For what man can say that he is in eternal life? Nevertheless, we must confess that it is also the truth that a child, who is still burdened with death, sin and all misfortune, since one does not see eternal life, soon begins to live eternally from his baptism. How does this happen? One does not see it, but one sees only the old life. But over the same old and sinful life God has made an eternal life, in which we already live (according to the word and faith), even though we do not yet see or feel it. Before the world it seems that we are sinners, but before God we are righteous; before the world it seems that we stink, but before God we are more beautiful and brighter than the sun.
012 To know a Christian aright is to judge him not by sight, but by hearing, and by the word. Like a little sheep, which have their life by hearing; if they hear not their shepherd's voice, they go among wolves. For without the voice of the shepherd it cannot be kept. If it hears the voice of the shepherd, it is safe and has no pain; but if it loses the voice of the shepherd, all joy and safety are gone, and it must fear and be afraid everywhere. It is the same with a Christian. If he loses the word, all comfort is gone; but if he holds fast to the word, he sees his Shepherd Christ, and all that Christ has purchased and promised him, namely, forgiveness of sins and eternal life. So go in full hope, eat, drink, work, and do what he is commanded to do, and even suffer with joy what he is commanded to suffer. For
He hangs his ears on his shepherd's voice and mouth and gets used to judging not by what he sees and feels, but by what the voice says. This is what Christ says here: "I know my own and am known to my own, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for them.
(13) This we must learn, and so accustom our hearts, that we may not be offended at it, though Christians suffer and die as other men. For this is the right wisdom and noble art of Christians, that they may say, "For the sake of the outward life I see no difference between Christians and unbelievers; yes, Christians are generally worse off, and must suffer and endure evil a hundred times more than other people. But in the Word I see a great and excellent difference, namely, that Christians and unbelievers are distinguished, not according to their noses or outward piety, but that they have and hear the voice of their shepherd. But the pagans, Turks and Jews do not hear this voice, nor do the hypocrites and false Christians, who want to earn heaven by their works; much less do the tyrants and the anti-christian and Epicurian crowd, the pope and his spiritless ones, hear it, but only the sheep of the Lord Christ. Otherwise, according to outward appearance and worldly nature, no difference will be found between a sheep and a goat, Christians and un-Christians.
14) May the faithful and only Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, Jesus Christ, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, grant us grace to know Him well and to obey His voice, Amen.