Item:
A spiritual interpretation of the signs in the sun, moon and stars.*)
January 1, 1524.
Luc. 2, 21.
And when eight days were expired for circumcising the child, his name was called Jesus, which was called of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
And since eight days were up 2c.
1. in the book of Moses one has established how the way of circumcision is from God [4 Mos. 17, 10. ff.]. He has established a foolish commandment before the eyes of people and reasonable people. Especially now it is strange and weird, because it has come from custom; if it were still custom, one would not almost accept it. But God has instituted it for the sole purpose of overthrowing reason, which finds it foolish. It would be ridiculous to reason to baptize people if it were not customary. This is the history of the Gospel.
Now we want to hear about the meaning. It was promised to Abraham by God that from his flesh and blood should come the seed, and the child, in whom the whole world would be blessed [Num. 12:3]. Circumcision is used as a sign of this promise, as a seal of prescription; for he writes living words with living letters, and seals them with a living seal.
Now the sign has ceased, since Christ has come. For when that which is prescribed is done, the seal is no more. Now the sign of circumcision meant nothing else, but that one should cut off everything that brings fleshly birth with it.
For this, one must have a stone knife, that is, through Christ the praeputium, that is, the foreskin, the original sin, is cut off. Therefore the stone knife means the preaching, said of Christ, by which one subdues everything that is evil and sinful in the flesh. This is done through faith, as Isaiah says [Cap. 11, 5.]: "Faith will be a girdle to his kidneys. God's word is pure, justified, true, gentle; when this falls into the heart through faith, it also brings with it all virtue. Therefore it is not possible to curb wickedness except by faith; with the word one circumcises the heart. There are two kinds of circumcision, an inward and an outward one, as Isaiah says: "The people are circumcised in body, but have uncircumcised ears. [Jerem. 4, 4. 5 Mos. 10, 16. and 30, 6.] Stephen in the Acts of the Apostles [Cap. 7, 51.] calls the Jews incircumcisos cordibus, uncircumcised in ears and heart. [Jerem. 9, 26.] The outward and bodily circumcision is a figure and meaning of the inward and spiritual. And where the heart is not circumcised, the outward circumcision is only gilding and of no use.
4. circumcision shall take place on the eighth day. This means that we will not become pure until the resurrection on the last day, when sorrow, sin and chastisement, death and hell will be separated from us. However, there is no cessation of circumcision; we must become purer and purer from day to day. This is a spiritual circumcision that we commit in the New Testament.
*This sermon appeared in 1524 in several individual editions under the title: "Ein Sermon, von der Beschneidung, am neuen Jahrstag. Item eine geistliche Auslegung der Zeichen in Sonne, Mond und Gestirn. D. M. Luther. 1524." An edition is printed by "Michell Buchfürer" at Jena. In the collections first in the Hallische Bande, p. 417 (as Joh. Gottfried Zeidler notes, from the library at St. Andreä in Eisleben); then in the Leipziger, vol. XII, p. 324; in the Erlanger, 1st ed. vol. 16, p. 28, and 2nd ed. vol. 17, p. 73. We give the text according to Walch's old edition, comparing the Erlanger. It seems to us that we are not dealing with one sermon here, but with a brief description of the contents of two different sermons.
(5) But this circumcision is painful and full of pain, just as that one brought shame and pain. So this one must also bring it, it must hurt, the old Adam must take his place and become disgraced; just as there the circumcision happened in a shameful place. The shame also hurts much more than the pain. Man can suffer nothing worse than when he is disgraced before the world, so that everyone thinks he deserves it.
(6) Now if we are not to be hurt by shame, we must become children, but we must be men, that is, have a manly and strong heart, so that we may endure it. For no one can suffer disgrace, except he who has manly courage, that is, he who has strong faith. So again, a woman in Scripture means a soft spirit, that is, unbelief. That is why God commanded in the Old Testament that only males should be sacrificed. So God wants only males to be dedicated to Him. Again, the devil does as it says in the 2nd book of Moses [1, 15. 16.], when Pharaoh had the males all thrown into the water and drowned; for he seeks only women, that is, the fainthearted, and those of weak faith.
7 The last thing in circumcision is to give the child a name. Before a man is circumcised by faith and has the old boy taken off, he has no name before God. Thus God says [Matth. 25, 12.]: "I do not know you"; and Paul to the Romans on the other [v. 29.] says of both circumcisions, as namely, of the circumcision of the heart, which is a circumcision of the spirit, and not of the letter. And of the spiritual he says that it has its praise not from men, but from God. He has a name before God who is circumcised in spirit.
Then his name was called Jesus.
(8) The name is called Jesus, a Savior, a child of blessedness. This name comes to everyone who is circumcised. Every one is a Savior who can help in the midst of trouble. Christ saves and rescues from all troubles, sin, death, and all the things that can
and woe is upon them. Thus all who believe in Christ will attain salvation and blessedness.
The called was from the angel 2c.
9 This name was proclaimed by the angel before the child was conceived, says Lucas. This is the comfort we have, that God decrees this name before we are born. It is not in vain that we suffer; for there will never be a lack of persecution if we only look to it. The greatest persecutor is the devil, who attacks the soul. It is better if we are persecuted by people. Now, because it is in suffering, it seems as if we have no name, as if God does not know us. But when we get through, the name comes out first, if we rely only on God, because Christ said: Nomina vestra scripta sunt in coelis, "Your names are written in heaven" [Luc. 10, 20]. We should prepare ourselves diligently for this, for it will be necessary in the great trials of death and hell.
(10) Now the Holy Ghost hath omitted one thing, who circumcised the child? Says badly: "When the eight days were fulfilled, that the child should be circumcised, they called him JEsum." This indicates that those who are to be circumcised have no name, we are not to know it; that is, we do not have to choose our own way by which we become pious and pure. God always sends us things that we do not like, and [we] say: I don't like it, I want something else. Before we are aware of it, we have it by the neck; therefore it beats me that I cannot wait for it. If we saw where it would come from, we would step aside and leave it. These are the right ways and works to subdue the flesh that God sends to us against our will. By our exquisite works the old Adam cannot be killed. This thing deceives many people, who think 1) To torment the flesh with their own works, and it does them no good 2) He who torments himself has all-
1) Marginal note saus the Erl.]: they Jerome.
2) Marginal note saus of the Erl.]: they Vernkaräus.
When God comes, he must continue as long as God wills. This is what He did at the time of the martyrs, to whom He sent persecution from evil men for the sake of the Gospel, who did not stop when the saints wanted to, but when they wanted to. When Christ said to Petro earlier [Joh. 21, 18.]: "There will come one who will
will bind you and lead you where you do not want to go. Do not say, this or that way, this or that work will do it, but do not name one, do not want him to know 2c. The fool's work, as one is used to give the new year, I want to grasp. We got a new year in the baptism, let us see to it that we keep it, we are not allowed any more.