First sermon.*)
Luc. 16, 1-9.
And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward, which was reproached before him, as if he had destroyed his goods. And he challenged him, and said unto him, How hear I of thee? Give account of your stewardship, for you cannot be a steward henceforth. The steward said to himself: What shall I do? My lord takes the office from me; I do not like to dig, so I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do when I am removed from office and they take me into their houses. And he called all his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou my lord? And he said, An hundred tons of oleum. And he said unto him, Take thy letter, and sit down, and write fifty. Then he said to the other: How much do you owe? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy letter, and write eighty. And the Lord praised the unjust steward, because he had done wisely. For the children of this world are wiser than the children of light in their generation. And I say also unto you, Make friends with the unrighteous Mammon, that, when ye now offer, they may receive you into the everlasting tabernacles.
1. in this unjust steward and unfaithful rogue, who had killed his master's goods, our beloved
*) Held publicly in the parish church, 1532.
Lord Christ before two teachings. The first is that we should make friends with the unrighteous mammon, so that when we are in want, they may receive us into the eternal tabernacles. The other doctrine is that we are to be saved from
this unjust steward and from the children of this world shall learn to be wise.
The first lesson the Lord sets with clear words, when he concludes this parable of the unjust steward, and says: "And I also say to you, make friends with the unjust mammon" etc. As if he wanted to say: From the unjust steward you shall learn something good; he has to know how to take care of himself. When he saw that his master wanted to take the office from him, he made the debtors of his master his friends, so that when his master deposed him from the office, they would take him into their houses. In the same way, love faithful preachers and devout Christians and make them your friends, so that they may pray for you to become godly.
(3) But the Lord gives wealth a special name and calls it unrighteous mammon, because of the unrighteous custom to which it is subjected. For just as this steward is a rogue and destroys the goods that are not his but his master's, so we also are rogues with the goods that God gives us, and do not use them for God's glory and the benefit of our neighbor, but rather for God's dishonor and our neighbor's harm. Whoever is not God-fearing abuses his goods against God and his neighbor; as we experience enough in all the world every day. Therefore, wealth in truth is nothing else but an unrighteous mammon among all people. Christians can hardly bring themselves to use the good rightly; mammon is even subject to abuse and vanity, like all other creatures of God, but without their will, Rom. 8, 20.
4 Therefore the Lord will say: This unjust steward and others who misuse goods make friends with other people's goods; they use their master's goods in such a way that they themselves do not perish; how much more should you Christians do this, be just stewards of the goods over which God has set you as stewards, so that you use them to honor God and to benefit your neighbor! In this way, you shall make friends for yourselves, and you shall be able to rely on them in another and better way.
You may enjoy it in the same way as this unjust steward of his master's debtor enjoyed it. This is the first lesson in this gospel, that we need this example of the unjust steward for good teaching and make friends with the unjust mammon.
The other teaching is that the Lord praises the unrighteous steward for doing wisely, and reproves the children of light for not using the same wisdom in their generation. The children of this world, he says, are wiser than the children of light in their generation. As if he wanted to say: The boys and husks of this world do it to you Christians far before in their sex. Thus he separates God's children and the devil's children from one another, calling those children of this world, but these he calls children of light, even though they are not very pious children of God according to the flesh. The children of this world, he says, that is, the worldly people who walk according to the world, without the fear and faith of God, are wiser than the Christians and children of God in their generation. This unrighteous steward is a two-faced rogue: first, he is a sinner before God; then he is also a rogue before his Lord. Nevertheless, he is prudent and knows how to take care of himself so well that it is beyond all measure, so that he will not suffer in his body when he worships.
(6) This must not be interpreted as if the Lord were to praise the unjust steward's unfaithfulness and mischievousness, and to put up with our doing wrong to other people; but only the steward's speed and prudence is praised as an example to provoke us to use the same earnestness and diligence in a good matter that this steward used in an evil one, for his own benefit and to the detriment of his master.
(7) Just as when I see a lewd woman who adorns herself most beautifully for the purpose of fornication, the poor gold, silk and silk cannot help but be abused for fornication. But still I can praise it and say to you, "Do you see how this woman knows how to use her fornication?
*) visierlich - kind, nice. D. Red.
send? Why do you not also need such diligence to please your bridegroom, our dear Lord Christ? With these words I do not praise fornication, but the diligence, care and prudence that we should use in godly, good, honest things.
