[February 24] Anno 1517.
Translated from Latin.
You have hidden it from the wise and prudent, and have revealed it to babes. Matth. 11, 25. Man hides what is his, so that he denies it; but God hides what is his, so that he reveals it. For he hideth it from the wise and great, that they might be humbled and unwise, and so reveal it to babes: for this is acceptable in his sight, and the best will, which is just and holy. And what will is better than that which by its concealment does nothing but remove the hindrances of revelation, that is, arrogance? Two questions arise here: first, what are the wise and prudent to whom such things are hidden? second, what are these hidden things?
To the first question is answered here and there that the wise and prudent are those who believe themselves to be such and yet in truth are not. That this gloss is true, but even darker than the text itself, is said by many who are such people themselves and do not believe themselves to be such, indeed, they abhor such things. For this interpretation sounds as if some people were wise and others only imagined such things. This is a dangerous conception, which, very close to arrogance, is peculiar to those who are such wise men. That is why Christians should be told that they are wise.
who know everything, especially in the wisdom of God and in the holy scriptures. For all such are and consider themselves wise. Furthermore, those whom they [Christians] call truly wise, who do not consider themselves to be so, these are not those who have wisdom, but are foolish and poor in wisdom and prudence, who recognize without all imagination of their heart that they are empty and know absolutely nothing. These truly unwise, but thirsting after wisdom, I say, are truly wise. The rest, whether they are imaginary, as there are the peasants and grossly ignorant people, or whether they have wisdom, as there are the subtle hypocrites, are all wise, because they are not unwise, not empty, not thirsting after wisdom, not ignorant. Therefore the apostle [1 Cor. 3:18], as an excellent teacher, saith not, Whosoever would be wise among you, let him thin himself, or think himself a fool; but, "Let him become a fool, that he may be wise." For this is a true saying: the fool is a wise man, and the wise man is a fool; 1) a
1) Here it should be added: "There are two kinds of fools"; the one, who is considered wise by the world, is considered a fool by God because of his own wisdom and he is hardened; the other, who considers himself a fool and is considered a fool by the world, is credited by God with his (God's) wisdom. For etc. .
*) This sermon is the last introductory sermon to Luther's lectures on the Ten Commandments, which are thus closed on February 24, 1517. (Löscher, Ref.-Acta, vol. I, p. 725, note, and p. 745; Weim. Ausg., vol. I, p. 138 and p. 19). It is already printed in the 12th volume of the St. Louis edition, Col. 1762 ff.; however, because the Weimar edition, whose first volume appeared at the same time, could not yet be used in the editing, there are several errors in it. Therefore, we give here an improved translation. In Latin, this sermon is first found in Löscher, Reformations-Acta, Vol. I, p. 740; in the Erlangen edition, with the resumption of several errors which Walch had already correctly emended, ox>x>. var. arZ., Vol. I, p. 171 and in the Weimar edition, Vol. I, p. 138. After the latter we have translated.
Fool, namely, [before God] by his own wisdom and a fool [before the world] by foreign wisdom, that is, God's, who obdurates and imputes. For whoever recognizes himself as truly a fool before GOD, this humility is credited to him for the greatest wisdom.
Those who are truly wise, that is, unwise, always say, "Lord, guide my way in your sight and direct my steps. But he that prayeth thus confesseth himself blind and unwise, as it is evident. But he does not consider himself unwise, as if he were nevertheless wise. But the wise, that is, the foolish, say: "Who will show us what is good? We are what we are; we follow the guide of a pious intention and of sound reason"; as Cicero boasts in his book "Of Old Age" that they are wise because they followed reason, as the best guide. This sound reason, this guide, this prudence of nature, which is now resounding and praised from all chairs, is that wisdom and prudence to which the father conceals what is his, so that he may make them foolish and guilty, and compel them to seek grace as a guide. Furthermore, a wise man and a prudent man can be distinguished from each other in such a way that a "wise man" is the one who is a teacher of youth and other people, who is able to teach others; a "prudent man" is the one who is able to grasp what is presented. For both are fools before God.
To the other question it is answered that these hidden things are Christ himself and God the Father. But he answers this question immediately himself by saying [Matth. 11, 27.]: "All things are delivered unto me of my Father; and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; and no man knoweth the Father, but the Son, and to whom the Son will reveal it." So the knowledge of God and of Christ, the Father and the Son, are these hidden things, which the wise and the saints are especially offended by, as John says [Cap. 16, 3]: "And this they will do to you (so that they will think they are doing God a service by killing you), because they neither know nor have knowledge of the Father and the Son.
Father, nor do they recognize me. For this very reason they think they are doing God a service, because they are wise and intelligent, not minors; but for this reason the wise, because this is hidden, know neither the Father nor the Son. What then is the knowledge of God that Christ taught us? Has everything been taken away from us, then, and has nothing been left for us? Where then is wisdom? where is righteousness? where is truth? where is virtue? Not in us, but in Christ, apart from us in God. So we have become minors, fools, sinners, liars, weak, vain, in that everything is given to Christ. So no one knows the Father except the Son, and no one knows the Son except the Father; because everything is of the Father alone and given to the Son alone. And so we are completely emptied of all knowledge and thus have become incapable of the Father revealing His own to us and the Son revealing His own to us, that is, they both reveal the same thing and it is the same One who reveals; One Revelation, One Revealer. The Father transfigures the Son, and the Son transfigures the Father, as it is said in John [Cap. 17, 1]. Learn, then, where wisdom is, where virtue is, where understanding is. Baruch says Cap. 3, 37: However, "our God alone has found it". So it is not to be sought from us nor in us, but in God. "He gave it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved." 1) And John 12:32: "When I am exalted, I will draw them all to myself." So he has left us nothing? Yes, that is so. So where are the wise men?
