In this chapter the important doctrine of the statutes of men is dealt with and their [the scribes' and Pharisees'] ridiculous, even harmful superstition is shown. It is ridiculous that it is considered a sin not to wash one's hands, since God has not commanded it. It is harmful, however, that for the sake of these ridiculous things, the serious commandments of God are nevertheless abrogated. These two characteristics of human ordinances must be made clear, namely, that they are, first of all, futile and ridiculous things that do not help to attain blessedness; secondly, that they nevertheless corrupt true godliness. I say again, these two evil things are well to be remembered.
2. from the first. The whole human race lets itself be led captive by this ridiculous monster and shameful ape. For it has two extremely apparent grounds of proof. The first is that it is similar to the true commandments of God; for example, because in the Law of Moses there is much teaching about the various ablutions of the body, garments and vessels, to which they have added many other ablutions, innumerable in fact, and which are supposed to be so necessary and equal to those commanded in the Law of Moses. The other is that it comes from the reputation of the church, as it says here, "Essays of the elders." But the elders were then just what they now call the church, Concilium, the fathers 2c. So they praise also today in the statutes of food and drink 2c. the reputation of the general church.
V. 1. Then the scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem came to him and said.
(3) Here we are presented with a real spectacle of how the Pharisees are angry, and how well Christ is able to carry off their anger. They come from Jerusalem, namely from the most distinguished place, as the Pharisees.
the most severe judge in these matters. For if he had despised the people of the land of Galilee, that would have been a very small act, and it would have brought little danger. But to despise the highest authorities of the capital Jerusalem is an insult to the majesty, a serious crime of sedition or heresy.
(4) Therefore the evangelist introduces them as they push against the rock of trouble. For they appear with great arrogance and pomposity and address him, as it were from on high, as the very lowest beggar.
V. 2. Why do your disciples of the elders transgress? They do not wash their hands when they eat bread.
5 They want to say this much: If you were from God and from the church, you would not admit that your disciples were such rebellious, disobedient and angry people. Then you know that these are essays of the elders. Who are you to oppose them alone? It is the reputation of the church against which you act. For the word "elders" is of great emphasis, and has powerfully oppressed and imprisoned the consciences, just as even today what the holy fathers, Augustine, Ambrose, and their ilk have said and done makes a great impression on the consciences, especially the weak ones. For "elders" were called not only those who lived at the same time, but also their predecessors, who had decreed such things. And they had a great reputation from Moses, who teaches that one should obey the high priest and the Levites everywhere, equal to God Himself; Deut. 17, 8. ff. Just as today they quote the saying: "He who hears you hears me" [Luc. 10, 16]. Therefore they safely and confidently accuse Christ of disobedience and mutiny, saying, "Why are you doing this? But he does not let them go away without an answer, as follows:
V. 3. He answered and said to them: Why then do you transgress God's commandment because of your essays?
006 He doth not acknowledge them that he hath answered them in the matter, but driveth one wedge against another, and turneth back their question in a way that they hate, as if he had made a comparison, saying, If I am worthy to be punished, who have sinned a mote according to your mind, why are ye not more worthy to be punished, which sin great beams? You want to be my gnat, and you swallow your cameos [Matth. 23, 24.], although in truth neither a splinter nor a gnat can be found in me.
(7) Then this would be more tolerable if you did not fulfill or keep the law of Moses according to works; but this is the worst, that you abolish the law itself. For as long as the law stands, there are always some who strive to fulfill it, driven by the fear of God. But when the law is abolished, there arises a right and freedom to sin safely; indeed, it is a virtue to ask nothing of the law. But this you, God's worst enemies, do, and yet you judge the best children of God. And this for no other reason than that you may set up your essays against the commandments of God. Fie, what a shamefully cursed people you are! who, being the most wicked people on the face of the earth, nevertheless presume to condemn God Himself with all His commandments. Yea, I mean, they have well run, and rubbed themselves against the right cauldron, and caught Ram0. They want to teach him how to do wrong, and give him vain great cause to report their own vices. But let this be enough of these villains' foolishness and mischievousness.
Now we must consider what we are to learn from this. The first lesson is that it is the greatest transgression before God to transgress God's commandment for the sake of man's essays, for that is to put God under man. Just as was done under the papacy, and as they still do with both forms, with marriage,
1) Ram - debris, dirt.
and other articles of spiritual freedom. Therefore, one must take courage and oppose with the greatest confidence wherever one notices that the prestige of the divine word is depressed by the prestige of human wisdom or reverence. For this is unalterably certain: There is no one above or beside God, but God alone is above everything, and everything under Him, to which it finally comes, and must come. For this challenge is always in the Church, has always been, and will also be in the future, as long as the devil is prince of this world, for he is a liar from the beginning; he has always wanted to become higher than God. Therefore, this instruction is always necessary for us, so that we know that we must obey God more than men, and prefer His word to the words of men. For there always remain people who do the opposite; some out of error, others out of malice. Just as what was previously error is now wickedness, as the doctrine of both forms 2c. And all heretics prefer their own sense to the true sense of Christ until the end of the world.
9 Secondly. In such statutes of men, which neither abrogate nor contradict the commandment of God, we are to be guided by the church or the people among whom we live. As it is said: Si fueris Romae, Romano vivito more [If you live in Rome, keep according to Roman custom]. For Christ expressly adds:
For the sake of your essays.
(10) As if to say, to wash one's hands according to the custom of a people is not evil; but because you demand everything so strictly for your own sake, against the commandment of God, therefore you are to be cursed with your opinions. He who is against God is a devil; but now you and your essays are against God; therefore you are devils. But if they were not against God, they would be for God, as when you wash your hands to keep up the customs of the people, so that love, peace and harmony may remain, to the glory of God: such washing would be something beautiful, and would be rightly washed, not only the hands and feet,
but also the head and the heart, soul and body.
Now you can go through the text in order, so that the history will be well impressed on your memory.
