First sermon.*)
Luc. 19:41-48.
And when he was come nigh, he looked upon the city, and wept over it, and said, If thou knewest, thou wouldest consider in this thy time what is for thy peace. But now it is hid from thine eyes. For the time will come upon thee, that thine enemies shall make a siege against thee, and against thy children with thee, and shall besiege thee, and be afraid in every place, and shall drag thee, and shall not leave one stone upon another, because thou hast not known the time wherein thou art afflicted. And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought therein, and said unto them: It is written: My house is a house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests, and the scribes, and the chief of the people, sought after him to destroy him, and found not what to do for him: for all the people adhered unto him, and heard him.
*) Held in the house, 1532.
1. children should diligently memorize this gospel so that they may learn to fear God from it.
002 For Christ hath spoken these things with a great sorrowful heart, weeping bitterly that the beautiful city should perish so miserably, and be rent asunder, that not one stone should be left upon another. Ah, Jerusalem," he says, "if you knew and believed that such a calamity would come upon you, you would certainly not be so sure, but would consider what is for your peace, weep and pray that God would be merciful to you.
(3) Although the Lord speaks of the city of Jerusalem, he has warned and threatened all those who have the word of God and yet hear it in vain and despise it, that they should not be sure or rely on it as if God were giving it to them. No, the punishment will be found and will surely come, as God lives. Therefore, one should beware of all sins, but especially of the sin that is called despising God's word or the time of the visitation, that is, hearing the sermon and yet not improving, but continuing in sin forever, preaching and saying whatever one wants. The punishment for such sin certainly does not remain outside, even if it is stopped for a while. He who despises God's word does not escape punishment.
4 And to strengthen this warning and threat, he sets as an example his most beloved and holy city Jerusalem, and his own people, which city was our dear Lord God's own house, dwelling place and hearth, and the people his own household. For our Lord God has been in Jerusalem as a citizen, and the city has been like half of heaven, where God Himself dwelt with His angels, where all worship was ordered, where almost all the patriarchs lived and had their burial, where finally Christ, the Son of God, Himself walked, preached, died, was buried, rose again, and gave the Holy Spirit; That therefore this city is so heaped with holiness, that there is none like it in all the world, nor ever shall be till the last day. Nevertheless, all this is unseen, since they do not accept God's word and follow it.
our Lord God has held so firmly to his word that his dearest city has had to be devastated in the most horrible way. How much less will he give to other cities that cannot hold a candle to Jerusalem, since God himself did not dwell there; nor will he give it to other peoples who do not belong to him as closely as the Jews, who were his blood friends.
(5) Therefore, in this example, notice God's anger and beware of despising the word, lest we say, as we commonly do, "God will not be so angry, he will not punish so harshly. For if he has torn apart the holy city of Jerusalem, his most precious treasure on earth, so that not one stone was left upon another, because of the people who heard his word and did not amend their ways, you must not think that he will give it to us if we also lie in the same sin. Jerusalem is so far away that it cannot be said that a house stood there.
(6) And God let this terrible punishment happen at that time, when the Jewish people had gathered in crowds to Jerusalem for the Easter feast, when there were almost thirty times a hundred thousand people (as the histories testify) at that time. God swept the people away in great heaps. For he intended to kindle a great fire, therefore he brought the fires all in heaps. Since he had gathered them together like a great funeral pyre, even like a forest, he led the Romans over them, so that they set them on fire and burned them. Josephus says that during the siege and conquest ten times a hundred thousand were slain and died of pestilence, and seven and ninety thousand were captured. They were so despised and worthless that thirty of them were sold for a penny. So Christ had to be smelled. Just as the Jews had sold him for thirty pieces of silver, so again thirty Jews were sold for a penny, and were so worthless that they were hardly allowed to eat with the dogs.
(7) Now this is the miserable and pitiful punishment that God has inflicted on His people, and thus even agreed with them,
whom he loved and brought out of Egypt with such great glory and miraculous signs, and placed in the land of Canaan, and was their father, and spoke and dealt so kindly with them. But because they despised his word and would not follow him, he brought such wrath and terrible punishment upon them.
(8) The Lord sees such sorrow, that it is not far off, and weeps for it, saying, If thou knewest, thou wouldest have considered in this thy time what was for thy peace. But now it is hid from thine eyes." Therefore thou goest safely, as if there were no need for thee. But it will not remain so long, it will have to break, and is already before the hand, without that it is still hidden and you do not see it.
