Luc. 7, 36-50.
But one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner. And when she heard that he sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, she brought a jar of ointments, and stood behind him weeping, and began to wet his feet with tears, and to dry them with the hair of her head, and to kiss his feet, and to anoint them with ointments. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he spoke to himself and said, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Simon, I have a word to say unto thee. And he said, Master, tell. A usurer had two debtors. One owed five hundred pennies, the other fifty. Since they did not have to pay, he gave to both of them. Tell me, which of them will love him the most? Simon answered and said: I will give the one to whom he has given the most. And he said unto him, Thou hast judged rightly. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I came into thy house, and thou gavest me no water at my feet: but this woman hath wetted my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss; but this woman, after she came in, did not cease to kiss my feet. Thou hast not anointed my head with oil; but she hath anointed my feet with ointments. Therefore I say unto thee: Her sins are forgiven much, because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, he loves little. And he said unto her, Thy sins be forgiven thee. Then they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves: Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee: go in peace.
1 This is a beautiful gospel, and would be worthy of diligent work. But since this cannot be done all at once, because time is too short, we want to do something there.
*It was held publicly in the parish church in 1536, on the seventh Sunday after Trinity, when the sermon was mostly about the Magdalene's Gospel, because the sermon about bread is also held on other Sundays, e.g. on the Sunday of Latare.
of speaking. Here our dear Lord Jesus Christ indicates what kind of ministry he has commanded his apostles and preachers. Elsewhere he orders and testifies with words, but here he confirms it with deeds. But this is the office and the command, that they should do as he did, that no one should be pleased. For his office is to punish sin and to forgive sin. But if he
sin, the world will not suffer it, and says that he should preach vain gospel and grace; if he forgives sin, the Pharisees and great saints turn up their noses and say: He forbids good works, does not punish sin, preaches only grace.
2 We preachers are to help our Lord God in this ministry, and also to punish sin and forgive sin on his account. Those preachers who do not punish sin close hell and heaven. Again, those preachers who do not forgive sin also close hell and heaven. Therefore, one should preach both; punish sin and forgive sin.
(3) But, as I said, the world does not put up with any of them. If one reproves and punishes sin, it is not right. If one comforts and forgives sin, it is not right either. The way it is done is not right. Just as it happened to Christ here, so it happens to us today. When he forgave the Magdalene her sin, it was not right, and the Pharisees said that he was closing up hell, giving people room and air to sin freely, and blaspheming God. But since he had put the swarm on Simon, who boasted of his own righteousness, and put his sin before him, which he did not know, it was no good. Therefore the Lord does not complain in vain nor without cause about such wickedness of the world, when he says Matth. 11, 16-19: "To whom shall I compare this generation? It is like the little children who sit in the marketplace and call out to their companions, saying: We whistled to you, and you would not dance; we mourned to you, and you would not weep. John came, did not eat and did not drink; so they say, He has the devil. The Son of man is come, eating and drinking; so they say, Behold, how is man a glutton and a winebibber, the publican and sinner's fellow!" John preached repentance, punished sin, lived a strict life, so they said: This one does not keep to the people, he is a devil, who would hear him? Christ preached forgiveness of sin, accepted sinners, so they said: This one holds himself to harlots and knaves, makes people wanton and sure; how then can he be a righteous prophet?
(4) This is truly a praiseworthy rule, to be observed according to reason, which Christ has laid upon us, whereof we must be reproached as blasphemers and heretics before God, like John, and as drunkards and companions of harlots and whoremongers, like Christ. But how shall we do to him? If it was so for Christ, it will be no better for us. Therefore let us be diligent, and learn to be accustomed to do it in such a way as to please no one, especially those of us who are in the ministry. If we do not do this, if we do not punish or forgive sin, no one will be saved.