V. 4. 5. 6. God commanded: You shall honor your father and mother. But he that curseth father and mother shall surely be put to death. But ye teach, Whosoever saith unto his father or mother, If I sacrifice it, it is much better for thee; he doeth well. Thus it comes to pass that no one honors his father or mother henceforth. And so you have abrogated God's commandment for the sake of your essays.
Here it can be clearly seen that Christ not only does not abolish the ten commandments, but also confirms them, because he says: the reverence for the parents, and consequently the whole household and the worldly government, is an order of God, which he does not want to be violated by any essays. -This is certainly a great honor for this estate, which is now so despised and burdensome in the world, with which the secular governments and those who live in the household should certainly console themselves.
(13) Secondly, he shows that those who curse their parents or rebel against the secular government are those who, under the appearance of religion, teach that parents should not be obeyed. For such people curse and destroy in truth the aforementioned two estates, precisely by saying: Corban [Marc. 7, 11.]. As if he wanted to say: You teach as rebels against God and men that people believe that the status of parents and children is not holy, because you prefer your Corban, that is, your gift or sacrifice.
14. and notice here the devil, by whom they [the Pharisees] were possessed, whom here Christ depicts'. For the dispute with the Pharisees was really whether it was better to give to one's parents, or to offer to the priests? Those said: it was better to offer it, 2c. Thus they taught that the honor owed to parents is only a ceremony, namely, that one bows the head, stands up before them, and shows reverence to them in gestures. This is what the avaricious devil taught them. For Christ
teaches here that one 'curses' the parents with it, let alone that one honors them. For he who says that sacrifice is better than obedience to parents says that the status of parents is not holy if it is compared to sacrifice. But this is truly cursing the parents, that is, to hold and speak of them lowly and without reverence in the heart. On the other hand (says Christ) your sacrifice is cursed, and in comparison with the parents to be regarded as something low; but the reputation of the parents, when compared with the sacrifices, is truly most holy, blessed, and worthy of all reverence. For this is commanded by God, but your sacrifices are not commanded.
(15) Much worse nowadays have been the papists, who have rejected the household and called it a worldly and carnal life, but have preferred their orders holy, spiritual, seraphic, heavenly, and have infinitely preferred them even to faith and the Christian life. These are truly cursers and accursed, who curse God's orders and works. Therefore, against their frenzy, these words of Christ must be struck out and inculcated as much as one can. For this abomination has reigned mightily in the whole world, and still rages enough, although it has received a not insignificant blow. But it remains with Christ's saying, which is stronger and more powerful: You are all cursers against God's commandment, because you prefer your own opinions to the prestige and status of your parents and the worldly regiment. This we should believe, and not be deceived by their apparent curses, even if the Pharisees themselves should be angry at us if we transgress the essays of all the fathers. For, indeed, we must confess that it is a very great vexation to despise the Fathers, the Fathers, the Concilia, the Concilia. But what should we do if we find that the words and works of them (as Christ himself judged) are insisted upon by the Pharisees against God's certain commandment? Here we should confidently bid farewell to these cursed essays and remain with the blessed word of God.
16And it is quite possible, yea, certain, that the washing of their hands by their fathers
for a good cause, namely, for the sake of good discipline, for the common people, but they have subsequently made a reverence and service to God out of it. And not only this, but they also added their own essays, against God's commandments.
The fathers also spoke and did many things in the church for a good reason, which their descendants later made into a necessary service, and also added many things about the mass, about vows, about purgatory 2c, against faith and against obedience to God 2c. With all this, they have gone as far as Christ says here, that no one honors his father or mother anymore, or, as Paul says to Titus, Cap. 1, 14: "Men's commandments that turn away from the truth.
18. but look at the pretense they put on when they speak, as it is said in Marcus [Cap. 7, 11.]: "If a man says to his father or mother, Corban, that is, if I offer it, it is much more useful to you." Corban, that is, a gift or sacrifice before GOD. As if he wanted to say: I would gladly give it to you; but what should I do? it is already no longer mine, but given to God. So the name of God must be the cover of shame of all blasphemy and mischievousness; God must have taken from the father what he should take from the son. Thus not men but God Himself sin against His fourth commandment; but they are holy people, according to the first commandment, as those who serve God. O peelers above all peelers. Therefore he is justly angry and speaks as follows:
V. 7, 8: Ye hypocrites, Isaiah hath prophesied of you, saying: This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me.
19 First, he confesses that the hypocrites seek the true God, because he says, "Me" and "I". They mean me, I see that well, because they carry my name in their mouth. They do not let themselves think that they are seeking idols or a foreign god.
20 Secondly, he admits that their seeking is a worship, saying, "They honor
me." This is a strange saying, that "to honor" is as much as "not to honor", which is called oppositum in; in German: Es ist ein Teufel Gott, oder, wie man spricht: Ein türkischer Christ, ein teuflischer Engel, eine hnrische Jungfrau, eine jungfräuliche Hure, ein devout Schalk, ein schalkhaftiger Heiliger, eine hoffährtige Demuth, eine reich Armuth. Which way of speaking is called oppositum in adjecto. In this way Christ calls idolatry a service of God. For in fact and truth their worship was not worship, but idolatry. Just as Mammon is called a god [Matth. 6, 24], and Paul calls [Phil. 3, 19/ the. belly a god, and [2 Cor. 4, 4/ the devil a god.
What then is lacking here? It is the true GOD whom they seek (as he speaks), and their seeking is service, religion, piety, reverence. What more do you want, where is the service of the true GOtt, where is the reverence towards the true GOtt, where is the fear of the true GOtt? (For in Isaiah, the fear of GOD is in this place, where it says, "they honor me," that is, they fear me.) Is it nothing if one honors, fears and serves the true God? What do we want to do? Who wants to be saved? You hear here that Christ himself says this. Who can resist him? He says, "They serve me (or fear me). Me (he says), not the devil; it is I whom they serve, whom they fear. What is lacking? That is what is lacking, which is in the other commandment: You shall not take my name in vain. Mine is the name which thou shalt call; and shalt call my name, and not the devil's name.
