V. 1. 2. I have spoken these things to you so that you will not be offended. They will put you under ban. But the time is coming when he who kills you will think he is doing God a service.
In the previous two chapters, the Lord Christ told his disciples in many words what would happen to them in the world after his departure, so that they would be prepared against it and would act accordingly. He now describes these things and puts them into short words: "All these things," he says, "I have spoken to you for this reason, so that you may not be offended," that is, so that you may not fall away from me or despair of me. For when you see and feel that all the world will hate and persecute you, and most of all those who are called God's people and the true church, then you will be challenged and moved either to doubt whether your faith and doctrine are right; or to become impatient and sullen 2) and to think: I will let this doctrine have a good year; I will believe and live just as much as the others, and then I will have peace.
002 Even as the beloved prophets also were challenged, especially Jeremiah the prophet, whom his own people afflicted sore, and gave him no rest in blaspheming, reviling, and condemning, that he might preach, and say that Jerusalem and the temple should be
2) "verdrossen" taken by us from the old edition of Walch. The reading of the old editions "vberdrossen" [- überdrossen] seems to us to be a printing error, because we meet with Luther the form "überdrüssig", but not "überdrossen". Cf. Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. X, 1758, § 2.
They burned his book and put him in prison, so that he began to say, Jer. 20:8, 9: "When I spoke of the plague and the destruction, the word of the Lord became a mockery and a scorn to me daily, so that I thought: Well, I will remember him no more, and preach no more in his name." As if to say, What more shall I preach in vain? What do I get out of it, but to be mocked, disgraced, and tormented without ceasing? What devil can bear such hatred, contempt, and plague without all cause from the world? But when I thought thus, saith he, and would have such wickedness vex me, and cease, it was in my heart and in my bones as a burning fire etc. That is, I was so afraid, and had such heartache, as if I lay in a fiery furnace, and thought I must die, where I would keep silence.
(3) Thus all Christians, especially those in the ministry of preaching, are challenged and so afflicted by the devil and the world that they must grow weary and despair or give up unless they are sustained by God's Word and Spirit. Therefore Christ comforts them with this, that they should not be moved or angered to fall away from Him, 3) or to give up, if they are in trouble and misfortune strikes them under the eyes, so that they must see, hear and feel both from the devil and the world, of which their hearts are in pain.
4 But he sets two pieces, that the enemies of the Christians may adorn their persecution and ravings, and thereby the sufferings of the Christians may be exceeding great.
3) Wittenberger: to fall off.
becomes heavy and great, and very strong and hard move to anger and apostasy. The first is when 1) he says, "They will put you under ban." What does this mean? Recently it means nothing else than to be separated from the people of God, cut off and cast away, as an unfit and condemned member, excluded from God and everything that is God's, and the sentence pronounced on you that you do not belong nor have a part in God's people, deprived of God and of blessedness, and not partaking of prayer and all the fellowship of the goods that are in Christ; and in short, finally condemned to the devil and cast into hell. This, he says, you must take care of and wait for, and you will be moved to fall away from me, thinking, "Perhaps this is not the right doctrine, and I 2) am deceived by this Christ. Therefore I tell you beforehand, that you may be prepared against it, and be able to withstand such trouble.
(5) For this has always been, and still is, a great argument and plea (if not the greatest) that the devil and his members lead against the true Christians. If they can only take the name of the Church of Christ or of God from them, and bring it against them, they think they have won. As when the prophet Jeremiah [Cap. 26, 4. ff.] may go forth, and preach thus: Ye kings, priests, and all the people of Jerusalem, know that God is angry with you, and ye shall be carried away captive by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be pulled down; then they hold this word against him: Knowest thou also that this is called the holy city, and our king is set up by God, and our priesthood is ordained by God? and we are the seed of Abraham, and God's people; what sayest thou to this? With this they rejected him, so that no one would hear him, and had to be called a false prophet. If this single man should appear, they said, and open his mouth so wide against God's word and promise, that this divine kingdom, priesthood and chosen people should be thrown down so that a foreign, godless king should destroy the temple and
1) Erlanger: that.
2) "I" is missing in the Wittenberg and in the Erlanger.
drag the city and take everything away? This is the devil's damned heresy and blasphemy. For it is not fitting that it should be God's people and city, God's king, priesthood and temple, and it should be said that it should all perish or be taken over by the Gentiles. This is just as much as saying that God would not be God to His people and would not keep His promise. Summa, it would all be nothing else but God's people, God's temple and order and His word, yes, God Himself condemned to it. They remained stiff-necked, and did not stop condemning and persecuting the prophet for such preaching, until they passed over it, and faith came into their hands.
(6) Thus it has always been with the dear prophets that they have been troubled with the appearance and name of the church and God's people. For they have always contradicted them with it: Dear, let them say what they will: Non peribit lex a Sacerdote, neque visio a Propheta,3 ) neque consilium a Senioribus: if a thousand Jeremiä stood there, we have the three pieces, we cannot lack them: The priests, who preach the law, will not teach unjustly; the prophets, who have God's word, will not prophesy falsely; and the elders and wise men (as the council of Jerusalem, and the king), they will know what to do [Jer. 18:18]. It is ever God's order that the priests teach the law, the prophets have the word and revelation, the lords give counsel and rule. These three must remain as they are given by God. Therefore, they had to be damned heretics who preached against these pieces.
7 Behold, these things might yet vex a man (even the strong Christian), that he should say, Whither leadest thou me? Shall I alone stand up and preach against thy people, against thy kingdom, priest, and word? For there is thy name, they have thy law, thy temple, and both spiritual and temporal government, ordained of God himself. What shall I do, that I alone shall lay myself against
3) The following Latin words are missing in the Erlanger; instead: "etc".
all that is of God? I want to say that they are right, and revoke my sermon, or ever remain silent. This has been the greatest annoyance to them and the strongest argument against them, just as we have the greatest trouble with it. And St. Paul himself had to fight against this, and even against himself, Rom. 9, 4, and says: "What am I doing with my preaching? I must preach against my own people, who have God's law, promise, miracles, prophets, temple and worship, and Christ Himself. This must be a bold man, who should not get angry and pull in the pipe.
(8) So also now the pope and his crowd cry out against us that they are the church, because they have baptism, sacrament and scripture from the apostles, and sit in the same chair; where else should God's people be, since His name is praised, and His apostles are descendants and heirs of the chair? They will not be Turks, Tatters and Gentiles! Therefore we must be, or there will be no people of God on earth. Therefore, whoever opposes us, opposes the Christian Church and Christ Himself etc.
(9) Whoever is not equipped here with other armor and strength, and shall hear nothing else but such a judgment of the highest and most excellent people on earth: You are a heretic, and the devil's apostle, preaching against God's people and the church, yes, God Himself, he is thus thrust before the head, that he must fall back. 1) For it is an argument that is difficult to take away from them and to talk them out of it, yes, it is also difficult for us ourselves to dissolve and to put aside, especially if one has to concede as much as we concede to them: that it is true that in the papacy there is God's word, apostleship, and that we have taken the holy scripture, baptism, sacrament and preaching chair from them; what else would we know about it? Therefore, faith, Christian church, Christ and the Holy Spirit must be with them. What am I doing, then, preaching against such as a disciple against his masters? Then such thoughts rush into the heart: "Now I see that I am wrong; oh, that I do not acknowledge it!
1) Jena and Erlangen: had to.
and never preached a word. For who may sit down against the church, of which we confess in faith: I believe in a holy Christian church etc.? Now I find the same also in the papacy; therefore, if I condemn it, I am under the highest ban, rejected and condemned by God and all the saints.
Now, what is to be done here? It is difficult to stand here and preach against such a ban. But if we allow ourselves to be frightened by this, and do what they want us to do, that is, revoke our sermon, if we know that it is right and God's word, or desist from it, we would be like the prophet Jeremiah, and God's word would set fire to an oven in us, from which the heart would have to melt and burn so that no man could bear it, that I would much rather be dead ten times over than carry such a conscience upon me, since I would soon die of it. But what is now the defense and the reason on which we may stand against such anger and maintain our defiance against it? Nothing else, but the masterpiece, so St. Paul uses Rom. 9, 7. and says: "They are not all Abraham's children, who were born of Abraham". They are not all called Israel, just as it is said, "They are not all cooks who carry long knives. So not all are the church, who boast and carry the name of the church. For there is often a great difference between the name and the essence. The name goes on, and all are called God's people, Abraham's children, Christ's disciples and members; but they are not all so. For under such a name there were nevertheless many wicked boys and husks, who would not obey God's word, but only did contrary to it, and yet were called 2) nevertheless the heirs and descendants of the holy patriarchs, priests, prophets etc. They had God's law and promise, temple and priesthood, and were supposed to be God's people, but they also did so much idolatry on the same glory that God had to say: Now this shall no longer be my temple and priesthood, and my people shall not be my people, but this is not my people.
2) "doch" is missing in the Erlanger.
to whom it shall be said, "You are children of the living God," Hos. 1:10.
(11) So we must also say: I believe and am certain that even under the papacy the Christian church remains. But on the other hand, I know that the large number among them, who have the prestige above all, are not. Our popes, cardinals and bishops are not God's, but the devil's apostles and bishops, and their people are not God's, but the devil's people; and yet some of them have remained true Christians, even though they have been led into error (as Christ foretold in Matth. 24, 24.), but they have been wonderfully preserved by God's grace and help. Therefore, it is not valid that they boast and defy with great splendor: We, pope, bishops, and what is among us, are the Christian church. For we are called after Christ, and are the descendants and heirs of the holy apostles and fathers. Therefore we justly condemn you who oppose us and believe or teach otherwise. Yes, dear sirs, we grant you the name, but let us see whether you are also the 1) and do what you boast of. For to be called so, or to be called so, and to be so, are two different things. I would like to call myself a king or emperor, if it were enough to do so, to bear the name alone, and the people would have to become my subjects for it. Some are called a pious man (says the proverb) and some a rogue, and do them both wrong. For it is the way of the whole world to use beautiful names, glorious and splendid words, and yet it is not so in principle; and if it were written on the forehead of any man what he was, he would not keep the name long.
(12) Therefore, I say, this distinction must be kept and driven out of St. Paul, that not all are God's people or the Church, who are thus called. For from this we can take both. From this we can take both instruction and strength, so that we do not take offense at their banishment and condemnation, but say against it, "If they banish me, happiness will strike. For such banishment is a mere false name, just as all their
1). "the" is missing in the Erlanger.
Christ himself warned and admonished me beforehand that I should not turn my back on it. Yes, you say, but what do you say to this? The Christian church has nevertheless banished you. No, it has left that alone. For it is not the church, if it boasts of the name; and if they banish me, if they have nothing but the name, what do I ask of them? But if they were truly the church of Christ, then I would have to fall under her feet and beg mercy, and offer myself to all obedience.
(13) Thus you say: Yes, how then do I know which is the true church, or which is not? Answer: It all depends, as I said, on knowing the nature of the church, and distinguishing between the name of the church and the nature of the church. This distinction and evidence is given by Christ himself in the following words, when he says: "They will do this to you, for they know neither the Father nor me. With this touchstone, I can easily and certainly judge which ones they are or are not. For this is good to see, and reveals itself, which know the Father and Christ, or not.
(14) Now here I bring the pope and his bishops, and all those who are called the church, before the court, and ask: Do you also believe in Christ, that through his blood alone you have forgiveness of sins and are saved, and that this is the will of God the Father, and that you were baptized into it, and received the sacrament, and are waiting for eternal life? Yes, they say, we also believe. But in order to see whether they truly believe this, I ask further: Why then do you teach that we old people have long since lost our baptism, and that everyone must now atone for his sin and be saved through good works? And how they now impudently preach and write that Christ alone died for original sin and has done enough, but we must think how we atone for our own committed sin. Here it is found that they have fallen from the faith, and lead the people away from Christ to their own works: Go to a monastery, or go to the church.
2) "a" is missing in the Erlanger. Immediately following, the original says: "through his" sin", which the Wittenberg has retained.
Rome and Compostel, practice a strict, hard life, or ask the Virgin Mary to intercede for you with these or those saints, so that you may be saved through them. So they make nothing out of Christ but a stern, wrathful judge, before whom one must be afraid, as he wants to cast us into hell. As he was painted sitting on the rainbow in judgment, with his mother Mary and John the Baptist on either side, interceding against his terrible wrath.
(15) This means that Christ has been taken away purely and not only unrecognized, but also badly covered up, buried, and entombed, so that I no longer look at him 1) as having been born, suffered, died, and risen for me (as children in the faith say), but only as wanting to be judged according to my life and works, whether I have paid for sin and have done enough or not. So when I look at him, I cannot run to him, but must flee from him, and have more refuge in Mary and other saints than in 2) Christ and his salvation. Behold, this is the people who want to be called the Christian church, and yet reject Christ, whom we should obey, and fear her ban and judgment more than Christ Himself.
16 Therefore let this be to thee the touchstone, the rod, the lead, and the balance, to judge them that they know neither Christ nor the Father, and neither can nor will hear him. For the pope does not want to suffer at all that his own human doctrine, of our works and nature, is touched, and that Christ is preached purely. So we, in turn, do not want to let this Christ be dampened, and let our works take his place. Then the quarrel arises that they approach and condemn and banish us in the name of the church. But we stand against them and say, "This is not done by the church of Christ, but by the wicked bride of the devil and the company of the end of Christ. For the true church, knowing Christ, will certainly not put anyone under ban for the sake of her word, because she herself preaches it, believes it, and is glad to hear it.
1) Erlanger: see.
2) In the original: "of", which the Wittenbergers and the Jenaers retained.
17 Thus St. Paul boasts against his Jews: "Those who are the true Israel of God will not be hostile to me, nor will they persecute me, but only the other group who have the name and yet are not; as Christ also says, John 8:43: "If you knew my Father, you would understand my language. etc. For they do indeed have these words and names: God the Father, God's word, God's service and people; but (as St. Paul says [2 Tim. 3, 5.]) in deed they denied it. Therefore the apostles must badly hear the judgment of them about themselves: You are the devil's preachers, and not God's. For you preach against the law, against this temple and worship, against the holy people, who were chosen by God and have His promise. Then St. Paul must open his mouth and say: "Dear sirs, we must speak of two kinds of God's people. One is the one who believes in the promise of Christ, who has now come; this is the right people and the right seed. Then there is the other people, who were born naturally of Israel and came from the holy fathers, but they do not believe in Christ and do not want to be sanctified and saved by grace but by their works. These are the false, disowned children; yes, not children, but enemies of God, even though they are the great multitude who have the rule and prestige, as if they alone were the right people. Therefore, whether they banish others, we say to them: You may be called God's people, but you are not. Ye have the name, that ye are of the saints, 3) and are among the saints: therefore think ye that all things which ye do are right, but not by a long way. For it is said, Not all who come from Israel are Israel [Rom. 9:6]. So also, not all are the church, who are thus reproached; but it must be seen how they believe and teach. If I see that they preach and confess Christ as sent by God the Father to reconcile us to Him through His death and to obtain grace, then we are one in this matter, and I consider them my dear brothers in Christ and members of the Christian church.
3) Wittenberg: holy fathers.
18) How nevertheless also under the papacy this sermon is kept according to the text, together with the baptism and sacrament of Christ, and articles of faith etc. Although much error and deviation have been introduced, many people have been preserved in death by it, who have fallen from the other false trust, and have held to Christ alone, and have confessed the same in faith. That nevertheless the true church has never perished; But yet the greater and greater part, who boast of the name, have forgotten baptism, have cast away Christ, and have despised the word of God, and instead have made up their own idolatry, saints, idolatry, and mass offerings and fairs for all the living and the dead, and even for cows and oxen, and filled everything with the pope's stink and filth, and thus suppressed the Christian doctrine by force, so that no one could recognize it without whom God had specially enlightened and torn it out of error.
19. See, this is what Christ wants to teach here, that Christians should know, if they are banished by those who are called the church and God's people, that they should not turn away from it, but first make sure of the matter, so that they can distinguish pure and dry between the supposed church, which boasts of the name, and the true church, which does not lead the glory, and yet is true, and hold to the same, although the great multitude of the high, mighty, and holy ones are against them, and persecute them, as at that time (Christ1) were the rulers of the people, princes, high priests, scribes, and prophets. For Christ comes and asks nothing of them everywhere, as they condemn him and his own, but continues always, and overthrows all their rule and being to the ground, as he will also do with the present his enemies at last.
20 However, we keep the distinction that Christ makes here, that we do not consider those to be Christianity who do not remain right and pure in what Christ has taught, given, and established, however great, holy, and highly learned they may be, but tell them that they are the church of the devil. But again, let us recognize and honor as the true bride of Christ those who abide in the pure and holy things of Christ.
Word of Christ, and have no other comfort of heart than this Savior, whom they have received and confessed in baptism, and have taken the sacrament thereon. These are the true church, not only in one place, as under the pope, but wherever they are, as far as the world is. According to the outward nature they may be scattered now and then, but in this piece they come together, which is 1) I believe in God the Father Almighty, and Jesus Christ our Lord, born for us, suffered, died on the cross etc., praying at the same time: Our Father in heaven; having one Spirit, Word and Sacrament; leading one holy, blessed estate, each according to his profession: father, mother, overlords, servants etc. And so, 2) what we preach, believe and live, so they also preach, believe and live; bodily separated from one another and tossed to and fro through the wide world, but gathered and united in Christ. 3)
(21) Behold, the true Catholic Church, the common Christian Church, will certainly not banish us or persecute us, but will gladly accept and confirm our teachings with all their hearts, and consider us their dear brothers. But whether the pope banishes us and condemns us to hell, we can happily bear and despise, but wait for the judge from heaven, our Lord and Savior, who will separate us and grant us and give us the right name of the church (which they now take from us), and publicly present it as the devil's bride, eternally separated and cast out of his kingdom.
(22) So the apostles, Paul and others, had to reproach their Caiphas, Annas, Ananias, and all the Jews: "Sirs, if you will not let us be apostles and preachers, nor give God's word, baptism, and sacrament yourselves, which you ought to do, as those who sit in office and proper government, we will give it among ourselves and not look to you. After this, let the judge come and pass judgment on those who have the right name or not;
1) Walch and the Erlanger: that that.
2) "Thus" is missing in the Wittenberg. Instead of the following "thus" there is: that.
3) Wittenberger: "vnreinigt."
as he also did afterwards 1) so that their kingdom, land, priesthood, temple, and everything is torn apart, destroyed, and thrown into a heap, that not one stone is left upon another, and the people must be cast out into all the countries and go astray, have no word of God, priesthood, nor regiment, and have shamefully lost the name they had, and have come to the Gentiles, who had no name before, as the prophets also proclaimed to them. So now the pope snatches to himself the name of the church, the right worship, takes it from the right Christians, and gives it to his godless bunch. But the game will also turn with them, that we will take the name away from them again, that they will also have to be condemned, and be deprived of all honor and glory, which they now want to have, before all the world and remain deprived forever.
(23) Thus we have the armor and defense against the first part of the great temptation and battle, which both weak and strong Christians are afraid of and moved to anger, and which was also difficult for the apostles to overcome, that one should preach again the ban of those who are called God's people or church, and have God's word, both law and promise, given by God (2c), that we must bear the guilt, as if we were preaching against God and all His order. Just as St. Paul Apost. 21, 18. ff. was also accused of preaching publicly against the holy people, against the law, against the holy temple. But he uses a fine dialectic, and makes a sharp distinction, which they do not understand, and says: "Yes, it is true, the law is holy and good, the people are holy, the city and temple are also holy; yes, if it were also needed rightly; the priesthood is right and holy, if they conduct their office rightly; you are the holy people of God and Abraham's seed, if you only keep it rightly.
024 So we say also unto the pope and bishops, We will gladly bear you up in our hands, and keep your law, and your ban, and all things with you, if ye have but need. Yes, they say, you shall not teach us that: We are the church, and have the office of God, therefore thou shalt hear us, and follow; what we have
1) "hernach" is missing in the Erlanger.
say and do that is right. Then we say with St. Paul: If you want to go there and abuse this holy name and office, then we will, regardless of you, tear up the temple and the law and everything before everything and let it perish. We will gladly let it be holy and good, and keep it, but if you want to use it differently than God has ordained, then it will be: Either you give up the abuse, or both priesthood, temple, people, law and everything will be lost. So we also say to the pope and his people: "Dear lords, see to it that you use your office, which you have, properly and conduct it as you should; or else you will lose everything together, and the pope's office will be torn apart and destroyed. For God did not give His law, temple, priesthood, preaching office, sacrament and key for us to do with them as we pleased, but that we should act and conduct them according to His command. But if we do not, he gives us leave and takes it away from us.
(25) So St. Paul and our preaching goes against the law, and yet not against the law; against the church, and yet not against the church. For it does not go against such a divine foundation, but against the false understanding and abuse, which they adorn with the name of the church, and thus pervert the law and God's word, and with it destroy the true church and God's people. Therefore, we must pull the lid off them, and show what the gospel, baptism, and the ministry of preaching are rightly called, and separate their abuse from it. For the devil always adorns himself with such an angelic, even divine appearance and color, as he makes himself God in Matthew 4:9. Christ himself must fight, not against men, but against God; but not against the true God, but against the devil, who uses God's name and adorns himself with divinity.
(26) So also St. Paul fights against God's people, temple, and law; and we likewise must sit down and preach against the church, and yet not against God's temple, people, nor law, but against such a false angel of light, that we strip him of his angelic garment, and show that it is the devil; item, against the church, if yet not the church.
but against the rogue who has adorned himself with the beautiful name and color of God and His Word, Sacrament, preaching ministry and the Christian Church.
(27) Therefore, says Christ, do not be frightened by the fact that they have and use the name of God, and yet misuse it as they wish, and turn against you, and thereby banish and curse you (as blasphemers, heretics and apostates), but be wise to distinguish between the name of God, the ministry and the priesthood, and their false addition, as St. Paul does. The law, God's people, priesthood and temple I let remain, and do him all honor; but the husks I challenge, who abuse it all, or more of the devil's larvae, which he put on, which they defend, and do not want to pull off; there we tear ourselves over, and let ourselves be cursed, blasphemed and done to us, what they can, until we, or God through us, tear off their larvae again, so that nothing remains of it.
(28) This is one of the ways in which the devil attacks Christianity, and it belongs to the first of his weapons, which is called lies, which he adorns with the holy names of God, Christ and the church, and thus condemns the truth and wants to turn it into lies. After that, if he cannot do it with lies and false banishment alone, he takes the other weapons and attacks it with murder; so that Christians are not only banished by spiritual power in the name of God and the church, but must also be persecuted by secular power with the sword. For as the devil is a murderer from the beginning, so he must murder people; either the souls by 1) lies and false teaching, or the body with the sword and other deadly weapons. This is what Christ is talking about:
V. 2. The time is coming when whoever kills you will think he is doing God a service.
29) Then comes the devil, who disguises himself as an angel of light, and adorns his murder with the beautiful adornment called holiness and worship, as he adorned the lies before with the name of truth and God Himself. Here is never no
1) Erlanger: the.
A prince or regent who punishes the wicked and maintains discipline and peace has been praised as piously and praiseworthily as one who murders a Christian. For this is a right princely office, to punish murderers and evil-doers, so that the pious and innocent are protected. But it is nothing against the praise that he has before the world who murders an apostle or preacher. This is a very holy work, so that they think they have earned heaven from God.
(30) And this they will do, he will say, not secretly, as if they were ashamed, or did not want to have it said of them; but in public court, and with all honor and glory. And they will not only have to defend their secular authorities, but they will have to do it for the sake of God and the Christian church, as obedient members of it, to obey their judgment and ban (against the Christians), and to preserve both, God's and their obedience. So that the Christians must suffer and die as the devil's members, blasphemers and rebels, whom one should not nor can suffer on earth, so that everyone may boast and say: This emperor or prince has executed and burned the evil-doers. O what an excellent, princely, yes, Christian virtue, and a right holy, priestly work and sacrifice he has done 2) to God! For it is not better, than with such cursed people out of the world, the sooner, the better, and cast them to the devil. This tastes God in heaven, and all the angels 3) rejoice in it.
(31) With other shameful murderers and evil-doers, who are judged for their evil deeds, who have done harm and damage to the land and people, both judge and executioner, and whoever is entitled, have mercy and compassion, and should be desperately wicked people, who could laugh at such things and be in good spirits; but where a Christian is judged (for the sake of his faith and confession), there is joy and rejoicing among all. Oh, then it is 4) right and well done, one cannot do it so cruelly and wickedly with the punishment, they have deserved much more.
2) "hat er" is missing in the Erlanger.
3) Erlanger: darob.
4) Wittenberger: that is.
(32) This is also what hurts so much in such suffering that they must die, not only without all compassion, but also with the highest shame, scorn and mockery, and with all the joy and rejoicing of the world, who sing Deo gratias and Te Deum laudamus, and want to be specially praised before God and held holy by it, as those who thereby earn high and great things for God, so that he must reward and repay them greatly.
For this very reason Christ proclaims these things beforehand, so that righteous Christians may be prepared against them and not be frightened by such a terrible example and image. For in this way he himself had to die, when he was cursed by God and was to be killed, so that his name would be taken from the hearts of men, and everyone would be afraid to remember him; and they thought that if they had brought him to the cross, they would be blessed, and would have reconciled God and done the dearest service, that they would have put away the cursed man.
34 St. Paul also praises him and other apostles in 1 Cor. 4:13: "We are," he says, "a curse of the world and a sacrifice of all people. For curse and sacrifice are the names of such people, who are considered to be so evil that God and all creatures are hostile to them, and therefore he must punish the land and the people with all plagues, and cannot be reconciled, because they are 3) executed. So the world considers us apostles and preachers of the gospel (says St. Paul) to be the most poisonous. Paul) as the most poisonous worms and greatest plagues on earth, above war, pestilence, and all that is evil, since everyone cries out and asks that they may only be rid of us, thinking that when they have executed us most shamefully, the world will be healed and God's wrath will be appeased, that whoever slays such a one will receive much greater thanks and honor than he who drives a common pestilence out of the land.
35) This shall be the happiness of Christians on earth, that with such disgraces they shall have their body and
1) Wittenberger: fine.
2) Erlanger: ans.
3) "they" is missing in the Wittenberger.
They are the ones who daily bargain for life and allow themselves to be given to the devil, and grant their persecutors the praise and glory that they are called God's dear children. As we now also see and experience in the enemies of our Gospel, how exceedingly greedy and meager they are for the blood of pious Christians, and how they rejoice when they have killed one who has done nothing but preach the Gospel or publicly confess it, as if they had pleased God in heaven. These are called the right holy people, who are to be lifted up to heaven; there the pope and bishops give their blessings and indulgences most abundantly; there they cry out and write together: O right, so continue, you are on the right track, God will reward you in heaven and your children's children will enjoy it etc. For they are not so hostile to any serpent, to any evil worm, to any Turk, to any sin or shame, even to the devil himself, as they are to us and our doctrine; just as they write impudently of it: There is no Turk or dodderer so wicked as we, that emperors and princes can earn no greater reward from God, 4) than by eradicating this heresy.
36. Now such bitter hatred, murderousness and bloodthirst cannot be natural nor human, but must be diabolical, which cannot be satiated at all, nor can it be quenched and cease to persecute and murder such people, who neither do them nor anyone any harm or harm, nor intend to do so; but do good to everyone, serve and help the world, suffer violence and injustice patiently, and pray for their enemies; summa, about which they have nothing to complain, nor can they blame them without preaching about Christ, and would gladly bring people, from sins, death and hell, to God and heaven. This is the great sin, that we teach, first, to believe in Christ, that for His sake, and not for our own merit or holiness, God wants to give us eternal life, etc., then also, to praise and obey God and to benefit our neighbor, to teach to do good works, to be obedient, peaceful, charitable, patient, chaste.