5 This Pharisee Simon does not know that he lacks the main thing. He thinks he is doing an excellent work and considers it a great blessing that he has invited the prophet Christ as his guest and has placed him among the Pharisees as a great rabbi. But this work remains, that he does not see his sin nor desires forgiveness of sin. Therefore our Lord Christ must punish him, making him sin and shame in his best work, in which he boasts. Thou hast charged me, saith he, but thou seekest therein only thine own pride and profit. You have not given me water at my feet, and if you had given it to me already, it would be a small service compared to this service the woman has given me. For this sinner hath not taken water, but tears from her eyes, and hath not wetted my hands, nor my head, nor my face, but the least limb, my feet, which I defile in the dust of the earth; and hath done this from behind. How thinkest thou of this work, which the sinner hath done upon me, against thy work, wherein thou didst gird thyself, and yet gavest me no water to wash my face, hands, or feet?
6 You have not given me a facilet or towel to dry my face, hands or feet. But this one has not given me a silk cloth, but her hair and braids, her highest ornament that she has. (For the hair is a woman's highest honor, 1 Cor. 11:15.) With these she dried not my face, nor my neck, but my feet. You have not given me a kiss,
neither on my hand, nor on my cheeks, nor on my mouth. For this was the common custom in the land, that one kissed another, as is still the custom in the Low Countries and elsewhere. Therefore says Christ, Thou mightest have kissed me after the manner of this land and people: but thou didst not, thou trusting, proud ass. But she thought herself unworthy to kiss my hand, cheek, and mouth; therefore she fell down on her knees, and did not cease to kiss my feet, however dishonestly it seemed to thee.
(7) You did not anoint my head with oil, or, as we would say, with fragrant water, as one is wont to honor guests with lavender water or rose water. Such you have omitted and not done. But this one has poured a delicious water, balsam, spikenard water, which is noble and precious, on my feet, which are sullied by dust. You have not seen such work in this woman that she has done in me. Again, you did not see this sin in yourself, which is a grave sin and a great, gross sin, if you were to stand in judgment before God. Thus the Lord punishes the Pharisee for his sin, but forgives the woman her sin, saying, "Your sins are forgiven.
(8) This then is the office of the Lord Christ which he exercises in the world, namely, to punish sin and to forgive sin. He punishes sin in those who do not recognize their sin, especially in those who do not want to be sinners and think they are holy, as this Pharisee did. He forgives the sin of those who feel their sin and desire forgiveness, as this woman was such a sinner. With punishment he earns little thanks; with forgiveness of sin he makes his teaching heresy and blasphemy. Such things must be allowed to happen. If the Lord Himself was not able to be above such things, but complained about them, as it is written in Matthew 11, we will not have it any better. If we want to be Christians, and especially preachers, we must have patience and remember the saying. Paul, 2 Cor. 6, 4. 7. 8.: "Let us in
prove themselves in all things as the servants of God, on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil rumors and good rumors." Since the Lord punishes the Pharisee, they become unwilling and unwilling to listen. Although the text does not report this in this place, in other places it is well seen how they accepted his punishment. When he says to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven you," they say: Did the devil bring this prophet? Who is he that will forgive sin? This is what the Lord must suffer; so he answers no further word, but lets the proud asses judge and condemn as they will, until they have had their fill.
(9) So we also punish sin and forgive sin, and are blasphemed by our opponents, the papists, as heretics. They blame us, we forbid good works, and give cause to sin; yet we punish sin more severely than they. For though they punish sin for a long time, they remain only in the other table, and punish only the gross, outward sins; as this Pharisee does, who thinks thus: I am a great saint, I am not such a sinner as this woman. The commandments of the other table he knows quite well; there he lets himself be seen as understanding that fornication is wrong and sin. But of the first table he understands nothing; does not know that he lacks faith in God's goodness and mercy; does not realize that he is worse than a heathen, that he does not love God and his neighbor, but is full of pride, hopefulness and presumption, and yet goes along so blindly and stubbornly, and knows nothing about such sin. That is why Christ must pry open his sword, reveal his sin and show him the right knots. It is true, thou hast invited me, saith he, to eat with thee: but what is the matter, that thou art puffed up and boasted in such a work? Thou art a man of sense and understanding, and hast rightly judged that he loveth more to whom he is most given. You are also a pious man in the eyes of the world, not an adulterer, not a thief, not a
But you are an unbelieving, godless man, you are presumptuous, you have no God, no grace, no mercy of God, no forgiveness of sin, you are hopeful and envious of your neighbor. I mean yes, that is, the proud Simon exalted and rightly canonized.