22 Therefore the conclusion is made here that every idolatrous person sins; not in not seeking the true God, for all call the true name of God, and the true name of God means the true God, just as he says here, "They honor me," but in this lies the error, that they do not honor the true God with true service.
(23) Therefore, a distinction must be made, not in regard to God, but in regard to the service of God; one is the true service, the other the false service.
Jeroboam did not worship the calves, but he worshiped the true GOD, but with false worship. For he meant and sought the GOD who had brought Israel out of Egypt (as his words read) [1 Kings 12:28]. But because he did not honor GOD truly or by true worship, it is said of him that he worshiped the calves, and not GOD. This is what Paul also affirms Rom. 10, 2: "They are zealous for GOD, but with lack of understanding"; and 1 Cor. 10, 20: "The Gentiles, what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to the devil, and not to GOD." Behold, he speaks "they sacrifice." But to sacrifice is as much as to sanctify something to God. Therefore he says Rom. 1, 19. 21.: "That it is known to them that God is, is evident to them; but they have not praised Him as a God, nor thought Him" 2c.
(24) Therefore this passage is to be well noted, that the service of God (even of the true God) is rejected, contrary to all men's opinion, who say, If I mean well, it will please God. Just as the Sophists taught: To him who does as much as is in him, God gives grace. For this doctrine or opinion is the source of all idolatries, errors and sects, so that people think that if they can call the right God, and mean it well, then it must be right. But Christ condemns all these things here, saying that they are mouths without heart, and far from God. And yet they confess: they honor, they fear, they serve, they are pious, they are holy. What is the cause? He answers: Because they honor Me not according to the word of GOD, but according to the statutes of men. This is what he says:
V. 9 But they serve me in vain, because they teach such doctrines, which are nothing but the commandments of men.
(25) From these words of Christ you may conclude, first of all, that everything that happens without the word of God is idolatry.
26. Secondly, everything that is done according to the word of God is true worship.
27. Likewise, thirdly, everything that happens without faith is sin.
Fourth, everything that is done in faith is a good work, because the Word and faith are indissolubly linked.
as in a marriage. This is clearly stated by Christ here, when he says: "In vain do they serve me with the commandments of men. And again he says that he is indeed honored as the true God, but "in vain"; but in vain is the same as nothing. Therefore idolatry is called nothing, vanity, lies, falsehood, everywhere in the holy Scriptures. As in the 4th Psalm, v. 3.: "How you love the vain so", and the lies so gladly!"
Here one must explain and make a distinction between the commandments of men and the commandments of God, because the commandments of parents and princes also seem to be the commandments of men 2c. The Ten Commandments teach us this difference perfectly by the order of the commandments themselves, because the first tablet is preferred to the second, and flows into and governs the second. For example, the second tablet says: Honor the parents, listen to them, follow them; but where the parents should command something contrary to the first tablet, it is already a commandment of man, because it is completely contrary to God. Such is the case with religion, when parents force their children to idolatry and godlessness. Here one should say: "One must obey God more than men" [Acts 5:29]. For in this case the parents' commandment is a mere commandment of men ohüe GOtt, besides GOtt, over GOtt, because it does not flow from the first tablet, but resists the first tablet. Otherwise, where it does not resist the first tablet, the parents' command is truly God's command, because He Himself commanded to obey the parents, but not against God, who commands.
30. Secondly. The case can also arise outside of religion that one must not obey parents either. As if the parents should command something obviously contrary to the second tablet: to kill, to commit adultery, to steal, to lie and to do other evil things. For God has exempted all these things from obedience to parents, and has also subjected parents themselves to the second tablet.
31 Therefore, if the commandments of the two tables are observed (for against these the parents have nothing to command), then one must do according to them whatever the parents or the authorities may command. And
then their commandments are not human but divine commandments. For God has given them the power to command; only that the ten commandments remain inviolate, to which they themselves are also subject.
So everything that is commanded against the ten commandments is an ungodly and human commandment. Now all the statutes of men involve a sin against the first tablet, because they teach that one should put his trust in such works. If they did not, they would do no harm and could be done quite safely. But then they would not last long, but would lie despised, because one would not need them if one should not put one's trust in them.
(33) Thus also the statutes of men afterward make death-slayers. For after they have taught that one must put one's trust in works (as is their way) and thus commit idolatry against the first table, they also immediately teach that one must put to death all those who do not want to follow such idolatry. And they have the title that they kill those for the sake of God, as blasphemers against the service of God. Just as Christ says Joh. 16, 2: "They think they are doing God a service by killing you."
34 Thus even these two sins of the devil, namely lying against the first table, and murdering against the second, cannot be separated from each other, but they are quite certain conclusions that Christ puts John 8:44: "He is a murderer and a liar." Thus every one who serves the statutes is an idolater or a liar, and every idolater is a death-slayer. For although he does not kill with his hand, yet he hates in his heart all godly men who fight against his religion, and gives his consent to it, and wishes happiness to it when they are killed. This is what I would have done to all godly people when I was still a monk, if they had challenged my foolish religion or human statutes as futile or idolatry. For, as I was a very wicked idolater, so I would have become a very cruel death-slayer by deed, if there had been opportunity.
For it cannot be otherwise: whoever is of the opinion that his being is worship, must also be hostile to all who condemn such worship. And this all the more, the more zealously he loves his religion, just as St. Paul, because he was zealous in his Pharisaic nature, had to rage and become a very cruel death-slayer [Gal. 1:13, 14]. Thus the lie (that is, idolatry) inevitably leads to death. The same opinion is also expressed by St. Gregory (however briefly) in a sermon: True righteousness has compassion, but false righteousness has wrath. As if he wanted to say: The false saints are the greatest death-strikers; the true saints, however, are kind and very gentle.
V. 10, 11: And he called the multitude unto him, and said unto them: Listen and hear. What comes into the mouth does not defile a man.