(37) They must be desperate, devilishly wicked people, so the poor Christians for the sake of their good deeds,
4) Wittenberger and Erlanger: could.
They both, with doctrines and examples, show to everyone, so fiercely persecute that they must die over it as the worst of the avengers and most disgraceful evildoers. Well, what shall we do about it? We must consider this, if we want to be Christ's disciples, and know that it must be as he has prophesied and proclaimed here. But what is the cause of this raging and fuming, he also clearly adds, saying:
V. 3. And they will do this to you because they do not know my Father or me.
(38) This, I say, is the cause of the foregoing text, why Christians must both be persecuted with banishment and murder by those who would be the holiest and highest ministers of God. It is nothing else, he says, but the sorrowful blindness, so that they are struck, that they cannot recognize me, nor know what I am, and therefore also do not know my Father. For if they knew the Father and me (as sent by him to help them), they would certainly do no harm either to me or to you, who will preach about me, but accept us with all joy and thanksgiving, as St. Paul 1 Cor. 2:8 also says: "If they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Now, however, they can do nothing else, for as they know and understand, so they go according to their blindness, so that both of them, by nature, are also possessed by the devil, as St. Paul 2 Cor. 4, 4. says that "the god of this world blinds the minds of unbelievers, so that they do not see the bright light of the gospel," that is, they cannot recognize Christ; so that even though they are told, and the Holy Spirit with his light of the gospel pushes it before their eyes, they do not want to see or know it, but deliberately remain in their blindness. So much has the devil bewitched them with the delusion of their own holiness and righteousness, in which they drown, dreaming that they themselves can be pious, fulfill the law, and please God without Christ, that they can neither see nor understand anything before it.
39 But this is said to us for our comfort and strength against their banishment and murder, so that we will not turn back or be offended. For here we have the testimony and the
Glory, which they themselves must give us by their own confession, that they do not persecute us for such things as they might publicly prove against us, that they would do well and justly in them, as in those things where the world has right and cause to condemn and punish, which are publicly wicked men, thieves, murderers, and seditioners; but in those things they persecute us, because they neither understand nor know, that we preach of Christ and the Father, which they know not, and yet, according to their blindness, run and rave against such preaching.
40. For they cannot bring it upon us that we have sinned against them, or attacked the authority, honor and power due to them, or coveted any of theirs; Indeed, they themselves must confess that we have not only taught them to give and leave all that they have, and let them remain and sit as they are, but have also commanded us to all obedience and abundance, even more than we owe them, and have desired nothing more, without which it does them no harm at all, that they leave us God's word and faith free. They do not want to do this, but force us to teach and believe what they themselves want (against Christ and his word), even though they themselves either believe nothing at all, or do not know what they believe. (Although there are many of ours, indeed many more, who know and confess that our doctrine and faith is right, and yet out of pure sacrilege and will of courage persecute such doctrine, and torment and murder pious people on it, so that one can see how they must be poisonous devil worms). For what harm is it to you that I understand and believe something for myself that you do not want to understand or believe? What harm does it do me that a farmer can plow better, an artist can paint 3) or carve better than I can; should I therefore be angry with him and persecute him as an enemy? How would I come to the shameful envy and hatred, if I do not know an art or craft, nor want to learn, and yet wanted to defend another,
1) Jenaer: the.
2) Erlanger: darob.
g) Erlanger: "paint, carve or turn".
Is it not fair to say to me, thou wicked, desperate man, if thou wilt not, or canst not, do it thyself, let others do it; is it not enough that they let thee do what thou wilt?
So we say to our larval bishops, if they themselves do not want to teach, believe, preach, govern churches, nor do anything that is their right, that they should let us believe and do what we know is right; for which they should still thank us that we relieve them of toil and care, and gladly let them have their honor, power and good days. But it is of no avail with these people, but they are worse than raving and furious, yes, full of devils. We do not want to believe in Christ, nor do we want to teach the gospel, therefore you should not believe or preach it, but only say and do what we want. If we do not do this, and do not approve and worship all their shameful nature and life, we shall die as heretics and rebels without any mercy.
(42) Therefore, if it comes to this, says Christ, and you see that it is because they do not want to know me, nor do they want to know about me, then let them go, rage and rush as they wish, and be undaunted by it. For they cannot do otherwise, and you will not make them do otherwise; the devil has 1) completely possessed them, and rides them with hardened blindness, so that 2) they can no longer be helped. For it is, as I said, not bad human blindness, which they would still like to excuse, but wilful obduracy of the devil, that they do not want to recognize, even if it is told to them so clearly that they would like to grasp it, but want to remain badly blind, and neither hear nor suffer anything that is said to them; as he said just now at the end of the 15th chapter, v. 24: "If I had not come and told them, they would have had no sin. But now they have nothing to excuse their sin" etc. Therefore let this be your comfort, and thank God that you are not also in such blindness.
1) "to" is missing in the Wittenberger.
2) Erlanger: da.
but know the Father and me, and suffer these things for my sake, that you may abide in my faith and gospel.
43. But sayest thou, How saith he, they know neither my Father nor I? Did not all the Jewish people boast of this knowledge of the one God, when they wanted to be called God's people alone, as they say John 8:41: "We have one Father, God. Likewise now our enemies also boast, both of God the Father and of Christ; for they do not want to be called and held otherwise than Christians and servants of God (as Christ Himself said of such); how then should they not know Him? Answer: What the knowledge of God and Christ is, is now often established, namely, not a lazy, loose thought or dream, as reason may think of God and Christ, from hearsay, and according to such its own thoughts depicts God and acts against him, but it is the right, living faith, which grasps the word of the Gospel, and according to the same knows him, and knows the Father's will and heart, that he sent his Son, Christ, to save the world from God's wrath and eternal death by his blood and death, and that Christ has accomplished all this, has obtained forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and truly gives it to all who believe in him, so that Christ's knowledge and the Father's knowledge are bound together and are one knowledge; As it is often said above, that the Father alone is known in Christ, and neither will nor can be attained and met, nor worshipped and invoked, apart from this Mediator.
(44) Therefore, this article of Christ is the most important, and everything depends on it; he who has it has everything, and Christians must fight and contend for it constantly, so that they may remain in it, which is why Christ and the apostles do not insist on it everywhere without cause. For the other articles, although they are also founded in Scripture (as that Mary, a pure virgin, gave birth to Christ), do not drive them so hard that St. Paul (when arguing about this article) does not even care to call the mother, nor the honor of the virgin.
3) Wittenberger: on it.
but says badly, Gal. 4, 4: Natum ex muliere, "born of a woman". But in this he is complete, that we do not attain grace and salvation with God through works and law, but only through this mediator, Christ.
For this is the only article that must always suffer persecution from the devil and the world: as it was proclaimed soon after the beginning, in the first divine sermon that came to man after the fall, Genesis 3:15: "I will put enmity between your seed and the serpent, and the same seed shall bruise your head, but you shall bruise his heel" etc. This is the very enmity of which Christ here says that His Christians must both be banished and put to death for the sake of His knowledge, and that they preach of Him. Other articles have also had contestation; but none have made so much bloodshed and martyrdom as this one. For it began so soon in the first two brothers, Cain and Abel, that the one died at the other's hands, and will not cease as long as the world stands. Where this one rises, the devil is mad and foolish, and the world burns like fire and is bright with wrath and rage.
46. And one sees in all histories that all heresy and error arose where this article fell, since people became sure as if they could very well know it; And so they fell from this to other things, and began to dispute about the person of Christ, whether he was truly God or only man, and with such speculation and questioning introduced all misfortune, since one denied the deity of Christ, another the humanity, item, some the person of the Holy Spirit, some the virginity of Mary; but all at least, as many as there were, also erred and deceived in this main item. For in this all depends and stands, and draws the others all with it, and all is to be done for this one, so that whoever errs in the others certainly does not have this one right either, and even if he holds the others and does not have this one, it is still all in vain.
47 Again, this article also has the grace, where one with diligence and seriousness thereby
that he does not fall into heresy, nor run against Christ or his Christianity. For he certainly brings with him the Holy Spirit, who thereby enlightens the heart and keeps it in right and certain understanding, so that he can 1) make a pure and dry distinction and judge from all other articles of faith, and preserve and defend them mightily. As can also be seen in the ancient fathers; where they remained with such article 2) and based their doctrine on it or led it from it, they remained pure in all points; but where they went away from it and disputed apart from it, they also went astray and stumbled on it, as also happened to the oldest, Tertulliano and Cypriano, from time to time. And what else is lacking, not only in the papists, but in all of our fools who rave against baptism and other articles, but that they have already fallen from this, have not bothered about it, and have raised other things instead, and have thus lost their minds, so that they teach nothing right about it, and can receive no article with certainty? as one can well see in their books; then they continue to fall from one error into another, until they finally lead themselves and other people to ruin.
For when this knowledge of Christ is gone, the sun has lost its light, and is darkness, so that nothing is rightly understood, and one can neither avoid error nor the false teaching of the devil. And even if one keeps the words of faith and Christ (as they remained in the papacy), there is no reason for any article in the heart, and what remains is vain foam and uncertain persuasiones or conceit, or a painted, colored faith. As they themselves call their faith fidem acquisitam et im formem, that is, a loose, lazy, single thought that neither does nor is good, neither holds nor fights when it comes to the meeting that it should hold and prove itself. And that their boasting of faith and Christ is completely false and untruthful, they prove themselves by the fact that they do not want to suffer this article, the knowledge of Christ and right faith, but rage against it with banishment and murder.
1) Erlanger: es.
2) Jenaer: such articles.
630 Erl. 50, LS-SI. Interpretations on John the Evangelist. W. VIII. SÜS-S08. 631
49 Again, where this sun shines and glows in the heart, there is a right certain understanding of all things, so that one can stand firm and hold fast to all articles, as that Christ is true man, born of the Virgin Mary, and also true almighty God, born of the Father in eternity, Lord over angels and all creatures. Item, so he believes and teaches rightly of the Holy Spirit, of baptism, sacrament, good works, resurrection of the dead; so he walks simple in faith, does not dispute and argue about God's word, does not cause quarrels or doubts. And if anyone comes who attacks one or more of these articles, a Christian can defend himself and repel them, for he has the right Master (the Holy Spirit), who alone reveals this article from heaven and is given to all those who hear and accept this word or sermon from Christ. Therefore, such a one will not be led astray into heresy and error; and even if he falls short or stumbles, he will soon get back on track (if only he does not fall from this). For this light consumes and dispels the clouds and darkness, and directs 1) and aligns him again. But if he loses this light, he can no longer be helped. For where this knowledge is gone, it takes everything with it, and you may lead and confess all articles after it (as the papists do), but it is neither earnestness nor right understanding, but like one groping in darkness, and a blind man hears talk of the color which he has never seen. This is done by those who are the best and most pious among them. For the other great multitude must fulfill this, as Christ says here, that they run headlong against it, blaspheme and persecute, banish and murder the true Christians from no other cause, but for this knowledge alone, and thus become possessed, blinded and obdurate, yes, vain devils from those who do not have this article knowledge (although they otherwise earnestly strive to be holy and pious), just as from those who recognize and believe him become vain children of God.
50 Behold, this is the reason why Christ gave the apostles this piece so hard and steadily.
1) Wittenberger: unterweiset.
and warns them against all kinds of troubles that they might get into. For he knows that where they abide in this, as on the foundation and main, they are in the bosom of the Holy Spirit, who arms them and keeps them, so that they are strong enough to stand against all trouble and error, and to overcome everything that may befall them. For this knowledge does it all, brings us all wisdom, God with all His goods, opens heaven, breaks hell, devils and the world with all their wisdom and power, lies and murders.
(51) Therefore keep this text, both of you, as a reminder, that we may take this doctrine or article of the knowledge of Christ rightly before all things, and hold fast to it as the certain, firm foundation and highest treasure of our salvation, and after that also for strength and comfort. For therein stands our defiance, that Christ Himself is judge here, and pronounces judgment for us, separates those from us, and confesses to us that we (who have His word, and therefore suffer banishment and persecution) are those who know the Father and Him, and they not. From this you have the judgment of who is or is not the true church of Christ. They have the appearance (this is true) that they are God's servants and have the right doctrine, and we are called heretics and children of the devil; but against this he says: "Because you have my word and knowledge (which they do not have), then be undaunted; it has already been established before God the Father that you are the right church, although you do not have the name and honor before the world, but must grant them.
52 We must also now be well accustomed to this. For (as I have said), when it comes to the battle to stand against the world, or when someone's conscience is rightly challenged, this is a hard argument that the devil uses against us: Do you think that you alone are wise? May you condemn so many fine, high, noble, pious people, who are also baptized and of the Christian faith, and consider them all fools? A difficult argument (I say) is that it applies in the community, or to one alone, especially where one thinks about it, and is not armed against it with the right reason.
53 Therefore, it must come to the point that one must
Know this, that here Christ says and concludes: All those who do not know the Father and me, will certainly spread lies and murder against you. For the devil incites and drives them, so that they must defend their lies by banishment and murder. They did it at the time when the pagans practiced such gross idolatry, which had no appearance at all, except that 1) they worshipped stones and wood, yes, the Egyptians onions and garlic, cats and evil worms, which also reason teaches that they are not gods. Nor did they think so strongly of such palpable lies, which even the pagan poets considered foolishness and condemned, that they raged against the Christians with persecution and killing, as against rebels and blasphemers, if they would not worship their cow or crocodilum.
(54) The devil cannot suffer his lies to be attacked, when they have no semblance of truth in the sight of reason. How much less can he suffer it where he has a semblance of great holiness? as was the case with the Jews of old, or even with the Turks, who boast most highly against us that they alone worship the one God. And where there are those of whom Christ says here that they do not worship garlic, nor idolatry, but want to be God's servants, and persecute the Christians for it, such have much greater cause to rage. What do these (they say) want to preach for a God and make new things? Do we (say both Jews and Turks) believe in the One, true, truthful God, who created heaven and earth? Yes, the Turks also admit that Christ was born of the Virgin, crucified, and resurrected etc. And our papists storm against us without ceasing with this single argument: "Do we believe everything that is written in the Scriptures and keep all the articles of faith, of God and of 2) Christ; why then do you fight against us? You did not bring these things up yourselves, but took them from us. How then may you condemn us, and separate and segregate yourselves from us? What better can you teach and have than we? etc. Should those who have always believed the church
1) Wittenberger: da.
2) "von" is missing in the Wittenberg and in the Erlanger.
Who are the descendants of the holy apostles and fathers, who are all wrong and in the wrong? This is their best armor, and strongest defense, so that they think they can push us over the head and collect us, namely, with the name of God, the faith and the Christian church. Therefore, we must be called liars and heretics, apostates and enemies of the church, and the cry of murder goes out over us, that we should only be executed from the earth, for God's service and praise, and for the protection and preservation of the Christian church.
(55) But here you have the right judgment, as Christ speaks of them, that in truth they know neither the Father nor him, though they boast much of it in words. And add to this the sign by which they may be known, as by their fruits, that they are liars and murderers; as their own deeds bear witness against them, that they go against the true doctrine of the gospel (which they boast of), both in doctrine and life, and persecute them for it that teach and believe rightly and truly. But because their appearance and fame are so great that it is hard to believe that they should be those who do not know God and Christ, their teachings and nature must be considered and contrasted with how it rhymes with the Gospel, and they must know how to distinguish between the right faith and their dream faith. As Jude in his epistle portrays them well and finely, and calls them by their name [v. 8] "dreamers", that their doctrine and faith is a mere dream, that (their dream) has with them the name and delusion of a right being, and yet in truth is nothing. For what they know of it, read, speak or preach, they have out of mere habit, just as a drunkard speaks in his sleep, since he does not know what he is doing or how he feels. So they know nothing at all what they read, sing, or say; they are even as if drowned in a deep sleep, in other thoughts, without the words passing through their mouths, of faith, of the Lord's Prayer, and of all the Scriptures which they have received from the dear fathers. For if they knew God the Father and Christ His Son correctly, they would have to conclude with us from such knowledge and say: "We believe that we cannot be saved without being saved only by the faith of God.
634 Erl. so, SS-S6. Interpretations on John the Evangelist. W. vm, SI0-5IL. 635
the one Mediator Christ, as sent by the Father to bear and pay for the sins of the world, as the apostle St. Paul sharply and powerfully argues and concludes. For this is to acknowledge the Father, that we may know what the Father has decreed concerning us, and for what purpose he sent his Son, namely, that through him we might be delivered from sins, since we could not be saved by the law, Romans, chapter 8, v. 3.
(56) If they knew and believed this, they would have to go further and conclude that the foundations and monasteries (erected for the atonement and remission of sins) must be error and the devil's lie. For if I come so far, and know that no one, without Christ, can help me from sins, and that such is the will and opinion of the Father, then this will bring the consequence itself, that I must say: Is this true, what have I sought for so long a time in the monastery? For what purpose have I read or prayed so many masses, horas, rosaries? Why have I placed my consolation in the deceased saints, run here for pilgrimage, there for indulgences? It was all done (as no one can deny) so that we could atone for our sins, reconcile with God, and become blessed. And, even more unchristian, we monks have taken upon ourselves to help other people to heaven with it, as if we did not need our works for ourselves alone, but sold or gave them away as other merits to the dying, and comforted them with them, and called them to pass away. We cannot deny this, for our books, which we have written and read, and our letters and seals, confirmed with the names of God and the saints, testify against us.
(57) Now how does this rhyme with faith in Christ, which thus saith, By me, and not by thee, nor by any other name in heaven or in earth, shalt thou be saved? But they say that Christ is the Savior, and that he shed his blood for us; and yet they put up their pretense that our work and life should also be to atone for sins and to obtain forgiveness. Yes, what is the
1) Wittenberger: with it.
The whole of monasticism other than such vain dream doctrine against Christ? since they have nothing of their own from their vain, foolish works, as wearing caps and plates etc. (which any wicked wretch can do), make a state of perfection above and against the common Christian state, which they consider imperfect, even despise, and say that it is a dangerous state, in which no one can be saved, unless they come to his aid through their perfect state, and share their merits and works, so that they may also go to heaven. What is that but a mere dream, yes, a grievous blindness? since they themselves neither know nor see what they say or do, they want to be called Christians, confessing with their mouth the faith that Christ died for our sins, etc., and yet teaching and living contrary to it in deed.
(58) For if it be true that the common Christians (whom they call laymen), having holy baptism and faith in Christ, cannot be saved by their baptism and Christ's blood, they must also buy the merit of the monks, and be made partakers of their works; for what use is Christ with his blood and baptism? Or what is this other than thus taught and said: Christ is not enough to make people blessed with his suffering, death and merit, but we want to do it much better, and establish such a being, by which we not only become blessed, but also acquire many other merits, which we do not need for ourselves for salvation, but as an overflow and excess give to others, and they must buy them from us, and thus enjoy ours, so that they may also become blessed?
59. Is not this blaspheming openly and unashamedly, saying, Christ is nothing and helps nothing, but we are Christ, yea, much more than Christ? for we are so holy that we must be nothing; so also he alone cannot help others, if we come not to their help with our exceeding works? Is this not a shameful, cursed abomination, and a true counterchristian doctrine? And who could believe that such a thing is taught in Christianity, in all schools and in all preachers' offices, and that it is practiced with all seriousness?
If we had not heard it, seen it, and been in it ourselves, from the best to the least, as deeply as the others, and that their books, seals, and letters, which testify to this, still existed? Otherwise a man should be surprised to death when he hears that those in the church who have been baptized into Christ and called Christians by him have fallen into such blindness that they teach in public and sincerely believe it: Whoever puts on a gray or black cap in his deathbed should have obtained forgiveness of sin with it, and take more and higher comfort in it than in his baptism and the blood and death of the Lord Christ. This is called terrible blindness; but much more terrible blindness, and more astonishing, is that those who want to be called the Christian church, and receive the name by force, are still supposed to be so wicked and devilishly evil, that such blindness and darkness is now so publicly discovered and taken away by the preaching of the gospel, that they themselves see and know it: nevertheless they do not want to let go of it, but defend their old deed and darkness by force, and do not suffer that one preaches or lives against it.
From this you see clearly that Christ rightly says of such and concludes: "They neither know my Father nor me"; to strengthen us that we do not make any doubt how great the appearance is against it, but certainly conclude that their thing is nothing but vain dream teaching of such people, as St. Paul says 1 Tim. 6, 5, "who have broken senses and are deprived of the truth", and do not know what they say or do. With their mouths they say they confess God (St. Paul again Tit. 1, 16.), but with their works they deny it; as also Christ [Matth. 15, 8.] says of His Jews from Isaiah Cap. 29, 13: "This people draws near to me with their mouths, and honors me with their lips," they can use my name gloriously and magnificently, and thus come almost close to me; but with the heart no one departs so far from me.
61 The dear prophets themselves had to have and give such a distinction, so that they could separate their true Jews from the false dream Jews, who were leading the
the same words, and boasted of the God of Israel, who brought them out of Egypt, and of his worship and sacrifices (as Jeroboam also did with the golden calves); this was rightly spoken with the mouth, but in essence it was idolatry, or false trust in their own deeds and fictitious worship, contrary to God's word. So now the Turks boast that they believe in God, who created heaven and earth; this is also rightly said with the mouth, but basically they know nothing of God, without what their dream is, and as much as they have from hearsay. In the same way, the Pabst's faith and service to God, which he praises with his mouth, is nothing but a mere babble and a dream, yes, a vain lie. For what they say of God, Christ and His baptism with their mouths, that is denied with their whole being and works, monasticism, masses, indulgences, saintly service, and they act contrary to it. Therefore it is vain lost and damned worship.
62. and what wonder is it that they do not know Christ and the Father? For how could they have this high knowledge, which surpasses all knowledge and wisdom (as St. Paul says), because they lie in such blindness and darkness that they do not yet know what they themselves are. For they do not recognize and believe that they are by nature nothing but sinners (like all men from Adam), born under God's wrath, and condemned to hell, with all their doings and abilities, except Christ, but presume and boast to find and accomplish so much in their powers and free will that they obtain God's grace; and so presume to deal with God, like all heathens and Turks, without Christ, as if he had to look at their own imaginary works and worship, and give heaven for it; wanting to teach and say much about good works, and yet not understanding nor having a good work, which God demands or praises, but dealing with vain own imaginary and dreamed-up works.
63 After that, if they follow such dream teaching, and are outwardly attacked with works and practiced all their lives, and very much
1) Wittenberger: leidiger.
They teach and hold that if a man has done everything, he must still doubt, and cannot know whether he pleases God and is in grace or not; so that they lose all effort and labor, and accomplish nothing but vain despair. Are these not blind, even foolish and furious people, who boast so highly and presume on their own works and merits that they can not only be blessed with them, but also sell them to others, and call them to comfort themselves and rely on them; and yet, when it comes to the meeting that they should stand on them before God, they just close the contradiction, and punish themselves with lies?
64 But so it shall be with them, nor can it be otherwise. For it is true that where there is no faith or knowledge of Christ, both doubting and despairing must follow. For in the end it is clear that our lives and works (even if they were good and done according to the ten commandments) cannot stand the test, nor can they stand against God's judgment, but both such foundations, on which we had previously relied and what we had built on them, must perish.
Behold, this is the judgment and punishment that God inflicts on those who do not see this light (that is, do not accept and believe God's word of Christ), so that they are drowned in vain blindness and darkness, and no longer know anything about divine things, and do not understand a bit of Christian doctrine, which is sin, which is man's ability, how one can get rid of sin and become righteous, which is law or gospel, which is faith, which is good works, and which is Christian standing. And as they do not know Christ, so they cannot really know or regard any Christian, but must condemn and persecute the true church and Christians who teach the Lord's word, and thereby punish and remove their darkness and blindness. And it serves them, by God's judgment, justly and rightly, that they thus cast themselves away from God, Christ, and His Christianity, like chaff from grain, Psalm 1:4, and in their blindness and hardening, both themselves and the other.
1) Erlanger: "and not" instead of: yet.
corrupt, and lead others with them to ruin.
66. Therefore we conclude from this text with Christ that such are not God's people, nor Christians, as they boast, but anti-Christians, and not the church, but enemies of it, because they both continue with the teaching against Christ and his word in their blindness, They also act contrary to it with their works, and thus prove and testify by deed that they are those of whom Christ says here, namely liars and murderers, who condemn and persecute the right doctrine and right Christians as children of the devil, who do the works of their father, as he said Joh. 8, 44 to his Jews, who only wanted to be God's people.
(67) Therefore, we should not be frightened by it, nor should we turn back to the anger that we have to live among the people who bear the glorious names of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Christian church, God's word and commandment, forgiveness of sin, keys, etc., which we also call with them, and yet they fight against us with them and want to oppress us. And it seems a ridiculous warfare that we fight over it, while we agree with each other. They call themselves Christians, believers, church, boast of God and his word etc., we do the same; we speak the same word on both sides. In this we are one; but in the matter and in the 2) mind we are far from each other. Now this strife is not new, but has been so from the beginning and always. For all the prophets quarreled with their Jews, who spoke the same words: We believe in the God who brought us out of Egypt etc. And what does St. Paul have to fight against his false apostles, if they do not also want to be apostles, and boast and preach about Christ? As he himself says in 2 Cor. 11, 13, that they seek cause everywhere, that they may boast like him, and may pretend to be apostles of Christ, so that he also must come out with boasting against them, and say v. 22: If they are Ebramites, Israelites, Abraham's seed, so am I; if they are servants of Christ, so am I, yes, I am more etc.
2) "im" is missing in the Jena.
68 For this reason we cannot be separated here, nor can we deny them the name; but there we are separated, when we see which of the two (who have the same name) are false or righteous. As even in the papacy they must make such a distinction and say that among the Christians there are some who are true Christians; some who are called Christiani nomine et numero, who alone have the name, and are in the same number. But how one is to make the right distinction between those who are righteous and those who are false, as much as one can sense and examine by heart, has been said enough so far; namely, that one should see where the teaching of the gospel of faith in Christ, without addition or secondary doctrine, goes right with its fruits and right good works, according to the same word; And on the other hand I see where there is a contradiction, where people call the gospel and faith by their mouth alone, and yet cast out other things against it, so that faith and Christ are denied, and their own imaginary works with false confidence are set above both faith and true good works. This is also proven by the fruit, that one wants to defend such against the right doctrine and faith with banishment and murder etc. Now continue in the text:
V. 4. But these things have I spoken unto you, that, when the time shall come, ye may remember that I have told you. But I did not tell you this at the beginning, because I was with you.
(69) The Lord Christ himself feels that it is very necessary to tell them this and to preach it to them, so that they may be prepared against the great trouble (of which he spoke) and be able to stand. Therefore, saith he, I tell you now, that hereafter, when it shall come into your hands, and ye shall see that they will banish you, and kill you, with the appearance that ye are enemies of the church and of the people of God, that ye be not dismayed at it; but think behind you, and strengthen yourselves with this, that I have told you before, that it must so happen unto you. If you want to be my disciples, for my sake you must be called heretics and children of the devil, and those who persecute you must be called devout Christians,
God's children and servants. You must be warned of this, and know beforehand that you do not turn to the great, glorious, divine names and words, and excellent appearances, which they use, but see and judge whether they know me or not, that is, whether they teach and live from the heart and in deed as those who know me and cling to my word; then the contradiction will be found, that under God's name and mine they lead people away from my word and from faith in me, and put their own deeds over it. Stay with this guide and certain test, so that you can conclude for sure and without doubt that you are my Christians and the right church, and they are not; and do not let their shouting and boasting deceive you, whether they do not grant you the name and take it to themselves alone, there is no power in it; it is enough that I grant it to you and want to keep it, that it should finally remain with you.