10 Thus it shall be, that is our office. Sins are not to be forgiven, they are punished first, so that they may be recognized, and especially the sin against the first table, as unbelief, idolatry, being without fear of God, presumption, not knowing or respecting God etc. Again, one should not be silent about forgiveness. That there are both in the pregnancy, the punishment of sin and the forgiveness of sin, the sermon of repentance and the sermon of forgiveness of sin. Where sins are not punished, man does not become humble and the sermon of grace is of no use to him. But if a man is struck by the sermon of punishment and the law, like this poor whore, he needs the sermon of grace and forgiveness, or he must despair and despair. This poor whore is not as well off as the proud Pharisee Simon; he is presumptuous and proud, and makes himself believe that he is pure, not only his fist, but also his heart and everything about him; therefore he needs to be punished so that his sins are revealed to him. But this poor puke recognizes and feels his sin, is sorrowful and humble; therefore he needs forgiveness.
11. none shall remain. The sermon of repentance and punishment must be preached, so that people may come to the knowledge of sin and become humble. The preaching of grace and forgiveness of sin must be preached, so that people will not fall into despair. Therefore, the ministry of preaching should take the middle road between presumption and despair, so that people will not become presumptuous or despair. Both sins are forbidden by God in the first commandment, where God says, "I am the Lord your God," as if to say, "You shall not be presumptuous; if you are presumptuous, I am not the Lord your God. Again, neither should you despair; where you despair, neither am I the Lord,
your God. Punish the sin of the presumptuous and secure people who do not feel their sin; and punish not only the gross, carnal sins, but also and especially the subtle, spiritual sins. But the others, who feel their sin and are afraid of death, are to be comforted, saying to them thus: Dear brother, you have had enough terror before, I must not frighten you further. Before, you had no God because of your presumption; but now the devil wants to take you away from God on the other side through despair. God has forbidden both of these, and has ordained the ministry of preaching, so that both sins may be increased: presumption through the sermon of repentance and the ministry of punishment; despair through the sermon of grace and the forgiveness of sins.
(12) This is the sum of this gospel, which teaches the ministry of Christ, that he punishes sin and forgives sin; for which ministry he is called either a devil or a blasphemer in the world: if he preaches repentance and punishes people for their sin, as John the Baptist did, he must be called a devil; if he preaches mercy and forgives sin, he must be called a glutton and a duller, the companion of harlots and knaves. How he does it is wrong. If he deals severely and harshly with the hardened and presumptuous, it is not right; if he deals gently, mildly and kindly with poor sinners, it is not right either. If he whistles, it is not right; if he complains, it is not right.
(13) Now this ministry and both preaching must remain in Christendom, if anyone else is to be saved; as Christ commanded that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, according to God's will. And every part shall be rightly discerned and divided. For this reason St. Paul commands his disciple Timothy, 2 Timothy 2, and says in v. 15: "Command yourself to show God a righteous and blameless worker, who rightly divides the word of truth"; as if he wanted to say: "You should keep the word of truth firmly, but see to it that you separate it from one another and divide it rightly. This is the right double-edged
Sword. The word of punishment is to be kept, so that all sins, both external and internal, physical and spiritual, may be punished in us by others. The word of grace is to be kept, so that we and others may have right and certain comfort against sin. We must have both preaching, the preaching of punishment and the preaching of grace, so that people may be kept on the straight and narrow and not fall into presumption and security on the right or into despair on the left. Where there is despair, one falls headlong into hell; where there is presumption, one runs full speed into hell.
