V.1.2 And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, and go into the great city of Nineveh.
This is written so that we may know how nothing can be done without God's word and command. For the first command of God was nullified by Jonah's disobedience. Therefore, if God had not commanded him anew, Jonah would not have known whether he should do it. Yes, it should have been well with him, as it was with the children of Israel, Num. 14, 1. ff. [Deut. 1, 41. 42.], who also did not want to fight for God's sake for the first time.
They wanted to do it on their own and were beaten over it. Thus, what people do of their own choice and free will, without God's command and word, is nothing and vainly wrong.
(2) In addition to this other command, it is added that he should preach what God commands him to preach, so that both the ministry and the ministry's word must be fasted by divine command; then it will also go right and bear fruit. Otherwise, if they walk without God's command, or preach otherwise than God's word, they do vain harm, as such things all do.
890 Erl. 4i, 388-391. interpretations on the prophets. , W. vi, WW-Mss. 891
both which Jeremiah also teacheth, saying [Cap. 23:21], They ran, and I sent them not: they preached, and I commanded them nothing." Let the two pieces be told thee that should preach, and mark them well; they are for thee and for the people, that thou mayest teach souls. Peter also wrote these two things: "If a man speak the word of God, and if a man minister the ministry, that he do it of God's ability," so that he might be sure that both word and ministry are divine and commanded by God. For it is decided: "He speaks, so it happens" [Ps. 33, 9], by His word all things shall happen, Joh. 1, 3. Therefore "all plants, which the Father does not plant, are cut down" [Matth. 15, 13]. For though they be planted, and though they spring up, they bear no fruit. Thus, man's deeds come to pass and do harm; but they do not end that which they would, but perish at last with their deeds, when they have done harm enough.
V. 3. And Nineveh was a city of God, three days' journey great.
Why does he call Nineveh "a city of God"? Was there no worship, temple or prophets there? I think it is called so because God takes care of it and does not want to destroy it, but takes care of it and sends it a prophet to save it. Therefore, the city would have believed in the true God and Creator of heaven and earth. He also knew that they would hear his prophet, accept his word, and amend their ways. Just as the Scripture also says of Naaman of Syria that God helped the land of Syria through him [2 Kings 5:1], and also calls the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, his servant [Jer 25:9], so that he shows how he is also the God of the Gentiles, and not only the God of the Jews, but also has his own among the Gentiles.
4 Some people understand that the city is three days' journey large, meaning that it has been surrounded by the ring so far that one could walk around it in three days. I will let them have their opinion, but it would have to be a small town that had twelve or fifteen German miles within the ring wall. For it would probably be five or six miles
long and wide. So I understand that Nineveh was so large that in three days one could have walked through it in all its streets, not walking very far, but as one walks in the street at leisure. For afterward he saith, Jonah went in a day's journey, and preached, I respect it, that it was a place and a line, which a man might walk through in a day. The word mahalah, transitive, is helpful for this, that is, a walk, as one walks in the city now and then, just as Moses speaks, 2 Mos. 11, 4. 5, that the Lord walked in the night in Egypt, and struck all the first birth. The same passage was not a straightforward passage, but a passing through now and then. Another one holds what he wants.
V. 4 And he preached, saying, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be converted.
5 Jonah went a day's journey and preached, but how many days he spent before he preached the place and the line is unknown. The sermon is also recently all-shown, what he had said, namely: "Nineveh will be converted over forty days." He undoubtedly not only spoke these words, but had to explain why such wrath of God came upon them, and what wickedness was in the city, and how one should be pious, and what belongs to it. Just as it is still done to summarize a sermon briefly, saying: He preached about sin, he preached about the mass.
V. 5 Then the people of Nineveh believed, and preached to juice, and put on sackcloth, both great and small.
(6) I think that there were saints in that city, so that Jonah called it "a city of God. For show me one more city in the wide world like unto it, though it be the holy city Jerusalem. For behold her: Jonah preached only one day's journey, and they did not all hear him, and yet they all converted. Jerusalem have never 1) neither Christ, nor all the
1) Here the original edition has "like". Because it is too much, we have deleted it, which all other editions except the Erlangen one have done.
Apostles nor prophets, by their words and miracles, may bring it to this point, even if they have long dealt with it, and have preached through and through: that God also wants to say here, as Christ Matth. 8, 10. says of the centurion: "I have not found such faith in Israel". Yes, in Jonah's time Israel and Jerusalem were almost wicked, as Nineveh becomes pious.