(70) These things, saith he, I have not wished to say unto you from the beginning; for hitherto it hath not been necessary, because I have lived with you. For because you have me with you, they must leave you in peace, and can do nothing to you, they must have done it to me before; but now it will come about that I must endure and be crucified, and will no longer be visible with you, so it will also happen to you that you must suffer for my sake. Therefore I must tell you, that you remember it and are prepared against it.
But now I go to him who sent me, and no one among you asks me, "Where are you going? But because I have spoken these things unto you, your hearts are filled with sorrow. But I tell you the truth, it is good for you that I go.
(71) He hath sufficiently declared unto them, and hath told them how they shall fare henceforth in the world, and hath shewed cause why it was necessary to tell them these things; that they should not be offended at them, but should know beforehand, or remember afterward, if it befell them, that they should fare so, after he was taken from them, and should himself be put to death with shame by his Jews. These things, saith he, I would not have told you at first, when I took you to be my disciples,
and kept in my protection, so that I would not frighten and afflict you. And if I had stayed with you longer, I would not have said anything of this kind to you, but would have borne everything alone (as I do now); but now I am leaving you, I must not leave it unsaid, but must leave you my word behind me, so that you may know what I think of it, when you are so shamefully and angrily persecuted and treated by those who want to be God's people and the church, so that you may have a consolation and stand. But now you are so distressed that you do not understand anything, nor do you pay attention to what I say to you because of sadness, yes, even do not ask etc.
Seventy-two: But what is it that he saith, None of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? etc. In the 14th chapter, v. 4, he said to them, "Where I am going, you know, and the way you also know"; and before that, after the Lord's Supper, he had often enough said that one of his disciples would betray him and deliver him up to death, so that St. Peter also said to him [Luc. 22:33], "Lord, I will be betrayed and delivered up to death. Peter also says to him [Luc. 22, 33.]: "Lord, I will go with you into the dungeon and to death; so also St. Thomas asked him above, where or which way he would go from them; how then does he say here the contradiction, that they do not know and are not allowed to ask? If here the sharp, clever masters (I mean our rough Pabstles) had heard such things, they would soon find anti-logias, and make Christ himself repugnant to him, as not knowing or thinking what he speaks. But there is epitasis3 ) and understanding in the word, when he says: "whither I go". As if he should say: You are so completely struck and frightened by this word, when you hear that I will no longer be with you, that you do not think, nor do you go into your heart to ask further where I am going etc. For if ye knew what it was, ye would not be so grieved and affrighted. But now, since you know nothing about it, you do not ask about it, since you ought to ask and investigate what it means that I am going, so that you may have comfort from it,
1) Jenaer: not.
2) Erlanger: es.
3) i.e. the reprint.
and you are not concerned about my going away.
73] So they spoke above [Cap. 14, 5] quite simple about his going away, and thus roughly asked about the place and road. But here he speaks of it in such a way that he wants them to imagine, not how he will go away, but how perfectly good it is that he goes. Therefore ye shall not ask," he saith, "what is the way or the highway by which I go, whether I go again to Bethany, or into the garden; but for what purpose and why I go away, that is for your good. For such going away is not for my sake, but for yours. But I must now give you credit that you regard so little where I am going, and cannot comfort nor rejoice in it, but are so utterly distraught at hearing how I am going from you that you can think no further nor ask; and so that which should be to you and in truth is a comforting thing, is now terrible and repugnant to you. For you are so used to me, and have me so gladly with you, that nothing unfortunate can happen to you, but that I should be taken from you.
So he wants to cheer them up and wake them up a little from their sadness, in which they are drowned, because they hear that he wants them. For he has been a kind man out of all measure, and they have rejoiced in him and been glad to have him, so that it must naturally grieve them to be deprived of such sweet company and friendship, especially since they are to be left alone and find neither physical protection nor friendship in his stead, but hear the contradiction that they are to be condemned, persecuted and tormented in the world, and especially by their own people. That they would gladly go out if they could, or if they could because of grief, and complain, "Are we then to be abandoned? 5) Whom shall we have in your stead, that we may comfort ourselves? Therefore, before they begin to ask, he himself answers their thoughts: "Oh no, not so, dear disciples, do not think how it will hurt.
4) Jenaer: bodily.
5) Wittenberger: so.
It is natural for you that I leave you, but think how good it is for you, let us talk a little about what I mean by this; here you should ask and worry why I am leaving and what it is for you.
For I say to you (he speaks and swears), as true as God is and as I am, only understand this departure to be much better for you than my remaining. For if I remain, you have no more in me than a bodily, natural comfort, and cannot come to the high, great, spiritual regiment and eternal being. Therefore my going away, which now grieves you so much, shall be your highest joy. Let me only go away and be highly afflicted and most shamefully killed, and you are unconcerned, but know that it happens only to you. For my sake I have no need of you, neither to come nor to go away, neither to suffer nor to die; but it is necessary for you and your help, joy and comfort, because I will accomplish the very thing for which I came. And set up the cause of it yourselves:
V. 7 For where I go not, the Comforter cometh not unto you: but if I go, I will send him unto you.
(76) It is thus proclaimed in the Scriptures, and prophesied by all the prophets, that Christ shall suffer, die, and be buried, and rise again, and so begin a new and everlasting kingdom, in which men shall have eternal life, redeemed from sin, death, and hell. This must be fulfilled, and the hour is now here for this to happen. For the prophecy of all the prophets goes to this time, and I am the person who is to bring this about. Therefore now your joy and salvation begin; only that you learn to forget my bodily company a little, and wait for the Comforter. For my kingdom cannot begin, nor the Holy Spirit be given; I must first die, and depart out of this life; my death and resurrection shall make all things new in heaven and earth, and establish such a being, that the Holy Spirit shall reign in all places through the gospel, and your ministry, that ye should sit (as he saith elsewhere [Matth.
19:28) And judge the twelve tribes of Israel, and have rule and authority over sin and death, unto righteousness and eternal life; that they all may hear you, and follow you, who desire to be saved. This is the treasure and the glory which I am to bring to you and to obtain for you; but it cannot happen to you, I must first bring it to pass, and by my death pay for it and obtain it.
This is the meaning of these words: "If I do not depart," that is, if I do not die, and thus come out of this bodily being and life, nothing will be accomplished, but you will remain as you are now, and everything will remain in the old nature as it was before and still is: the Jews under the law of Moses, the Gentiles in their blindness; all under sin and death, and no one can be redeemed from it nor saved. If therefore no scripture were fulfilled, and I came in vain, and all things in vain, which both the holy fathers before you, and ye believed and hoped. "But if I go" and die, and accomplish what God has determined in His counsel to accomplish by me, the Holy Spirit will come to you and work in you, and give you such courage that you will be my ministers and co-regents, turn the whole world around, abolish the law or Judaism, destroy pagan idolatry, and (as will follow) punish and change all the world, and your doctrine shall abide and prevail forever, whether it will displease the devil and all the world. This is the good and the glory, so my going away brings you.
78. Therefore, do not be anxious for me to leave you, but where I will stay and what I will do. Do not think of my going away, but of my coming to the Father; there you will find all comfort, joy and life for the sadness and sorrow you now feel at my departure, namely, that I am coming to take power from the Father, and be the Lord over all, and give you the Holy Spirit, who will transfigure me in the world; and thus begin and advance my kingdom through you, which shall never have an end, and perform such a miraculous work that the devil and the world will be terrified of it, and the Father and the Holy Spirit will be able to take power over all things.
646 Erl. so, 46-49. interpretations on John the Evangelist. W. VIII, M-SS4. 647
be subject to you, and you will help many people and make [them] blessed. All of which would have to remain if I did not go and die.
79 This is the comfort he gives them, teaching them that they should not look at the present, that he is departing from them and leaving them alone, but at the future, what he is doing with them through this passage. Which they cannot see with their physical eyes, but must believe in him who knows where he comes from and where he is going. Although it does not yet occur to them to believe that he must give them credit for it. But he must tell them this beforehand, so that when the Holy Spirit reminds them of it and puts it into their hearts, they will understand it all the better, just as they heard it from him.
V. 8. 9. 10. 11. And when he comes, he will punish the world for sin, and for righteousness, and for judgment. For sin, that they believe not on me. And for righteousness, that I go to the Father, and ye see me not away. For judgment, that the prince of this world may be judged.
80 Because he gave the promise and the consolation of his departure, that he would send them the Comforter, who could not come to them unless he first departed, they might now ask, What then shall the Comforter do with and through us? To this he hereby answers, and clearly gives him the office and work, that he should punish the world, and administer such punishments by the apostle's word over the whole world. Say therefore of his kingdom, which he shall begin on earth after his ascension, and which shall pass mightily through all the world by the power of the Holy Ghost, and shall make all things subject unto him; but that it shall not be a temporal government, that he should smite with the sword, depose kings and lords, and set up others, or make new order and judgment, etc. but such a government as shall be conducted by the word or ministry of the apostles alone, and yet by such all the world shall be subject unto him, and brought into obedience. And clearly calls it such an office, which is called "to punish the world," that is, to attack all its doings and being,
and tell them that all of them, as they are found, are reprehensible and unrighteous before God, and must obey their preaching of Christ or be eternally damned and lost.
So he gives his apostles and preachers of the gospel supreme authority and power over all authority on earth, that they should and must punish the world with their preaching, and that all men should be subjected to this preaching ministry by God, and be punished by it, if they otherwise want to have God's grace and be saved. Now it is much taken in one bite, and a war begun, which is great and heavy, that the few, lowly, poor beggars, the apostles, should burden themselves, and set on their neck the whole world. For what does "the world" mean? Not one or two of your kind, but all emperors, kings, princes, and whatsoever is noble, rich, great, learned, wise, and anything on earth; all these shall be punished by this preaching, as the ignorant, unjust, and reprobate before God, with all their wisdom, righteousness, and ability, which they have hitherto had and boasted of. Oh how sour and difficult this will be for the great, mighty, highly learned, wise and holy servants of God! Therefore it is no wonder that the apostles will be beaten on the mouth and persecuted, banished and killed. Why do they not keep quiet and let such people go unpunished?
The world cries out in hostility when this sermon is preached, saying that it is an annoying, unpleasant sermon, causing discord and disruption, giving rise to disobedience, indignation and rebellion. And there is no need to complain. For it is a vexatious thing that preachers should presume to punish everyone without distinction, and leave no one anything to be right or good in the sight of God. Who can consider it right or just that this preaching should cause such turmoil, and change or innovation, that the whole of the former religion, worship, with so many beautiful ordinances, and which had stood so long, should be despised and fall? Especially has this been offensive to the Jews, who were called God's people, the beautiful worship, priesthood, temple, circumcision etc..,
1) and shall be punished with all this, as if it counted for nothing in the sight of God, and were no better than the heathen, nor were they to be kept any longer, etc., and thus shall see that such beautiful rule and order shall come into contempt and fall, etc.
And above all, the most vexing thing is that such punishments are not imposed on high, mighty, learned, or otherwise excellent people, but on poor, lowly, unknown, despised fishermen, and such people as everyone takes for beggars or peasants. If only other people would do it, who have a reputation and are to rule the world, or if they were first properly consulted, accepted and approved, or (as they now say) decided by a common council. But that these individual beggars, whom no one knows where they come from, and no one has asked for them, should appear without command and leave, and want to rule all the world, and make innovations: who can suffer or approve of that?
(84) Now, here you hear that Christ says, "The Holy Spirit shall punish the world," and does so through these his messengers; and therefore not they, but "the Holy Spirit punishes," from which command and office they preach. And if he did not do it, they would not do it. For they would not (without it) have the sense to pronounce such punishment and judgment on the whole world, nor would they have the courage to stand up and attack the whole world without fear. For they are not so mad and foolish that they should not see and feel what is in store for them; as Christ also announced to them enough beforehand that they must risk life and limb. That they would undoubtedly much rather remain silent and let the world go unpunished, if it were up to them. But such a ministry is laid upon them and commanded by the Holy Spirit that they must do it, and God wills it so. And yet Christ gives them defiance and consolation, because it is the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit, so that he will also hold them to it, and with such punishments he will prevail, and should not be punished by the world.
1) Wittenbergers: ordered by God Himself and given to them.
The world will be subdued, even though they are already opposing it with great force, and they are raging and raging, banishing and murdering. As he also proved by deed, that the world had to let go of the Holy Spirit's sermon, and those who wanted to destroy it, lost their heads over it, and brought themselves down.
What then is this crying and rumbling against this preaching? as the chief priests and rulers of Jerusalem, and now the great men of wisdom, cry, Who shall hear these beggars and vagabonds, which provoke and mislead the whole world, preaching against the law, against the holy place, and against the holy people? 6, 13. and Cap. 21:28. Who commanded them to come out publicly, and to introduce a new preaching? Or, as the wisest among them now say, "What is this, to attack the proper authorities, and to give cause for contempt, disobedience and indignation?
(86) Come now, as I have said, why speakest thou to me about this? It is not our doing; speak of it to him who said here, "The Holy Spirit shall punish the world." But if he is to punish, he must not keep silent, much less pretend and say what they like to hear. If they do not want to suffer it, the Holy Spirit will not cease to punish them because of their anger and pestering, but will continue to punish them until they cease or perish.
If there is strife and indignation here, you say, "What is the fault of anyone who will not suffer or obey this preaching of the Holy Spirit? Who is disobedient here? Those who preach and accept the sermon according to God's command, or those who violently oppose God's command, who want to have the right to do so, and who complain of disobedience if one does not preach and do what they want? If they accepted such preaching (as they are obligated to do by God's serious command), as the others do, there would certainly be no strife, but rather things would already be one, as Christians are among themselves. But since they run against it with their mad heads, storming and raging, we must let it happen that they cause strife and tumult, but want to see who is the
It is the strongest and leads out its doings. So far, our tabernacles have so often conspired together and decided to eradicate this doctrine, or do not want to lay their heads gently. But I hope that they will not so soon storm from heaven the Holy Spirit, which has hitherto sustained Christianity and the gospel. If, however, they fail to do so, they will be overthrown and laid in ashes, as happened before to Rome and Jerusalem, they will have it.
Now what is it that the Holy Spirit is to punish? Christ counts three things here, and says that he will punish them "for sin," and "for righteousness," and "for judgment," and explains himself what he means. Now these are dark words, and wholly strange speech, to them that understand not the Scriptures, nor are accustomed. But to those who know the teaching of the gospel of Christ from the apostles' Scriptures (especially this evangelist John), they should not be so strange and incomprehensible. But let us see them. The first piece shall be this:
V. 9. because of the sin that they do not believe in me.
89. What is this? Is not sin punished and condemned without this in the world? And who does not know that adultery, murder, stealing and robbing etc. is wrong? Did not the Gentiles also forbid and punish such things? What then may one of the Holy Spirit, who punishes sin? But what sin is this, if he says, "that they believe not on me"? Does he know nothing else to punish? Answer: Of course, he does not speak of the sins that the world recognizes and punishes; which he sufficiently shows just with these words, "that they do not believe in me. For who has ever heard that this is the sin which condemns all the world, not believing in this Christ?
(90) Therefore, to speak of sins and to punish sins is much different than the world understands and can speak. For since he shows that this punishment of sin is to go over all the world in general and without distinction, and that no one is to be exempt, whoever he may be: it follows that the sins for which all men are punished by the Holy Spirit are to be punished by the Holy Spirit.
The sins must be different from those that are public and recognized by the world. For these cannot be punished, since there are many people who live in such a way that no one can reproach or blame them, but all the world must praise them as pious, honorable, even holy people who not only avoid sin, but also practice fine honorable conduct and good works. But if you ask, "What sin do they have, or what is the punishment for them?" Christ answers, "that they do not believe in me. There it is briefly stated, which makes them all sinners and condemns them, and all is summed up in one thing, that they are apart from the faith or knowledge of Christ. This is decided briefly and roundly under sin, so that one must not search long and ask which, or what kind of sin is to be punished in each one, or how many and various sins there may be. There thou hast it all in one word, that it is this one, which is punished in all at the same time, and is the sin of all the world, that they are apart from Christ, or have not faith.
91. Therefore the opinion of these words is brief, that the Holy Spirit shall judge all men, as they are found on earth, whether they be Gentiles or Jews, blameworthy or blameless in the sight of the world, and all their doings and conduct (even that which they think best and most holy), that they are and must remain under God's wrath and condemnation, and cannot be helped from it, unless they believe in Christ. Now let them come and boast, whoever they can, of their own or other people's piety, virtues, good works and holy lives, so you will hear here that it is of no avail if the Holy Spirit blows and blows in with His breath, that is, through this preaching ministry (as Isaiah, Cap. 40, 7., says). For this punishment comes upon them all, so that all their glory must fall, and all their doings and being cannot help them before God.
92) So he does through St. Paul soon in the beginning of the epistle to the Romans, where he casts both Jews and Gentiles all under sin, and says: the gospel was revealed from heaven for this reason, that all the world must acknowledge itself guilty of sins. For here (saith he [Cap. 3, 23.,]) is no distinction; they are
all sinners in particular, and lack the glory that God should have in them. With the word is struck down the glory and hope of all men etc. They may have the glory that they are mighty, noble, learned, fine, praiseworthy rulers, honest, pious people, and are also called holy before the world, and, as St. Paul gives to the Jews, the glory and advantage that they are God's people, children of the holy patriarchs, have God's law and promise, and Christ should be born of them; but what is all such glory if they do not have the glory they should have before God? What do they have if they do not have God? That 1) it must be eternally lost with them.
You speak like this: How can this be done? What is the fault of this, so that it is not valid in the sight of God? Are all these things to be condemned, that they are fine, honorable, pious people, govern well and praiseworthily, do not steal, rob, commit adultery, etc., but live chastely, demurely, obediently, and do many good works according to the law? are they not all fine gifts from God and praiseworthy virtues? Answer: Yes, we say so, too, and teach that God has commanded and ordained such things, so that one may live and be pious. Why then is it punished here and made sins? Answer: Here is another judge, who judges all men's lives and beings, and has much sharper eyes to see and punish sin than we men understand or think. This one says that they are all sinners and to punish sin. We should believe this, and let him be right and true; for he also punishes us for this very blindness, that we neither see nor recognize this (that we are sinners before God with all our lives).
But you must know that he is not speaking here of the outward life and nature of men, so that the world can judge and pass judgment, but reach into the right ground, namely, into the heart of man, which is the fountain and well, in which are the true capital sins, namely, false worship, contempt of God, unbelief, disobedience, evil desire and reluctance to resist.
1) Erlanger: da.
God's commandment, and in short, St. Paul's Rom. 8, 7. is called "being carnally minded", and gives it the title and glory that it "is enmity against God, and cannot be subject to the law of God". This is the stem and root of all other sins, and precisely the grievous inherited damage of Adam from Paradise, that where this would not be there, there would never be any theft, murder, adultery etc. Now the world sees such outward evil things well, yes, wonders and complains about it that people are so evil, but does not know how it happens. It sees the water flowing and the fruit and leaves of the evil tree sprouting everywhere, but it does not know where the source comes from or where the root is. She goes after it and wants to advise the matter, control wickedness, and make the people righteous with laws and punishments. But even if she resists for a long time, it will not help. She may ward off the water, but the main source is not warded off; the shoots may be cut off, but nothing is taken from the root.
Now it is lost, it does not do, if you fight, mend and heal on the outside for a long time, and yet the trunk, root and source of evil remain on the inside; first of all the source must be stopped and the root taken from the tree, otherwise it breaks and tears out in ten places, where you stop and fight in one. For this reason, it must be healed, otherwise you may spread it forever and smear it with smoldering 2) and plaster, it will fester and fester 3) again and again, and will only get worse. Summa, experience teaches, and the world must confess, that it cannot prevent even the outward gross vices and evil deeds, although it controls and punishes them with all diligence, as it should do; much less can it take away the sin that is inwardly in nature and is the right main sin (if it does not know it).
96 Therefore such sin remains in all the world, and this judgment goes over everything that may be lived and done by all men, as they are born from Adam, it is called evil or good, right or wrong before the world,
2) "Smolder" perhaps ointment? The word reminds of the English suot.
3) In the "old" editions: schwird.
and here no one can disrobe or boast before another, but are all equal before God, and must all confess themselves guilty and worthy of eternal death and damnation, and would also have to remain eternally in the same, and there would be no counsel or help for any creature against this, where God would deal with us according to our merit and His right.
97. But now, since he had mercy on this affliction out of causeless goodness, he had to send Christ, his dear Son, from heaven to take our sin and condemnation upon himself, and to pay for it by the sacrifice of his body and blood, and to reconcile God against us. And he commanded this to be proclaimed in all the world, and to present this Christ to all people, so that they may keep their faith in him, if they want to come from sin, God's wrath and eternal condemnation, to redemption and reconciliation, and into God's kingdom. So this sermon does two things. First, it reproves all the world that they are all under sin and wrath, condemned by the law, and demands that we recognize this; second, it shows how we may obtain redemption from it and grace with God, namely through this one means, that we take hold of Christ with faith. etc.
But when such a sermon is preached, then the real sin is found, which is mentioned here and which constitutes it, namely, "that they do not believe in me. For the world does not want to hear such preaching, that they should all be sinners before God, and that their sanctity is of no value before Him, and that they must attain grace and salvation through this crucified Christ alone. Such unbelief against Christ will lead to sin, which will lead man to condemnation, so that he cannot be helped.
Otherwise, unbelief was the main sin in all people, also in Paradise it was the beginning and the first, and it remains the last of all sins. For since Adam and Eve had God's word to believe, and in it (as long as they clung to it) they also had God and life, they were first challenged with unbelief.
against the same word. Do you think (said the serpent to Eve [Gen. 3, 1]) that God should have said that you should not eat from all kinds of trees in the garden? There he first of all overthrew her faith, that she should let go of the word, and not regard it as God's word. For he was not primarily concerned with the bite of the forbidden apple, but with leading them from faith (in which they lived before God) into unbelief, from which disobedience and all sin must follow as its fruit.
Here, not only the unbelief planted in human nature by Adam is attracted, but clearly such unbelief that one does not believe in Christ, namely, when the gospel of Christ is preached that we should recognize our sin and seek and obtain grace through Christ. For after Christ came, he took away the sin of Adam and the whole human race (namely, the former unbelief and disobedience) before God by his suffering and death, and built a new heaven of grace and forgiveness, so that such sin as was inherent in us from Adam should not henceforth keep us under God's wrath and condemnation, if we believe in this Savior. And it shall henceforth be said: He who is condemned must not complain about Adam and his inherent sin, for this seed of the woman (promised by God to crush the head of the serpent) has now come and paid for such sin and taken away the condemnation, but must cry out over his own neck that he has not accepted this Christ, the devil's head crusher and sin strangler, nor believed in him.
(101) Therefore, if a man is condemned, the burden is on his own person, and it is his own fault; not because he is a sinner and worthy of condemnation because of Adam and his former unbelief, but because he does not want to accept this Savior, Christ, who cancels our sin and condemnation (1). It is true that Adam condemned us all, when he put us with him into sin and the devil's power.
1) Wittenberger: "aufhelt", a printing error.
But now Christ, the other Adam, has come, born without sin, and takes it away, it no longer has to condemn me (if I believe in him), but [I] shall be freed from it and saved through him. But if I do not believe, the same sin and condemnation must remain, because he who is to redeem me from it is not taken; indeed, it is only a twofold greater and more grievous sin and condemnation that I do not believe in this dear Savior, through whom I am to be saved, nor do I want to accept his redemption.
So now all our salvation and damnation, both of them, depends on whether we believe in Christ or not, and the judgment has already finally been passed, which closes heaven and denies it to all who do not have this faith in Christ, nor want to accept it. For this unbelief retains all sin, so that it cannot obtain forgiveness, just as faith cancels all sin, and thus apart from such faith everything is and remains sin and damnable, even in the best life and works that a man can do; which, although they are praiseworthy in themselves and commanded by God, are nevertheless corrupted by unbelief, so that for its sake they cannot please God, just as in faith all the works and life of a Christian please God. Summa, apart from Christ all things are condemned and lost, in Christ all things are good and blessed, so that even sin (which still remains in the flesh and blood of Adam) does not have to harm or condemn.
(103) But this is not to be understood as giving leave to sin freely and do evil. For since faith brings forgiveness of sins, and Christ has come to take away and blot out sin, it is not possible that he should be a Christian and believer who lives openly and unrepentantly, secure in sins and according to his lusts. For where such a sinful life is, there is no repentance; but where there is no repentance, there is no forgiveness of sins, and therefore no faith to receive forgiveness of sins. But he who has faith in such forgiveness resists sin and follows its lusts.
1) Erlanger: well.
but fights against it until he gets rid of them completely.
104. although we cannot be rid of all sin in this life, and sin still remains, even in the holy of holies, believers have the comfort that it is covered by the forgiveness of Christ and is not counted as condemnation, as long as they remain in the faith of Christ. And so, as Paul says in Romans 8:1, "There is nothing condemnable in those who are in Christ, who do not walk according to the flesh," etc., item Galatians 5:24, "Those who belong to Christ crucify their flesh with their lusts." Behold, to these it is said, that sin shall not hurt nor condemn them; but to others, who are without faith and reprobate, nothing is preached here.
V. 10. For righteousness, that I go to the Father, and ye see me not away.
(105) These also are strange, strange sayings and incomprehensible words in the ears of the world. "Righteousness" is called in the world and according to all reason such a rule and being, if one lives according to laws and commandments (so both, Moses or emperor, lords or parents order and command); and "righteous" are called those who are obedient to such commandments. Such justice and righteousness is not rejected or abrogated here, for it is also commanded by God, and He wants it to be upheld in the world (for without it the world's government cannot exist), so that injustice and wrongdoing may be punished, and again what is right and good may be defended, honored and rewarded.
But how do these words rhyme with such righteousness, as Christ says here, "that I go to the Father, and ye see me not"? Who has ever heard that this is called righteousness? How does this help people to be pious and obedient? Were there not also righteous men before, especially among the Jews, and afterward also among the Gentiles, who ruled nobly and well, protected and preserved justice, punished evil, etc. before Christ came or was made known? And what else does he do after he has gone to heaven? He lets lords and princes rule as they themselves know and consider good, and the people obey them.
But these words sufficiently indicate that Christ does not speak here of external, worldly righteousness, which is valid and necessary in this life, and which Moses, or lawyers and philosophers teach in their books, and men can do according to their ability. For just as above [v. 9] he does not speak of such sins as the world calls sin and punishes, but of all these, even of that which is good and rightly done in the sight of the world, and brings all things into the one which is called not believing in him: so also here he speaks of much 1) other righteousness (which is to apply in the sight of God), for the world recognizes it, and sets it far and high above all life that may be done on earth, and also includes it in itself alone. So that both sin (which condemns the world with all its essence) alone without and against Christ, through unbelief, and righteousness before God alone in and on Christ, should stand, and thus be called: "That I go to the Father, and you see me no more."