Know therefore that our righteousness, virtue, and wisdom is Christ Himself, made unto us of the Father, in whom God the Father hath put all His wisdom, virtues, and righteousness, that it might become ours. This means to recognize the Son. Know then that the Father, according to His mercy, imputes to us the righteousness of His Son, that is, His own, because the righteousness of the Father and the righteousness of the Son are one and the same; the same life, the same
1) In the Vulgate it says uileebo instead of eiketo in Löscher. We have adopted the reading of the Vulgate.
Virtue has been given to us. This is to know the Father of Christ. But these things are so hidden from the wise, that when they hear this, they immediately chatter, "Let us not do good, let us do evil, that good may come of it. If we are justified by a righteousness apart from us, and by God's mercy alone, let us be idle, since our works are nothing, nor our wisdom anything." Thus speak those who are too wise and righteous; if they first became minors, so that they could receive the self-revealing Father and Son, they could easily resolve the question and answer that those in whom Christ's wisdom has been revealed cannot be idle, and of the one who now no longer lives himself, but Christ in him, there is no fear that Christ will be idle: yea, he is exceedingly busy, and that with all pleasure and great ease; while those with their wisdom and righteousness labor, sweat, and burden themselves with whimsical miseries, but in vain. For by their own counsels, efforts, and ways, they strive to come to the rest of conscience, and do not rest until they know that they have cleansed themselves of their sins by satisfaction, and have satisfied their purpose, which is impossible after all, and is called building on the sand.
Therefore, no matter how much they work, labor and think about things, they do nothing but increase the restlessness of their souls, which they try to escape, and which can only be escaped by recognizing the Father and the Son, that is, the grace and mercy of God freely given to us in Christ and the merit of Christ imputed to us. To such he now says [Matth. 11, 28.]: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"; it is not you who are to give rest, that is, to provide rest, but me. Why do you remain within yourselves? Go out from yourselves and come to me, despairing of yourselves and putting your hope in me. Just as Abraham came from his fatherland, his friendship and his and his father's
has gone out from the house. For the house of our Father is ourselves, we are the world itself; therefore we must go out from ourselves, because we are weary and burdened. And more appropriately in the Greek: Come unto me all ye that labor and are burdened. For it would be easier if we worked as burdened, so that the burden would be the work; but now the work is at the same time also a burden, that is, we work so that we may rest, and even this work burdens us still more, because sin is increased still more by our righteousness and works; the conscience is neither relieved nor calmed, but thereby weighed down still more. As it is said in Ecclesiastes, Cap. 10, 15. "The work of fools becomes sour to them, because they know not how to go into the city." And a little before [v. 9.], "He that rolleth away stones shall have trouble with it; and he that cleaveth wood shall be hurt thereby." These are the occupations and works of the toilers. For it is common to say of hard work, "I would rather carry stones and cut wood." And yet, what do these two works accomplish but that they serve others and not themselves? Therefore let us hear what is the rest of souls [Matt. 11:29], "Take my yoke upon you." He does not say, Do this or that, but come to me, forsake me, and take up your cross, and follow me; for [Matt. 10:38], "he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth me, is not worthy of me." For to come to Christ and go out from oneself is the great cross, which no one abhors more than he who seeks to purify himself from sins by his works. For all of these desire to escape not sins but the punishments of sins (for they are servants and do not take sin but only the punishment of sin), therefore by many sanctifications they seek to extinguish the hellish fire and escape the punishment of judgment. However, since sin always remains, the punishment of the conscience does not pass either, because they seek their own. Therefore, the wicked have no peace. If they abandoned themselves and hated their sins, they would have no more punishment, nor would they fear it, because after
760 D- V- a. 1. 176.378 f. 116. Luther's Sermon on the Day of St. Matthew. W. XIX, SÜ1 f. 761
When the guilt is lifted, the punishment also falls away on its own. But they do not want to leave themselves and fear this easy yoke of Christ; therefore they labor under their burden, and fear where there is nothing to fear, and drag sin like a truck.
The abundant distribution of indulgences also promotes servile righteousness to a high degree, for nothing is effected by them except that the people learn to fear, flee and detest the punishment of sins, but not the sins themselves. Therefore, one does not notice any fruit of the indulgence, but a great certainty and carelessness in sinning, in such a way that if the punishment of sins were not feared, no one would wish to have this indulgence even in vain, while the people should rather be admonished to love the punishment and to take up the cross. And did God want me to be lenient in saying that the indulgences [indulgences
indulgence] may rightly have its name for this reason, because induction is as much as permission, and indulgence is impunity, a permission to sin, and a freedom to nullify the cross of Christ. Or if indulgences were to be allowed, they should be given only to those who are weak in faith, so that those who strive to attain meekness and humility through the cross would not be offended, as the Lord says here. For he says that it is not through indulgences but through meekness and humility that souls find rest. But meekness only takes place in punishment and in the cross, from which that indulgence frees us and teaches us to abhor it, and causes us to become meek and humble in no matter, that is, never to obtain [true] indulgence nor to come to Christ. Oh about the dangers of our time! O over the sleeping priests! O more than Egyptian darkness! How safe we are in all our worst evils!