This chapter is one of the most important. For it contains the most salvific teachings, namely of the kingdom of Christ and of the keys or forgiveness of sins.
V. 1-5. At that hour the disciples came to Jesus and said: Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus called a child to him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye repent and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. He therefore that humbleth himself, as this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives such a child in my name receives me.
First, the disciples raise a question about the kingdom of Christ: who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? This foolishness of theirs he does not only bear with kindness, but he also takes it as an opportunity to speak and teach about his kingdom. For the opinion was deeply rooted among this people that the kingdom of the Messiah would be a temporal and worldly kingdom, so that it was impossible to eradicate it from all hearts. Therefore, he acts here against this opinion violently and extensively, so that he would eradicate this carnal mind from the hearts of the disciples.
(3) And he presents this matter in a vivid way (facit prosopopoeiam) by calling a child to him and placing him in the midst of them, so that what he wanted to saw now would stick all the more firmly through this spectacle; as if he wanted to say: I see that your carnal mind is not sufficiently moved by mere words; therefore I present this child to you, that you may remember it hereafter and always. Behold, here is a child! Tell me now if this one is sent to a worldly or temporal kingdom, of which you undoubtedly dream? That would be a miserable kingdom, indeed, not a kingdom that is of
should be ruled by this child. But now, as skillful as this child is to rule a worldly kingdom, as unskillful is he to think that my kingdom is of this world. For the kingdom I am starting is such that all worldly wise men understand much less of it than this child might understand of a worldly kingdom. Therefore, the opinion and the thought of a worldly kingdom must be completely discarded if you want to speak of my kingdom. For my kingdom will be such that you must be children in it who allow themselves to be governed, but do not govern themselves, just as this child does not govern itself in the worldly kingdom, but is governed. In short: I am starting another kingdom, which is completely different from a worldly kingdom, in which I will not make you kings, wise men, righteous in this world, but subjects, fools, sinners before the world, just as this child is ruled by others, is without understanding, and is under ruthlessness. Therefore, you need a different conception of my kingdom than the one generally accepted. For I will not make you kings, but children; not wise, but fools; not righteous, but heretics; and deserving of the stake.
4 For so it has happened that the Christians must be a people "made to suffer," as the 38th Psalm, v. 18, says, for they are beaten and afflicted with all kinds of plagues, even where they do not deserve it.
5. here is a somewhat hidden doctrine of God (occultior theologia), namely this, that Christ has in mind the original sin, according to which Adam (according to the devil's sense) wanted to become a man and a wise man, not remaining subject to the word of God, but becoming a judge of the word of God, believing that God had
*Luther's notes on the 18th chapter are not included in the Wittenberg Latin edition, perhaps because they only go as far as the seventh verse. Therefore, we have used the Jena edition for this purpose.
Such was not commanded, or commanded out of hatred. That was to judge God and to exalt oneself above God. That is why Christ teaches here that now the opposite must happen, that Adam, who had become a wise man and a man in a wrong way, now becomes a child and a fool, who wants to humble himself against and before God, who does not want to know or understand anything, but who wants to listen to God, whom he wanted to teach and lead before, as a father and teacher and to follow him when he teaches.
6 This is it that he says, "Unless you turn and become like children," that is: You must become children again, you became wise men or men too early. As he also says John 3:3, "Ye must be born again." For this is a Hebrew expression, "that ye turn again, and become as children," which we Germans express by an adverbium, instead of the verb, thus: to become children again, that the one of the two tense words, "turn again," becomes the circumstantial word "again" or "anew." Hereby he now answers, but vaguely, by saying that he will be the greatest in his kingdom who has become a child again. As if he wanted to say: Oh, do not think how you will become great, but how you will become small. The becoming great will be found when you have become small. In this kingdom, it is not a matter of becoming great, but of becoming small. But everyone wants to be great, no one wants to be small; they do not belong in this kingdom. For imagine that all become like this child; how then can all be the greatest in the kingdom? So it follows from the meaning of these words: in Christ's kingdom no one is the greatest, but all are equal. For if they shall all be like this child (as all the apostles were afterwards), it follows that all are equally the greatest, consequently none the greatest, but all alike. Therefore, in this kingdom of Christ the thought cannot arise nor have a place that one wants to be greater, as happens in the world, but that one becomes small, like this child. Then all will be great, greater, the greatest, for they will all be equal, brothers, fellow heirs, and in all things equal in glory 2c.
V. 6-9 But whosoever shall offend one of these least of these that believe on me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the deepest part of the sea. Woe to the world, because of the trouble, trouble must come. But woe to the man through whom trouble comes. But if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to enter into life lame or crippled, than to have two hands or two feet, and be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, than to have two eyes, and be cast into hell fire.