Then Christ gives an interpretation of Isaiah, and delivers a sharp sermon against the statutes of men. He uses many words and makes himself very hateful [to the enemies] with this passage. He deliberately moves from the washing of hands (over which the controversy about the ordinances of men had arisen) to the eating of food itself, in which he makes a statement contrary to the law of Moses, since Moses teaches in the second and third of his books that some animals are unclean to eat. Christ, on the other hand, clearly states the general proposition that eating and drinking neither sanctifies nor defiles. This was a completely new and unheard-of opinion among this people; indeed, it was blaspheming Moses to his face. For what is left here for Moses, when it is preached that the law of eating and drinking is free and abolished?
Therefore, a Jew can safely eat meat, fish, and other foods that were forbidden in the Law and were unclean in some way, and is bound (because the great God says so) to believe that he cannot sin or become unclean even if he eats gnats, or even if a snake gets into his mouth by accident.
38 What then are the commandments according to
which one should eat and drink this or that 2c. if one wants to attain righteousness thereby, other than blatant blasphemies against these words of the divine majesty? Consider who and how great he is who speaks here, and you will see how foolish it is what is taught and held contrary to this.
39 Christ opens his mouth wide and says with a loud voice: "What enters the mouth does not defile. What can be said that is clearer, more powerful and more certain? He does not say, "All that you eat," but, "All that enters your mouth." With this he wants to avoid all slander, so that no one would like to pretend that there is any difference between the foods. What always enters the mouth is not called sin. But if food and drink do not defile, how much less will clothing, place, time, persons, and all other habits and statutes defile, since food and drink are the greatest things in this bodily life. Notice with diligence that Christ says this. The other part of Christ's saying is this:
But what goes out of the mouth defiles the man.
(40) This beautiful and graceful contrast between "going in" and "going out" is very attractive. As if it wanted to say: Oh, why do they bother with food and drink, or with what goes into the mouth? if they would rather take care of what goes out of the mouth. One should look up. What goes into the mouth does not defile, but what goes out of the mouth defiles. O these are vile hypocrites! who take heed lest they be defiled by those things that go into the mouth (which are God's creatures); why do they not rather take heed to what goes out of the mouth, which are the works of the devil?
41 Therefore, the emphasis of these words "what goes out" must be made great. As if he wanted to say: Oh keep silent about the going in! The going out of the mouth is all uncleanness. If the going out were pure, the coming in would not make impure. He
You are the most perverse hypocrites, making righteousness where there is none, and sin where there is none; but where there is sin, you make none, and where there is righteousness, you think it is none.
V: 12. Then his disciples came to him and said: Do you also know that the Pharisees were angry when they heard the word?
(42) Here you see that even the disciples themselves were moved about this teaching of the food, because they say that the Pharisees were offended by it. For it was indeed vexatious, even against Moses. But Christ, or the Lord, who has power over all things, answers with a still harsher saying, saying:
V. 13. But he answered and said, All plants which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.
43. What is this talking about? Is not the law of Moses planted by God? For the disciples did not ask about the washing of hands, but about the freedom to eat, since Christ had said: "What enters the mouth does not defile the man"; therefore he could justly be accused as heretical against the law of Moses; for against this he teaches, not only against the ordinance of man about washing hands. I would have helped to crucify him, since he publicly teaches before the people in such an inflammatory way: one is not guilty of keeping what Moses commanded; yes, he declares Moses to be a heretic and contrary to God the Father, since he says that his plant is not from his father and should be expiated. And he adds: all those would be blind, and leaders of the blind, who teach these commandments of Moses, and follow them. Who would not want to stone, crucify, and eternally persecute such a devil preacher, or be spiteful 1) and grudging?
44 What shall we say to this? First, let us say that Christ is Lord even of the Sabbath, as He said above, Cap. 12:8; and how much more Lord over all ceremonies, over food and drink!
1) In the old editions: "gehas".
And therefore Moses, the servant, had to give way with his law to the Lord, who is now present; and the Pharisees or priests were now out of their office, and had to worship the new king. Therefore, the laws of Moses could no longer be called plants of God, since everything had been given to them for the sake of the future Christ; and the Father now wanted to start another kingdom through His Son.
45 Secondly, we say that the Pharisees were hypocrites and perverse disciples of Moses, because they thought that if they performed the ceremonies only outwardly, they would attain righteousness before God for the sake of the mere work. This was not Moses' intention, but the ceremonies were to be exercises of the godly, who were righteous beforehand by faith, namely those who kept the first commandment (above all); furthermore, the wicked people were to be kept in check by outward discipline and to be separated from the Gentiles. This is the opinion of Moses, if one understands him correctly. But now, since they do not only wrongly understand and teach Moses, but also the present Lord of Moses, Christ rightly concludes: the tree must be uprooted with its root, since it is no longer planted by the Father. And so Moses falls with his ceremonies, and at the same time the hypocrisy with the false understanding of Moses, and Christ, as the only free Lord and King of freedom, keeps his place.
46 If they had accepted the Lord and Moses in truth and (as Paul says [Rom. 9, 31. f. 10, 3.]) had wanted to understand the law correctly, then the ceremonies would have been good and Christ would not have cut them off, just as he would not have cursed the fig tree, even if the fig tree had not only borne leaves, but had been a righteous fig tree [Matth. 21, 19.]. For the whole sum is this: righteousness before God does not come from works and ceremonies, but from faith. Where faith stands, all ceremonies, even godly human statutes, can remain. But where faith is not permitted, there
neither the ceremonies, even if they are prescribed by God, much less the statutes of men, even if they are good in appearance, can remain, but both, and all at the same time, are to be uprooted as plants that the Father has not planted. For he will have faith; therefore all that can be called law shall be cut off. For faith makes righteous, but the law (even if it is accepted in the most spiritual way) does not make righteous. Therefore, even the law is completely eradicated in the spirit (as has often been taught and written elsewhere). For here one can act of the abolition of the law, because here ausreuten is the same as abolish.