For enough has been said above [§ 90 ff.], how all men are cast under sin and damnation, with all their lives, and so are called good and praiseworthy in the sight of all the world, having done so according to the ten commandments. If this is true, where is righteousness, or how can it be attained? [Christ answers here: 2) This is righteousness, that I go to the Father etc. There you must seek it and find it; not with you, nor on earth with men, be they who and how they will. For Christians should know no other righteousness, that they may stand before God and be justified, obtain forgiveness of sins and eternal life, than this going of Christ to the Father, which is nothing else (as often said), but that he took our sin upon his neck, and for its sake let himself be killed on the cross, buried and gone to hell; but did not remain under sin nor death and hell, but passed through his resurrection and ascension, and now reigns mightily at the right hand of the Father over all creatures.
Now he did not make such a journey to the Father for his own sake,
1) "one" is missing in the Erlanger.
2) In the old editions: Answer allhie Christ.
nor for his person, for that would not help us and could not be called our righteousness, but as he came down from heaven for our sake, and became our blood and flesh, so also for our sake he went up again, having completed the victory over sin, death and hell, and entered into 3) dominion, thereby redeeming us from all these, and giving forgiveness of sin, power and victory against the devil and death; and reigns so that his kingdom or regiment is called and is righteousness, that is, in which sin and injustice before God must be put away, people must become righteous before God and pleasing to him.
Now this righteousness is secret and hidden, not only from the world and from reason, but also from the saints. For it is not a thought, word, or work in ourselves (as the Sophists dreamed of grace, that it was an infused thing in our hearts), but altogether apart from and above us, namely, the going of Christ to the Father (that is, his passion and resurrection or ascension). And the same is put out of our sight and sight, so that we cannot see or feel it, but must only grasp it with faith, the word that is preached about Him, that He Himself is our righteousness, as St. Paul 1 Cor. 1:30 says, "that He was given to us by God for wisdom, 4) righteousness, and sanctification and redemption," so that we may not boast about ourselves, but only about this Lord before God.
(110) This is a strange righteousness, that we should be called righteous, or have righteousness, which is not a work, or a thought, or even anything in us, but is altogether apart from us in Christ, and yet is truly ours by his grace and gift, and is as much our own as if it had been obtained and acquired by ourselves. Of course, no reason could understand this language to mean righteousness, since I do nothing, nor suffer anything, nor think anything, nor feel anything, and there is nothing in me to please God and make me blessed, but apart from me and all men's thoughts,
3) "in" is missing in the Wittenberger.
4) The words: "wisdom" and "and salvation" are missing in the Erlanger.
I am not a man of works or fortune, but I cling to Christ, seated at the right hand of God, whom I do not see.
(111) But faith must grasp these things and base itself on them, and be comforted in temptation, when the devil and his own conscience argue with him, "Listen, what kind of Christian are you? Where is your righteousness? Do you not see and feel that you are a sinner? How will you stand before God? That he should base himself on this saying, and say: I know very well that I, unfortunately, have sin, and that I have no righteousness (which should be valid before God); I should not and will not seek it nor know it in myself, because with it I would never be able to come before God. But here I hear that Christ says that my righteousness is that he has gone to the Father and ascended to heaven. There it is placed, where the devil must let it remain, for he will not make Christ a sinner, nor punish or reprove his righteousness. If I am a sinner, and my life does not stand before God, and I find no righteousness in myself, but I have another treasure, which is my righteousness, in which I boast and glory. This is Christ's walk with the Father, which He has given and bestowed upon me. What is lacking in it, or what can you find fault with it? Yes, yet you see and feel nothing of it. Answer: Yes, this is how he himself interprets and describes righteousness, that I should not feel it, but grasp it by faith in this word of Christ, when he says, "That you should not see me. What else could I do with faith, where I could see such things presently, or feel and sense them in myself?
(112) Therefore learn this saying well, that thou mayest make a thin distinction therefrom between the righteousness which is called Christ's, and all other things that may be called righteousness. For here thou hearest that the righteousness which Christ saith of is not our work nor our doing, but his going or ascension. Now it is clear and obvious that the two are far and distant from each other. Our work is not Christ; so his going is not our doing nor our work. For what have I or
1) "the" is missing in the Wittenberger.
What has a man done to go to the Father, that is, to suffer and die and rise again and sit at the right hand of God? It is not called my obedience and good works, even done according to the ten commandments, much less my own chosen worship and works of man, monasticism, pilgrimage, my own devotion etc. That even though someone does not understand these words, which mean "going to the Father," he hears and understands this well, that it is not, nor can be, our work or doing, but is given to Christ alone and is placed entirely in his person.
113. From this you see how shamefully we have hitherto erred and been deceived under the papacy, that we have neither known nor taught anything of such righteousness, which is Christ with his going to the Father, but have pointed the people of Christ straight to ourselves, and have placed our comfort and trust in our own works, yes, to this end we have made of Christ a terrible judge, whom we had to reconcile with our works, Mary's and the saints' intercession, and with our repentance or satisfaction put away sin and acquire righteousness. We are all in such blindness and misery that we have known nothing of Christ to comfort us, but, like the heathen, have looked for everything in ourselves, and thus said (as was also said to us on the preaching platform): "May God grant me my life, that I may atone for my sin. These are vain words of the Turks, Jews and Papists, for there is nothing about Christ and His way, but everything is drawn to ourselves, and taught about our correction.
(114) It is true that we should improve and live differently, do good and leave evil behind, but such improvement and living does not achieve and does not do what Christ's walk is supposed to do, namely, that we might thereby become righteous and blessed before God; it is far too weak and too little for that of all the saints' lives and works and of all men's abilities. For all is still no more than earthly, transient being, which must end with us and remain here. And although our deeds and works, done according to God's commandments (in those who have faith), are pleasing to God, and He also wants to reward them, both temporally and eternally, yet it is not possible for it to be
662 Erl. so, "t-os. Interpretations on John the Evangelist. W. VIII, SS2-SSS. 663
should bring us to God and be called such righteousness that helps us from sins and death. There is no other consolation but this walk of Christ, which is our chief good and inheritance, finite defiance and eternal righteousness.
V. 11. For the judgment that the prince of this world is judged.
(115) Here also it is not said of a worldly court, as it judges in its matters concerning body and goods, land and people, (2c) but is a spiritual judgment, which concerns the souls and consciences.
This piece now follows from the next. For where justice goes, there must also be judgment, since justice has two parts: Relief and punishment. By help the innocent is saved and handled; by punishment injustice and evil are resisted and controlled. Therefore, just as the world is punished for righteousness (which is valid in the sight of God), because it neither has it nor wants to accept it, but defends other righteousnesses of its own, so it should also be punished for judgment, because it subjects itself to punish and condemn in matters that it does not understand, nor does it have the right and power to punish. For here it stands out, when such things are preached and taught by the punitive ministry of the Holy Spirit, that all men are under sin, and apart from Christ there is no counsel nor help against it, and no righteousness before God, except in Christ. This the world cannot and will not hear nor suffer; it sets about to condemn this preaching and to persecute all who hold to it and confess it, and wants to have such judgment, or judgment and punishment, right and just, as if it were doing it for God's sake; and for this purpose it uses the name of the Christian church, as we have just said ([§ 4 ff.], where he says [v. 2], "they will put you under ban," and "he who kills you will think he is doing God service").
For here the world wants to be the master, and Satan wants to be God himself, and they are under the authority to speak and judge what is right or wrong, to punish or to accept in divine matters. For it goes to and condemns the apostles and the Gospel preaching, and all who are attached to it, in the abyss of the
Hell, and does so by its supreme, ordinary power, right and authority, given to it by God to punish the wicked, which it uses against God and His Christians to destroy the preaching of the Gospel. So then the two judgments run together here, that the Holy Spirit judges and punishes the world by his preaching, as has been said; but the world sets itself against it, will not hear it nor suffer it, presumes to judge, and says that it is not God's but the devil's preaching and teaching, since it not only has just cause not to accept it, but is also guilty of condemning, resisting and exterminating on account of its judicial office (that is, God's and righteousness').
(118) Well then, we must let the two, God's and the world's, together with their prince, the devil's, judgment, go against each other and collide, and consider and wait for it, and suffer for the sake of God and his word, that they condemn us, persecute us, and, where they can, also execute and murder us, for the service of their God (2c). But in this we have the consolation that the Lord Christ has provided and equipped us beforehand, as we also need (otherwise it would be too difficult for us to bear such judgment and condemnation), that Christ promises not only that the Holy Spirit will punish the world through us 1) for sin and righteousness, and also for judgment, but also that He will preserve His own in this, and lead out such judgment or punitive office, against their counter-judgment and condemnation, that it will finally remain with His judgment.
119 This is when he says, "the prince of this world is already judged. First, we hear and are assured that we should know for certain that such judgment and condemnation of the world is not God's or the church of Christ's judgment and sentence, as the world claims and wants to have held, but is called the devil's judgment and is already condemned by God; and we should also consider it to be unjust and condemned, and not turn anything against it, nor follow nor obey such judgment of the world, but let ourselves be happily condemned, and let this judgment or condemnation of the world be our own.
1) Wittenberger: so.
2) "it" is missing in the Wittenberger.
nce again, Christ speaks to condemn the world with its prince.
I say this because now some bishops and priests, knowing nothing else, and having to confess that our teaching is right and the Holy Scriptures, nevertheless drool against it, and pretend that because it has not yet been confirmed by concilio, and the authorities do not accept it or do not want to keep it, it should not apply, because one must be obedient to the authorities, and whoever opposes it, is insubordinate etc.
(121) Yes, they should be ordered to make the authorities and men judges of God's word, and we should have freedom and be excused 1) from accepting or confessing it if the authorities did not want it. Thus it is said: Not the world, prince or emperor, but the Holy Spirit shall be judge by the word; but the world shall be punished and judged, and follow such judgment. But if they oppose it, and want to judge and condemn God's word themselves, and command us to keep up with them, we are to know that such judgment is condemned and of the devil, and we are to resist it (as condemned by God), and say: Dear prince, emperor and world, I am well under your power with body and goods, and as far as your rule over 2) body and goods is concerned, I shall and will gladly be obedient; but if you want to reach further into God's rule (since you should not nor can be judge, but let yourself be judged, together with me and all creatures, by his word), then I shall and will not follow you, but do just the opposite (so that I may be obedient to him, and stay with his word). For if I were to be obedient to you, I would have condemned myself, along with you, by God's word, because Christ concludes here, saying, "Whatever the prince of the world judges about God's word is already condemned, and whoever wants to condemn you above it is also condemned and condemned by God. etc.
122 On the other hand, he also gives us the comfort that the Holy Spirit, with his judgment
1) Wittenberger: innocent.
2) The words: "with body and goods, and what your regiment about" are missing in the Wittenberg: instead: "and so much mine".
We must be emphatic and penetrating against the world's judgment and condemnation, so that we will not be terrified by the world and the devil's power, and by their wrathful threat and terror. For Christ speaks here very hopefully and defiantly. Not only, he says, shall emperors, kings, princes, or others who storm against God's word be condemned with their judgment, but the prince of the world himself, who has more power and strength in the least little finger than all the world put together. And the gospel shall not be the judge of flesh and blood alone, nor of some of Satan's angels or devils alone, but of the prince himself, who has the whole world mightily in his bands, and is the most wise, the most powerful, and also the most wrathful enemy of God and his Christians, that against him are nothing, all that is great, mighty, and evil among men. Nor shall this word condemn not only the world's highest understanding, wisdom and power, but also the wisdom and power that the ruler of the world himself has and is able to have.
(123) Yes, he says, there must be no further judgment nor knowledge; he is already condemned that the Christians, who have God's word and judge according to it, should pass judgment against him and press on until he is finally overthrown. For such judgment against him has already been won and confirmed; indeed, he has long since been given over to it, and is fastened and kept in the chains and bands of damnation. And nothing more is needed than for such a judgment and condemnation to be revealed and finally executed before all the world, so that he, eternally cast into hell with all his members, can no longer challenge God's word and Christianity. Therefore, we must not be afraid of their judgment and condemnation, nor turn away from it, because we have heard that it should not harm us, but is already powerless, condemned by God's judgment, that they should neither create nor accomplish anything against us, even though they rage most wrathfully against us with their condemnation, persecution and murder, but in turn, must finally and eternally remain under the condemnation, so that both, by God and by us, who judge according to and by God's word, pass over them.
And yet Christianity shall retain the supreme court and remain before them, as it has remained so far, both against the devil and the world.
V. 12. I still have much to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
(124) He would gladly, the dear Lord, strengthen and prepare the disciples for what will happen to them in the world after his departure, and comfort them with what the Holy Spirit will accomplish through them. But he sees that he cannot speak it into their hearts with words now, until the Holy Spirit himself comes and puts them into office; then they will learn and experience it well. Therefore he will break off now, and what he cannot do with words now, he will command to the Holy Spirit, who shall abundantly repay, and teach them all things well, which they could not understand nor bear now, and keep them in the truth until the end.
But this text has been forcefully dragged and tortured by the pope's teachers to strengthen and confirm their lie. And although they themselves are now beginning to be ashamed, and not so much as crying out with it, we must also say something about it, so that we keep the text pure, and the error remains in the day, so that one does not forget how shamefully it has been perverted up to now by ours 1). They have drawn these comforting words, as he speaks of the suffering and consolation of his Christians, to their human commandments, so that Christianity might be filled with them, so that everything they said should have been taken for articles of faith and necessary for salvation, which do not belong to the kingdom of Christ at all, and the Holy Spirit has nothing to do with them. But that we may make this clear, let us first see the opinion of the Lord Christ.
There are two kinds of human life on earth. One is a fine, gentle, quiet and calm 2) life; the other is a sour, heavy and sorrowful life, full of misery and heartache. This difference is well understood, and everyone knows that a hungry and thirsty person is much different in mind and life than one who is full and has enough.
1) Wittenbergers: through our adversaries.
2) In the old editions: rüglichem.
He who is rich and full speaks nothing but of vain great things; but he who is hungry asks not much for kingdom or great things, is glad when he gets a piece of bread. Now Christ alone speaks to those who suffer hardship and adversity, who are oppressed in the world, 3) who are troubled, persecuted, and afflicted. To these he says this for comfort, as he knows and understands their mind and courage, and must direct and judge his speech and words according to their mind, saying: "I would have much to say to you, because I must leave you behind me; but it is not yet time, and you are still too weak to do so. 4) If I were to tell you everything at length about how you are to be persecuted and what you are to suffer because of the preaching that the Holy Spirit will do through you, it would frighten you too much, especially because now my suffering is about to begin, and you will see and have your greatest sorrow in it. Therefore, I will refrain from saying more about it until the Holy Spirit comes, who will strengthen you and give you such courage that you will be able to bear it all. This is the right simple mind of this text, that it speaks of the future suffering, which they should have after his departure. Of this he says: I have much to say to you. What much? Namely, much suffering, affliction, persecution, heartache from the devil and the world.
Now the pope comes here with his sophists, and thus inverts this text: I still have much to tell you. What much? Well, Christ has laid down too few commandments for Christendom; therefore the Holy Spirit, through the pope and bishops, has to command and lay down much more. Christ wants to say: You will have to suffer much when the Holy Spirit will punish the world through you, and more than I can tell you now, or you can bear. Thus says the pope: You must have many more commandments laid upon you.
128 Truly, a fine gloss for such a master, for he sits there in peace and good tranquility, wants to rule unhindered over all the world, that as he does, so it must be done, and everyone must fear and honor him. Dar-
3) Erlanger: and.
4) In the Wittenberg is inserted here: As if he should say.
He thinks and speaks nothing else than what serves him for this purpose; he turns Christ's words around, which are said to the poor, the afflicted, the suffering, who need consolation, and he does not want to burden them nor afflict them more than they already are and can bear. The same words he uses as an anti-Christian to weigh down the consciences with laws, commandments and supercommands, none of which Christ has ever laid down, and even forbidden to interpret. So finely can he interpret the Scriptures and rhyme them together that when Christ says: I have much suffering to proclaim to you, etc., this must mean: We popes and bishops have power to command and forbid, to call, drive and torture; and all this is supposed to have been done by the Holy Spirit. And that only much, much, as if no measure were set for them, but what and how much they themselves want, that should and must be kept, with loss of blessedness.
But let us keep the text pure and stick to it, since Christ speaks of it here. For in this whole sermon he has said nothing about laws and commandments that are to be laid upon them, but has said everything about their suffering, which they must have for his sake, and about the comfort they are to have in suffering. How then would he come to say that this "much, if he had yet to say," and now does not want to say, but commands the Holy Spirit, should mean what he has not commanded nor ordered? It is just as if he had told them too little and not enough about what serves the Christian life, since he says that he has 2) still told them too little, both about suffering and consolation, of which he has spoken much through these three chapters; but because they do not yet understand it, and cannot grasp it, it is still little compared to what the Holy Spirit himself is to teach them, when it now comes about that they are to experience it. There they will be taught and strengthened in such a way that no suffering will be too hard for them, but they will be able to bear and overcome everything (for which they were much too stupid and frightened now), and will not only go into a dungeon, but through a hundred dungeons and death.
130 Behold, such clear words and certain understanding can and will our pabstrotts.
1) Wittenberger: "denn das zu eim solchem".
2) Wittenberger: as if he spoke, he would have.
do not look at. For it is not a sermon for them, since one says of suffering and spiritual comfort, but want to have peace, honor and power on earth. Therefore this text must give them the very antithesis of what Christ says to his Christians; not much of suffering and comfort (as he says of), but only much making law, commanding and ordering that people be kept in obedience to the church etc. And have brought it to this, that the pope could not set up, dream and pretend anything, also public deception, as, with his indulgences, purgatory, pilgrimages, caps and plates, saint service etc., it all had to be from the Holy Spirit, although they themselves have to say, it is not in the Gospel, and Christ has not said anything about it etc.
131 Now he speaks 3) here: I, I still have much to tell you. Who is the I? It is not called the pope, but Christ and the pope are two different things. The pope is not to be like Christ or his lord, so that he may command, teach or order more than Christ, but so he is to say: He has commanded me his word, this I am to preach, and no more; you are not to believe me, nor I you, but this word of the Lord we are all to hear and believe at the same time. Now he has 4) abundantly spoken all things concerning doctrine and faith and Christian life, as he himself says before in the 15th chapter, v. 15: "All things whatsoever I have heard of the Father, these have I 5) made known unto you"; that also the Holy Spirit cannot teach other things or new things, nor should he; as he also says afterwards: "He will transfigure me". Item, above Cap. 14, 26: "All that I have told you, He will remind you" etc.
132) And is it not an impudent blasphemy, and dishonor of the Holy Spirit, that they draw and interpret this beautiful text, which speaks of vain spiritual things, which no human reason understands (nor did the apostles themselves understand at that time), to vain outward things, of eating, or fasting, or dressing, and whatsoever more of the foolish things they ordain and set; which is to say, that they do not understand it.
3) "yes" is missing in the Jena.
4) Wittenberger: "Christ" instead of: he.
5) "euch" is missing in the Wittenberg and in the Jena.
6) In the Wittenberg and in the Jena: "verschampte".
What is the great and difficult thing that even the apostles could not have borne, how to make law and order out of external ceremonies, which were not set up until long after the apostles? What great and heavy thing should this be, which even the apostles could not have endured, how to make law and order from outward ceremonies, which were not established until long after the apostles? Rather, what the apostles could not have endured, we will much less endure, nor understand without the Holy Spirit. Therefore it must be much other than our human condition, which the pope and bishops ordain at their pleasure, and charge every Christian to observe in his blessedness.
133 Therefore it is clear that this "much," if he does not say it now and commands the Holy Spirit, is not about new or different doctrines, laws, worship, etc., but about how they are to fare in and above all this, what they both suffer, and how they are to be comforted and strengthened in it. The teaching is what they are to believe and suffer, and how they are to be directed to it; but that these things may come to pass, and that they may have patience and comfort in sufferings, these things the Holy Spirit is to teach them further, and to show them in present experience, and so to remind them of those things which he has now only briefly shown them in words. This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit, which is why he is called a comforter; not one who deals with laws, territories, and hot affairs, but one who comforts and sustains believing and suffering Christians, as we will hear further on.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
He calls the Holy Spirit a "spirit of truth", contrary to the spirit of lies (as mentioned above in chapter 14, 297 ff.), who is to teach them and show them that what Christ has told them is the truth. For it is such a spirit that confirms the truth in the heart and makes it certain, as 1 John 2:27 says: "As the anointing teaches you all things, they are true and not lies. Therefore he wants to say here: You would never understand it through yourselves nor believe it, even though you already know much about it.
hear that it must be and go as I have now told you, and that such is the truth and right, which is to be preached by me through you; you would also never have the courage to approach such preaching, or to stay with it, if the Holy Spirit himself did not come and guide you in such truth, and also keep you in it. For now it is far too hard for you, that you cannot bear it; and when you shall see it come to pass with me, ye shall all be offended at it, and fall from me.
For who would ever have thought or believed that the dear preaching of the gospel would be like that which the apostles experienced and saw, and which experience gives us even now in our time? Yes, who would have begun to preach, if we had known beforehand that so much unhappiness, redness, anger, blasphemy, ingratitude and wickedness would follow? But now that we are in it, we must stand up and learn these things, and see that it is not man's doing nor strength, but the Holy Spirit Himself must do and sustain it; otherwise we would not be the people who could bear and carry out such things. So St. Paul himself shows in 1 Cor. 4, 9. 13. that he also had to learn and experience this (after he had preached long and much), that the apostles must not only be a mockery and a spectacle before all the world, but a curse and a sacrifice of sweepings, which are considered to be the most harmful pestilence and plagues on earth. For this purpose, he must suffer that the devil, through his hordes and false spirits, has cut apart his little group of Christians and at once eradicated and destroyed 1) what he had planted and built for a long time. Who would call this the truth (if one were to ask reason about it and speak of it according to human wisdom), or the 2) Christian church and the Holy Spirit's rule, since it happens in this way? But Christ says to him: Dear Paule, so you must learn what my power is, 2 Cor. 12, 9. item, to Anania (whom he sent to Paulo), Apost. 9, 16, he speaks of Paulo: "I will show him-.
1) Wittenbergers: "zertrenneten", "ausrotteten" and "zerstörten". Likewise the Erlangeners, but "ausrotten" instead of "ausrotteten".
2) Wittenbergers: the.
how much he must suffer for my name's sake."
So the whole of Christendom is such a small group, which has to hold up its back, suffer and bear more than all men, what the devil and the world can do to them for heartache; who then will see or learn under such appearance and feeling that they are righteous? Of course, no reason, but the Holy Spirit must speak it, who is therefore called "the Spirit of truth", that against such appearance and feeling (according to which it seems as if this sermon is all nothing and lies) he strengthens and maintains the hearts in faith. Otherwise, no one would have believed for a long time, or still believe, that this Jesus Christ is true God, eternally seated at the right hand of the Father, who is thus shamefully, as an avenger, crucified by his own people. Or, how could we conclude from ourselves that we (if we believe in this crucified Christ) are condemned and cursed by all the world, and are executed as enemies of God and the devil's own, should truly be God's dear children and saints? which we ourselves do not feel, indeed, our heart tells us much differently, because we are still full of weakness and sin 1). But it is the work and power of the Holy Spirit that confirms this in our hearts, so that we can believe it to be true, as the Word tells us, and live and die by it.
137. item, who could believe that we poor people, who will be judged and die as the most miserable, wretched people on earth (1 Cor. 15:42).), thrown under the earth, eaten by maggots and worms, or made alive into ashes and powder, shall all at once come forth out of the stink, powder and dust, with whole, pure, bright bodies, more glorious and luminous than all the heavens, sun and moon; more beautiful and precious than all gold and precious stone, purer and more fragrant than all balsam, gardens and paradise? Of course, no reason will ever rhyme it together, because it is too far from each other, and is too badly suited, such poor, miserable being, which is now before the eyes, to the great thing, of which the scripture
1) Erlanger: Sinners.
says that we are to be eternal heirs of God in heaven, alive and blessed through faith and baptism alone, even though we still have sin and death in us.
For this reason Christ says: "You cannot bear it now," and "the Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth. Otherwise, reason and the human heart would never be able to stand on such faith and confession, but would either have to sink and perish under the temptation (which they both have from the devil and their heart inwardly, and from the world outwardly), or begin to blaspheme with the ungodly and say, "Fie on you! Shall these be called God's children, who are thus honored by God, that He lets them be most shamefully and miserably condemned by all men and thrown into the devil's jaws and death?
139. The dear apostles experienced and proved it honestly with their Lord Christ, how impossible (not only difficult) it is to keep the faith in temptations, without the Holy Spirit, since they fell from him so shamefully in his suffering and death, and the faith in their hearts was even extinguished by such thoughts of the devil: Behold, where is now your Christ? How finely he became a king, and redeemed Israel! How do you now stand with all shame, and have allowed yourself to be so miserably deceived!
Thus it has happened, and still happens to true Christians, that they must well see and experience that this truth, that is, the faith which is to hold fast the articles of Christ and His kingdom, cannot be held by man's reason or powers, but the Holy Spirit Himself must work there; and a sure sign is that the Holy Spirit with His power has been there, where faith is kept in right struggle and contest, and keeps the field. And what much shall I say? All experience and the work prove daily that the Holy Spirit must do everything Himself in Christianity, which concerns its actual government. For without it we would not long baptize, nor preach, nor keep the name of Christ; the devil would have taken it all away and destroyed it in an hour.
So you see that this truth, which he says here, that the Holy Spirit should later tell them and teach them (as they cannot bear it now), is not such a doctrine and knowledge that reason itself can understand and come to, as the circulators of this text are fiddling and hinting at. For the Holy Spirit and the Christian church have nothing to do with such things as are subject to reason and belong to this temporal life and worldly rule, such as making laws about how one should eat and drink, become a monk or a nun, have a wife and child or remain without marriage, distinguish between laymen and priests, maintain and increase spiritual goods, build and endow churches etc., but deals with other things, how to beget God's children, from sin and death to righteousness and eternal life, how to build God's kingdom and destroy the kingdom of hell, how to fight against the devil and win from him, how to comfort, strengthen and preserve faith in the conscience, so that man remains alive in the midst of death, and in the midst of feeling sins may keep a good conscience and God's grace.
This is a different fight and war than the world, where one fights over land and people, or one wins a bag full of guilders from the other; and other business and things, for how to make order, of bishoprics, foundations, caps and 1) plates etc. Here it must be fought and wrestled with the devil and sin, and is a matter of eternal life or eternal death, that one may win from the same, or we remain eternally imprisoned and lost under him. For we also have an enemy against us, who is not concerned with the temporal parties we have here, but strives and strives to keep our consciences entangled in sins and plague them with eternal anguish and despair, and in short, to sink us with him from the kingdom and all fellowship of God to eternal damnation and the fires of hell. Such battles and victories cannot be fought nor preserved without the Holy Spirit, through man and laws, or order of things, which pass away with this life.
1) "and" is missing in the Wittenberg and in the Erlanger.
Therefore, let us stay with this truth, as the Holy Spirit teaches, how we may maintain faith in Christ, trample underfoot the devil, sin and death, bear and overcome the world's wrath and rage, build God's kingdom, and fight for eternal life. etc. These are other, greater and more necessary things, which should be dealt with in the Christian church, neither law nor order, from external, bodily things. Or, if one should and will ever deal with such things, let us first fight and work until we have these necessary pieces, preservation of pure doctrine, faith and victory against sin, death, the devil etc. Hell; item, love, obedience of the commandments of God. When this has been arranged, we will gladly speak and conclude about other things as well. But I think that one should have so much to do and so long to work on these things (if one were to take them seriously) that one would probably forget the other.