But now the Lord speaks a very terrible word here, when he says: "The children of this world are wiser than the children of light in their generation. This does not need much interpretation; we see it before our eyes every day, unfortunately, more than is good, how the world searches so exceedingly carefully when it sees its advantage, and does not let any effort or work go to waste. How much trouble, worry and danger have the shrub thieves who make do in hedges! They have neither peace nor rest day or night, and they are in danger of being killed by a blade or by a road; nor do they love their devilish nature, so that they cannot tire of it. So a thief, a cheat, an adulterer, all lead a hard life and a hard order, need all kinds of cunning and trickery, intrigues and advantages, so that they align their roguishness, fornication and fornication, and they get mad beyond measure, until they give the devil his happy service.
(9) On the other hand, we see how the children of light, that is, the true Christians, are lazy, discontented, careless and industrious in the things of God, knowing that God is well pleased with them and that they may enjoy them for eternity. So the good comes to them sourly. Thus, according to the common saying, it is twice as sour for the wicked to earn hell by serving the devil so diligently and doing and suffering everything for his sake than it is for the godly to earn heaven. And that is fine talk, if you understand it right. That is why God must pull his Christians by the hair and force them to do what they should.
(10) Therefore this is a very fine similitude which the Lord holds up to us here. If we are Christians and want to do what we should do, we must not look into the books; every man must look into his own house, like evil children, evil servants, maidservants, etc. on evil, wickedness and everything that is dear to the devil,
are so mischievous, trained and ready. There you will feel such great diligence, since people are so cursed with mischievousness that they do not know how to be sufficiently nasty and wanton. Then learn that you also do such things against God and His word and for the good of your salvation, and take a useful lesson and example from such wickedness. Remember, can the peasant, the burgher, the merchant, the sheriff, the wife, the maid, etc. serve the devil with such diligence and not let any effort go to waste; why would I not also serve my Lord, whom I am to enjoy for eternity, in this way? They lurk as if they were senseless, but after their eternal harm and destruction. How am I then so sleepy and lazy, since it concerns my soul's blessedness, that God must still drag me to it by the hair? I should spit at myself so that I do not crawl toward heaven, since those run and run toward hell.
11. But especially the children of the world set a fine example to the children of light in the case the Lord says here. For look on one whom avarice has rightly possessed, and you will find that he has neither day nor night rest from his own thoughts; all his thoughts and pursuits are for money, and take him no pains nor labor, as the poet said of the merchants:
Impiger extremos currit mercator ad Indos, Per mare pauperiem fugiens, per saxa, per ignes.
A merchant is undaunted and gives himself to all the driving, so that he may escape poverty and feed himself.
(12) Then we should learn that as a miser cares for money and a worldling cares for food, so we should also care for the eternal with the same earnestness. But where will you find a Christian who does this? who gladly goes a quarter of a mile to church so that he may hear God's word, as a merchant travels through all the countries so that he may become rich? who for Christ's sake is willing to go on the road and suffer, as a merchant for the sake of temporal gain ventures into all kinds of hardship and danger? Where will you find one who is so glad when he finds a poor person to whom he can give ten guilders more or less?
can help a man according to the need of his fortune and that need, as a rich usurer rejoices when he knows how to make a big profit with his money? Here everyone runs to, and would like to bring the hundred to ten, twenty or more guilders.
(13) But what is it against usury, which our money shall surely bear, if we help the poor with it? For thus saith Solomon, Prov. 19:17: "He that hath mercy on the poor lendeth to God by usury." O how a certain debtor, O how a faithful payer we would have, if only we ourselves wanted! But the devil will not let us believe such things, and earnestly seek such rich usury, which brings more than the main sum. That is why it is right for us, because we prefer usury with men than with God, that not only great, horrible sin, but also great accident and misfortune is involved, and we lose body and soul with the shameful mammon.
Therefore Christ decides rightly and says that the children of the world are much more diligent and clever than his children. For so it is found in the work, that the devil has a hundred ministries with his own, while Christ has scarcely one. What shall we do about it? We cannot change it, for the world cannot be told. We may preach, and always persist with punishments, threats, and admonitions, that we may take an example of such diligence, which the world needs in the devil's service, that we also practice good, as the children of the world practice evil, if we may attain a little of such an example, especially because we have the advantage (however difficult it may be) that we are children of light.
(15) If we remain by this name, that we belong to the light, though we are not so industrious, not so clever, as the children of the world, there is no need but that we do something, and are thus found to have least begun to be among the company that is called children of light.