V. 14 Let them go, they are blind and blind guides; but if one blind man guides another, they will both fall into the pit.
47 But because the ungodly people did not understand this, Christ commands them to be despised, knowing full well that they neither wanted nor were able to understand it. Therefore one must give them leave. Oh, let them go, let them do their thing; they do not understand, do not want to understand, and cannot understand. Let them be blind men, and lead one another into the pit to the devil; so they want it. Neither preaching nor miracles help. They do not want to hear me, and yet they might well. They want to teach and judge me, and yet they cannot. Blind, blind after all!
V. 15 Peter answered and said to him, "Interpret this parable for us.
48 Peter does not ask about the human statute of washing hands, but about the freedom to eat anything. For (as has been said) even the disciples take offense at this new teaching, which went against the Law of Moses. And Christ answers arrogantly enough, and not to the point. For when he should teach how these things did not dispute with Moses, he turns to something else, and speaks very contemptuously:
V. 16. 17. And Jesus said unto them, Are ye yet without understanding? Notice
Do you not yet know that everything that enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is ejected by the natural course?
49) As if he wanted to say to his dearest and most trusted disciples, "Oh, do you think that the food which is thrown out after a short time by the natural course can make you blessed? Have you no understanding at all? For what would this so great teacher and Lord need not only to touch upon this ugly need of the human body, but also (as philosophers and physicians are wont to do) to describe it very roughly, namely, how the food enters the mouth, enters the stomach, and is then thrown out? And he does not think it worth the trouble to say at least how the food is transformed into flesh and blood, and gives nourishment to the body; but in a spiteful manner he only magnifies that which is the worst of the food, namely the dirt. The Germans, as they are dainty people in their language, especially when they speak of this work, would pronounce this saying of Christ, according to their coarse manner, thus: Those who seek righteousness in food are shitty saints and defiled with human excrement, for their holiness consists in shitting and pissing. Certainly, an excellent holiness, which is thrown out by the natural course into the cloaca! Christ does not speak after the manner of the Germans; but still, being angry, he gives to understand that he wants to say just this. So much does he dislike this hypocrisy that Moses had been wrongly understood. As if he wanted to say: Oh, do you think Moses talked about eating and being thrown out again? Yes, he rather talked about an honorable discipline of the outer life, which should contribute something to righteousness (as those think).
However, he shows here in all seriousness the true praise and victory of the statutes of men and the false righteousnesses of the law, even of the law of God, that it is nothing but dung and dirt, as Paul also speaks of it in Phil. 3, 8, because the statutes of men give no nourishment to the soul, but are only dirt. After this he also says: "Righteousness without faith is dirt and harm, just as if God
(Inasmuch as it is to serve justice), what you eat and give of yourself, with which you may clothe and unclothe yourself. Only, just as the natural need of throwing out must be covered in an honorable way, so also the need of eating and drinking must be regulated 2c. in a decent way, so that people do not become beasts. But that justice is to be sought in these things is not Mosi's opinion, but it is imputed to him by the hypocrites. Therefore they are (as one commonly says) shitty prophets, whose doctrine and righteousness is human dung and stinking dirt.
V. 18, 19: But what goes out of the mouth comes out of the heart, and that defiles a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, thievery, false witness, blasphemy.
(51) But I, saith he, will not speak unto you of meat, nor of filthiness, but of that which verily defileth a man, that which goeth out of the mouth, and not that which cometh in. But he explains what goes out of the mouth (lest anyone should dream that it means saliva or spit), namely, what comes out of the heart and goes out of the mouth. Of these things Moses earnestly commanded. But those leave this aside, and dispute only about the things that come to the mouth. . They coward gnats and swallow cameos [Matth. 23, 24]. They are annoyed because I do not worship their shitty righteousness, and I should not be annoyed that they do not ask anything about true and pure righteousness? Let them eat their dirt in the devil's name. If ye honor the righteousness of the heart, all things shall be clean unto you afterward, whether it be fasting or meat, forbidden of Moses, or allowed. For he looked upon me as the one who makes hearts righteous 2c.
(52) Here the answer to the question is easy: why does he say that these manifest sins, fornication, theft, adultery, false witness, blasphemies, proceed from the heart, while they are all outward works? Because no one would do such things if he
If he did not think of it in his heart and be willing to do it. Therefore, before the body commits the sin, it is already done in the heart; as he says in Matt. 5:28: "He that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." And v. 22: "He that is angry with his brother is guilty of judgment." Likewise 1 John Z, 15. "He that hateth his brother is a murderer." Therefore a stained and evil heart stains all speeches and deeds, even if they appear to be good, according to the saying: "To the pure all things are pure" [Tit. 1, 15.], as Christ also speaks elsewhere [Matth. 23, 26.): "Purify first the inward parts" 2c.
The register of gross sins is known, namely, murder, adultery 2c. Only [this is to be noted] that Christ does not speak of one piece of sin alone, but of the whole sin, that is, not of the actual deed, but of the root and the tree with its fruit. Murder is a sin that is done with the heart, with the mouth, with the hand, by counsel, by help; either only in one of these parts or in all of them at the same time, as. Matthew Cap. 5, 22. says: "He who is angry with his brother" 2c.
(54) Thus "evil thoughts" are called, not the lustful lusts (for these are included under adultery and fornication), but the harmful efforts, the artifices to deceive, harm, deceive one's neighbor, even when one wants to appear to be one's friend and the best person. For "evil", or "wicked", are called the thoughts of evil or harmful, doing harm, cheating, lying, deceiving. For these are the thoughts that prevail in the world under a good appearance. Ulid these come from the heart in which they have taken root. Thus, blasphemies and false testimonies are sins, not only against the second tablet or against the eighth commandment, but also against the first tablet and against the second commandment; as, the false teachers and false spirits speak lies under the name of God, and condemn and curse the true doctrine. And to this he adds a warning, saying:
V. 20. These are the pieces that defile the man.
(55) As if to say: These should be taken care of, these do not concern a trivial matter, as how food goes into the belly; these are important things. Why are you not aware of terrible sins and great beams here?