Experience has also, unfortunately, proved that it is not so easy for this truth to prevail and be preserved, since both popes, bishops, and conciliators have done nothing else, but burdened Christendom with innumerable laws, so that this truth, of the right spiritual things of the faith or knowledge of Christ, of the consolation of consciences, of the right Christian life, etc., has completely disappeared; and yet all this is called the rule of the Holy Spirit. Dear, what should the Holy Spirit govern, since one so completely forgets such main points (which alone are the right truth, so the Holy Spirit himself must teach)? yes, so wrong, that one only praises the Holy Spirit's business and regiment such outward children's work (from the Pope's and his Niclas bishops' juggler's bag), as one should consecrate churches, water, salt, wear casels, plates and caps etc. I say this so that this beautiful text may be seen and understood correctly, that it speaks of other high things, which are called the truth, which the Holy Spirit must teach us, since reason can understand and order and teach it itself.
V. 13. for he will not speak of himself, but what he will hear he will speak.
Here he makes the Holy Spirit a preacher, so that we do not look up to him in the sky (as the fluttering spirits and enthusiasts do) and separate from the oral word or preaching ministry, but know and learn that he wants to be with and with the word, and by it guide us into all truth, so that we may have faith in it, and fight with it, and be preserved against all the lies and deceit of the devil, and overcome in all temptations.
For there is no other way or means to feel the comfort and power of the Holy Spirit, as I have often shown from Scripture and experienced myself. For I am also a half-learned doctor, so that I do not boast too highly about the high spirits, who have long since gone up into the clouds above all Scripture, and sat down under the wings of the Holy Spirit; but experience has taught me all too often that when the devil seizes me apart from Scripture, as I begin to walk with my thoughts, and also to flutter toward heaven, he makes me not know where God or I remain. So he wants to have this truth (if he is to teach in the heart) bound 1) that one puts reason and all own thoughts and feelings aside, and clings to the word alone, and considers it to be the only truth; by this alone he also rules the Christian church to the end.
147. But herewith he paints the office of the Holy Spirit, and indicates what he is to teach and of what he is to teach. Always look askance at the false spirits and preachers, who pretend and boast that they also have the Holy Spirit, as well as others, and that what they pretend the Holy Spirit has done (as the pope has persuaded all the world). So make a great distinction among the teachers, and give the right rule according to which one should test the spirits. There are two kinds of teachers (he says): some who speak from themselves, that is, who preach from their own spirit or devotion and discretion. Such preachers the Holy Spirit shall not be; for he shall not speak of himself, neither shall his preaching be a man's dream and thought, as of them that bring forth of themselves.
1) Wittenberger: "unbound".
of such things, which they have neither seen nor experienced, "and do not themselves know what they say or what they say", as St. Paul says 1 Tim. 1, 7. But these things he will preach, because there is something behind them, certain and pure truth, namely, what he receives from the Father and from me. And in this he is to be known, that he does not speak of himself (like the lying spirit, the devil and his hordes), but of that which he will hear, and so will preach of me alone and transfigure me, so that people will believe in me.
So he sets a goal and measure of his preaching for the Holy Spirit himself, that he should not preach anything new or different than what Christ and his word are, so that we may have a sure sign and test to judge the false spirits: that it is certainly not the Holy Spirit who comes up with or thinks it good for someone to teach in Christianity apart from or besides Christ, but the evil lying spirit, the devil, of which Christ says John 8:44: "When he speaks lies, he speaks of his own. 8, 44. says: "When he speaks lies, he speaks of his own," that is, what he himself has devised. Such devilish lies are the whole of the Pabst's doctrine, of his Pabbacy, Purgatory, Indulgences, Pilgrimages, Monasticism, Masses, etc., since there is neither word nor thought of Christ, and yet the same has so filled Christendom that we must also believe what every unlearned monk dreams at night, which are gross, tangible lies, and are not to be told nor suffered even by sensible men. This is the bad, simple mind of this text about the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
149) But about this there is also to be said 2) about the person of the Holy Spirit, as the same is distinguished from the person, both of the Father and of the Son. For first, when he says of the Holy Spirit, "But when the Comforter comes," item: "What he will hear, that will he speak," and: "He will take it from mine, and transfigure me," etc., he shows powerfully that the Holy Spirit is a true being in the Godhead, and for himself a distinct person, who is neither the Father nor the Son. For this
2) Erlanger: allhie.
are all words of a special person: "The Comforter who is coming"; item: "What he will hear, he will speak" etc. If he is to come, or (as he said above) be sent, or go forth; item, hear and speak, then he must be something. Now he is not the Father, because the Father does not come, nor is he sent; nor is he the Son, who has already come, and now goes to the Father again, and of whom the Holy Spirit is to preach and transfigure him 1).
(150) But more particularly he shows the difference of the person of the Holy Ghost, or the same attribute, and also his divine nature with and by the Father and the Son; in that he saith, "What he shall hear, that shall he speak." For here he says of a conversation held in the Godhead (apart from all creatures), and sets up a preaching chair, there being both he who speaks and he who listens. Makes the Father the preacher, but the Holy Spirit the hearer. This is high and beyond the understanding of men, but because we cannot reach it with human words or understanding, we must believe it. Here faith must pass over all creatures, and not cling to thoughts of bodily preaching and listening, but take hold of an essential preaching, word and hearing.
151) And here it belongs that the Scripture calls our Lord Christ (according to His divine nature) a "word", Joh. 1, 1. which the Father speaks with and in Himself; so that it is truly divine in nature from the Father, yet does not fall out of the Father (as a bodily natural word, spoken by a man, is a voice or breath, which does not remain in Him, but comes and remains outside of Him 2)) but remains in Him eternally. Now these are the two different persons: He that speaketh, and "the word" which is spoken, that is, the Father and the Son. But here now follows also the third, namely the hearer, both, of the speaker and of the spoken word. For where there should be a speaker and a word, there also belongs a listener. But all this,
1) "him" is missing in the Wittenberger.
2) Taken by us from the old edition of Walch. Wittenberger and Jenaer: "jr" i.e. "ihr". Erlanger: him.
Speaking, being spoken, and listening, all take place within the divine nature, and also remain alone in the same, since no creature at all is nor can be; but both, speaker, and word, and listener, must be God Himself, all three equally eternal, and in unseparated, unified majesty. For in the divine essence there is neither change nor inequality, and neither beginning nor end, so that the hearer cannot be said to be anything apart from God, or to have begun to become a hearer, but, just as the Father is an eternal speaker, the Son is eternally spoken, so the Holy Spirit is the hearer from eternity.
152. but we have heard above [Cap. 14, 26. Cap. 15, 26.] that the Holy Spirit is called sent or proceeding not only from the Father, but at the same time also from the Son, and therefore this hearer must be called both hearer of the Father and hearer of the Son; not of the Father alone, nor of the Son alone, as He clearly said: "The Comforter, whom I will send unto you from the Father." For "sending" indicates and interprets the very thing that the word "going forth" does. For he that goeth forth is sent; and again, he that is sent proceedeth from him that sends him; that therefore the Holy Ghost hath his divine nature not from the Father alone, but also from the Son, as the following words will further show.
153 Thus in these words it is confirmed and taught that in our faith we confess in One Divine Being three distinct Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and are thus presented with parables or images of natural things, that we may grasp them according to our weakness, and speak of them, but neither search them out nor understand them, but by faith alone hold to these words (as we hear that Christ Himself speaks of them) and abide by them. How then Christendom, and especially the holy fathers and bishops, who fought over this article, by believing and confessing these and such sayings, won and preserved this article against the heretics and lying spirits, who, above and beyond the Scriptures in these high, unsearchable matters, took upon themselves to ponder and reason.
V. 13. And what is to come, he will proclaim to you.
154 Not only shall the Holy Spirit tell and reveal what you shall believe and know of me, but also make you prophets, that you may know how things shall be in the future for you and for Christendom. But here he speaks of the future things that are of special concern to Christianity and which it should know. For there are two kinds of prophecies. Some concern the worldly government and temporal things on earth, and say how it will go for kings, princes and lords, countries and people etc. This prophecy is also given by God, and sometimes to the wicked as well as to the pious. So the prophets prophesied among the people of Israel, not only about their kings and people, but also about foreign kingdoms, Assyria, Babylon, Egypt etc. And there have always been some prophecies before 1) the great change of the world, 2) but in the Old Testament especially abundant and glorious, as can be seen in Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Balaam etc. As it should have been, that in this people God wanted to show everything beforehand, how it should go in the world, especially for the sake of the future of Christ, so that one would know where and when to wait etc. But in the New Testament such prophecy is not so common, nor is it necessary, for it does not concern the spiritual matters of Christianity 3). But whoever has it, may need it, like other gifts of God; whoever does not have it, may well do without it.
The other prophecy is the one spoken of here, which tells of Christ's kingdom, how it should be, and how it should stand in it. Christ also said something about this before, but cut it short because the apostles (as he said) could not carry it. These are the prophecies of the Holy Spirit, which alone are revealed to Christians; from which Spirit the holy fathers also prophesied in the past, when they spoke of the New Testament, as is said in 2 Petr. 1, 21. So the dear apostles (especially St. Paul and Peter) prophesied after the ascension of Christ, after-
1) "before" taken by us from Walch's old edition. In the old editions: von.
2) "been" i.e. preceded.
3) Erlanger: Christians.
The book of Revelation of John, in which they receive the Holy Spirit, speaks of the future, both the happiness and the misfortune of Christianity, persecution and suffering, the mobs and heresy, the end of Christ and all abominations, and, in sum, of the fall and rise of the faith and the church. Such prophecy is also the book of the Revelation of John, although with dark words and images; item, what else may be said by other fathers of the first Christianity in such a way, and yet is not written.
This spirit of prophecy still remains in Christianity, though not so high as in the apostles, that we can also say and know such things beforehand; but as far as we have taken it from them, and have it from their books, and yet that the same is also weak. As we have hitherto seen, that though we have had and read the Biblia, yet have we understood nothing of it; and even now there are many who think themselves masters of the Scriptures, and of the Holy Ghost in them know no measure, and have been taught us all too high and low; but also let it be seen and heard that they understand nothing of spiritual things (as they ought to prove their art), though they hear and read of them, yea, even want to preach and teach them to every man. We would gladly wish them all to be much more learned than we are and to respect themselves. As St. Paul also wishes his Corinthians, 1 Cor. 4, 8: "Would God that you reigned without us"; as if he should also say: Oh, that you were all so learned, spiritual and still of the spirit of nations, as we apostles are, that you had no need of us. And Moses, 4th book, cap. 11, 29: "Alas, that all the people prophesied." For if this were the case, they would preach and govern well, and everything would go smoothly and rightly, as it should.
(157) But it is not so, alas; and they that have the Holy Ghost, and a right understanding, are not so mean as are much to be thought; that, though they have the Scriptures, and hear them, yet they see that the revelation also of the Holy Ghost is necessary, which giveth light in such reading and hearing, that it may be understood. Although it is true that the Holy Spirit does not exist without preaching and teaching, he wants to do special miracles, as he did with the apostles on the first day.
Pentecost, and with Paulo, who should have the first revelations, without means. But now the apostles have preached the word, and given their writing, and there is nothing more to be revealed, because what they have written, he 1) no special new revelation nor miracle. So we have it by the apostles' writing that we can tell what is to come in the church, as they gave and told us before, especially about the last reign of the end of Christ, namely the papacy, and how it must fall with its abominations, masses, monasticism and false worship, and all other kinds, so that Christianity should nevertheless remain until Christ suddenly comes in his glorious future and finally redeems it from all evil.
Since we now have this prophecy for certain, and it has come to pass thus far (which is a sure sign of the right doctrine), there is no longer any need to perform miracles to confirm this doctrine. For these were first given, that by such subsequent signs (as St. Marcus says at the last) the new preaching of the apostles might be confirmed. But we have not made this preaching new, but have brought forth again the same old confirmed doctrine of the apostles, just as we have not made any new baptism, sacrament, Lord's Prayer, or faith, nor do we want to know or have anything new in Christianity, but only argue and hold on to the old (which Christ and the apostles left behind and gave to us). But this we have done: Since we found all these things darkened by the pope and his doctrine of men, even covered with thick dust and cobwebs and all kinds of unclean things, thrown into muck and represented, we have, by God's grace, pulled them out again, cleansed it of such filth, wiped off the dust, swept it and brought it into the light, so that it shines pure again, and everyone can see what the gospel, baptism, sacrament, key, prayer and everything is that Christ has given us, and how one should use it blessedly.
159. to such a thing there must be no new signs nor wonders, because it was confirmed at the beginning, but now shines again and seems that it is
1) Wittenberger: the Holy Spirit.
is the very same first teaching of the apostles. But it is not brought forth again without the revelation of the Holy Spirit. For those who were before us also had the same Scripture, baptism, and everything; but it was so deeply obscured and so full of filth that no one was able to recognize it. But now, that it might be brought forth again and recognized, he himself must shine, that it [the doctrine] might be rightly seen and understood; but so that now no miraculous sign is needed, because the same doctrine and scripture are also accepted by the pope and all sects, and now no other word or revelation is to be waited for. At first, when it was still green and new, the young trees had to be tied to a stick until they grew strong; but now that it has spread throughout the world, there is no longer any need to confirm it.
160 But where a new doctrine is brought forth (as it was of Mahomet), it shall be confirmed by signs and wonders (as Deut. 18:22 commanded). And indeed the papacy and its monasticism are thus confirmed, but by the devil, as St. Paul has previously prophesied of the Antichrist, 2 Thess. 2, 11.That God would send them strong errors, and such preachers, who come with miracles and signs (which were lies of the devil); and as Christ himself says, give such miracles and signs, so that even the elect (if it were possible) would be deceived; as the 2) were, so that the masses, purgatory, pilgrimages, and holy idolatry were confirmed. This was a new doctrine (but against the gospel of Christ), therefore the devil had to be strong here also with his signs to suppress the gospel and to keep such his lies.
But against this, both Christ and the apostles have faithfully warned us, and prophesied beforehand, that we should not allow ourselves to be vexed by such things, and that we should neither believe nor accept any miraculous signs against this teaching, even if an angel from heaven were to visibly bring such teaching and miracles. So also in the Old Testament, God has seriously forbidden that no prophet should be heard or accepted.
2) Wittenberger: "dergleichen" instead of: wie die.
3) Erlanger: er.
against the teaching he gave them through Moses, Deut. 13:1-3: "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams," he says, "shall arise among you, and give thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder come, of which he hath told thee, saying, Let us serve other gods; then thou shalt not obey the words of such a prophet or dreamer; for God tempt you, that he may know whether ye love him with all your heart. "etc.
162 From this you see that it is not to be wondered at whether signs are sometimes performed by the ungodly, and the devil deceives people with them; as he has deceived the world until now with the pilgrimages in the name of Mary and the deceased saints, item, with appearances and rumblings of the dead. For here you hear that God is thus tempting people, especially in these last times, of which it is said that the devil shall rule powerfully in Christendom through the end-Christ. For it is a bad art for him to perform signs and wonders (if God gives him room), although they are truly not works of wonder, but deception; for he can so captivate and charm people's eyes and senses that they must swear that they are true signs. As one reads, he thus brought to life some dead people, whom he kept under the water or otherwise for several days, so that they had no breath, and after that they came to themselves again.
The legend of St. Martin writes of one of his disciples who was considered to talk to Christ daily (and did not know otherwise himself). The same once brought a delicious skirt to his schoolboy, as if it had been given to him by Christ. But the brothers, not knowing what to say to it, told him to go to their bishop St. Martin. Oh no (he said), Christ has forbidden me, I shall not come to him. Then they said: What manner of Christ is this, that will shun his servant? and dragged him by force. But before they came to him, the skirt disappeared from under their eyes, and they saw that it was the devil's ghost. Similarly, one reads of the same St. Martin, as having had special grace to know the spirits, among many other examples, that also
There was a great running and running to the grave of a deceased man, and even though he spoke against it, it increased, and so many miracles happened there that his disciples also ran there, so that he finally had to go there himself, and there he prayed before the altar, and implored the deceased by the name of Christ to reveal who he was? Then he confessed that he had been a murderer, and was publicly judged and buried there.
With such ghosts and lies the spirit has also deceived many greater people than St. Gregory and others. Shouldn't he rather have deceived us sleeping and snoring, thus accepting for truth and worshipping everything that he has pretended through any jack? Without that he now, now the light shines again, and exposes such his lies and deception, must be ashamed of such his lies and ghosts himself. But where again seduction and darkness should begin by God's wrath and doom (as will happen after us, if the world should stand longer), and the devil would begin to do signs through a false saint, and perhaps heal a sick person, then you should well see how the mob would fall with great force, that no preaching nor defense would help against it. Yes, my dear, they would say (as they have done so far with the dead saints), say what you will, I have nevertheless seen and experienced that this one is helped who has pledged himself to it or has accepted the preacher. For with such the devil is said to be mighty and strong (says St. Paul [2 Thess. 2, 10. 11.]), who do not accept the love of the truth, so that they are deceived by all kinds of deceit of the devil, and do not have to be so wise as to be able to guard against it.
For this reason I have said that the Holy Spirit Himself must be present with His revelation, that one should keep the word of Christ and His prophecy, and judge all teachings and signs, life and deeds according to it, so that if it goes against this main doctrine and article of Christ, of which Christ says here that the Holy Spirit is to transfigure Him, it should not be respected nor accepted, even though it is daily accompanied by miraculous signs. For what goes against this doctrine
This is certainly a lie, and has been brought about by the devil to deceive souls. If you want to see and encounter miracles and signs, look for them here; for this doctrine is confirmed with miracles from heaven and all kinds of true, divine, truthful signs, and not a few have been obtained so far against the devil and his 1) lying signs.
Let us therefore abide by this revelation or proclamation of the Holy Spirit, who alone is to tell us what we are to know, and make us prophets, and show us what is to come in Christendom, how Christ will reign to the end, and preserve his Christendom, and finally destroy the reign of the end-Christ and his master the devil. This prophecy is more certain to us than all signs and wonders, for it shall stand, no matter how hostilely the devil opposes it. He will not pull down our Christ, but He shall and will overthrow Him, with all who cling to Him.
V. 14. The same shall transfigure me: for of mine he shall take, and shall declare it unto you.
Then you hear what the Holy Spirit speaks about, and what the preaching in Christianity, which is called the preaching of the Holy Spirit, should be, namely, that it should be laid on the foundation, as St. Paul says, which is Christ, and that everything should be directed to the transfiguration (that is, recognition, belief, and praise) of Christ. He is to be known to conduct all his preaching and revelation in such a way that it is said to be taken from God and to go to Christ, not brought up by Himself or taught by something else. For if the Holy Spirit is to transfigure Christ, he must darken many other lights with his clarity. Just as when the dear sun rises in the sky, all other fires, lights and stars are darkened before its clarity, so that one does not pay attention to them: so, where Christ shines through the preaching of the Holy Spirit and is recognized that we have God's grace and eternal life through him, then all side lights must go out from them, which in our night and darkness show us the way to salvation.
1) "his" is missing in the Wittenberger.
2) "from sth. elsewhere" - from somewhere else.
want to show. How then are all the doctrines of men, whether of Turks, Jews, Popes, or monks, of our own works and lives, which, according to the light of reason and understanding, teach us to do good, and thereby to be saved.
The world has always been full of such lights, which it lights for itself, thinking it will go to heaven. But they are not lights, but rather vain wizards and ghosts, which lead people from the right path and road to destruction; And they must remain in such dark night forever, unless the Holy Spirit comes with His bright light, which drives away all false lights and the night, 3) and brings a beautiful bright day, so that we no longer go astray and flutter about with various delusions and teachings, but remain on the right, certain road, and know our turn with God, and where we should seek and find our blessedness.
Now this is also said of the ministry of the Holy Spirit; but, as I have said, that here he goes higher, and also shows how it stands in the divine essence, since the Holy Spirit is truly God with him and the Father, but so that he has his divine essence not from himself, but both from the Father and Christ. For he takes his own (he says here), namely the divine essence in eternity, not only from the Father, but also from Christ, and thus remains the same eternal essence or divinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, only in distinct persons. As then the Holy Spirit takes his divine, eternal being (if he has it in himself) from Christ, so also his ministry or preaching must be nothing else, but that he thus transfigures Christ as the eternal Son of the Father, born of him in eternity, and sent into the world, that through him we may come to the Father and have eternal life.
V. 15. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said he would take it from mine and declare it to you.
170 These are all high words, for here he speaks in his own way, not of creatures, but of the high, inscrutable Being in the Godhead; but herewith he includes in one another, and sums up everything, the Holy Spirit.
3) Jenaer: vbertreibeit (misprint).
Spirit, himself and the Father. What the Father hath, saith he, that have I also; and what I have, that have I not stolen, nor robbed, nor bought, nor acquired, but am from everlasting mine own; and yet of my Father, that as he is almighty and eternal God, so am I; and all the glory and majesty which he hath, these have I also; not as a gift, nor in fief, nor by grace, but by nature and from eternity, that it is all mine own; without only that he is the Father, and I am the Son. He also speaks in the same way in John 5, v. 26: "As the Father has life in Himself, so He has given the Son to have life in Himself" etc. That he has it just as completely and totally, and in himself by nature or birth, as the Father, and there is no difference without him being born of the Father.
Thus he makes himself equal with the Father of all things, and attributes to him the same majesty, authority, and power that cannot be given to any creature, whether man or angel. For what we and all creatures have, we cannot say that it is our own, or that we have it by nature, but must confess that it is his grace and gift, given freely and without our merit. But he taketh unto himself all that the Father hath, and exalteth it as his own inheritance and possession. Which he would not be allowed to say, nor would the Father suffer, if he were not truly God.
Because he has said, "All that the Father has is mine," he concludes from this, and repeats what he said about the Holy Spirit: "Therefore I have said that he will take it from mine. This 1) is the circle, roundly closed and drawn together all three, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, into one divine being. For from the same Mine (he says), which is the Father's (namely, that I am one God with him), from this also the Holy Spirit takes, which he is and has, so that he is and has just that, which both I and the Father are and have. For if he is to take and have that which I have, he must be of the same nature and essence, since such things as Christ has for himself and calls his own cannot be ascribed to any creature.
1) Erlanger: Da.
to be taken. Now this same "taking from Mine" is done in such a way that it does not mean taking a piece or a part or cutting it off from the Godhead, for the latter cannot be divided into pieces or parts at all, but is all whole, complete and inseparable, so that where there is a piece that is God Himself, there is certainly the whole Godhead. Therefore, when he says: "to take from Mine," this can be nothing else than that the Holy Spirit Himself is also truly God, without any distinction; without only that He has it both from the Father and from Christ.
Behold, this is what he said, that the Holy Spirit should speak and proclaim nothing else than what he hears, that is, in the eternal Godhead, with Christ and the Father, since he alone sees and knows how it is. But to you (he says) he shall proclaim it, first into your heart, and then through 2) your mouth; so that it may be believed, until such time as we also come to see it manifestly. For we have nothing more of it in this life, without him lighting his light, than in the dark cellar, that is, the word, to which we must adhere, and always continue in faith, until such time as we come to it, when it shall be bright and eternal. That is enough of these sayings. Further you may read about them in St. Augustine and others who have diligently practiced such sayings.
V. 16, 17, 18: Over a little thing ye shall not see me; but over a little thing ye shall see me: for I go unto the Father. Then said some of his disciples one to another, What is this that he saith unto us, Over a little thing ye shall not see me; and over a little thing ye shall see me, and that I go unto the Father? Then they said: What is this that he saith, Over a little one? We do not know what he says.
This piece we hear every year at its time, as well as almost this entire chapter, which is read on the Sundays between Pentecost and Easter; therefore we want to run over the text recently. 3) He has now preached from this,
2) "by" is missing in the Wittenberger.
3) This passage seems to prove to us that Luther did not write about the sixteenth chapter of John in the time between
which was to be after his departure, therefore he will herewith conclude and give the last, and say: Farewell to good night, I must go away; now you still see and hear me, but it is still to do by four or five hours, then you will never see me. For the same night that he was taken, they were all frightened and driven away from him, so that they lost sight of him, and did not hope to see him again, because he was crucified and buried. But yet, saith he, it shall not be finished therefore; but for a little while, and ye shall see me again.
These are strange theidings to them, and even unrhymed speeches, for they do not find it in their heads and minds what this should mean: Not to see about a small thing, and yet to see him about a small thing, therefore they make strange thoughts themselves, and began to ask one another what it should be. For they cannot imagine that he should so soon be taken from them and executed; much less can they believe that after suffering and dying he should so soon rise again from death and the grave and be seen alive by them. The modicum, about a little one, is too strange to them and too far from their mind, that both should happen so soon and suddenly, that he should be both dead and alive in the three days.
And if he had spoken it clearly with such words (as he probably did before) "about a little thing," that is, after a few hours (while I am still with you) you will not see me alive, but dead and buried, and yet soon after that you will have me alive again and risen from death: they would have understood it just as little, for it was both too impossible in their minds. That is why St. John speaks so much about it, that it seems to be vain and useless talk, but he wants to show that it is true.
Easter and Pentecost. The sermons on the third chapter of John continued uninterruptedly in 1538 during the time just indicated, as can be seen from the chronological overview according to the Jnbaltsverzeichniß in the seventh volume of our edition. We find a larger gap only in the Wednesday sermons, namely from September 25, 1538 to June 18, 1539. Should these sermons on the 16th chapter of John not be placed in this period?
They say that Christ wanted to impress upon them the great miraculous work (both his death and resurrection), and thus gave cause to ask about it, and thus spoke about it with dark words, which, even if they had spoken clearly and dryly, they would have understood just as little. How he then wants to say and interpret these things "about a little thing" when he says, "I go to the Father," which they understand much less, and must confess that they do not know what he says, and so it remains a dark word to them, that they must think about it, and wonder and ask all the more, so that their faith after his resurrection remembers it, and thereby becomes all the more certain and stronger.
177. Now we have often heard what is meant by "going to the Father; This is not a common word that men use to speak and understand, but it is the language of the Lord Christ and His Christians; that Christ should go or be sent by the Father means nothing else than that He, the true Son of God from eternity, became a true man and manifested Himself on earth in human nature, being and form, letting Himself be seen, heard and touched, eaten, drunk, slept, worked, suffered and died like another man. Again, that he should go to the Father, that is, be transfigured by his resurrection from death, that he should sit at the right hand of God, and reign with him forever, as the eternal, almighty God. For by the descent or going from the Father he revealed himself and proves to be a true, natural man; but by the return to the Father he declares himself to be true, eternal God, from God the Father, and thus both remain in one person, God and man, and thus are to be recognized and believed.
(178) This going from the Father to us, and from us to the Father, that he descended from heaven unto death and hell, and ascended again, and thereby took and filled all things mightily in heaven and earth, the dear apostles could not yet understand in time, nor would we nor any man understand unless the
1) Erlanger: "it nor". Wittenberger: "it neither jr".
Holy Spirit would come and reveal and transfigure these words. For they are dark words, and will remain dark, that it still takes effort and work to know and have Christ in his lowliness and ascension, so that all things in heaven, on earth and under the earth may be given to him, as St. Paul says.
V. 19, 20 Then Jesus, noticing that they were about to ask him, said to them: Of this ye question one another, that I said, Of a little thing ye shall not see me; and of a little thing ye shall see me. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; but ye shall be sorrowful. But your sadness shall become joy.
