of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Just as the holy evangelists diligently describe the burial and tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ, and all the circumstances of time, persons, place and manner actually indicate when, by whom, in which place, and in which form and manner he was buried, that the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees, with the favor and help of Pilate the governor, kept the tomb with guards until the third day in the best way possible, and also closed the tomb and sealed the stone. And they describe all this so diligently for our sake, that they may make us certain and assure us of the article of our faith, where we confess that Jesus Christ, Son of God and of Mary, our Lord, died and was buried.
and manifold appearances and revelations, show also by person, time and place, when, where and to whom Christ has shown himself alive. And they do this also for our sake, so that we may be assured of our faith in the most certain way also in this article, when we confess and say: I believe that Jesus Christ, true God and man, died for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day.
(2) Not only do the dear evangelists diligently describe the Lord's resurrection from the dead, but also the holy prophets in particular emphasize this article, that he will rise from the dead. For that they prophesy so gloriously of his kingdom, how he will be a king and lord in the whole world, all this is understood in this article, that Christ will be on the third day.
Risen from the dead. We want to hear the same text about the resurrection of the Lord, as described by St. John, so that we may make our faith certain, strengthen it and establish it.
V. 1. On the Sabbath Mary Magdalene came early, while it was still dark, to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb,
3. According to the history, you know that the other evangelists, Matthew, Marcus, Lucas, write that Mary Magdalene, and Mary Jacob, and Salome, and Joanna, and some with them, came feasting to the tomb of the Lord on a Sabbath very early, when the sun was going out; And when the stone was rolled away from the sepulchre, and they entered into the sepulchre, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus, but saw a vision of angels, they departed again from the sepulchre, and told the disciples; and straightway they went forth again unto the sepulchre. This is how the other evangelists write. St. John describes in many words that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb as if she had gone out to the tomb alone, and announced to the two disciples, Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, that is, John, who wrote this Gospel, that the tomb was open, and the body of Jesus was in the tomb. The tomb was open and the body of the Lord was gone. After that he writes very broadly that the same two disciples, Peter and John, ran out to the tomb with each other, but that John ran first, faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first. This seems to be a useless story and gossip, but we will talk about the same story later.
004 Now these things, and others, are all written for this cause, that this article, that Christ is risen from the dead the third day, might be made sure in them which should believe. For St. John did not write his gospel for Christ's sake, who had no need of it, nor for his sake (for he has his part in it), but for our sake, that we also might believe, and through faith obtain the power and fruit of the joyful resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus he himself speaks at the end of this chapter,
V. 31: "These signs are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing in him you may have life in his name."
(5) It is also important that this article, because it is the highest and noblest, remain certain and firm along with the other articles of our faith on which our salvation is based. For this article has had, and still has, the most controversy, and is the most difficult to believe. The other articles of our Christian faith are also difficult to believe, but this article is the most difficult. The reason is that none strives against experience as much as this one. For we see before our eyes that all the world is carried away by death, and dies: then emperors, kings, high and low, young and old, and all the children of men, one after another, are laid in the grave, and digged. One is eaten by wild beasts, another by the sword; this one leaves a leg in Hungary, another is burned with fire; this one is eaten by worms in the earth, another by fish in the water; another is eaten by birds in the sky, and so on.
(6) It is difficult to believe that man, who perishes and dies in many ways, should live again, and that the members of man, which are scattered so far apart and turned to ashes and powder, should come together again in fire, water, and earth, and that the soul of man should dwell again in the same body in which it dwelt before, and that man should have the same eyes, ears, hands, and feet, but that the body with its members should have a different nature [Job 19:25 ff]. Such, I say, is difficult to believe. For if one wants to calculate it according to reason, then it can be seen as if this article, of the resurrection of the dead, is either nothing at all or quite uncertain.
(7) People used to joke and say, "That sheriff in the village, when he was about to die and his priest came to him and comforted him with the resurrection of the dead, said, 'Lord, is it true that the dead rise? Well, to please you I will believe it; but you will see that nothing comes of it. This is a joke; it would like to
but it must be a serious matter. For I fear that there are many such mayors, not only in villages, but also in cities and castles. There are now few people on earth who believe this article seriously, but especially the great merchants, the rich and powerful of this world, believe nothing of it. In Judaism it was the same; hardly half of them believed that there was a resurrection of the dead, even the clergy did not think anything of it. The whole sect of the Sadducees believed neither God nor heaven, neither resurrection of the dead nor eternal life, neither angels nor devils. Summa, if one takes reason to counsel, and judges according to outward appearance and experience, then faith falls away, and man abandons this article.