(56) At last, after the interlocutory speech is over, he returns to the matter at hand and speaks:
But eating with unwashed hands does not contaminate a person.
(57) For in the interlocutory discourse he had spoken of food, or that which comes into the mouth, and not of the washing of hands only. Whoever wants to wash his hands, let him wash them; whoever does not want to wash them, let him not: such things have nothing to do with righteousness or sin; I do not want sin or righteousness to consist in them. Therefore you must separate righteousness and sin from such human statutes. I do not object to anyone washing himself, but I do object to anyone considering himself righteous and holy before God because of it. Just as I do not object when someone eats or casts by the natural course, if only he does not imagine that this is righteousness. The things concerning the respectability and cleanliness of the body, as well as other things, such as clothes, vessels, houses, fields, may be and remain, but they contribute nothing to sin or to righteousness.
Therefore, one must pay attention to the intention of Christ, because he does not want this, that the bodily cleanliness should be rejected and instead uncleanliness should be accepted, as the monks think that they are holy and great people because of their little and dirty clothes. For who would be so senseless as to consider it a sin for a maid to wash pots, vessels, clothes, to clean the house and chambers and to sweep them out 2c? ? This Christ does not want, but he goes along the middle road; yes, he goes even further and says: In these things is not righteousness or sin; you may [eat or] drink, the table, the garment, the house 2c. be washed or not.
The History of the Cananaean Woman.
V. 21, 22: And Jesus departed thence, and went into the region of Tyro and Sidon. And, behold, a Canaanite woman went out of the same border, and cried after him, saying, Lord, thou Son of David, have mercy on me: for my daughter is evil afflicted with the devil. And he answered her not a word.
The story of the Canaanite woman I have dealt with extensively enough in the postils 1). In fact, it contains mainly two pieces. The first piece deals with the great, constant and wonderful faith of this woman, who not only believes, but also, although she is challenged by so many temptations, nevertheless overcomes and triumphs. For it was already something very great that Christ, when she cried out to him, did not hear her, but despised her.
(60) Here an infinite number of human hearts would fall, saying: What shall I cry out? I see that I am not in grace, and He does not dignify me with His grace; therefore I am lost. God hates me and does not want to save me, therefore I must despair. This woman could also have felt such thoughts, and perhaps also suffered them according to the sensation of the flesh. But she, as a woman of very manly, brave mind, casts all these thoughts out of her heart, and stiffly holds to the opposite, namely, that she should and must be accepted and heard for grace, and believes in hope, since there was nothing to hope for [Rom. 4:18], and says: Although I am a heathen and completely unworthy, yet I do not want to be a heathen, and I know that I will not be taken for a heathen by him 2c. This is the first battle, and a sharp one at that.
Then his disciples came to him and begged him, saying: Let her go from you, for she cried out after us. But he answered and said: I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
61 This other temptation is even more severe, in that Christ, despite the intercession of his
1) Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. XI, 544. vol.XIII, 254. 1692.
Disciple, persists in his hard sense, yes, shows himself in such a way that he denies her grace by completely separating and segregating her from the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel. Who could bear this hard blow, this thunderclap, if he were also a child of Israel? It is terrifying to hear the reason why he refuses her grace and will not hear her prayer, namely, because she is not of the sheep of Israel, and because Christ did not come to her or for her sake. This is a terrible ban, and moreover quite unbearable, unless the one who is thus challenged is very strong in faith.
(v. 25, 26) And she came and fell down before him, and said, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not good to take the children's bread, and to cast it to the dogs.
(62) This third temptation is the most severe, since she herself falls down before him and begs him, and yet she is not only not heard, nor accepted among the sheep, but is condemned by an obvious pronouncement and called a dog, while others are called children. Oh, to receive the sentence that one is a dog among the children, that is, not even to be counted among the servants, but to be excluded from the eternal inheritance of the children.
V.27. 28. She said, "Yes, Lord, but yet the little dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters' tables. And Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith; let it be unto thee according to thy will. And her daughter was healed at that very hour.
So great is the strength of faith, and that in a pagan woman, that she overcomes all these very fierce temptations and breaks through them all. It is found in few and seldom. Therefore Christ Himself also marvels at this faith, so that He also exclaims and says, "O woman, thy faith is great!" And he gives her what she has asked of him.
64. this is presented to us so that we may learn that the faithful
Finally, they will obtain what they desire, if only they do not stop asking and knocking.
The other doctrine is that Christ was also given to the Gentiles and not only to the Jews. For among the Jewish people there was no more important question than this: whether the Gentiles (especially those who did not allow themselves to be circumcised) were also eligible for God's grace? because Moses and all the prophets strongly insisted that the seed of Abraham was God's people. And therefore this people was set apart and chosen from all other peoples, not by human arbitrariness, but by divine command, by miracles, by their worship, by the law, by the promise, by circumcision, and finally by the kingdom and priesthood, which were confirmed by obvious signs and by long use of God, and maintained by many miracles. Therefore, the Jews (as is still the case today) could not believe anything less than that there was a people of God apart from them, if they did not allow themselves to be circumcised and follow the use of Moses.
(66) And it seems that Christ approves of this opinion in this place, first, because he does not listen to the Canaanite woman, nor does he respect her; second, because he says that he is not sent, but only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; third, because he says that he is bread for the children, not for the dogs, and cuts off the children's bread from her.
This has always been the most difficult question from the beginning of the world, and will be until the end of the world, namely: which, who, and where is the church or the people of God? that is, who and where is God? For where the Church is, there is also God. The Jews believe that He is with them; the Turks, with them; the Papists, above all, with them; and we also believe that He is with us.