(7) Though Jerusalem had done the like in the days of David, Solomon, Ezekiel, Josiah, it was not such a wonder, because she had God's law, so many prophets, so many godly kings, princes, priests, and more noble men, who did and continued daily. But at the time of Jonah, Nineveh is the best and greatest city on earth, and has no equal.
8) This place of the prophet Jonah the sophists use to draw on the works, and say: There, you see that God looks at the works, and the Ninevites thereby acquire grace, even though they are pagans and unbelievers; free will can well prepare itself for grace with works etc. Here I answer: Jonah prevented such talk, since he first, before telling the works, praises the faith of the Ninevites, saying: "The people of Nineveh believed in God. They can skip such a saying and show us the works. Item, Jonah calls Nineveh "a city of God." To be a city of God and to believe in God does not mean that free will has done these works, but that God's grace and faith have done them, and for the sake of such grace and faith such works have pleased God. For they proved outwardly their faith and grace in their hearts, the fruit of Jonah's preaching. But what should not please God, where faith and grace are first in the heart, so that even the sins that remain do no harm?
9 And notice that they do some things that God does not command them to do, and yet they tell Jonah, as fasting and putting on sackcloth. What does God ask about fasting and sackcloth? He wants to have the heart and the whole life changed; God did not demand it of them through Jonah, but only that they desist from their wickedness. Now one may well be in
He says that they go in sacks and fast, and yet they are mischievous, as the monks are in their caps. For this reason he does not praise the fasting or the sacks afterwards, but "that they had converted (he says) from their evil ways. But they did this out of old habit, as they learned it from their forefathers, who thus humbled themselves before God with sacks and fasting.
(10) The same is to be said of the king sitting down with his princes in the ashes, and doing such foolish things that even the animals and cattle should not eat or drink, and also putting on sacks and calling out to God. Who has ever heard that unreasonable animals should fast, put on sacks and cry out to God? Does God also ask for such things from animals?
(11) Admittedly, God regards the fasting and sacking of animals as much as the fasting and sacking of men; and again, of men as much as of animals. But a fearful heart and a humble, frightened conscience does foolish things to prove that it is serious, and if it were possible, it would force stone and wood to mourn, and all creatures to weep with it, and still let itself think that it would not be enough. For it is unspeakable and incomprehensible what seriousness there is for a truly repentant heart, which thinks that it should be so bold to all the world, and do as it does; so that St. Paul says: the groaning of the spirit is inexpressible, Rom. 8, 26. And David Psalm 32:3 says: He roared like a lion with the groaning of his heart: that is, his repentance and groaning in his heart was so great and mighty that he burst out with howling and weeping as horribly as if one heard an angry lion roaring. When God sees such earnestness, He has had enough and is pleased with such foolish things, which He would not look upon if there were no such earnestness. That is why Jonah masterfully and powerfully cut out the repentance and penitence of the Ninevites, as they were fierce, serious and active.
(12) Now if the sophists here want to praise the works that they do in the sight of God, we will not refuse them; but they sound that they also praise the earnestness out of which such works are done. For if they attribute the works alone to
To consider and accept thoughts without such earnestness as the accepted sages are in monasteries and churches, especially in the week of fasting and martyrdom: they are truly foolish works, as if one were to make the animals fast, atone and pray without the repentance of men; so that one accomplishes nothing, except that one mocks God and causes greater wrath. Therefore far, far from such works, or done with earnestness! But such earnestness is not given by free will or our power, but by faith through the power of the Holy Spirit.
(13) For we see here also that the Ninevites do not leave it at the foolish works, but over the fasting and crying of the beasts they attack the right things, and command, "Let every man turn from his wicked way, and from the iniquity of his hands. They want to praise the works and let them stand by what is written, namely, that one should become pious, so that they only offer chaff without grain, and the husks without juice, the shells without kernel, and God is their fool and mocking bird. Let them become pious beforehand and do the works that they praise, and then the quarrels will subside. But now they quarrel about good works, which they do not intend to do, nor can they, yet they always want to talk about them and be masters of them.