This is the gloss and interpretation of the previous words: "Ueber ein Kleines" etc. How does it rhyme. 1) That he says, "You will weep and wail," etc., or how should they take it that weeping and wailing means that he will be taken from them this night, crucified and buried, and will rise again on the third day? But because he sees that they do not understand it, even though he says it in such dry words, as he did before, and now he says how he is going to the Father, so he will transfigure and interpret it to them, so that they will feel both and it will be in their hearts that they will have to understand what it means not to see him over a little one, and to see him again over a little one. This is the opinion, he says, and this is what shall happen to you: "You will have to weep and wail, but the world will rejoice" etc. The same will teach you well what it is, about a little one not seeing me etc. For it will be such a thing with 2) you that 3) you will be without joy and consolation at all, in vain suffering and sadness; but with the world the contradiction will be that it will laugh, jump and be in good spirits just in your weeping and highest sadness. That is one thing. But the other thing that I have said, this I will teach you, namely that your
1) Thus the Wittenbergers.' Jenaer: itself. Erlanger: but themselves.
2) "with" is missing in the Erlanger.
3) Wittmberger and Erlanger: da.
Sadness shall turn, and become joy again etc.
This sadness, weeping and wailing, must be understood in the high estate, namely of the apostles and Christians, not according to external and worldly things; since it is nevertheless also 4) done in this way, that this little thing (which is called sadness) must run along in all estates, which are ordered by God, if one wants to live godly and do right in them. So, whoever wants to be a pious householder in the married state will certainly learn something of what this little thing is; his servants, neighbors, summa, the devil will probably tell him that he may not learn it otherwise. So also in worldly government and rule, a prince, magistrate, mayor, if he wants to be pious and carry out his office faithfully, the world should also teach him what sadness and misfortune mean, what wickedness, disloyalty and treachery 6) is among his own subjects. I say of the pious and godly, for the others, who do not respect their status and do not ask anything of God, but live and do as they please, they are of no concern to us, but in their time they will find it otherwise.
And God has arranged it very well that he brings people into such positions and offices before they know and become aware of it. He hurries the young people together into the marriage state with pipes, drums and dancing, so that they go there with joy, and think that it is pure sugar. So also, he gives great honor and glory to princes and lords, hangs gold and chains on their necks, sets them on cushions of velvet, makes them bend their knees and call them graces, 7) gives them great castles and great splendor, so that one thinks (who has not experienced it) that it is vain joy and pleasure there. But so he must bring them up, and throw the rope over the ox's horns. After that, when they are inside, it turns out much differently, so that the thrill is gone from them, and the joy and pleasure are salted away with unhappiness and sadness.
182. well, that's still low and children-
4) "also" is missing in the Wittenberger.
5) Wittebberger: will.
6) "and" is missing in the Wittenberger.
7) This is how Walch correctly resolved the word "gnaden".
The things of which Christ speaks here are not the same, nor must they be so, alternating one with another, evil and good, sadness and joy; like summer and winter, sun and rain, and a good year and an evil year around each other; now sad, then laughing again; soon sad again. Therefore think and prepare yourself, that it must be so, to every one in his state, that God has laid upon him a portion of the same sweat that was laid upon Adam; whom, who shall bear it with patience, and not become a knave because of it, it shall be sore and hard enough for him.
But much higher and more difficult is this matter, whereof we are called Christians, in that one should confess Christ and help to preserve Christianity; item, in that each one should preserve the faith in his conscience. There is first the real suffering and the hard fight against the devil and the world, and especially against the apostles, who must attack all the world, kings, emperors, mighty men, wise men, scholars, and all that is great, and so embitter them that they cry out against them: You evil-doers are not worthy that the earth should bear you; and whoever strangles and kills only such people has done the greatest service to God, and all the world laughs and rejoices, and cries out: O, this is right! Just as it happened to Christ on the cross, when they bared their teeth at him and cried out: 1) "Oh, how fine he is the Son of God! Let him now come down from the cross, he has trusted in God, now deliver him" etc. So bitter and wicked it must become that Christians in their highest misery and torture are mocked and ridiculed, and God and all that is good is denied them, 2) as they are to be held no differently than the most pernicious, poisonous worms on earth, who corrupt and destroy everything that is only called good; that all men are guilty before all things to help that such are eradicated from the world.
184. it grieves a weak, inexperienced heart grievously when it comes to court, and there must suffer violence and be condemned, and those who do it wrong laugh and mock at it in its misery; but much
1) Wittenberger: blecken and scream.
2) Wittenberger: canceled. Erlanger: canceled.
more in these great divine things, since 3) not only the judge and the world do such things, but also the devil confirms such things, so that one's heart rebels, saying: "It serves you right, why did you start such things? Why do you dare to master all the world alone? You are a sinful man yourself. It is still too little, and you cannot suffer enough, you deserve more; do you not see by this that God is not with you, but against you?
(185) These are the real murderous blows, and the real last drops of gall and vinegar, which Christ felt on the cross, when he cried, "I thirst. How then the devil, as a master, can drive such poisonous, fiery darts into the heart, especially when he gets a man alone, that he brings to ruin and disgraces him all that he had and thought was right and good; As he shook and tumbled the apostles (especially the three days of Christ's suffering and death) as if in a sieve, so that they had to lose all the kind, friendly thoughts they had of Christ, that God had given them the dear, faithful Savior, who had done such great things and had been so kind and comforting to them. Such things he snatches from their hearts in a moment, and for that he vainly brings in such heavy, sorrowful thoughts of death and hell: Where is now your Christ, on whom you relied, and thought that if you had him, you would have a gracious God and all blessedness? There he lies, executed and hanged as an avenger and wicked man, cursed not only by men but by God; and you who hung on him are also in the same condemnation, and you too shall be justly condemned. Then they could not raise themselves to the thought that God was with this Christ and would help them out of death, and for his sake would also be merciful to them, who for his sake have such sorrow and heartache, but they felt vain thoughts of unbelief and despair: He has deceived us and country and people, and made all the world our enemies; and it serves us right, why have we kept it up with him?
Behold, this is the true bitter suffering which Christ proclaims here. This comes
3) Erlanger: and there.
not over the common estates, which rule house, city or country etc. Who, though they have opposition, misfortune and sorrow, are not "as" hated and cursed, but still find some protection and comfort; but these must be thrown into the devil's jaws; and those who should protect them, who are called pious, God-fearing people, must eat them up and strangle them, and so that they have the great honor and glory of having served God to the highest degree and appeased his wrath by executing such cursed people. This is not a sadness and heartache, as people in the world may have, but even sunk into the abyss of hell.
It is also painful when a man must lose his wife and child, his father and mother, or when his house and farm are taken from him by force, or when a pious prince is innocently driven from his lands and people; but whatever such sorrow may befall a man on earth over worldly and temporal things, that is still to be overcome. For even though everything is already gone, God and Christ are not taken away, so that the heart can still have comfort; but this is too high and grievous, when God Himself is taken away from the heart, that 1) it would gladly take comfort in His grace, and therefore gladly let go of everything it would like to have on earth, so that it would only keep Him and rejoice in Him. To these the devil does this hellish torture and suffering, that he tears Christ out of their hearts, or ever makes him a disgrace in their hearts, as he cannot or will not help them (as he exemplifies him here to the apostles, as he is cursed by God etc.), and makes all their lives and deeds, which they have put on him, vain sins and disgraces. What can weak and inexperienced men do here but weep and wail, wriggle and tremble most miserably? For they have not lost something temporal, wife, child, goods, or life and limb, but God Himself. But whoever loses God has certainly lost everything, can no longer have any comfort or joy, and no greater sorrow, suffering and grief can befall him.
1) Erlanger: da.
Behold, this is what Christ proclaims to His disciples in these words, indicating what is the little thing in which they shall not see Him. A sour and bitter word, and a heavy and sorrowful hour. For it will be," he says, "that you will weep and wail, and in addition you will have to suffer, so that the world will be glad about it, and will revile and blaspheme you in the most bitter and poisonous way because of your suffering. Behold now, what have you done? How well do you stand with your Christ, whom you praise for the Savior and Son of God? How right it is for you! Why did you follow the rebel and blasphemer? This is the gloss (if you want to know), which says: "over a little one you will not see me." The experience of the same hour will teach you this. And therefore I tell you beforehand (even if you do not understand it now), that you may remember it and recall it etc.
But he also gives a consolation with the word modicum, a small one, that such mourning and weeping should not remain forever nor last too long. For if it should not cease, neither they nor any man would be able to bear it, and would perish and perish under it. Therefore he says: "Over a little you will see me again"; item: "Your sadness shall become joy" etc. As if he should say: When you will be in mourning and weeping, then it will feel as if there is no more comfort or help to wait for, and there must be an eternal weeping and wailing, which nevertheless is not in worldly mourning and weeping. For there is no damage so great that it can still be restored, or replaced with something else, or ever forgotten; and even if all things were lost, it must still have an end.
But in the spiritual weeping it is so that one can neither see nor hope for anything good anymore. For, when God is gone, everything is gone, and no other God nor Savior can be hoped for. For God is one and eternal; therefore this weeping must feel 2) as an eternal weeping, to which there is never any counsel. For where one can still hope for an end or
2) Instead of: "must feel" the Wittenberg has: fühlet sich.
898 Erl. so, I0S-I0Ü. Interpretations on John the Evangelist. W. VIII. SM-MS. 899
knows, that is already half won; and however long it lasts, one can still have the consolation that it must end one day. But here it means weeping and wailing, since there is no end to be understood or hoped for, because Christ is lost and God Himself is gone; that in our feelings and thoughts it is not a small or short, but an eternal, never-ending suffering, since 1) it cannot hope or think that it should get Christ again in eternity, but thinks that now everything is over and eternally lost.
The dear Lord knows this well, as he himself has had to feel such unspeakable weeping. Therefore he does not repeat these words "over a little one" etc. in vain (although they do not understand it), and sets them against just such a feeling of weeping and crying, that it should not be eternal, yes, not great and long, as it truly feels, but only a little and small. For I will not, says he, remain from you, though I must now depart from you for a little while, but "I will come to you again, and see you again," and so see again that your heart shall be full of joy, and make that the time of mourning, which seemed to you eternal and unchangeable, shall have been but a little, short hour; and shall have joy in return, which shall be eternal, and no man shall take it from you. For after I have departed and died, I will come again, that I may die no more, nor be from you, but live forever at the right hand of the Father, and be and reign in you.
192 He also shows this with the simile of a woman who, when she is to give birth, the hour has come in which she must stop, and no one can say whether she will recover or stay, and there is nothing more than fear and distress, and no end to it. But it is about the moment when the child comes into the world; then the fear is so soon forgotten by the happy look of the newborn child. So also here, in this Christian being, there is such a change that the sorrow should not remain eternal, but should become joy; otherwise no one could be happy.
1) Wittenberger: that.
2) Wittenberg and Jena: gehets.
He did not help or advise man in this. But he advised him that it should not be an eternal look of the devil with his horns and claws, but that the heart should see Christ again and rejoice in him. So here on earth there is an eternal change among Christians, that it is said, "over a little one, and over a little one"; now dark and night, soon day again; so that it does not have to be an eternal weeping, although it cannot be seen and felt when one is in it. But though we cannot see or know the end, he has already known it, and shows it to us beforehand, that we (how wickedly and sourly the devil makes it) let such suffering pass over us, though we do not see how it shall go out and have an end, yet wait for him who says, "I will make an end of it, and comfort and gladden you again.
V. 23. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it you.
He has now preached the sermon and told the disciples what they should know. Now he wants to conclude, and finally gives an exhortation to prayer. For although he told them long and much about the great suffering, persecution, anguish and sorrow that would befall them in the world for his sake, and although he shows both comfort and strength against it, and also promises help to overcome it through the Holy Spirit: But because he knows how great and difficult such a struggle is, and how weak flesh and blood is against it, which cannot grasp comfort in this way, nor feel help so strongly, but often feels the contradiction, he gives them this advice here, that they should turn to prayer, and begin to cry out to God, when they feel such weakness, that they lack comfort, strength and power to bear and overcome suffering, fear and sadness.
194 Now it is often said of prayer, both how necessary it is and what power it has. For it is not enough, although we have the word, and know and understand all that we ought to know, both the doctrine of faith, and of consolation and overcoming in all troubles; there is still another part to it, that is, the deed, that it may also be thus produced.
go according to how the teaching and knowledge instructs and guides us. For thus says the wisdom of God (that is, the Word of God), Proverbs 8:14: "My is the teaching, and mine is the doing. If the teaching is to be right, God must reveal and give it 1). And even though we already have it, and know everything that should be taught and believed, and need nothing more, the consequence is not yet there, and much still needs to be done and done as we preach and exhort.
195. This was also the case in the lives and beings of the apostles. See St. Peter, John and Paul in the Acts of the Apostles, as they go about their ministry, how they have to do and struggle with the Gospel before they bring it to pass. For there the devil attaches himself with all his might and power, and sets against it what he can, that he may hinder and hinder it. In addition, he has the advantage in ourselves and in our own hearts, the great piece of Adam, who is naturally lazy, sluggish and bored for such a fight, and always pulls us back, so that it is especially difficult and sour to continue and fight against so much resistance and obstacle. The prophet Habakkuk also speaks of this in his song (Cap. 4, 15): "Your horses and chariots are called blessed and have victory, but they walk in the deep sea and in the mud of many waters. The Christian regiment is likened to such harness and wagonry, since wagon and horse must go through the deepest of puddles, since it is always blocked, hindered and stuck, 2) so that it cannot be taken anywhere, and is eternal toil and labor; and must nevertheless pass through, and, as the prophet says, be Hquadrigae salutis, such chariots and horses, 3) which retain the victory.
196 Therefore Christ says, "When the day comes that I will see you again, and you will rejoice with eternal joy, and then you may ask nothing more, except that you know all things that you ought to know and have from me, yet the lack will remain, so that you will not know them.
1) In the Wittenberg and in the Jena: the same.
2) Wittenberger: sterckt.
3) Wittenberg and Jena: are.
You will be able to do what you know and would like to do, not only for the sake of the devil and the world, but also for the sake of your own flesh. As St. Paul confesses and complains about himself in Rom. 7:18, 19: I find in myself that I would gladly do as I know and understand what is good, and have pleasure and joy in it; but I feel another master in my body and limbs, who draws me back, and makes me stubborn, so that such doing will not follow. Item, Gal. 5:17: "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, that ye do not the things that ye would." He would have liked it to be right everywhere, just as we would like to see that we never have sadness, worry, impatience, or evil thoughts, but can always take comfort and rejoice in the gospel, and see the grace and power of the Spirit, so that all men would be devout, love the gospel, and do as they are taught in it; asking, admonishing, and pleading for it with all diligence and faithfulness, and doing whatever we can. But it still goes on as it can; it always blocks and resists, and probably the longer the more.
197 What shall we do in such deep mud, when we must wade and go, drift and fear, and yet cannot come out? There is no other advice (says Christ), but quickly lift up your eyes and heart to heaven, and begin to pray to my heavenly Father. And so, if you have taught, admonished and done all that your ministry demands, and yet will not and cannot do it, that you seek help here and give it, and all help one another with cries and shouts, lifting and pushing the wagon. For this is what God wants, that you not only recognize the doctrine and what you already have as given by Him, but also what you still need and lack, you must seek from Him, and thus learn that nothing is within your ability, but everything, both beginning and finishing, willing and doing, must be sought from Him and given by Him; as St. Paul says [Phil. 2, 13].
But here the battle with the troublesome Satan begins, who, as he allent-
Since he resists Christ and would gladly prevent anyone from hearing or believing the gospel or living and doing according to it, he also prevents people from praying willingly and makes it very difficult for them to do so. For he also knows well what power and force it has, that there is no stronger defense and power of the Christians against all his power. Now I do not speak of those who are not Christians, for they cannot pray without purring and chattering the Psalter as geese eat their straw; but Christians and believers (I say) find it exceedingly difficult to pray aright. Therefore some of the ancient fathers said that there is no work on earth so difficult as this, that one prays rightly.
199. For even though the ministry of preaching is difficult and requires great effort and care, there is nevertheless this advantage, that even though I am not skilled enough nor worthy enough to preach, it makes me bold to take the book in my hand and tell my neighbor about God: Dear friend, there it is, there you hear not my word, but God's; it is not for me, but for your own salvation and blessedness; and if I have said it, then I have done my part; let him answer for it, whether he accepts it or not etc. But if I am to speak and pray to God for myself, there are soon a hundred thousand obstacles before I can do so. The devil can throw all kinds of reasons in the way, and block and hinder on all sides, so that I go and never think of it. Only try it, who has not experienced it, and take it upon yourself to pray earnestly, you 1) shall well see how many of your own thoughts will assail you and pull you away, so that you cannot start right.
200 So that we now speak only of the greatest and noblest hindrances, this is the first thing that hinders and stops us, that we think by the devil's inspiration: You are not yet able to pray; wait another half hour or day until you become more able, or until you have done this or that beforehand. Meanwhile the devil is there, and leads you the
1) "you" is missing in the Erlanger.
half an hour away, so that you do not think about it the whole day, and thus from one day to the next you are hurried and hindered with other business. This is also almost the meanest hindrance, and a rather wicked trick and mischievousness of the devil (as he often proves to me and others). In addition, he finds an advantage in our flesh and blood, that without it, it is lazy and cold, so that we cannot pray as we would like to; and even if we start something, we soon flutter away with strange, useless thoughts, and lose prayer over it.
On the other hand, such thoughts naturally arise: How can you pray to God and say Our Father? You are too unworthy and live daily in sins; wait until you become more pious and have gone to confession and the Sacrament, so that you may not only be cheerful and skillful, but also fervent in prayer, and thus be able to have a firm confidence in God and say Our Father from the heart. This is the real heavy obstacle, since the heart must struggle and writhe until it brings the great stone from it, and can begin, against such a feeling of its unworthiness, to stand before God and cry out. Try it, each one, and tell me how easily it comes to him to strike such thoughts away, and to say from the heart: My dear Father in heaven etc.
In the congregation and among the multitude it is somewhat easier, since we all come together and say Our Father with one another. But there it is not so easy, since we are alone, and each one must pray for himself, since our heart tells us the opposite, and the devil blows up such thoughts and drives them like an ember: "You are a shameful man, and not worthy that the earth should bear you; how then may you come before God and call him Father? That is why it is a very difficult thing, and an art above all arts, to pray rightly; not for the sake of words, or the mouth, but so that the heart can close securely and firmly with itself, and with complete confidence stand before God and speak: Our Father. For whoever can grasp such confidence of grace a little, is already over the great mountain, and
2) Erlanger: me.
has laid the first stone for prayer, and goes about it as it should.
Thirdly, the devil comes with a push to make your prayer futile by such thoughts: "Dear, what are you praying for? See how quiet it is around you; do you also think that God hears and respects your prayer? Leads thee therefore into doubt, that thou shouldest despise thy prayer and cast it to the winds, and thus never know what prayer is and is able to do. I have experienced what lies in it, and have seen it in others, especially in St. Bernard, who admonishes his own with great diligence that they should not go to church to pray with such doubt and adventure as to whether God respects and hears their prayer. For it is also, truly, not to joke with God that you would come before Him and say: Dear Father in Heaven, if you do not believe these things.
204. Therefore (as I have said, and Christ himself testifies here) it takes a struggle to resist all such devil's input and our own thoughts, and must here forcibly break the heart and say: You wretched devil, if you want to go there, let a rogue and a villain follow you; if I am not skillful, funny or devout enough for this hour or day, I am much less skillful for half an hour or for eight days; therefore, putting such clumsiness behind, I will pray a Lord's Prayer in the meantime, before I become even more clumsy. And get into the habit of falling into bed daily in the evening with the Lord's Prayer and 1) falling asleep, and getting up again in the morning with it; and if there is cause, place, and time, before you do anything else, and so come forward, regardless of how skillful you are or are not, before the devil overtakes you and makes you wait (for it is better to pray now in half clumsiness than afterwards in whole), and only begin to pray contrary to the devil and annoyance, even if you find yourself praying in the most difficult and clumsy way.
205 So also, when he challenges you and stops you, do so because of your unworthiness, and wait until you are more pious and pure.
1) Wittenberger: with it.
will be. For if you do not begin before you become worthy, you will never have to pray. Therefore, begin quickly in the midst of such a feeling, and only fresh through it, and leap over worthiness and unworthiness, even though you are in the midst of sin. Yes, if you also fell this hour, and came out of sin, what should you do? Would you therefore always remain unprayed for until you come to absolution? Certainly not; but rather kneel down in the midst of sin and pray with all your heart: Oh, dear Father, forgive me and help me out; so that the devil will not throw you deeper into it and keep you there forever: you must pray even in the midst of death and all misfortune, and the stronger the deeper you lie in it. And what would it be if you would not begin before you felt salvation and help? So the prophet Jonah had to pray and cry out in the midst of the fish of the sea, under the heavy, unbearable conscience of his sin, and in the midst of the feeling of death and hell, as he himself confesses Jonah 2, 2. ff. and David just in the right 2) feeling and terror of his sin and unworthiness prayed his Psalms, as the 6th, 51st and 130th Psalms.
(206) Likewise also against the third temptation, when the devil wants to make you doubt whether your prayer will be heard, and makes you believe that it is too high and too great, that you should boast of it to the high Majesty, that he celebrates your father and you his dear child, and that your prayer is heartily pleasing to him (2c). Then you must confidently resist, and cast such your prayer into God's word and promise, yes, into his own command and commandment, and say: Dear Lord, you know that I do not come before you of my own accord, nor of my own discretion, nor of my own worthiness; for if I were to consider this, I should not lift up my eyes before you, and would not know how to begin to pray; but I come to this, that you yourself have commanded and earnestly require that we should call upon you, and have also promised, and have sent your own Son, who has taught us what we should pray, and has recited the words. Therefore I know that such
2) Erlanger: in rechtem.
Prayer pleases me; and my presumption that I may boast of being God's child before you, however great it may seem, I must be obedient to you who will have it so, lest I prove you false, and sin more grievously against you through other sins, both despising your commandment, and unbelieving your promise.
Behold, thou mayest repel the devil with all his false pretenses, if thou dost base thyself upon the three things which are God's commandment and promise, and the manner and words which Christ himself taught, which the devil cannot deny nor overthrow, and thereupon confidently begin to pray, and be sure that such prayer is right, and not wanting. And what if you only try and begin such things, whether you will not feel the power and fruit of them, that they will taste good to you, and warm and strengthen your heart. But it is the hardest thing, and (as they say) the greatest mountain, before one steps over the threshold, and brings the first words, Our Father, (with right earnestness 1) and faith) over the heart. Therefore, the best thing to do is to approach quickly and say: It must be prayed for, the sooner the better, God grant that I may be clumsy or unworthy, sorrowful, sad or impatient, in anger or evil desire, or weighed down with other thoughts.
Let this be said as an admonition to prayer, that we get into the habit of praying with all diligence and earnestness. For this is also the highest and most noble work after the preaching of the Gospel (through which God speaks to us and offers us all His grace and goods), that we speak to Him again through prayer and receive from Him. So it is also of great need to us, for we must do it all through prayer, so that we may keep what we have and defend it from our enemies, the devil and the world. And what we are to obtain, we must seek and find here, that it may be both our comfort, strength and salvation for ourselves, and our defense and victory against all enemies.
209 Now we come back to the text,
1) Wittenberger: Consolation.
In it Christ shows us the resistance against these obstacles and impulses of the devil and our flesh, which want to snatch us away, so that we may resist them. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it you" etc. Then you first hear the commandment that he tells them to pray, and punishes them for not having asked before: repeats and drives it with many words, to show that he earnestly wants it, and demands such as the right service of God and the proper work of Christians. Such a commandment thou shalt well consider, and do to thyself, lest thou think it an arbitrary work, as if it were no sin, whether thou prayest not, [it] be enough that others pray, but know that it is earnestly commanded by the highest disgrace and punishment, even as this, that thou 2) shalt have no other gods, and shalt not blaspheme nor take God's name in vain, but shalt confess and preach, praise and glorify; that whoever does not do this shall know that he is not a Christian and does not belong in God's kingdom. Do you then believe that God is justly angry with idolaters, blasphemers and despisers of the Word, murderers and thieves, and that for the sake of such sins terrible punishments are inflicted on the world: why do you not also fear God's wrath here, if you do not observe this commandment, and thus go safely as if you were not guilty of praying?
First, you can refute and defeat the devil's accusation if he claims that you are unskilled or unworthy etc. Such pretenses do not apply: I am unskilled to believe, to hear God's word, to love my neighbor etc., therefore God's commandment shall be nothing. For it is not said here, ask whether you are worthy or unworthy, but are guilty of being obedient to God. Neither am I worthy to be baptized and called a Christian; yea, I am not worthy of the daily bread which I eat: should I therefore deny my Christ, or never be baptized, or not eat and drink? So say also here: Whether I am unworthy or unskilful to pray, should I 3)
2) "you" is missing in the Wittenberger.
3) "I" is missing in the Wittenberger.
therefore not be obedient to God? So it is said: God's commandment shall be kept above all things, and suffer no hindrance; but find thyself ready every hour and moment, when it shall require thee.
211. secondly, see also the promise, that he saith, Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it you." Take hold of these words and press them into your heart. For here you hear that he not only gives the promise, but also confirms and affirms it with a twofold oath, and swears most highly: Only believe me, as God lives, I will not lie to you.
Now anyone who wants to be a Christian should blush a little and be ashamed of himself that he has heard these words and yet has never prayed from the heart. Is it not an eternal shame before God and all the world that Christ must swear to us so dear and high, and yet we do not believe it nor allow ourselves to be moved to pray from the heart? What will we say before God's court or against our own conscience when we are asked? Have you ever prayed earnestly and with an undoubted heart from the heavenly Father, that His name might be hallowed etc.? Do you not know how earnestly I have commanded this, and how dear I have sworn to this end, that you should certainly be heard, if you only pray from the heart? We should (I say) be ashamed of ourselves, and yet fear God's terrible judgment, if we regard both His commandment and His precious promise so lightly, and let ourselves be told in vain. For it will not help you to excuse yourself: Yes, I did not know whether I was worthy; item, I felt unfunny and unskilled, or had to arrange other business.
Here you say: How is this promise always true, since he often does not give what we have asked for? Did he not let David ask in vain for his son's life, 2 Sam. 12:16 ff. Answer: I have often said how prayer should be ordered and placed, so that one does not put him in what he asks for.
1) In the old editions: erteuret.
We do not ask for measure, purpose, way, place or person, but let these things be commanded to him, as he knows that he is to give and is of use to us. For this reason he himself has set the order and set three goals in the Lord's Prayer, which must always take precedence, namely his name sanctification, his kingdom and his will; then our daily bread, salvation from temptation and all hardships etc. The best part must be called: Your name, your kingdom etc. If this goes before, then surely ours will follow. This is why St. John 1 Epistle 5:14 says: "This is the joy we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us"; and St. Paul Romans 8:26: "We do not know what we should pray for, but the Spirit represents us according to what pleases God. Now this is certainly his will, which his word gives (as the ten commandments and the Lord's Prayer), that he will deliver thee from all evil, and not leave thee in temptation: item, to give thee thy daily bread etc. Otherwise, he would not have called you to pray it; therefore, the last four pieces (concerning our temporal need of this life) are certainly also his will. But the three that are actually called his go before them. So you have his will completely, that he certainly thinks of nothing else nor has anything else in his heart, but shows you the Lord's Prayer; and if you therefore pray that it goes according to such his will, it is certainly answered. But you must pray in such a way that you do not break this order, nor do you go astray, nor do you pass over the noblest parts.