(68) And it always seems as if Christ is not with his own, but with strangers. For it seems as if he neither hears nor knows his own; just as he does here with this woman and today also with us. Nevertheless, he himself shows by the final statement that he is, regardless of the person, the God of all.
who believe in him, that he may be a god to all who trust in him, or to the faithful. Finally, he shows great mercy to this woman, and praises her faith, although she is a Greek woman from Syro-Phoenicia, a pagan (which Marcus insists on [Marc. 7, 26.]), that is, not of the seed of Abraham, but of an uncircumcised people, who had done no merits, no good works; indeed, who had never been under the law of Moses, and was not partaker of the promises of Christ, but had been converted to the faith out of idolatry, on the rumor or word which she had heard from Christ.
(69) Therefore, this example commands the Gentiles that even though they are not circumcised, or adorned with the Law, or with the promises of God, they should nevertheless have hope in the fellowship of the saints in light, and in the fellowship of the kingdom of heaven, if they believe in Christ.
70 What is the answer to the so strong reasons of the Jews, which they cite from the Scriptures? Paul solves them with a marvelous art of conclusion by saying Rom. 3, 29: "Is God the God of the Jews alone? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, indeed, also the God of the Gentiles." As if he wanted to say: I grant the Jews this assertion (affirmativam) that they are God's chosen and called people; but to this sentence, which excludes all others (ex-clusivam): The Jews alone are God's people, I say no. For it is something else that the Jews are God's people; and something else that only the Jews are God's people. For although God chose this people especially for the sake of Abraham and Christ, it does not follow that He does not want to consider any other people as His people, since He had the Ninevites under Jonah, Egypt under Joseph, and the Babylonians under Daniel. But why should he not now, under Christ himself, have all the Gentiles without distinction?
71 And Paul makes an excellent distinction in Rom. 15, 8, where he says that Jesus Christ is a servant of God.
The Jews were chosen for this purpose, so that there would be a certain people to whom God would fulfill His promises and to whom He would entrust what He had said. As if he wanted to say: The Jews were chosen for this purpose, so that there would be a certain people, to whom God would do His promises and to whom He would entrust what He had spoken (as Paul says in Rom. 3, 1. 2.), as it is also said in the 147th Psalm, v. 19. 20: "He shows Jacob His word, Israel His customs and rights. So he does no heathen, nor lets them know his rights." But by this he did not bind himself to have this nation alone, and to reject all other nations; indeed, this is an entirely divine counsel, that he did not choose several nations, but one nation, and even one person, Abraham, whose God he wished to be. For if he had chosen many specially and manifestly to entrust them with his sayings and promises; how could the whole world ever have been gathered under the one Christ, or to the one Church, since even now, when it is certain that God has been a Promiser to only one people, and yet has not given His promises to only one people, nevertheless infinite sects arise and deviate from the promises of God that were given to a single and particular people?
(72) What would happen, or would happen, if God had chosen several peoples and entrusted them with His speeches, as He entrusted them to the only people of the Jews? For each nation would call itself from God and separate itself from the others (as the Jews do, or rather did). And so there could never be one universal church in the whole world, but there would be as many universal churches as there were peoples who had the same promises as the Jews. But since God wants to have a general church throughout the whole world, it was necessary that a certain people, yes, a certain father of this one people would be chosen, to whom and to whose descendants the whole world should look, and thus become a sheepfold, and thus out of all the peoples, who by various customs are infinitely different from each other, become one church.
were different, yet would become one church.
The word Gentiles, however, must not be taken in a natural sense, but always in a theological sense, that is, as they are before God, that is, as they are without God, without law, without worship, without promises, without fathers, without prophets, and as they are only corrupt in their idolatries, and infinitely different and divided from one another. That these should be made equal to the Jews, who, on the other hand, had God, the law, and the worship of God, was (as I have said) an unbearable annoyance.
But the Papists of our time are far more damning than the Jews. Although they have nothing that God has given them as their own, no promises, no law, no worship, but have Christ, the gospel, the worship in common with all peoples, they have nevertheless invented their own laws, their own ceremonies, their own worship, their own promises. Those who do not want to keep them, they even judge to be heretics and worse than the heathen. And in such frenzy they would not receive this Canaanite woman, nor hold communion with her, but would exclude her as a dog from the bread of the children for eternity, until they had forced her to be circumcised according to the laws they had invented, that is, until she denied the common Christ and worshipped the new and strange Antichrist.
For this reason, the example of this Canaanite woman is also a comfort to us. For because she is taken from the number of dogs into the community of children for the sake of faith alone, much more will we be children and comrades if we believe in Christ. And also we will not need the law, the circumcision, the divine services, which were invented by men, because this woman did not need the law, the circumcision, the divine services, divine things, which were instituted by God. Therefore, if even the true law of God did not prevent her from becoming a daughter by faith alone, how should a lying
What is the law of man or fiction that prevents us from being the church or members of the church through this very faith in Christ? Yes, just as they [the Jews], having lost the faith because of their obstinacy in keeping the law, lost the true and divine law, both the bread and the right of filiation, so also the papists, who persecute the faith in order to keep their lying and fictitious laws, lose both the church and the right of the church, and have become a true abomination standing in the holy place.
V.29-31. And JEsus departed thence, and came unto the sea of Galilee, and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And there came unto him great multitudes, having with them the lame, the blind, the mute, the crippled, and many others; and they cast them before JEsu's feet, and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw that the mute spoke, the crippled were healed, the lame walked, the blind saw, and they healed God Israel.
76 This miracle of the Canaanite woman is followed by a list of other miracles. For the whole life of Christ had to be described in such a way that he either taught or performed miracles, or did both at the same time; because, as Peter Apost. 10, 38, he was anointed and sent by the Father with the Holy Spirit to go about doing good and healing all who were overcome by the devil. For all these diseases are attributed to the devil, who is a slayer and enemy of the human race, because they all originate from the first sin, as does death. Then he multiplies them and works them partly through himself, partly through his angels, through men, and through other equally harmful evils, so that he can rightly be called the cause of all diseases and evils; just as he is called the author of death and a father of lies [John 8:44].