(8) Therefore it is necessary for every Christian to have before him the testimony of the Holy Scriptures concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that the resurrection of the Lord Christ be proved and attested by certain revelation, and that he may be certain of it, and leave outward appearances and the experience of reason. And this is also the reason why St. John, as well as the other evangelists, have described the history of the Lord's resurrection so diligently, and have left nothing out that serves to strengthen this article.
(9) I was greatly astonished that the Jews should have fought so obstinately against such constant testimonies and public signs, and against their own consciences; for they well knew that Christ was buried, and so kept in the sepulchre, both with seals and guardians, appointed by the chief priests and Pilate the governor, that no man might steal him out of the sepulchre. Now on the third day he is gone from the tomb, and they themselves must confess that the tomb is empty and he is gone. That they give money to the soldiers, and command them to say, "His disciples came by night, and stole him while we slept"; this they themselves do not believe to be true. Nor is it so with the others, for even Pilate did not believe it. Truly no one would believe it if someone said to us, "That thief hung on the gallows for two days, and was well kept with guards.
He came and stole him from the gallows, especially when he was in danger of the same thing happening to him as to Love, who had been hanged. The disciples were much too stupid to venture among so many guards and carry away the dead corpse. It is impossible to believe their lie; the Romans were not children, so that they would have let themselves be fooled like that. Therefore, I say, I am greatly surprised that the Jews have been so hard against their own conscience. Nevertheless they say rightly that they have slept; for they sleep even to this day, as they that are blind with their seeing eyes, and will not see the truth. Isa. 6, 9. 10.
Nevertheless, the resurrection of the Lord is revealed: the women, the disciples, even the Jews themselves, even though they buy the gross lie for money, confess that Christ is not in the grave. That is why the two disciples going to Emmaus on Easter Day, as St. Lucas writes [Cap. 24, 22. 23. 24.] "Some women of ours frightened us, being early at the sepulcher, and not having found his body, came and said that they had seen a vision of angels, saying that he was alive. And some of us went to the sepulcher, and found it so, as the women said, but they found him not." And St. Matthew writes [Cap. 28, 15.] that this kind of talk has become common among the Jews until this day. It will have gone through and through among the common people, just as it would become widely known among us, if now one of the dead would rise from the dead.
(11) Thus the resurrection of our dear Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is sufficiently proven and witnessed, even by the Lord's adversaries. It has testimony from the governor Pilato, from the high priests and Pharisees, and from the common people. All these things have been done for our good, that we may be served thereby, and that we may be assured of this article. The great city of Jerusalem, both city and rabble, must bear witness to this article. Of course, no one among them has seen him resurrected from the dead. Nor should they have seen him, for other witnesses were chosen to see him, as St. Peter says in Acts 10, v. 40, 41: "God raised him from the dead on the third day.
974 Erl. so, tit-ii". Interpretations on John the Evangelist. W. VIII, 9S2-ggs. 975
days, and make him manifest; not to all the people, but to us, the chosen witnesses of God, who have eaten and drunk with him after he rose from the dead."
(12) First, the resurrection of the Lord Christ is made certain by the testimony of his adversaries; then by the testimony of his friends; third, by the testimony of the Lord himself, that he appears alive and is seen; and fourth, by the testimony of the dear prophets and the holy Scriptures. The guardians, Pilate the governor, and the chief priests and Jews confess that Christ is not in the grave. Then Peter and John not only run to the tomb, but also Magdalene and all the other women and disciples, and find it just as the angels had said. So also the Lord himself comes to them, eats and drinks with them after his resurrection, talks with them, lets himself be touched, felt and understood, and says Luc. 24, 39: "Behold my hands and my feet, it is I myself; feel me, and see, for a spirit has not flesh and legs, as you see that I have." Summa, he thus remits them for the forty days until his ascension, so that none of them can deny, but all must confess that the Lord has truly risen from the dead. Finally, the Holy Scriptures and the testimonies of the prophets agree that both. Friends and enemies both testify to the resurrection of Christ, and to such testimony also comes the work of the resurrection.
(13) Upon such testimonies let every Christian's heart groan with joy, 1) believing assuredly and without a doubt that Christ rose from the dead on the third day. For Pilate the governor, and Caiphas the high priest, and all the people of Jerusalem, with Herod the king, bear witness on one side. Then the apostles testify on the other side, and their testimony goes throughout the whole world. Thirdly, the work testifies for itself; and lastly, the Holy Scriptures testify. We should certainly rely on this, and need no further special revelation.