(16) But let no man think that we shall bring it where the children of the world bring it in their generations. It
We should be far ahead of them, because we have the promise that we will receive the eternal crown, but there are too many obstacles in the way. Nevertheless, we are to be diligent to continue from day to day in godliness, discipline, patience, meekness, gentleness, mercy, and other Christian works. For if we are and remain only in the lifting up and in the right way, the step, however slow and narrow it may be, will finely give that we come after it; only that we do not make ourselves believe that we have even trodden it.
17 Our consolation, then, is that where we thus begin, God will not judge us like the children of the world, who surely run to hell and get angry; but He will say to us in all grace, "You should have served me more faithfully and been more diligent, because you are a child of light. But it did not happen; therefore I must cover it with the mantle that is called grace and forgiveness of sins. This must be thrown into our lives, yes, drawn up above, so that we walk under it as under the free, wide heaven; so we will still find a friend or two there, but especially the right friend, who can give heaven and make us blessed, our dear Lord Jesus Christ.
He who is faithful in the least is faithful also in the greatest; and he who is unjust in the least is unjust also in the greatest. If then ye be not faithful in unrighteous mammon, who will trust you in that which is true?
(18) These are vain sayings, which belong to the government of the land and to the house; they are also taken from the government of the world and from the government of the house. The Lord applies such proverbs to the spiritual, and thus punishes the Pharisees, who were stingy. This means: Whoever is not faithful in temporal goods, but seeks his own honor and benefit, will never be faithful in spiritual goods, as in the gospel and the ministry of preaching.
19. when a boy gets used to snacking in the house, starts to secretly take off a cherry or two, a few pears, nuts and other-
He goes on and learns to steal, and after that he takes off a penny, until he comes to a penny, a florin etc. Therefore saith the Lord, He that is faithful in the least is faithful also in the greatest." He who does not like to neglect a penny will not like to lose a skirt, much less set fire to the house. Again, he who does not respect a penny will not come to a penny. And he who does not save a penny where he can, will not save a guilder.
(20) All these things belong to the temporal government and to the household; but Christ refers to the spiritual, saying, If ye be unrighteous stewards in temporal, corruptible things, verily in spiritual, eternal things ye shall not be counted faithful stewards. If you have no right use for mammon, how can you be trusted to have right use for the gospel, for baptism, for the keys to the kingdom of heaven? If you are not faithful stewards of temporal goods, you will never be pious, faithful preachers.
And if you are not faithful in the stranger, who will give you that which is yours?
(21) The Lord does not call mammon unrighteous only because its unrighteousness is needed, but he also calls it foreign because it is a temporal good and does not remain forever, like the spiritual good. Eternal life is our (that is, the Christians') good, it is the true good and remains ours forever. But mammon is a foreign good, is not ours, but of the heathen. It is a perishable good and does not remain forever, but is distributed in this world, most of all among the heathen and unbelievers, although the believers also need it as an addition.
22 Therefore the Lord will say, If ye be in the stranger (which is but little, and is not
(The Lord said that if you are not faithful to the great good that remains yours forever, whether you have had it for a while or not, how can God trust you with the great good that is eternal, that is, eternal life, which is yours forever and is true? Est argumentum a minori. As, then, if I said, He that cannot do nor will not do that which is less, how should he be able or willing to do that which is greater? He who cannot walk three steps, how can he walk three miles? Therefore see to it, says the Lord, that you are faithful stewards in the least, as in pennies, and in temporal goods. If you do this, it will be evident that your heart is faithful toward me, and that you are not hostile or contrary to my gospel and to me.
23 Thus our dear Lord Jesus Christ punishes unfaithfulness and avarice in this gospel. And he does both with the example of the unjust steward and with proverbs. For in those days avarice and unfaithfulness reigned in all classes, as now in our day. How many do you think are faithful pastors, preachers and teachers today who are serious? Most of them ask nothing about it, although the pope spoils everything with his idolatries and blasphemous abominations, if they only have a belly full. Peasants, bourgeois, nobility, ask neither for the Gospel, nor for poor, meager people. In sum, in all classes there is unfaithfulness, and avarice reigns everywhere, as if it were God and Lord in all the world. But it is decided, as Christ says here, "If ye be not faithful in the stranger, who will give you that which is yours?" He who is stingy and unfaithful in the least will not be trusted with what is spiritual. He will not have eternal life, but eternal death. God would mercifully protect us from this, amen.