77 But this is to be noted, that Christ's wanderings in the land and his miraculous deeds are pleasing to the people at that time. For they
are astonished and praise God, who destroys and annuls these diseases or works of the devil through Christ. But afterwards, when Christ is accused before Pilate, these same miracles and benefits are called sedition, seduction, rebellion against the emperor and the high priest, so that he is condemned before both courts. This is the reward that the world gives for the deeds and miracles. As long as they are needy and receive good things, they praise them greatly and admire them; but when they have been filled, they condemn and curse them. Yea, thou pious fruit, thou dear child, woman of the world, as thou hast been from the beginning, even so art thou now, and ever, and from everlasting to everlasting. The devil strikes you. 1)
(78) But these miracles are written and preached to us who are chosen. They are offended by them, but we are edified by them, learning and believing that in Christ we have a gracious, gentle, loving, kind-hearted Lord, who is also able, willing, and able to help. And wants, and knows, to help. For here he shows himself to be the most powerful Lord over all these diseases or works of the devil, and there is no doubt that he is also the most powerful Lord over the devil himself, whose works he cancels and destroys with such ease. And although in this life such miracles have been performed only on certain persons, yet in that life they will come to all who have believed in him. For then he will publicly demonstrate his power to all, which he now only hints at and shows to some, so to speak, in order to build up our faith.
The miracle of the boiling drops.
V.32. 33. And JEsus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the people: for they have tarried with me three days, and have nothing to eat; and I will not feed them.
1) The explanation of this saying is found in the interpretation of the 101st Psalm, Walch, old edition, vol. V, 1262: "I would also like to say sheerly, like that preacher, when he said of the rabbit strip that the head would be evil to strip (but meant the princes and lords), strip you, he said, the devil."
I will leave them uneaten, so that they will not faint on the way. Then said his disciples unto him, Whence shall we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so many people?
This gospel has already been treated in the postilla 1), but we want to add some things here. First, he consults his disciples and tries them to see what they would answer and what advice they would give. But they answered very carnally, according to their reason, counting the multitude of the people against the few loaves.
By this Christ also shows His disciples and all of us through them, how foolish and how ignorant we are in the works of God, who think that He does nothing, while He does abundantly above all that we think and ask; therefore we also always despair in things where there is nothing to hope for and which are impossible for us. Christ punishes this sin here, and shows that believers should think in desperate things that God can and will do abundantly above all that we ask or understand, as Paul says [Eph. 3:20]. Those who do not do this are broken in two ways (as Jeremiah, Cap. 17, 18, says), namely, by the difficulty or impossibility of the matter in and of itself; then also by despair, which they add to the difficulty of the matter. But with God no thing is impossible [Luc. 1, 37.], although with us it is impossible, or at least difficult to believe.
For this reason, we are shown here how deeply unbelief clings to us, for we would answer nothing but foolish things to all of God's works if he wanted to ask us for advice first. Therefore it is better that he does everything without our advice. For if it depended on our advice, he would never do a work worthy of God.
V. 34. And Jesus said to them: How much bread have ye? They said, Seven, and a little fish.
1) The parallel passage Marc. 8, 1. ff. on the 7th Sunday after Trinity. Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. XI, 1366. 1374. vol. XIII, 780.
He asks her advice a second time so that the greatness and certainty of the miracle may be known. For if he had not asked their advice beforehand, and asked for their testimony, so that it might be known that there was not much bread, there might have been reason for suspicion, as if there had been more bread, or as if the people themselves, each for himself, had brought his bread with him; and so the glory of the miracle would have been destroyed or obscured, and faith would not have taken place, and so great a work would have been in vain. Just as nowadays all creations and governments of the whole creature are in vain, 2) since everything is either the same or even greater miracles than this one. For what is more wonderful than that yearly so much fruit, so much seed, so many animals 2c. are brought forth from the earth? But because they happen year from year on, they become thereby contemptible (as Augustinus 3) speaks). And Pythagoras, who speaks of an exceedingly lovely harmony of the heavens (as if he had read Job), which men no longer hear because they have become deaf to it through constant hearing, wants to say with this: one no longer respects the daily miracles of the creatures.
Therefore, if the majesty of God's works is to be understood, man must be advised and reminded that they are not there, that is, what he would advise if these or those things were not. For example: If one is to get an idea of the majesty of the sun and the moon, and admire them, one must think: How, if there were no sun, even for one day, what would the whole world be? Proceed in the same way with all the other works of God. Imagine them as if they were nothing, then you will, like the apostles here, answer foolishly and with despair, namely thus: It is over, here it is.
2) i.e. they are not observed, thus they happen in vain.
3) Augustine's word is: [ssiduitats omnia vil686unt, through frequency everything becomes small. Cf. Tischreden, Cap. 20, s 6. Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. XXII, 597.
all will be lost. Then the miracle of God will be clearly seen in all works. For all things are such miracles, if only there are people who look at them according to dignities, who remembered and admired such things.
This is what Christ does here, when he first wakes up his disciples and reminds them that the work which he is about to do and publicly display is not yet present. For with Christ these so many thousands of people were already satiated long ago, even from the beginning of the world. For he sees and knows the satiety and abundance, just as if it had already happened a thousand years ago. But in the eyes of the disciples everything is impossible, even after a thousand years, yes, in eternity. Therefore they had to give the same advice as they did in Matth. 14, 15, where it says: "In the evening his disciples came to him,
and said: This is a desert, and the night falls therefore, let the people go from thee, that they may go into the markets, and buy them meat." This is as high as they go; nor do they even consider this, that the very food they were to buy would not be there if it had not miraculously grown out of the earth and been preserved by God.
Ah, flesh, thou art flesh, and remainest flesh! When there is no danger or need, or when you are filled with present goods, you believe bravely; but when there is a lack of necessary sustenance, or when there is need, you sing or rather howl nothing but the words from the 4th Psalm, v. 8: "Those have plenty of wine and grain. So much is the flesh absorbed in the present things, and has no regard for the absent or future things.