7. if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee" 2c. This is spoken in the same way, and must be understood in the same way, as the word of the cut man who is to cut himself [Matth. 19, 12.]. So this, that one should cut off his hands and feet and pluck out his eyes, is not to be understood that one should mutilate himself physically, but that he should keep himself in check by the help of the Holy Spirit or by faith.
(8) There is a double mind here; the first is of the bodily or actual limbs. These must be cut off, that is, tamed by the spirit, so that the hand, the eye, the feet, do not do what sin wants. For it is rightly said that he does not have the hands of death who takes care that death is not committed; so he does not have the eyes of adultery who hates adultery. That means in truth to cut off his limbs, if we do not let them be weapons of unrighteousness for the service of unrighteousness, Rom. 6, 13. So one could also say in the opposite way according to the same figure: If you are blind, if you have no hand and foot, then pull to yourself or take on eyes, hands, feet, that is, create, that through the spirit you let your eyes see chaste things, that you do good with your hands, walk innocently with your feet.
9 That is why he talks about the use,
not from the essence of the members. For the spirit teaches us the use of things. For what is a thing without use but death and nothingness? What is your hand that does or can do nothing? Therefore, the making alive or the use belongs to your Holy Spirit. For what is life but the use of the thing itself, without which the thing is dead and as it were nothing? An eye that does not see is as if it were not an eye. Yes, even inanimate things, if they are without motion and use, are as it were nothing; as, the earth, which produces nothing or creates no use, is a shapeless and empty earth, Gen. 1, 2, until it is adorned with herbs and comes into use.
The other mind is of allegorical and political limbs. In this sense, the eyes are the rulers, the teachers, and the superiors of every kind, including the parents. The hands are all those whose help, benevolence and service we need, as there are all friends, wives, relatives, citizens, journeymen. The feet are those who are our subjects and all that we are to govern, as children, families, possessions and goods 2c.
Now he concludes: "It is better to be deprived of all these things in order to be saved, and without them to enter heaven as it were one-eyed, maimed, lame, than to go to hell with all of them. For it will not help you that you have all these things, namely, both eyes, hands, feet; that is, for no man's sake must you put God behind.
(12) With these words he also indicates at the same time how many, even the whole world, despise the kingdom of God for the sake of these eyes and hands, and would rather go to hell if they could only keep them whole, than that they should make an effort to enter the kingdom of God by neglecting them. For so great a teacher speaks of a small thing, or of a few men, but of the very greatest things, such as righteousness, wisdom, law, 2c., and of the best people in the world; and yet these plunge into destruction for the sake of such things.
(13) Therefore he cries out and says, "Woe to the world because of trouble. Ah, how far the man looks into the world and complains how it is there, namely, that the eyes and hands also give trouble. Not only the eyes and hands of private people (which is the least evil), but also the eyes of church and world rulers; namely, that those who are to teach and govern others give trouble themselves, not only with examples (which would also be something small), but also with words, in that they teach the churches and whole peoples ungodly and perverse doctrines. And it is hard to take away these eyes, to cut off these hands, that is, to avoid them, because they themselves sit in the regiment and want to be heard; or they kill those who oppose them. Now he frightens them with terrible threats. But they despise them in the strongest way, and imagine that they do not cause trouble, and do not disperse, but are builders and maintainers; and in the opinion of doing God a service, they kill the true builders and maintainers of the church. But woe to them!
V. 7: Trouble must come, but woe to the man by whom trouble comes.
This is a necessity, not of compulsion, but of consequence 1) (as one is wont to speak), namely in this way: One must necessarily have eyes and hands, that is, one must necessarily have some who are in office and service. For the church cannot be without ministers, just as the body cannot be without eyes and hands. The ministry of preaching is necessary; it is impossible to prevent sects from arising among these necessary ministers, or in this necessary ministry, just as Paul also says: "There must be sects among you" 2c. [1 Cor. 11, 19.] This life cannot be otherwise, for there must be evil angels and good angels in the church, as Apocalypsis says, just as it has been in heaven from the beginning. But woe to the evil angels. Therefore, avoid these evil angels.
1) Compare Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. XVIII, 1635. 1844.
(15) And this is what we are accustomed to teach concerning the twofold vexation, namely, of the work and of the word, or of the life and of the doctrine. The vexation of life is a private vexation, or that which concerns only the person; but the vexation of doctrine is a public vexation, and that which concerns the thing. And of this public annoyance,
Christ is speaking here primarily about how it does infinitely more harm than private anger. For he is especially aiming at the godless teachers here. He hates them terribly and threatens them so seriously. For it is they who do the real harm; they are nevertheless called pastors, fathers; ah! holy fathers of the church! 2c.