9 Here one would like to think: Why does our Lord God hide the punishment? Why does he not reveal it? Why doesn't he let it go soon? If God revealed the punishment, people would convert! Answer: It cannot be that our Lord God will let the punishment go soon. For if he were to throw it in as soon as it was deserved, none of us would reach the seventh year. In addition, our Lord God would not be able to prove His patience if He were to hurry with the punishment and throw it in soon. God must be patient, so that He can see whether one wants to mend one's ways and seek mercy. If he should strike with thunder and lightning as soon as possible If he were to strike with thunder and lightning, it would not be fitting for God. That is why he keeps the punishment to himself, gives time and space to mend his ways, thus revealing his mercy towards us. The devil is an angry spirit, he does not do such things; if he could strike one dead with a hair, he would do it and would not tarry long. But God is merciful, therefore he will inflict the punishment, but will not remit it at all.
(10) This makes people sure that they not only do not improve, but become worse the longer. As you can see, an adulterer, a usurer, a thief, because the punishment does not come as soon as possible, makes himself believe that there is no need for a long time yet, that he may well atone for his lust. But beware, do not let yourself be seduced or deceived. For here you hear that God may hold back and hide the punishment, but that is not why it remains outside.
Therefore turn back at the proper time, repent and improve yourself. This is what Christ means here, when he says to the city of Jerusalem: "But now it is hidden from your eyes. As if to say: Do not be deceived that the punishment is hidden. The punishment will be delayed for a time, but it will not be lifted and taken away. You will kill me and shed my blood, as you did with other prophets before me. I will keep quiet about it, let it happen and suffer it. This makes you think that it will always go on like this and will probably remain unpunished. Because of this, no one seriously tries to become more pious, to repent and improve. But beware, you are not exempt from punishment. If thou couldst be persuaded to believe it, thou wouldst think how thou couldst escape punishment. But you do not believe it, that is why you go so safely, let the time of your visitation, in which you are warned and you could come again to grace, rush by, are safe and do not improve. This is the very sin why God's wrath will overtake you and hasten you.
(11) Study diligently and notice what God considers the greatest sin, which he can least tolerate and suffer, namely, that his people have not recognized the time of his visitation. For the Lord here smites all sins into one sin, keeps silent about all other sins, and only attracts those that they have safely passed away, not only not turning away from the prophets' admonition and threat, but also persecuting them, shedding much innocent blood, until, as the Scripture says, Jerusalem here and there became full of blood (just as today's Germany also sins horribly because of the manifold persecution of the Word and its servants). Alongside this sin (as also in our time), adultery, fornication, usury, avarice, stealing, indulgence, drinking, boasting, and the like went on with power.
(12) Christ says here that I have punished such evil with the word, and have taught you to be godly and to amend your ways. For this cause I sent my prophets beforehand, I sent John the Baptist and my apostles, even I myself.
I have appeared, preached, performed miraculous signs, and done everything that might serve your recovery. Now all other sins, as great and many as they are, should not harm you, but be forgiven and remembered no more for eternity; Jerusalem should stand well and remain unchallenged by the enemies, if only you knew the time of your visitation. For I come to you not with the sword, not with the club, but meekly and as a savior; I come as a visitator, a seeker, seeking you, preaching and crying out: repent, amend your ways, and be godly; yet hear and follow before wrath comes with power. So I seek you home.
(13) Yes, it will not end there. You make all your sin greater by not wanting to recognize, accept or suffer the visitation. As the proverb says, "He who cannot be advised cannot be helped. If a man is wicked, and it is said to him, "Dear man, let it be said to you that your sins may be forgiven you;" but he not only would not follow, but also began to blaspheme and to strike at the mouth of him who urged him to amend; who could help him? What devil would be the sick man's barber, who would take the shear knife from his hand and stab him, the master, in the body? This is exactly how you Jews deal with our Lord God. He lets you offer forgiveness of sins through me, wants to be your merciful God, gladly forgetting and forgiving everything, only that you still stop sinning and accept his word. But you go on, blaspheme me, say that I have the devil, call my preaching heresy, and want to crucify me on top of that, and you will not be satisfied until you have done so. This is first of all the devil: when God not only wants to forgive sins and be merciful, but also wants to give great, high gifts; and one turns his back on him and drives back his word and grace, curses heresy and blasphemes most horribly; when it comes to this, I can no longer hold on, the punishment must come. For where one cannot suffer forgiveness of sins and God's grace, there is neither counsel nor help.