214 Therefore, if you see that your request is not heard and given, it is certainly what St. Paul says, that you do not know what you are asking and how to ask etc. For this art is too high for us, saith he, that we should speak and agree what is for the sanctification of his name, and the advancement of his kingdom, and the accomplishment of his will. Item, how he shall give thee thy daily bread and other necessities, take away sin and temptation, and deliver in trouble etc. It says what and how we are to ask, but the time, person, manner and measure in which he is to give it, we cannot interpret or determine. Therefore, where thou art in trouble and distress (of thyself or of others), thou shalt
You pray for salvation and help, but as the Lord's Prayer teaches you: "If it serves to sanctify his name and to please his will; if not, that he may do with it as he knows and considers best. So you pray rightly: Dear Father, give us our daily bread, good weather, health, protect us from pestilence, war, evil time, etc.; but if you will try me for a while and not give me so soon, let your will be done. If it is the time and hour, deliver me from the evil; if not, give me strength and patience etc.
Since it is above and beyond our knowledge when or how he should help us and give us the request, we are to put this in his hands and pray all the same, and therefore not stop or doubt whether we have been heard, for it is all for our good. Even if he consumes us or does not give us what we have asked him for, it pleases him to pray that he will give us much better in return than we understand, so that we may learn to know his will and be obedient to it, increase in faith, be strengthened and overcome in patience etc. Just as a pious father does to his child, if he does not give him what he has asked, but everything for his betterment, so that he may learn to know his father's heart and will, and be obedient to him. So God also lets us use his angry rod and punishment (for which we cry out and ask, and yet he does not let go so soon) to make us more pious, and then he shows us and gives us all the more graces and good things; and gladly hears such crying and sighing, as an indication of pious children who want to mend their ways and not run away from him, but remain 1) children.
This is said of him who either does not give our request or does not give it so soon. On the other hand, we also see that where the need is so great and great, and cannot suffer delay, he does not remain outside with his answer and help; as Ps. 9:10 says of him: Adjutor in opportunitatibus, "he helps in time of need. So everything is to be done so that one only prays and cries out confidently and with firm trust, and in the same to his counsel and divine wisdom.
1) Thus the Wittenbergers and the Jenaers. Erlanger: his.
Home, when, how, where, by whom 2) he should help, and not doubt if we do not understand how we should be helped.
The third part of this text, that he says "in my name", is the main part and the ground on which prayer should stand and rest, and from which it has its goodness and dignity, that it pleases God, and the power and might that it must be heard. And hereby we are freed from all heavy temptation and useless worry (which most hinders us from prayer and makes us timid) from our worthiness, that we should not ask nor worry about it, but both worthiness and unworthiness, put out of sight, should put the prayer on him, and ask in his name.
218 What is it then, that thou long agonize with thine own thoughts, and consent to dispute with the devil, or that thou wilt excuse thyself, and shun to pray, because thou feelest cold and unskillful? Do you hear that you should not pray for yourself, nor in your own name, nor in the name of any man (how holy, worthy and full of the spirit he is), but in his name he wants to pray, and hereby exhorts and entices you to pray (about the commandment and promise). As if he should say: Dear, let it be about you as it can; if you cannot ask through yourself and in your name (as you should not), then pray in my name; if you are not worthy and holy enough, then let it be me; only come upon me and in my name, and say: Dear Lord, I shall and will pray according to thy commandment and promise; if I cannot do it well, and it is not good nor valid in my name, let it be valid and good in my Lord Christ's name. And only have no doubt that such prayer is pleasing to God and certainly answered, as certainly as Christ's name pleases his only dear Son, and everything must be yes and granted what he asks.
219 So this word, "In my name," demands faith in prayer, that we may know that our own worthiness for prayer shall not promote us, nor obtain an answer, nor shall our unworthiness hinder us; but
2) Wittenberger: by what, to whom.
that we will certainly be heard for the sake of Christ alone, as our only mediator and high priest before God, and thus the prayer will be placed entirely in his hands. This is what all Christianity does when it concludes and seals all its petitions and invocations with these words: "through Christ our Lord", and thus sacrifices to God in faith. Therefore do thou also so, that thou resist the grievous thoughts that keep thee from prayer, and let not the devil deceive thee, when he blows into thy mouth that thou art not worthy, but for this very reason fall on thy knees, when thou feelest that thou art not worthy, neither canst thou become worthy; and cling to Christ, and commit the prayer to him, and so bring it before God that he may accept it and hear it for his sake; and by all means do not put such prayer in doubt or in uncertainty, but certainly believe that your prayer has come before God, and has met, and is already yes, because it is made in the name of Christ, and concluded with the Amen, so that he himself confirms his word here.
For that would be one of the highest blasphemies (which God blasphemes in His words), if you prayed both in the name of Christ, according to His commandment and promise, and yet you would waver: Who knows whether it is prayed and heard? Let no Christian ever take this into his heart. "If you want to serve God" or pray "beware that you do not tempt God," but pray in such a way that you can be sure that God will hear; otherwise it is not called praying, but mocking and blaspheming God. As hitherto, and still the whole vermin of the pope, priests and monks have done, so without ceasing day and night they chatter, sing and sound, and everything is called prayed; and yet none of them has a thought of faith. I have prayed (they say), but whether God will hear it, I leave it to him to decide. They confess that they believe nothing, and that their prayer remains unanswered, indeed, that it is nothing but sin and blasphemy (as the 109th Psalm, v. 7, says). For what should God ask of such prayer, which you yourself do with doubt and unbelief, and thus in your own words, both of you, make yourself a liar, and also punish Him with lies?
But a Christian must know that his prayer has been heard as surely as he truly believes in God. For even if he is unworthy, he has not asked in his name, nor does he want to be heard for his own sake, but in Christ's name and his worthiness, and just as little must he doubt this, so little should he doubt God's word when he preaches or hears it, or baptism, sacrament and absolution; item, the ten commandments and his status. Otherwise he would have to doubt in the end (if he were to reckon according to his unworthiness) whether he was God's creature; and with such doubt he would have denied God Himself, and it would be better for him if he knew nothing of none.
222. If, however, he must maintain his faith, and not doubt whether he should be baptized, hear the gospel, or receive or yet receive the sacrament, much less doubt whether he should keep God's commandment, and whether his obedience is right in his state according to the ten commandments, but so he should believe and say: I know that I have God's word, and am in the state in which I am to obey God; but whether I do not believe strongly enough, or do not act and live as I ought, that is without harm to the word. So also here: Whether I am not worthy of having my prayer heard, it is very much worthy of Christ (in whose name I make such a prayer), and for His sake my unworthy and unskillful prayer must also be pleasing and worthy before God. Therefore, St. Bernard was a fine man and had Christian thoughts, so that he so faithfully admonished his brothers when they wanted to pray, so that they would not go away in doubt. For I tell you, as soon as we begin to pray, the words are already counted and written in heaven.
V. 24. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
How, have they asked nothing before? Did he soon from the beginning often tell them and admonish them how they should pray; also put the way and words, as they themselves asked him.
1) Erlanger: um.
asked him to teach them to pray [Luc. 11:1], as John the Baptist and the Pharisees taught their disciples. Why then does he say that they have not yet prayed in his name, blaming them as if they had hitherto walked idly, and had taken no notice of prayer anywhere? But we have heard that he says of such prayer, which is called praying in his name. For he wants to give the difference between the old and the new testament, and between its forerunners and its future or present regiment. The dear fathers and prophets also prayed before in the right spirit and faith, but only to the future Christ; but now it is no longer to be called praying to him as the future, but in the name of him who has already come, fulfilled the Scriptures, and now reigns powerfully.
224. such prayer shall now begin after his passion and ascension, when the gospel of me shall be revealed and proclaimed to the whole world, that I am come, and have fulfilled all that was prophesied of me, that I have blotted out sin, strangled death, destroyed hell, and opened heaven, and now by such new preaching I also establish a new worship, in which all distinction of outward manner, place, donor, etc. and everything is drawn to me and directed to me, so that from now on no other prayer or service will be valid, except what is done in faith in me, or prayed and done in my name, who has now come and is revealed through the gospel.
Therefore, after his ascension and the public preaching of the gospel, the Jews have no excuse, and it does not help them to have their Moses and worship, to suffer and do much, to pray and serve God on the false delusion of the future Messiah, for it has been proclaimed publicly enough to them and to all the world that he is coming; and in addition their own Scriptures convict them of it, and their own experience should teach them that they hope in vain for another. Their forefathers were able to wait for his coming with good honor and right faith, and to pray for such a future, and to keep their God's
They kept the service of the law, because the Scriptures could not yet be fulfilled, and no new public preaching had gone out into the world. But now they themselves must say that all the time, foretold and determined by the prophets, has long since ended, and that the gospel of the same Christ, promised by the prophets, has gone out into all the world, and that the same Messiah has been accepted by all the Gentiles, and yet they deny and blaspheme him out of pure unbelief and hatred of this Christ (who is their blood and flesh), and so God in his word and fulfillment must be their liar: Then they will finally be cast out with all their faith and worship, so that they will never get a Savior forever (if they do not turn to Him), and everything they pray for in such a name will be lost, condemned, and an abomination in the sight of God. And it must be fulfilled in them what the 109th Psalm, v. 7, prophesies: "Let his prayer become sin", so that they only anger God more, and make their condemnation more severe.
226 Therefore he says, "You have not yet made your prayer in my name, as you should, because you are not yet in the knowledge and faith of my suffering and resurrection, by which I am to fulfill all things. But when these things shall come to pass and be preached, then shall a new prayer and service begin in all the world, that they may pray aright in my name, and also shew forth the power thereof, and the fruit thereof; that they may see such prayer mightily answered and fulfilled.
227. Now if the Jews' worship and prayer is condemned and lost because they direct it to God, not in this Christ (who has come), but in a future name: What will God say to the prayer that has been done so much and often, and is still being done in all the papacy and Mahomet's faith, without all Christ, and neither in the future nor present name, 1) but they themselves come before God without means in their own name, and think that if they have done so much and prayed so much, then God should look at it, and for the sake of such works
1) Here we have deleted "the same" because it is too much.
and merits? They do not even think that they are allowed to call this Christ (even if they call him), but badly base and build the prayer on their work, as if they were the people whom God had to look at. To them it is rightly said: What are you doing with your prayer and worship? You have never prayed in my name; yes, you have never prayed a word (which is called praying before God), but your praying is vain work, yes, in addition to 1) sin and blasphemy against God.
228. So then, everything that is to be called rightly prayed and served to please God is included in the one word: "In my name," and separated from all other worship, even (as I have said) of the Old Testament, which the holy fathers kept; and all things are made new in this Christ, even the prayer of those dear fathers (because they called upon the same Christ, and now he is come, and hath fulfilled the things which they believed and waited for), and now the Scriptures and Psalms sound in our mouths (if we believe in Christ) as new, as when David sang them at the first. And in short, he will henceforth have abolished all diversity and difference, and brought everything into unity, so that now there will be no more than, as St. Paul says. One God, one church, one faith [Eph. 4, 4. 5. 6.], one prayer and worship, one Christ, yesterday and today, and forever etc. [Hebr. 13, 8.] And God in short does not want to hear nor know anything else 2)(for what goes in the name).
Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.
229 The commandment is written there that he not only wants to exhort and strengthen us to prayer, but also to lay the commandment upon us and require of us that we pray to God for obedience. And as that promise and assurance should make us joyful and willing, so this commandment should compel and drive us, that it should and must be prayed, if I want to love Christ and be obedient, no matter how unworthy I may be, as above [§200 ff].
1) Wittenberg and Jena: the sin.
2) Wittenberger: "anders Gebot".
Enough has been said about this. But he also repeats the promise: "Ask confidently; there will be no lack of hearing, for you will surely receive it. What more shall he do, or how shall he exhort and provoke us?
But what is this, that he concludes, saying, "That your joy may be complete"? What is he doing here, ordering and directing our prayer as if nothing more were to be sought in it but that we might have perfect joy? He teaches in the Lord's Prayer that we should pray first of all for the sanctification of his name and the strengthening of his kingdom; how then does he begin at the back, from the fulfillment of our joy? etc. Is it not said thus (as the high spirits speak of it): If heaven were open before one, man should not wish for it, unless it were God's will. For we are not to ask anything else than what God's will is. Answer to the most simple: He speaks here with his Christians (because the others should not and cannot pray), who desire nothing higher than God's name, kingdom and will, and have no greater joy than where this happens. But all is said against the false worshippers, who turn back and seek only their own, and themselves want to be and obtain everything before God, and certainly have the name of Christians; but there is no heart nor desire and love for Christ and His kingdom. This is called a false desire and false love.
Our scholastic theologians, who have seen this from afar, have also spoken of this, and call two kinds of love: Amorem concupiscentiae, and amicitiae; and St. Augustine calls it Uti et frui. Some (he says) love God out of good will; but some for the sake of their benefit. This is amor concupiscentiae, and is called in German, a harlot love, which loves another for the sake of her superstition. But this (amor amicitiae) is a righteous love, as the right conjugal love, or the natural love between parents and children, since one grants the best to the other, and has his pleasure and joy in it, if it is good for him. So there are also two kinds of lovers here: Some who think that if they could only escape punishment and chastisement, then
they ask nothing of it, let God's name and his kingdom remain where it will. This is a love of a thief, like a thief who is afraid of the gallows, loves the judge and the executioner, and goes to such, as the proverb says: He who is afraid of hell must go in. Such know nothing of the joy of which Christ speaks here.
232 But Christians (of which he says here) who love Christ with a true heart are so minded that they desire and seek nothing so highly as that God's kingdom be furthered, His name and glory be known and praised, and everyone do His will. And when this happens, they are well helped. And for this very reason they pray for daily bread and all other needs on earth. Therefore pray with confidence," he says, "and you will have such abundant joy as your heart desires, and everything that is good and useful will be given to you. For where the order is to seek first the kingdom of God (as he says in Matt. 6:33), that his word may be preached and believed, the rest is all right, that we also ask for the temporal, that he may feed us and help us out of trouble.
233 But these words, "That your joy may be full," are actually based on what he said above [v. 20.Not only this hour, when he should be taken from them, and leave them alone in anguish and sorrow, without help and comfort, forsaken of all the world, and with a heavy and sinful conscience, but also that they should be persecuted and condemned by the world for their preaching ministry, and be troubled and crushed by the devil, and so be called, as he said: "Ye shall weep and wail, but the world shall rejoice" etc.
Although he promised them that they would rejoice again and that no one would take their joy away from them, he also knows that such joy is still weak and mixed with sadness, so that sadness is felt much more and stronger than joy. Therefore, he tells them to pray and ask that their joy will always be stronger and stronger. For where joy is so
If they would soon be fully satisfied, and there would be no sadness, they would not be allowed to pray. But now it must be salted in this life, so that fear and sadness drive them to pray and to cry out, so that the comfort tastes all the better to them, and they become all the more greedy for joy. So he makes the promise that their joy will be complete, that they will overcome and forget all fear, sorrow and heartache. And that these things might come to pass, he directs them to prayer, that they may obtain and receive them.
And as I have said, this fullness of joy is primarily directed toward the high things concerning God's name and kingdom; these must go where joy is to be, otherwise you will never have joy as a Christian in your heart. For this is precisely the greatest part of the heartache and sorrow that Christians have, that they must see that God's name in His Gospel is everywhere so shamefully profaned and blasphemed, God's kingdom persecuted, and His will despised and trampled underfoot. And they must also feel this in themselves, that the devil is fighting against them in their hearts with his infernal thoughts of unbelief, blasphemy, despair, etc.; in addition, their own flesh is resistant to the spirit of these joys. This is their real hell, torment and sorrowful suffering; otherwise they could well bear and overcome all persecution, suffering and torment, yes, even accept them with joy, as the dear holy martyrs did.
Now, what shall we do? Joy cannot become perfect (as Christ says here) until we see God's name fully sanctified, all false doctrine and sects eradicated, all tyrants and persecutors of His kingdom subdued; item, all ungodly and the devil's will and pretensions controlled, and His will alone done; item, that no more bellyache or hunger and thirst afflicts us, no more sin oppresses us, no more temptation weakens the heart, no more death holds us captive. But this does not happen before, because in that life, when it will be called, we will feel perfect joy, and not a drop of sorrow anymore etc. But in this life it goes (as St. Paul says [1 Cor. 13, 9.]) only piecemeal, and have only a little bit of joy.
a droplet of it in faith, which is the beginning or foretaste and credence, which grasps the consolation that Christ redeems us, and through him we have come into God's kingdom etc. But it is weak in its power and consequence; it will not follow, and cannot be so pure, both with faith and life; for we always fall again into the mire, and are weighed down with sadness and a heavy conscience, so that the joy cannot be pure, or ever becomes so small that even such joy as has begun can hardly be felt.
237 Therefore this part must also be added, which is called praying for help and strength, so that one day there may be complete and perfect joy. You must not seek it in yourself, nor in this world, for its joy is unclean, which death takes away in the end; but there you must seek it (says Christ), that you may pray in my name that these things may come to pass, for which I have come, and have called you and set you, that God's name, kingdom and will may go forth in all things, and that what the devil, the world and the flesh drives against it without ceasing, may one day come to an end.
238) See, this is what he wants here 1) with these words, when he says that your joy will be complete. This testifies that they should have joy in him (as he says at the end), but that they should always need to pray that such joy may remain with them and become stronger, even complete. For it is not so that those who have tasted the firstfruits and refreshments of this joy can be full and satisfied of it as soon as they have tasted it, but only hunger and thirst for it more and more, the more they have tasted its consolation and sweetness. For they also suffer the devil to throw vinegar and gall under them, and become more full of bitterness and sorrow than of joy (if they have tasted a little). Therefore he admonishes them that they only continue to pray confidently for such joy, which may become perfect, as it will be forever after this life.
V. 25. These things have I spoken unto you by proverbs: but the time cometh, that I will not
1) "hie" is missing in the Erlanger.
I will no longer speak to you by proverbs, but will freely proclaim to you about my Father.
It can be seen that the dear Lord liked to talk to the disciples in the last hour, and did not like to leave them in sadness over his departure. That is why he speaks so many words, ends them as if he had finished speaking, and yet begins again; as such people do who love one another and must part, when they have said good night to one another, and yet continue to speak, and say good night again and again. So he speaks: I have told you many things, both of you, how you should have sorrow and joy again, as a woman over childbirth etc., but these are vain sayings and proverbs to you, which now you do not understand. For you think that I will travel some miles from you, and afterward come again; do not understand that I speak of such a passage, which is called, passed out of this life into death. Therefore also this comfort will soon be over in your heart, when you will see me delivered to death, shamefully hung on the cross and laid in the grave, until I will show myself alive again to you. Then what I say now will no longer be a proverb and dark speech, but will make it clear so that you will understand it very well and see what it is, as I have always said to you about my father. This is what happened, because soon after his resurrection he clearly proclaimed to them, and by the same work of the resurrection he showed that this was the will and mind of the Father, and that it had to happen as it was written of him, that he would go through suffering and death into his glory and take the kingdom at the right hand of the Father, and through the gospel preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all the world, as he said in Luc. 24:47.
240 This is the simple opinion of these words. For we do not want to take these words into the high mind, as some of the fathers have interpreted them (although it is right), that he wanted to proclaim to them through the Holy Spirit, how he is truly God with the Father together with the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit (as he himself said above v. 14) was to transfigure him, and (as St. Paul said) to make him a true God.
Rom. 1, 4) that he is the Son of God for eternity etc. Such an interpretation is good, but I remain here, that he speaks of the counsel and will of the Father, namely, what he means by sending Christ from heaven, and thus lets him go through the cross and death.
241. For this is the mystery of the kingdom of heaven (as Christ calls it) and the Christian revelation and preaching, that he is sent by the Father's command to preach to the world and to do wonders, so that people will believe in him; and after that, to take on his neck all the sin of the world, and to blot it out in his own person, and by his death to overcome death, and after that to sit at his right hand, and to have him preach publicly, so that all who believe in him may also have such victory (which he conquers). I will proclaim and preach to you very clearly and powerfully the counsel of the Father. This is what happened, as evidenced by the apostles' writings and sermons, which remain in this article alone, and which they diligently pursued day and night; when St. Paul also took his leave of Mileto, Acts 20:27. 20, 27, and said: You know that I have been with you three years, and have done nothing to you, but have declared to you all the counsel of God. etc. So also Peter Apost. 2, 22. 23.: "JEsum of Nazareth, after he was devoted to you out of well-considered counsel and providence of God, you took and hanged him" 1) etc.
242 In the Gospel, Christ also refers to the Father's will and counsel in all his words and works, so that everything may be known and believed by the Father's command, flowing from him. Just as his divine nature is also from eternity from the Father, so he shows that he also did not take his ministry from himself, nor did he conceive it, but it comes from the Father's premeditated, determined counsel. And for this reason (as has been said many times above) he draws us to the Father, so that we may not seek or think of any other God besides Christ, nor be afraid of him, as if the Father and Christ were not one, but believe and know as Christ does.
1) Erlanger: pinned.
is merciful, and willingly dies for us, that the Father, as he has so willed and commanded, is also so graciously disposed toward us. For he is to be called and be the reconciler and mediator between us and God. For this reason he also faithfully carries out this office, and always exemplifies to us poor sinners the great heartfelt love of the Father toward us, so that what we see and hear in him, we recognize and accept everything as flowing from the Father's heart, and if we provide ourselves with all love, goodness, help and comfort, as he has proven with his words and works, life and limb, we should also provide the same and nothing else toward the Father.
Now this is the common preaching of the Gospel, and is no longer called by proverbs, because it is preached so publicly, clearly and abundantly, that it is now considered little, and almost childish preaching, and many mock us for it, saying: we know nothing to preach but faith, faith etc. But would God it were so little and light a doctrine and art as they esteem it. But they may see to it that it is not too dark and heavy for them, when some calamity falls upon their necks, and then they do not understand one letter of it, when they should be able to do it best. It has been preached abundantly and clearly by the apostles, masterfully and powerfully written out, and is now everywhere spoken, written, sung, and painted by mouth and pen, but no one believes it, how difficult it is to preserve in times of need.
For no one thinks how we poor people are so weak, frail and despondent against the devil and his temptations, when God wants to tempt us and kick us a little behind the wall (as Song of Songs chap. 2:9 says), that we have suddenly and in a moment forgotten this comfort, and are not so powerful that we could receive this article against the devil, even though we have all the books and our own mouths full of it, where God does not preserve us mightily in it. I have seen many of them myself, who have had it so fine and have preached of it, and yet have fallen away from it, and have become
2) Erlanger: all love.
have been. And what can I say about myself, who has preached and written about this as much as anyone else, and who has also thought about it myself; it is still so sour and difficult for me to keep this article in my heart that I do not want to, nor can I, hold it in such contempt and low esteem.
What led the Anabaptists into error and lamentation, but that they thought they were full of it, when they had never really tasted it? Therefore I say not in vain: If the apostles could not have grasped it, since Christ told them much about it, that he must tell it to them more clearly only after the resurrection through the Holy Spirit, whom he alone sent to transfigure this article, we should not be ashamed to learn from it, nor should we soon boast of this art master. For it is and remains a dark speech or saying (even if someone hears it abundantly and preaches it himself), if the Holy Spirit himself does not also transfigure and preserve it in the heart.
V. 26. On that day you will ask in my name.
When you have the clear revelation and proclamation (which is now spoken of) and grasp it in faith, then this piece will also be found, which is called praying in my name. For these two things are promised to Christianity, Joel 3, 1. and Zach. 12, 10. that after the resurrection of Christ God will pour out on all flesh His Spirit, which is to be called the Spirit of grace and prayer. Therefore, just as you will have the Spirit of grace to teach you what the Father's will is, and what he has directed and given you through me, so you will also have the Spirit of prayer, so that you will be able to call on him from your heart in my name.
Hereby he shows that no prayer can be made without the knowledge and faith of this article of Christ (now spoken of), although the other articles would also be completely present. And so these two articles are linked to each other, so that no one can pray rightly unless it is in the spirit of grace, which assures the heart that it has a gracious God through Christ, and that it can joyfully pray to him.
call his father. For it is not a spirit (says St. Paul Rom. 8, 15. 16.) that frightens the hearts with sin and God's wrath through the law, but that restores such frightened hearts that feel their sin and God's disgrace (and therefore are not allowed nor able to come before God and call upon Him, but only continue to flee from Him) through the comfort and promise of eternal grace and mercy.
If you believe this, then you can open your mouth and pray to God as you wish, with the confidence that He will surely hear you. For you do not depend on your own name, work or merit, but on the fact that through the Holy Spirit it is declared to you what God's will and command is, which he has accomplished through Christ, that through him he wants to accept you in grace and be your dear Father.
249. Therefore it is impossible that the pope with all his multitude (if he still had a thousand times as many churches, monasteries and convents, and the same were full of chattering and sounding day and night without ceasing) had done a single right prayer, or could still do so (I will keep silent about Turks, Jews and pagans, because they do not have this article of Christ, which the Spirit of grace preaches, indeed, neither want to hear nor suffer, but rage against it, and publicly condemn and blaspheme this preaching of the Father's will and counsel. They can do nothing but scream and slander against it 2): One should do good works (against this preaching of Christ), as the blind, who do not know what good works are, nor what the Father's will is, although it is clear and easy to grasp that without this knowledge no good works can be done, and what is done against this will of God in Christ is not good nor godly, but condemned by God; and is not called a spirit of grace or prayer, but of disgrace and blasphemy against God.
V. 26. 27. And I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For he himself, the Father, asked you dearly, that you might love me, and believe that I came forth from God.
1) "will" is missing in the Wittenberger.
2) "dawider" is missing in the Erlanger.
After the valete and good night (about which he makes many words, as good friends are used to let each other go), this is almost a strong new beginning. For he cannot refrain from the great love he has for the disciples, he must also hang this up. I do not say (he says) that I will pray for you, but you yourselves will pray; for he himself, the Father, loves you etc. How would this be? We have always heard that we cannot come before God and do no prayer without this mediator, who is sent by the Father for this purpose, and that our prayer must go through his person and in his mime alone, where it is to please God; how then does he say here that he will not pray for them? Just as if they were not allowed to be anything, and this honor, right and power were even given to us. As the Turks, Jews, priests and monks have taught and still believe, and have sold their own prayers and good works to the people as a sign; and they would like to have a remedy from this, and say: Christ himself has confirmed this, when he says that it is not necessary for him to pray for them, but that they should pray themselves.
251. Answer: Yes, but there is one thing written with it; you must also take this, and pull both together; do not piece and stump the text, plucking out one and leaving the other. For thus he saith, The Father himself loveth you, because ye believe on me" etc. For he will not thus be put out of the way, that they should pray without him, or apart from him. But if we have this mediator in our hearts, and believe that he comes from God, and is the Father's command to take away our sin and death, etc., then we can also pray ourselves, and such prayer is pleasing to God, for the sake of this man who stands in the middle between the Father and us. For we already have his prayer, by which he has forbidden us against the Father, which he once did, but still endures forever, and makes our prayer also pleasing to him and answered.
In this faith such an opinion is right that I can say: I know that my heavenly Father is very glad to hear what I pray, yes, as far as I have this Savior Christ in my heart, who has asked for me.
and so my prayer is pleasing through his; so that we weave our prayer into his, and he is the mediator forever and with all men, through whom we come to God, and our prayer and what we do is implanted in him and clothed in him. As St. Paul says [Rom. 13, 14] that we should put on Christ, and everything should be done in Him [1 Cor. 10, 31], so it should be pleasing in the sight of God.