For this reason this gospel should be well remembered, and God wanted all men to form in their hearts this example of our Lord Jesus Christ, how he stands against the proud Pharisee and again against the poor sinner. Over the Pharisee Simon he is a strict judge and sharp preacher, and makes it especially annoying and unpleasant. Again, over the poor sinner he is a merciful confessor and comforting preacher, pronounces a gracious absolution over her and makes her a saint; but over Simon the Pharisee he makes a devil. That is punishment and mercy preached. The poor puke he makes free from sins and covers her with the heaven of graces. He shows the sin to the proud Pharisee and weighs down his conscience; yet he does not mean him evil, but seeks his blessedness, and reveals the sin to him, so that he may recognize it, have counsel, and not be condemned with the other presumptuous hypocrites, if only he would follow.
(15) These things ye always hear preached of us. And so we should also preach, so that we are always found in the state and among the sinners who recognize their sin and are terrified by it; as Magdalene here recognizes her sin and is terrified by it; and are not found among those who have no sin and allow themselves to be thought holy, or who defend their sin and want to be unpunished. Then our dear God protect us from being found among such sinners who do not want to be sinners. If he ever wants to let us fall, then let us be in
such sins as we recognize and which he forgives us, and do not let us fall into those sins which he cannot forgive, because they do not want to be sin but righteousness.
16 A Christian, as long as he lives on earth, is in such a state, even if he is not an adulterer, murderer, robber, nor does he have such sins, which are against the soul, as St. Peter calls it (1 Petr. 2, 11.), that is, against faith and good conscience: nevertheless he is and remains a sinner before God, and is full of sin in his heart, not only against the first commandment, but also against all the commandments of the first and other tables: does not love God with all his heart, does not like God's word and work as he should, does not have such fervent love for his neighbor. And in sum, he feels all kinds of evil inclinations, lusts and desires against God's commandment, even though he resists them by faith through God's Spirit, so that he does not follow them. Such impurity does not cease with us until the pit. St. Paul anesthetizes his body and tames it, 1 Cor. 9, 27. Nevertheless, he complains that he has not yet grasped it, nor can he fully grasp it, Phil. 3, 12; and Rom. 7 he says: He would like to be pious, he would like to burn with vain love toward God and his neighbor; but he has a devil in his heart that pulls him back, namely, original sin. "I delight in God's law, according to the inward man; but I see another law in my members, which is contrary to the law in my mind, and takes me captive to the law of sin, which is in my members. I wretched man, who will deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (V. 22-25.)
(17) Thus it is with all Christians that they have and feel sin, but they do not let it rule or have the upper hand; they do not let sin give way to hope, nor drive themselves into despair; nor do they let it rage against fear and humility, nor drive themselves into presumption, pride and hopefulness against God and their neighbor. Therefore, they are always in battle, fighting against sins, and praying that God will deliver them from the painful, sinful body.
want. Whoever does this is on the right path to salvation. Even if he is a sinner and still feels his sins, they should not harm him. Whoever confesses his sins and allows himself to be punished and defended, there is hope that his sins will be forgiven. But he who does not recognize his sins, but rather defends them and wants to go unpunished, has no such hope.
18 Let this be said enough for this time concerning the ministry of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, which we perform in his name, to punish sins and forgive sins, as he has commanded us. We also need this ministry forever, until the last day.
sst day. For in this life we will not be able to be completely pure and perfect. The old leaven has eaten away too far, worked its way through and corrupted our nature to such an extent that we will not be rid of sin until we die to it, even physically. Therefore, we are always in need of punishment and forgiveness, so that sin may be increased and cured. May our dear God grant us His grace that we may remain pious sinners and not become holy blasphemers, that is, that we may let God be just and right in His words, so that He may justify us, amen.