14 And this is the main cause that the wrath of God is so exceedingly great and terrible. For as the Jews would not see nor hear his word, so God would not see nor hear their crying, praying, worshipping and other things, and his wrath would not cease until Jerusalem was burned to the ground, so that one stone was not left upon another, so that one might say, "There stood this house, and there that house;" no, purely and completely, so that not a hair of a Jew nor a nail on a wall remained in the city. That is what they wanted. This is the terrible example that the evangelist has written for our correction, that we should not despise God's word and let the time of our visitation pass without fruit.
(15) This is especially to be noted, that the Lord says: "But now it is hidden from your eyes. For it is common that people do not think that God will punish, but because God out of kindness pardons the punishment and waits for correction, the world thinks that He will always remain silent. The same thing happened in Jerusalem. The Jews sinned against their God as they wished, but they still kept the punishment out of sight and thought that God would keep silent forever. But beware, says Christ; even though you do not see the punishment, if you do not mend your ways, it will certainly not remain outside. For even though God has tarried for a time, He has laid so many nets and ropes everywhere, set so many mousetraps for the sake of the wicked, that it is impossible that you should escape from Him at length.
16 He commanded the father and mother, the lords and wives of the house, to watch out for bad children and servants. Whoever will not let them defend themselves, he commands the secular authorities, who punish them through Master Hansen. Whoever escapes from Master Hansen does not escape from God and His judgment, who punishes and can punish with pestilence, hunger, water and fire, if one does not mend one's ways. Therefore, no one should think that he wants to lead it out and escape the punishment.
If you do not want to be pious and not let God's word guide you (which is a kind, fatherly visitation), you must let the executioner or another wrath of God guide and lead you without your thanks. But truly with your harm and destruction!
(17) Therefore make no distinction between the punishment that is hidden and that which is certain. For the punishment of sins is certain in every case, though it be hid. Now that it is hidden deceives the people; as Solomon also says, "It is not good that the people should not be punished soon, and that our Lord God should be silent so long; for they only become the more wanton. This or that, they say, I did yesterday, what happened to me because of that? It goes out fine for me.
18 A thief has stolen today: who will do anything to me for it? And so it goes, one example after another. If it has gone well with so many, why should it not go well with me? That is why all sinners, the better they like their behavior, the hotter and merrier they become. That they cease in good time and improve themselves is not enough. For they do not see this definition or sentence: although the punishment is hidden, it is nevertheless certain; as it is finally found that, according to the proverb, the pitcher goes to the well until it finally breaks.
Therefore beware and do not be deceived. Even if the punishment is already hidden, it is nevertheless certain and does not remain outside. As the Gentiles have learned from experience, and therefore have said: When our Lord God wants to come and punish, he puts on woolen socks so that he may walk quietly and not be heard. Learn this, and therefore be not sure whether our Lord God will not quickly strike you; but fear, and beware. For he hath so many angels, so many servants, so many lions, so many plagues, war, famine, pestilence, that he may well smite thee. He can make the air full of fire and burn you; he can drown you with rain, strangle you with poison in untimely or otherwise unwholesome fruits, apples, pears, seeds. In sum, there are thousands and thousands of ropes and nets that God sets for the wicked and unrepentant sinners.
020 Now this is the cause that our dear Lord Christ so faithfully warns, and weeps, saying, Behold, O Jerusalem; because the punishment is hid, thou thinkest it will remain without. But you are far wrong. For the punishment is not hidden, that thou shouldest be free, but that thou shouldest be struck the more surely, if thou wilt not know the time of thy visitation. If thou wilt not abuse this privilege, but use it aright, then cease from sin in time, keep thee here to the word, and amend thyself, and thou shalt be counseled; if not, then thou shalt go down.