14) "To put on sackcloth" is spoken in Hebrew, that it means to put on little clothes and to walk without any adornment, like those who wear suffering, and do not have to wear flour sacks or sackcloth as Jeremiah says Cap. 4:28: 1) "I will put sackcloth on the heavens," that is, make them dark and cloudy. And in Revelation, Cap. 6, 12, he says: "The sun has become like sackcloth. So here the animals also put on sackcloth, that is, they must mourn with it and see it sour; just as in the Hebrew way bread and water means to eat and drink, and "to sit down in ashes" means to sit down, not to ride high and walk along in honor. Not that they should have needed bread and water, and sit in the ashes before the furnace or on the hearth, but because there is no less food than water and bread,
1) Instead of this passage Is. 50, 3. should be cited.
and no lesser garment than sackcloth, and no lesser place than ashes, is called with it all lowly food, garments and place; as Isaiah 2) says of Babylon Cap. 47, 1. "Down, Babylon, down, sit in the ashes."
V. 9. Who knows, God wants to turn and repent etc.
(15) Then the king speaks as if he doubts and is not sure that God will be merciful, which faith demands, or is not faith. But he does not doubt, otherwise he would not have done so and would not have presented himself in this way. For doubting does not call to God, and does not suggest such earnestness. So it happens that a truly repentant heart is in battle with fear, and fights with despair, and has not yet won, therefore it speaks as if it were uncertain. But in truth it does not speak differently, as if it were not yet through, but is in labor and distress. Now if there were no faith, it would not be in such labor and trouble. Therefore these words are rather signs that faith is there, but such a faith that stands in fear and struggles, and yet has God's grace before its eyes, as it says here: "God would turn and repent" etc. That is, there is still goodness behind it, and not vain wrath.
(16) It is not necessary to deal here with the pointed question of how God returns and repents, and makes him sorry, if he is unchangeable, so that some may grieve greatly and make it difficult for themselves. Rather, let us see what excellent faith was in the people who not only believed what Jonah preached about how the city would perish, but who also trusted in God's grace, even though they did not hear any promise from Jonah, but only the words of doom.
The first part is great, that such a mighty city and king should so soon be terrified, and so highly fear God, and so deeply be humbled by a man's sermon, and not think why they should be sinners and damned above all other cities in the world. How stiffly Sodom stood
2) In the original, by confusion with Jer. 6:26: "Jeremiah."
and Gomorrah against Lot! How Pharaoh held fast against Moses and Aaron! How stubborn Jerusalem remained against Christ and the apostles! How did Rome rage and rage against the Christians at all times! How defiant are princes and bishops against the gospel even now! Truly the whole world is like a jack, a devil against these people of Nineveh, and they are like angels against the world.
18 The other thing is greater, that in such fear and anguish they should not despair, and yet have no promise. Rather, what do they hold on to that they do not despair? We have so many prophets, so many apostles, so much Scripture, so many books, preachers and comforting words, and yet we cannot trust God that our riches in God's Word would be called a sea compared to a drop that they have had. For they could have nothing more without the single word that God created heaven and earth, and that He is true God, that is, that He is kind and gracious. They make such little pieces so excellently useful to them for their salvation, and to both of us, Jews and Christians, to all disgrace, who cannot make half as much use of the abundance of God's word. For this reason Christ also imposes it on the Jews and all of us, saying: "The people of Nineveh will appear at the Last Judgment and condemn this generation, because they have atoned for their sins.
Preach Jonah. And behold, here is more than Jonah." And this is not unreasonable, because we do not put forward half the earnestness, admonished with so many thousand prophecies and promises of God, since the Ninivites, terrified by One word of prophecy, comforted without some promise, prove so rich in faith. But it is like this: where there is little of God's word, there is great hunger and earnestness for it; where it is superfluous, one is weary of it and despises it.
V. 10. Then God saw her works, so that she "turned" from her wicked ways etc.
Here, here the works are praised, what shall we say against it? The saints of works have won here. Yes, finely won! Look at the text. He says, "God saw their works," that is, they pleased Him well; but what were they? He interprets them himself, saying, "They taught themselves from their evil way." Do and teach such works, and we will not only grant thee the glory of works, but will help to praise them. "Turning from the evil way" is not a small work, it does not include fasting and sackcloth, but believing in God from the heart, and loving one's neighbor as oneself; that is, it requires the whole man to be pious and righteous, both inwardly and outwardly, in body and soul. For God demands the whole man, and does not like the half-breeds and hypocrites.