1537. (?)
This is God's work, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.
These are John's words, and he leads them, as he is wont to write, the way of Jesus; he leads them from the vision into the Word, Articulus creationis, which alone belongs to God the Father. As we have been in the Word, so we must go again into the Word, if we now cease to be. We were in the Word before we were human beings. Into the word John drives it, does not let it remain with the bad work, but teaches them, how they will remain eternally in the word. This is called, in good German, believing in God.
(2) This is a peculiarly good work of God; to whom it is hidden, nothing shall help him afterward, though he have done the work of all men. Nor can any man have this work with himself. Christ is not with the disciples, but comes to them by another road 2).
2) In the editions: "to another road".
The people come to him and love him because he feeds their bellies. It is a great work of God to give sunshine, rain, life and food. This work they praise, that he has fed them so abundantly: nor will he suffer anything, that they thus praise him of food. Is this not God's work? What is it then? So it must be something higher.
3 For this reason John wants to teach us here that we should look carefully to see through whom such a work has flowed, namely through the word. So Christ says here: Ye come unto me for the belly, glorify me also for the belly, and for the food. I exhort you, if ye shall be filled for ever, and not die, ye must have a higher work, which only the Son of man can give you. Therefore they lift up and say:
V. 28. What shall we do to work God's work?
3) "not" is missing in the Erlanger in both editions.
*This sermon is among the twenty-one sermons (compare the proof of the same in the seventh volume of our edition, according to the table of contents.), which D. Caspar Güttel, pastor of St. Andreä in Eisleben, bequeathed to his church. See the note Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. VII, Col. 842. In the collective editions: in the Halle part p. 387; in the Leipzig, vol. XII, p. 595 and in the Erlangen, I. Auf!., vol. 18, p. 41; 2nd Ausl., vol. 19, p. 334. We reproduce the text according to the old edition of Walch with comparison of the Erlangen.
We thought this was a work of God, feeding people in the wilderness where there is no flour and bread, Ps. 37:19: Tempora Tempore famis saturabuntur pii. It must rain before bread; not that the bread does, but the word that blesses the bread, that gives the people prosperity. Not all have prosperity from bread, but only those on whom God speaks the blessing and his word: Non in solo pane vivit homo. He withdraws the blessing from the sick, it shall not be well with them; that is the rough experience. Now go on, let it be another thing, to work God's work, and to know by whom it is done. Hoc est opus Dei, ut credatis etc., that is the special work, that we believe in him 2c., that is a great wonder. Are these not God's works, that He created the world, that the herbs have great power, that His rulers give, that they lead a fine honorable, chaste, honest life, good police and peace? These are all God's works. So also in the Jewish language there is only pietas and God's name; their language is nothing but holiness; as in the Greek language there is nothing but wisdom, which is a gift of God. Item, to possess goods, to have wife and child and cattle, is a gift of God. Nor does Christ say that it is not a special work of God, even though they are works of God. But without the special work of God, all other works of God are harmful to people.
005 What profit is it to the heathen that they are wise? What good is it for all the world, that they have house and home full, wife and child and cattle? They must go to hell with all these works of God. Yes, all creatures, sun, moon, stars must be conducive for them to hell. But where this work is that I believe in the one whom God has sent, it follows that one esteems God higher than all creatures. For the believer has overcome God with all the good that is God's; indeed, God will protect him from all his enemies and will not abandon him in any trouble. He is already in heaven, even though he already has flesh and blood on his neck; yes, in this divine man a knowledge of all creatures grows. So we have cows, pigs,
Geese, chickens, fish, birds, there we have our food, slaughter oxen and calves, need horses and donkeys for our food, the sheep give us skirts and furs. So the believer concludes, "If God is so kind in creatures that He feeds and clothes me, how great must God be in Himself? This is an opus fidei that God works in me when he comes to me. Another one thinks, if ten cargos of grain grow for him, he would like to have a hundred; the other one is content, praises God in all creatures, in the vineyard, in the apple tree; also desires: Oh, how good is this God in himself, oh, if I should see him once! But against the wicked all creatures will cry out that we have misused the creatures, and will not be satisfied, nor will they learn to recognize God from them. This means to trust in God and to learn His goodness from the creatures. Creatures also teach us to fear God. When I see a lion, a wolf, a bear, a spider, a snake or a toad, I am frightened, and I see such a face that I say, "Behold, if I am frightened by a snake, how frightened will God be when he once shows his wrath?
The work teaches us to recognize [1.] His goodness, 2. fear, 3. repentance and contrition, and invocation. The wicked are also afraid of snakes and wolves, but they do not know what it is for, they do not think of God to fear Him. That is why the highest special good, God's work, is to believe and trust in God. Thus, in the good creatures there is repentance and forgiveness of sin, in the evil ones fear and trembling before God. Whoever does not have the Lord Jesus Christ, no work of God is useful to him, but harmful. But the Christian says: "God does me so much good in his creatures; how kind he is and will be to me when he is seen in his nature. Item: How can I be kind to sins, seeing that God thus shows his wrath in his creatures? Who does not want repentance, contrition and sorrow here 2c.
1) Erlanger: erlernet.