Matth. 25, 1-13.*)
1537. (?) **)
Matth. 26, 1-13.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. But five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The foolish took their lamps, but they did not take oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels, with their lamps. When the bridegroom left, they all became sleepy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom cometh to meet him. Then these virgins stood
They all arose and trimmed their lamps. But the foolish said to the wise, "Pray for us with your oil, for our lamps are going out. Then the wise answered and said: Not so, lest both we and you be broken: but go ye to the merchants, and buy for yourselves. And as they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. At last the other virgins also came, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. And he answered and said, Verily,
*This sermon also belongs to the twenty-one sermons mentioned in the previous number. It is first found in the Halleschen Theile, p. 384; then in the Leipziger, vol. XII, p. 592; in Walch and in the Erlanger, 1st edition, vol. 18, p. 33; 2nd edition, vol. 19, p. 326. We reproduce the text according to Walch's old edition with comparison to the Erlanger.
KK) Compare the note to the heading of the previous number.
I tell you, I do not know yours. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man shall come.
The Gospel is very rich in miraculous words that we should wait for his future. Virginibus simile regnum coelorum. Is a sermon of the gospel, where Christ proclaims his goods, there is made the way to eternal life. Where these are, there are found five, that is, which are rational creatures 1) than man. There are five on both sides, and are virgins, 2 Cor. 11:2: "I trusted you to a man to bring you a pure virgin to Christ."
2. virgin means purity. A virgin does not free herself, but one frees her. So God courts such souls, offers them his goods, and frees them. A bridegroom, when he loves a virgin, is only concerned about the virgin, not about how rich, pretty and poor she is. So Christ also looks at them only because they are virgin souls, and does not look at their infirmities. For here the gospel alone says of the souls born in the gospel'.
3 Secondly, when they have become virgins, they take the lamp afterward, and have a vessel, not empty, but oil in it. 1 Joh. 2, 27. This oil is Unctio Spiritus Sancti, with this oil one lubricates. This ointment is a certain clientele of God that burns, they live in fear, worrying that God will be angry with them and take away their gifts. Therefore, they lie in the ears of the bridegroom, asking him for mercy when they stumble; when they are afraid of the terror of death, of God's wrath, they ask and cry for help. While they are crying out, their lamps are burning, so that they may pray to God for the best in all distress. Even when they fall into fear again, they cry out to their bridegroom. Thus the virgins come to God their Father and Bridegroom Christ.
4 Third, of these ten, some are wise, some are fools. The Scripture calls the fools who do not let them sing or say anything. Sapientes, who submit to the gospel, let fall all that is great in the world.
1) In the original: "reasonable creatürlin".
is to them. Evangelium est obedientia fidei [Rom. 1, 5]. If it be an obedience of faith, it is not an obedience of works; therefore they are active. 2) For they hear the gospel, but they do not follow it; do they want to let their own conceit count for something great? Therefore they are not pure virgins, but stained with their own conceit, and stink before God, so that they will receive their judgment when they are sleepy and safe. They want to disturb their traffic light; but the oil is full of water of human madness, therefore it does not burn, it is stained. Here, those who have the highest gifts of God see themselves well and are in the Gospel. It does not speak of evil, godless Turks or pagans; it speaks of those who call themselves evangelical, and yet still cling to Adam's conceit.
The groom consumes.
(5) For we fall into sin at times, having a good thought of the bridegroom at one time, but I am not always burning with good thoughts toward God. But here is the answer and comfort: do not despair! There are people in the kingdom of heaven who are sleepy; they are not therefore rejected, who at times do a great sin. The bridegroom is not always with us; he hides himself, and makes them sink into a fall; but they are soon brought again.
At midnight there is a cry: Behold, the bridegroom cometh 2c.
If it were not for this, all men would have to despair. For we do not always cling to the bridegroom, living in flesh and blood, sins, evil thoughts, ingenuity and cunning. But this is the consolation, the bridegroom lets a good cry go before, and calls us to him. Let no one despair, let no one look at his poor life. Where the desire is pure for this bridegroom alone, we are still pure virgins and white souls. Who wants to distinguish between the foolish and the wise? No man on earth. The world reproaches those for fools, whom Christ calls wise, and again. For the appearance is greater in those who wait not purely for Christ, but for their own conceit, than in the wise.