21 In this way Peter preaches to us, 2 Peter 3:15: "The patience or longsuffering of our Lord," he says, "count it for your salvation"; that is, let it seem to you that it is your salvation, that it is for your good, that you will not be condemned. For if God punished us in all ways, as and according to what we deserve, then (as I said above) ours would not come beyond seven years. Well, he does not do so, but is long-suffering, sticks to himself and forgives the punishment. This is what Peter says; take heed, for your own sakes, that you should say: Lord, I have unfortunately sinned much and often, now in this, now in another; now the punishment does not come, but is pardoned. But what does it mean? Certainly nothing else, except that, though the punishment is hidden, it will certainly come. Therefore, dear Father, forgive, and I will repent and amend. Therefore we must remember the saying of Peter: "Respect the patience of our Lord for your salvation". "For God," he says shortly before, "does not want anyone to be lost, but that everyone should turn to repentance." And if God forgives the punishment, it is for our good. Where one does not want to remit, but continues in sins and abuses such patience of God, the jar must break in the end. As you can see, because the thief of theft does not want to leave in time, he will finally be sentenced to the executioner; a lewd woman, maidservant, who does not want to let go with her evil deeds, will finally become a disgrace in front of everyone. But God has especially proved it with the city of Jerusalem, even though he hides and holds back the punishment, that he nevertheless
finally wants to come and not give us the disobedience.
(22) Therefore, let everyone learn to fear God; everyone. Great and small, young and old, if he does wrong and will not desist from it, learn that the punishment will not remain outside. For Jerusalem stands as an eternal example, the holy, beautiful city, which even the pagan histories praise as having been longe clarissima urbium Orientis, the most glorious, most famous city in the Orient. It is gone and destroyed because it did not want to leave its sins and did not want to turn to the Word. The Lord holds this example up to us in today's Gospel, so that we should take it to heart and mend our ways, or know that if we do not refrain from sins, if we do not follow the Word and accept it with faith, God will not let it go unpunished, even though He hides the punishment for a time; which, as I said, is for our good, that we should take good care of the time and refrain from sins. But if you do not want to improve yourself, but only to become more insolent and to comply more with your will of courage, know that the evil hour will come before you know it, when our Lord God will also make you cry out, but will not hear you.
He did the same with the Jews. The siege lasted a short time, from Easter until the autumn moon. Every day they had such a sacrifice in the city, such singing and praying, that it was a miracle. But it was all in vain; God had stopped up his ears and would not listen. Cause: He had therefore hidden and delayed the punishment, so that they should hear His word, mend their ways and recognize the time of their visitation. But it would not be with the hardened people. Therefore, when he revealed the punishment, he also hid himself and would not be found. As Hosea also threatens the kingdom of Israel in chapter 5, v. 6: "They will come with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, but will not find him, for he has turned away from them."
(24) Let us therefore diligently remember this example, so that, since God will not remain outside with the punishment at last, we may be able to
and because he does not strike at once, but gives us time to repent, we also love him as a merciful father and say: O dear father, you will not let sin go unpunished; so grant me your grace and the Holy Spirit, that I may mend my ways and escape the well-deserved punishment. So whoever goes to repentance shall find grace.
25. Jerusalem would still be standing today if the Jews had recognized and humbled themselves and said, "Dear God, we have done wrong by being such bad boys and by seasoning your dear servants the prophets. Now you have given us the holy gospel through your Son. Give us grace that we may be converted and become more godly. If they had done this, there would have been no need. The Romans, with all their power, would have had to leave them alone and stay at home. But because they continued in their sins, saying, "Oh, there is no need! Do you think that God will let the city go down like this, where He Himself lives, and has no worship anywhere else? Oh no, there will be no end! - they were so that not one stone was left upon another, and that neither skin nor hair was left of the Jews, and that it could not be said: Jerusalem stood here, but everything was washed away by fire. And now the poor Jerusalem, destroyed, devastated, bruised, stands there as an example to all who are wantonly wicked and do not want to mend their ways, so that they also have to suffer the same punishment.
(26) But to others who accept the word of God and repent, this history is held up for comfort and instruction: that when God hides the punishment, they may learn that it is for their peace and good, that God will graciously forgive their sin, if they cease from it and repent, fearing and loving God. For it is no wonder that we sin; but to defend sin, to remain unrepentant and obstinate in it, that is something that God cannot tolerate; rather, everything must come to nothing, especially when He comes with the gracious visitation of the Word and would like to call us to repentance, and yet we do not want to listen.