All this is said to Christians, that they should boldly and confidently consider this man, and pray with all confidence, because we hear that he thus unites himself with us, and almost makes us like him, and mixes our prayer into his, and his into ours. This is a great, great glory of Christians. For if our prayer is united with his, he then says from Ps. 22:23, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers," etc. and Rom. 8:16, 17, "The Holy Spirit testifies that we are children through Christ. But if we are children, we are also heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ."
254 What greater thing could be said of us than that through the faith of Christ we are set on high honor, that we are called his brethren and joint heirs, and that our prayer should be like his. That almost no difference remains, without it coming from him, and going through him, that our prayer may be acceptable, and he bring us to inheritance and glory; otherwise he makes us in all things like himself, and his prayer and ours must be One Cake, even as his body is our body, and our members are his members, as Paul saith Eph. 5:30. "We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." This glory he must, for more comfort, remind them of just in the last words. But so, and therefore, if they believe that he was sent by God's counsel and will, that they may confidently pray on him, and do all that Christians ought to do. For this piece must not be omitted nor forgotten, otherwise nothing but a Turkish or pagan prayer and worship would come of it.
V. 28. I came forth from the Father, and come into the world; again I leave the world, and come to the Father.
This is exactly the same opinion as in the previous words. For I do not want to go here into the high article of the Holy Trinity, as he proceeds from eternity in the divine essence from the Father, of which is said above [§151 ff.], but remain here in the common understanding, of his office, which concerns Christianity, that he is sent from the Father to us men, to carry out the work of our redemption. Thus he comes from God, even though he has come forth from eternity in the divine essence.
Again he says: Now that I have accomplished what I was sent to do, I am going again to the Father. And that he expresses what such "going to the Father" means, he says: I am leaving the world; so that the disciples themselves realize that he now speaks somewhat more clearly than before. For that he has hitherto said that he would go, he now means that he is leaving the world; that is, that he no longer wants to be on earth among people with outward life and being, eating and drinking, walking and standing. This I will leave," he says, "and I will take out of the eyes, ears, senses, and all this bodily life in which you and I still live, and enter into another heavenly life, where the world will not see me. In the same way he speaks of this after the resurrection, Luc. 24, 44. saying, "These are the words that I spoke to you while I was still with you," even though he is still with them, but in such a way that he is no longer subject to natural nature and bodily life, and may no longer walk and stand, sleep and watch, eat and drink, and use the world as a man on earth, but has already taken on another life, in which he is free from all things, except the eyes of the world, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. These words the dear disciples begin to understand to some extent. Therefore they looked at him and said:
V. 29, 30 His disciples said to him, "See, now you speak freely and do not say a proverb. Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to ask you. Therefore we believe that you came from God.
These are simple words, both of the disciples and of Christ Himself, that they could not be spoken more simply. For they, out of all confidence and good opinion, go on like this, saying, "This has been said clearly and without a word, so that we may understand what you mean by going out from God and returning to the Father, and now they know that you know all things, and that there is no need for us to ask you. For before we begin to ask, you have already answered. Therefore we also believe that it is true, as you said, that you went out from God.
258. This is (I say) all spoken out of pure simplicity. For they also want to speak something to the point, so that he does not think that they are so rough that they do not understand anything about it. For he has spoken high and heavy things before; but this is the heaviest, when he says, "I came forth from the Father, and again I leave the world," etc. which they also understand least of all. For if they had understood it, they would have fled from him immediately, as they did soon after. As he also answers them to these words v. 32: "The hour cometh, and is already come, that ye should be scattered, and leave me alone" etc. As if to say, "If the Father were not with me, I would stand on your side in evil and naked.
259 Now here is shown the kindly manner and loving company of the Lord Christ with his disciples, how he behaved toward them, that they were very well pleased with him, 1) and he gladly heard them speak with him, and could well suffer, and also give credit for everything, as to his dear disciples, who also loved him, and did all good to him, that he also spoke so simple and childlike with them, as he saw them speak.
(260) As he is painted everywhere in the Gospel, that he speaks and gives his testimony as he has people before him. Where he is supposed to be sharp and pointed, he can be over-sharp; and again, where he is supposed to be simple and wants to be simple, as with his poor simple-minded disciples and children, he also talks about the people before him.
1) "to be on good terms with someone" - to be on good terms with someone.
Childish in all measures. 1) When the Pharisees want to master him and ask: Why does he do this or that? as that he lets his disciples pluck the ears on the Sabbath? or why they eat with unwashed hands? item, when they ask him with the pointed question: whether one should give the interest to Caesar? then he also meets them with such a pointed answer that they become disgraced because of it. Again, when he talks to simple-minded, silly people, he talks and acts more simple-minded than anyone else. As when he had the little children brought to him, he embraced them and kissed them, and talked with them in such a childlike manner that the disciples also led those who brought them to him, but he again rebuked the disciples: "Unless you turn and become like such children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven [Matth. 18, 3]. Summa, the art he alone can do before all. To the wise and prudent he is all too wise and prudent; and again, with the children and foolish he is so childish, as if he did not know any better.
He does the same here. Since he does not have to deal with the poisonous, sharp serpents, which are really looking for him, and Judas the betrayer is also gone, and sits there with his dear disciples, as simple, unintelligent children, who therefore stammer, babble and tackle, as they understand it: he also babbles and babbles with them. Just as a father and mother of their little child pretend to be pleased with him, and point to the best and say, "Yes, dear son, you have spoken right. Or, like a pious schoolmaster, when a young boy has to recite the ABC to him, he can very well have patience, that he only starts a little, even if he cannot do it completely, and has to help him in it, and always preach to him that he keeps him at it and brings him away, and says: Yes, that's right, my dear child, so learn it etc. So Christ is also pleased with this simple-mindedness and childish answer of his disciples, and says: "Yes, my dear disciples, you say right, for you are my disciples, and believe in me etc. So confirm it, let it all be right and good, call it believed and well spoken (although still quite weak), so that
1) Wittenberger: That.
So he keeps them with him until they become stronger and more understanding, because he thinks about what they should still become and what he wants to make of them. And it is a great, excellent humility and love that the high majesty lets himself down so completely, and makes all things equal and even to the poor, weak and unintelligent, is not afraid to lisp and slur with them in a childlike way.
But for our consolation we are shown that we learn to know and believe in our dear Lord, how he so loves his own (who are attached to him), that he is well able to bear their infancy and weakness, infirmities and lack of understanding, so that through such motherly gentleness and patience he keeps them with him and makes them stronger and stronger. "For he will not break the broken reed, nor quench the smoldering wick," says the prophet Isaias, "but will kindle a fire out of the little budding spark, and strengthen and uplift the weak faith. But again, he can also be sharp and sharp against the devil and his pointed dragon heads, and exaggerate and over-devil them, as he calls them evil serpents, viper-breds and children of hell everywhere in the Gospel etc.
For he shall be called, in short, the man who is all things, and what he speaks, does, and makes, that all these things may be right and well done. That it may be known that God is certainly so minded toward us, as we see and hear Christ manifesting Himself toward us in words, offerings, and signs, and comforting us that, if God has given us the grace to gladly hear, love, and value this man, it shall also be love in Him, as He has now said, "The Father loves you, because you love me. And all that we still lack and are lacking must be a loud child's babbling and stammering.
Therefore, everything depends on our learning to cling to Christ as sent and given to us by the Father, whoever wants to have God's grace and be blessed, or else, in short, everything will be lost. And even if it were still so excellent, high and delicious a thing with the highly learned masters, holy Pharisees and all wise and prudent men on earth, still nothing shall be good nor valid without this alone,
If we believe in him and let him be our master, our Lord, and everything, he will again accept our words and deeds, even if they are weak and imperfect, even if they are childish and foolish.
V. 31. 32. Jesus answered them: Now believe. Behold, the hour cometh, and is already come, that ye should be scattered every man to his own, and leave me alone. But I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
He does not want to punish them, nor does he want to reproach them when they are still weak and without understanding, but he answers them in the most friendly way. As if to say: "You are good, pious children, let yourselves think that you understand and believe. And it is true that you now believe, as they heartily confess that he came forth from God (which is ever the right faith); but you do not know how it will go, and how your faith is so weak. For you believe now, but about an hour after my suffering begins, these words and thoughts of mine will fall from your hearts, and you will all run away from me and forsake me (yes, even deny me), as if you did not know me. That is no longer believed (as they now confess and he gives them testimony), without only that they nevertheless remain his dear children, and yet their heart still clings to him a little; that this must not harm them, but still remain in his hands, even if they fall from weakness. But yet (he says) I must warn you of this, and say beforehand that it is not done as you now think, and have it well in mind, but that you learn how little and weakly you understand and believe it. But it shall not hurt you. For you are my disciples, and not my enemies, like Judas, Caiphas, Herod, who betray and condemn me. And even though you are scattered from me and leave me alone, I am not forsaken. For the Father is still with me. And because he abideth, I also will abide.
And herewith he gives to understand on what he has always put his consolation. He has even a small group with him in this last hour, and is now at the point that death will
He already sees the ropes and chains bound on him, and all armed and in armor who will attack him, and that he will also be abandoned by these few, his disciples. He still consoles himself: "Even though the whole world is against me, and even this small group is leaving me, I will not perish because of this, for I still have the Father with me.
These are excellent, high words, which also befit this person of Christ. But who is there among Christians who could repeat them after him? How it should be that every man should be so sure of himself, and could say, "Well, though all men fall away from me, yet the Father is still with me. But where such a word is spoken without gulping, sighing and weeping, I am surprised, because Christ himself was so miserable that he had to be abandoned by the whole world, even by his dearest friends.
268 For it naturally hurt him, as a true man, that he should see all his own shying away from him and running, and that no one should stand or stay with him, as he laments very much in the Psalter, as Psalm 31:12."Whoever sees me in the street flees from me"; and Psalm 38:12: "All my friends and acquaintances flee far from me"; item in the 22nd Psalm, v. 21, 22: "Save my lonely soul, among vain cruel unicorns." For he also felt such misery much more deeply than we do, what it is to be so alone or forsaken, that it undoubtedly pressed out heavy sighs and hot tears from him. Yes, whoever should try it and thus stand alone, abandoned by all people, even by those who were attached to him, would like to know something about it. As if I were to say of myself, as a small example, that 1) it would come about that everything that is still with me would fall away from me, although they would not stand against me, but would stand in fear or doubt, so that I would not know whether they were for me or against me, and could no longer provide myself with anyone's support.
269: St. John Hus was burned at Constance (we like him with honor).
1) Jenaer and Erlanger: and.
1) because he does not deserve as much as we do, so that I am often very surprised how he was able to stand so firmly alone against all the world, pope, emperor and the whole council, since not one man stood with him, but was condemned and cursed by everyone. Do you not think that the dungeon has often been too narrow for him? He still had to comfort himself, and overcome such fear, with this very saying, that Christ himself might comfort himself: "I am alone, and yet I am not alone; for the Father is with me." For it grieves, and makes a foolish heart, that a man should suddenly lose all his friends and company, to whom he has given himself all good things. How could the apostles have been too brave if Christ had thus departed from them and left them in distress for an hour? If I myself (since God is for me) began to fall away from my own, or stood alone as if I were no longer with them, what separation and tearing would there be?
Therefore he does not speak this word in vain and without cause. For no doubt it came from a great shock of the heart, and it became hard and sour for him to throw himself around and tear himself away from all men, saying, "Well, I must give you credit and pity that you are leaving me all alone; but my own friends and apostles and all the world are falling away, so I am not alone, for I have a Father who will not leave me; for I am suffering and dying because of the word and command he has given me.
271 There was also a great and grievous case and distress among his Jews, when they saw him so lonely and forsaken that they had to say, "Where are they now who have kept company with him and praised and shouted so highly of him? If he had taught good things and rightly, they would probably be standing with him now. Now they stand with him in all shame.
1) We have closed the parenthesis here, while in the editions it is closed only after: "as we". The words: "because he also does not deserve as much as we do", we put it this way: although Hus did not deserve to be burned by the pope as a heretic as much as we do. Cf. ? 28 of the next interpretation of the 17th chapter of John.
There is no one who wants to be seen or heard by him. Yes, he must also hear the judgment and cries that they deny him God Himself, as if he were condemned and cursed by Him. He still stands firm against all this and says: "Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me, I know that. And make him such help and company as is greater than heaven and earth. For if the Father is with him, then all the angels and saints must be with him (although it does not seem so), and everything must return to him, as he also says John 12:32: "If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things to myself."
This is set as an example for us, whether such a thing should happen to us over his word and confession, so that we learn to keep this comfort, whether all men forsake us, so that we are not forsaken, but say with the 27. 2) Psalm, v. 10: "Father and mother forsake me, but the Lord accepts me. And with Christ, "I am not alone, for the Father is with me."
V. 33. These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world you are afraid. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
This is the last given, and struck in the hand for good night. But he concludes very powerfully with what he has done the whole sermon. This is the sum of all that I have said, and there it all goes, that in me you may have peace and comfort, if in the world you have trouble and fear. What I have spoken to you, that I will keep; only think and accept it, so that you keep it again. For he knoweth well what he layeth upon their necks, and what shall befall them; as he hath said enough of this. Therefore he exhorts them to keep his word, and to remember it, when they shall know it, 4) and then to comfort and strengthen themselves with it.
2) Erlanger: "28th [22nd] Psalm". "22" is reprinted from Walch.
3) Erlanger: Last.
4) "So go," that is, so it goes.
For this is the nature of our flesh and blood, that we can be bold and cheerful as long as suffering and affliction are not there; as also Proverbs says, "I am not afraid of their ten when I am alone. But when the weather turns, and temptation and trouble come, and press us, we have lost the good promises, and the comforting thoughts fade away, as if Christ had never made no promise, or left no comfort at all behind him. That is why he so often and diligently reminded you, saying, "These things I have spoken to you, that you forget them not, for I tell you plainly beforehand, that you shall surely be in anguish and distress. You must consider this, and be prepared for it, so that you do not lose heart and lose your comfort, but only be confident and undaunted. For I tell you, the game is already won; do not worry that I will send you there, where you would have to dare to adventure, and stand in danger whether you would lose or win. It is not to be said of this, as if one should first attack and make an encounter, but the victory is already there, and everything is conquered; only that you hold on to it undaunted and firmly.
275. So he will always draw their thoughts far beyond and lift them above everything that may come under their eyes, so that they do not see how the old dragon and lion (the devil and the world) angrily shuts its mouth, bares its teeth and sharpens its claws, but think far beyond that it is now already won, and such fierce baring of the mouth and teeth, tearing and choking comes much too slowly; And they take such thoughts, just in that, and then, when they feel fear and distress, lie on the bed of death, or are condemned to the fire or sword, as God demands, and thus may keep the victory against the devil and death.
276 For these words a Christian shall sound, and make greater than heaven and earth, when he saith, These things have I spoken unto you, and I have overcome the world. As if he wanted to say: Dear, write the "I" only with very large letters, so that you can grasp it in your eyes and heart. For the "you" and "your" (when he speaks "to you
and "You will be afraid,") that is a very small word, and yes as 1) small, as [a] single little stick in the sun. But it does not hurt; if you are small and weak, I am the greater and stronger. I have made the whole world out of one little stick, yes, out of much less than one little stick (which is called nothing). So even if you are even smaller, I can and will make you big enough. For it is I who speak these things. Do not say, "This is what the Roman or Turkish emperor says, which is great and glorious in the eyes of the world. Neither saith he, All the holy angels from heaven, and all the creature, say this; but: I, I say it; which shall be immeasurably and incomprehensibly more and greater. Therefore only think of my saying, and keep to it, and look at the person who speaks these things; not you who hear it, nor what is apart from me, so that you are challenged etc. For if ye will look upon yourselves against the great, your enemies, pope, emperor, kings, the world, yea, the devil and death, they shall become too strong and great for you, that ye must despair against them.
I have devoured and eaten so much (says the death and the devil) now almost six thousand years, yes, many thousand often in one day; what do I care about a man? If I can eat a whole lamb at once (said the wolf), should I not also be able to devour a mosquito? The world and the devil regard us as such little gnats, so that they do not notice it in their mouths when they devour us. But we should not look at ourselves so small, nor at them so great and cruel, as it seems: small and little are we in comparison with death and the devil's power; but if we cling to him who says, "I", "I have overcome the world", let us see if all the world, the devil and death have such wide mouths that they devour us. But if they devour us, let a leg come into their throats, so that they may be strangled by it. For as little as they have eaten up Christ and devoured him, so little shall they devour us.
1) "so" is missing in the Wittenberg and in the Jena.
With this, Christ would like to persuade us to learn to defy him and rely on him. For he considers and sees that we are very weak for ourselves, and (if we measure ourselves by ourselves) are too terrified and frightened by the great giants, death, the devil and the world. I know this very well," he says, "therefore I will cling to you, and in turn I will cling to you, so that you may cast your comfort and defiance on me, who have already overcome the world; And so great and small, rich and poor, shall come together, and be man enough for the great, monstrous behemoth, that if he will swallow you up and devour you as a gnat, I will become a great camel in his jaws, and tear through his belly, that he shall burst, and give you up whole, without his thanks. For it is I who say these things to you. But turn away your eyes both from yourselves and from them, and see who I am, that you may say, "If you hear death, devil, pope, emperor and the world, if you truly make yourself great, baring your long, sharp teeth and opening your mouth wide, then I am a poor little worm compared to you, that is true. But what do you fear for him who says, "I am he," and "I have overcome the world," and says this to me, and calls me to trust in it?
279 Yes, they say, we do not see this me; but we already have you in our claws and in our teeth, and must hold us well without your thanks. But again it is said: If you do not see him now, and think that you have therefore gained in me, there is nothing in it; yes, that shall do you harm. For ye shall see him hereafter, when he shall come forth before ye know it, who shall say, I have spoken it, and mine are called bold and confident; and they also have dared to come upon me, but ye have slain and eaten them. Well then, I will come and devour in one heap, not only emperors, Turks and Tatters, the Pope and all the world, but also death, the devil and hell.
280 Therefore, Christians must have other thoughts and faces, that they may live under the
1) Wittenberger: "und" instead of: der da.
The dreadful sight and the flesh of death, the devil, and the power of all the world, the sword, the spear and the gun, can see him who sits above and says, "It is I who have spoken to you. And if it is to change, I would much rather have him who says these things to me, than if all the emperors and the world stood by me. For these cannot help me if death wants to devour me and I am to jump from this life to that, and be left abandoned and helpless by all creatures. Who then shall or can help and save? No one but "I," says Christ, who have overcome the world and all things.
For this reason he is a sweet and comforting Lord, who so kindly and sincerely exhorts his own to hold fast to him, and to take comfort in him against the world, and against all that displeases and terrifies it; he shows us and gives us the right way to have comfort and peace. For therefore have I spoken these things, saith he, that ye might have peace, not in the world, but in me.
This is a strange speech, that there should be peace, when there is fear and strife. Now it follows clearly from this text that there will be no other peace than the word of Christ, when he says: "These things I have spoken to you. 2)" My words go forth," he says, "to the end that you may be at peace and of good cheer. Do not say, I will give you peace from the emperor, the pope, and the world, but my word shall give it to you; in the word you have had peace, or never more. For even if we were stronger than the pope and the whole world (which I would not like), and if fist should be against fist, spear against spear, I would not want peace, if fist and sword would give peace, against him who gives this word, who says: "These things I speak to you" etc. For what can such a speech of his do or leave? This it can do, he says, that if you have strife and fear, yet in it you may have peace.
Of course, no other power or authority on earth can do this. Therefore, we, who are Christians and of a spiritual nature (because
2) "with you" is missing in the Erlanger.
Let us leave the world to do its thing, as they do among themselves), draw and grasp this comfort: My peace and tranquility are nowhere to be found except in what my Lord Christ says, and with David we say Psalm 119:165: Pax multa diligentibus legem tuam, "Great peace have they which love thy word"; that only the word may be in the heart, God granting that there may be danger or harm to body, life, goods or blood. They must let us have this peace; they may rage and rage as they please. As we have seen 1) and still see the same power at work, that many devout people constantly and with good courage leave their goods, blood, body and life for the sake of the gospel, and do not look at the fierce dragon's teeth and lion's claws.
284 This is the first thing he teaches us, that a Christian should make peace and quietness of heart from the word of Christ, so that his heart may be attached to it, and be completely immersed in it, and so have this robe taken off, that is, flesh and bone, skin and hair. For if he only keeps this word and takes it with him, this robe will be given to him again on the last day, more beautiful and glorious than it is now; this word will have such power.
And it is a strange text that they should find no other peace than in that which he speaks to them. But it is 2) truly true. For there are also two kinds of conversation: one in which we talk with God, and the other in which he talks with us. Talking with him, that is, praying, of which we said above 194 ff]. which is also a great glory, that the high majesty in heaven lets himself down to us poor little worms in such a way that we may open our mouths to him, and he listens to us. But this is much more glorious and delicious, that he speaks to us and we listen to him. Both are good and great benefits of God, as the Scripture calls these two: "The spirit of grace and the spirit of prayer" [Zach. 12, 10.]. For He does both, lets us speak to Him through prayer, and also speaks to us through the Spirit of grace, so that we hear Him. But his
1) Wittenberger: see.
2) Erlanger: "And is" instead of: But it is.
His speech is much more comforting than ours. For his speech is such a speech, which makes peace, and a calm and joyful heart, which no speech, nor power on earth, with all its art, teaching and wisdom, does, even Moses himself, who, though he speaks because of God, yet he does not speak peace into the heart. But the man must do it, who 3) is God himself; as the 85th Psalm, v. 9, says: 4) Audiam quid loquatur in me Deus etc., "ah! that I may hear what God the Lord has spoken; for he will promise peace to his people and to his saints."
Therefore he speaks here: Let my words be commanded unto you: for to this end have I spoken them, that ye might have peace in me. How so, or where is such peace? In the world 5) or with men? No, he says, do not think about it, for nothing will come of it. Although no tyrant or man persecutes you, yet the devil will be behind you, tormenting and torturing your heart, so that it will be as hard for you, yes, much harder, than if the sword and weapons of the whole world were pointed at you, as those who have experienced it well know. Therefore one thing must be theirs (he means to say), that you must have fear and temptation either in your body or in your heart. Therefore, when I speak these things to you, how you should have peace, understand it to mean that you will have to be afraid in the world; that peace means in German, fear in the world. This is my language: peace means unpeace; happiness means unhappiness; joy means fear; life means death in the world. And again, what in the world is called unpeace, fear, death, I call peace, comfort and life. Life it is, joy and consolation it is, but not in the world, but in me you will find these things, that your heart by my word shall become a demant against all the world, devil and hell. If there were many thousand times more of them, and if they were much more angry, they should not make it so wicked with their anger and raging that they can take me from you; for I am so high set before them that I can well remain before them.
3) Wittenberger: "das" instead of: der.
4) "says" is missing in the Erlanger.
5) they words: "or where... world" are missing in the Wittenberg.
Therefore, to have peace in him is nothing other than this: He who has his word in his heart becomes so bold and fearless that he can despise the world and the devil's anger and raging, and offer defiance against it. As has been proved in the holy martyrs, yes, even in young maidens, as St. Agatha and Agnes, who went to the torture as cheerfully as if they were going to the dance, and mocked their angry tyrants. Is this not annoying of a young maiden, that she so despises the devil's wrath, sword and death, and considers them nothing, that she calls it nothing else but going to the dance? Dear, where does she get such defiance? The dear word of Christ gives her such. Where this goes into the heart, it makes such courage, as this holy virgin. This must annoy the devil beyond all measure, and cause him great sorrow, that his fierce dragon and lion's wrath, which devours the whole world, should be ridiculed and mocked.
He can accomplish this with one word, which says: 1) I have spoken this to you, and so you have heard from me, that you should be confident and undaunted, and that I have overcome the world and the devil, and that you should be a mighty lord over them, 2) and that you should tread under your feet, even though they execute you and strangle you. What were the dear martyrs, and especially such young virgins, different from us and other people? What is the difference that they had such courage and joy that others do not have? Certainly nothing else, but this word in their heart. Therefore only remember that I have told you, and do not let yourselves be troubled, but confidently beat those who want to afflict and torture you; for their afflictions, torments and anguish are to be your joy and delight and rose garden.
The cause of all this, why he makes them so defiant, and speaks so comfortingly into the heart, is this, saith he, The game is already won: "I, I have overcome the world." Yea, saith thou, thou hast well said, that thou hast overcome, and others, as Peter, Paul; but where remain I? Ever, he answers, I speak this to you, not for my own sake.
1) Erlanger: the.
2) Wittenbergers: about them.
Do you not hear, it applies to you, you should know it and comfort yourselves, that I have overcome the world, not for myself; for I did not need to descend from heaven because I was Lord of all creatures before, that the devil and the world must still leave me satisfied for my person. But for your sakes I have done it; for your sakes I speak it also, and I am for your comfort, defiance and peace. Therefore also take it to heart, and remember that I, Jesus Christ, have conquered and won the victory. It is won, he says, there is no more danger or worry; we must not struggle and fight, everything is already done, the world, the devil and death is defeated and lies, heaven, righteousness and life has the victory.
290) No more, but only this brought into the world, and the Epinicion or little song of victory, and a joyful "Christ is risen" sung; he has set it all up, given vain victory to all who hear and believe it. Only that we preach, confess and boast of these things before all the world, and defy where they attack us, saying, "What will you do, tyrant, world and devil? Will you take away my goods, my honor and my life? what then? It is won, won; for here is Christ who lives and conquers. Rather, let him be taken from me, or try him again, if you can.
So let a Christian be accustomed to the thought of Christ's victory, in which all things have already been accomplished, and we have all that we ought to have, and henceforth live only to spread these things, and also to bring other people by exhortation and encouragement (by word and example) to the victory which Christ has purchased and given us. For this victorious man has arranged it all, that we may not do anything to it, neither to eradicate sin, nor to beat the devil, nor to overcome death; everything is already in ruins. What we still suffer and fight is not a real fight, but only a price or a piece of the glory of this victory. For our suffering, yes, of all martyrs and saints suffering and blood would not win us the victory. It is not our purpose to beat sin, death and hell and to trample them under our feet, like the Pabst's crowd, for the sake of our victory.
Disgrace and blasphemy of Christ, 1) leuget. I come here 2) too slowly with my fight; it must be won first and the victory must be there, if I am to have comfort and peace otherwise. I, says Christ, have already done it; only, you accept it, and need the victory, so that you sing about it, boast and flaunt, and only be confident people.
Behold, this is the friendly farewell and consoling last word, which Christ leaves for His own, and would gladly speak into the heart. Although the apostles did not understand it this time, and we do not understand it yet either, because we are out of temptation, yet we have not understood it.
1) Wittenberger: "lesterlich leuget".
2) Erlanger: Hiezu.
By God's grace, we have seen that the Holy Spirit reminds many hearts of the words when they come to the meeting, and strengthens them with them, that they have suffered everything in victory, and have departed. May God also help us, and give us the sense to keep this in mind when we are in trouble and when we die; even if we cannot now understand and grasp these words so completely and powerfully (as they are spoken and meant), that we then remember: "My Lord and Savior has spoken this into my heart, that in Him I have a victor over the world, death and the devil, however small and weak I may be. Amen.
3) "so" is missing in the Wittenberger.