2) Perhaps: foolish? There seems to be a gap here.
Give us 2c of your oil.
7 Tortor1 ) conscientiae is when we seek help only when the bridegroom comes, and must deviate from our good judgment; only then do they see where they are lacking. There is revelatio peccati, that one then shrinks from God, since one should run to him for the best.
HErr, HErr 2c. Vox timoris.
8) Non omnis, qui dicit mihi, Domine, Domine [Matth. 7, 22], soll sed qui ait, Abba pater, sicut oramus, Pater noster, qui es etc.. Where we take him alone for a Lord, there is no comfort nor 2) salvation, but fear alone. The bride shall not say alone, Lord, but Bridegroom, from whom I have all honor and good. The fools are silent about this comforting name, for they have no certain knowledge in their hearts of God. Why do they not cry out to the Bridegroom, they have no oil? Why do they run to the people for oil? Is the cause that they have never known the Bridegroom; otherwise they would run to God, their Bridegroom. But then they see where they lack, and see how the others have it, and they have never really loved the bridegroom before, and they leave him, and go, and seek it among men. Sicut Lucä 16, 24. the rich man also cries: My traffic light is gone out, with Lazarum etc.. This rich man seeks with Lazaro, therefore he does not find it. He has never sought and known God rightly, therefore the verdict comes: You shall never have good days 2c., like all those who do not seek help from God, but from men, and forget the bridegroom; therefore he does not know them, because they do not respect him.
Go to the merchants 2c.
9. so it must go to: Justi ridebunt in interitu impiorum, when evil comes to those who despise GOD. Q. d. [As if he wanted to say]: Why do you not seek it, since you should seek it rightly, namely with the bridegroom? Go to the merchants 2c. You will not buy it. You have missed it. Therefore, I cannot help you. We thank God,
t) Instead of tortor (the martyr) should probably be read tortio (the martyrdom).
2) Walch: and.
that we have it; we do not know you. These wretched virgins go about seeking all kinds of help from men; therefore they have no peace and rest. But the wise have great joy, John 3:29. At the voice of the bridegroom, whose goods they all have. The bride lets go her name and goods, and gives them to the bridegroom, and takes everything, name and goods, from her bridegroom. This is the highest joy of the wise virgins, to hear God's friendly voice; as Nathan once woke David up from sin, he trembled violently: Spiritum sanctum ne auferas a me, Spiritu principali confirma me [Ps. 51, 13. 14.]. With desire and love, without compulsion to follow thee, this is the cry to come to the Bridegroom. But the foolish have no training to seek all help from the bridegroom. Therefore all creatures mock them, Wis 5:1 ff. The living message is not right in them; therefore their cries to God do not help them: "Lord, open up for us. They should have cried out thus if they had rightly known the Bridegroom: O Lord and dear Bridegroom! But because they did not cry out thus, the LORD says, "I do not know you." Discedite etc.
(10) Wise virgins let them be told and are willing to follow God. Where they cannot, they cry out to God for help. The older ones are foolish, they do not seek all help from the bridegroom. They do lift up, but they do not hold it high, they want to add something of their own. So Esau knows God and his goods well, is a fine man, has the first blessing of right; but he is reviled to the highest degree, only that he does not hold these goods high, but low, despises them, 3) sells them for a red lentil purse; therefore he is counted among the foolish virgins. He cries out to his father, and also wants a blessing, but none is granted him, for only a temporal blessing. Jacob gets [the blessing] in rore coeli, Esau in in pinguedine terrae; there it has waited too long, has respected it little [Gen. 27, 18. ff]. So God says here: While you have the preaching of the kingdom of heaven, do not be lukewarm, do not despise it, do not hold it in low esteem. The time will come when you will not have it.
3) Despisers - despise them.