14. i for my person let me at these
1) i.e. support. Otherwise written: stönen.
I would not want to have any special revelation and to see Christ personally. For such personal seeing would not be as useful to me as these testimonies. Because I have often read that the devil often disguised himself in the form of Christ and appeared, I could not believe such revelations. But that Pilate and those who crucified Christ themselves confess that he rose from the dead, and that the disciples testify to this, and that Christ himself testifies, and that the Scriptures of the prophets testify, is more certain and stronger to me than all special revelations.
(15) It is a strange bird on earth for such a heart, which considers this article of the resurrection of the dead to be certain. For all the world learns this article as another history and story; but that it should venture life and limb, and all that it has, nothing comes of it, for it is uncertain of this article. Now one should be most certain of this article, for where one holds this article to be certain truth, that is, to leave life and limb over it, that makes one a Christian. And therefore we preach this article, that we may be sure of it, and that every man may search his own heart, and examine himself, whether he will also die upon this article. Of the fruit of Christ's resurrection I will not speak now, for I have often preached of it at the Easter feast, that the resurrection of the Lord Christ brings with it redemption from sins and death: but now I will preach of the text in Himself, that we may become certain of the history and story, and that every one may hold this sermon to be certain and firm.
16 This is what Saint John means by describing history so diligently, because he would like to make us certain, so that we have no doubt about it. He actually describes time, persons, and the work of the persons, as befits a good historian. He introduces Mariam Magdalenam alone, and praises her primarily because of her faith. For behold, what a fervor is in her heart; so that St. John also diligently silences all the other women, and remembers only Mary Magdalene, so that he may show her great love for the Lord Christ.
(17) On one Sabbath, saith he, that is, on the other day of the Sabbath, she came alone to the sepulchre. She would have preferred to come before, but the Sabbath prevented her. In addition, she comes to the grave early, while it is still dark, she hardly waits until morning. This shows her heart, fervor and love, which she bears to the Lord Christ. All this has its allegory and spiritual interpretation, but we want to stay with the history.
The dear Mary forgets all her worries and business in her house, and soon runs to the grave early in the morning to seek the Lord, and is so utterly imprudent with great love that she does not consider what she is doing or planning. If she had been sensible and prudent, she would have thought and said to herself: What are we doing? Are we not great fools? We run to the grave, where so many guardians lie before the governor Pilati and the high priests? There is also a great stone at the door of the tomb, and the stone is sealed, so that our running and walking is in vain. No doubt she would have thought of it, as she will think of it later, when she is on her way. But first she is mad and blinded by great love, that she does not think of any of them; her heart is so inflamed with love that she neither sees nor hears.
(19) Thus a heart that is embraced with love is wont to see anything but that for which it has desire and love. This is also seen in mad love; therefore the poets have painted that Cupid or love is blind. Just as it happens in mad love that he who is embraced by such love sees nothing and hears nothing except what he loves, so it also happens in this love for Christ that such a man who loves Christ becomes drunk and no longer thinks or sees anything but Christ. Nevertheless, this Mary does not yet believe that Christ has risen from the dead, but only burns with love for him who is dead, as she burned with love for the living Christ before. This is a good thing about love, that it goes freely and does not think beforehand whether it is possible that it will begin or begin. So also does a man who believes in Christ
Believing, he goes along cheerfully and freely, confessing Christ, speaking of him, and not considering whether it is possible that he may pass through, seeing and esteeming no man, neither father nor mother, neither goods nor honor, neither body nor life, nor anything that is on earth.
Comes to the grave, and sees that the stone was gone from the grave.
20 This reads as if Mary Magdalene, and the other women with her, did not enter the tomb at first, but as soon as they saw the stone removed from the tomb and the tomb open, they turned back and went home again to tell the disciples. The other evangelists do it a little differently, especially St. Lucas [Cap. 24, 2. 3.] writes that when the women found the stone rolled away from the tomb, they went into the tomb and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
V. 2. Then she runs and comes to Simon Petro and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and says to him, "They have taken my Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.
This is what the dear Mary will have spoken, so that one tear will have chased the other; her eyes will have flowed with weeping and sadness; I cannot imitate her, nor can I reach her heart's thoughts and body's spirit with words. Her words, therefore, will have flowed from a great and excellent passion and love, so that not only her mouth spoke, but also her whole heart and all her limbs, as it is wont to happen when the heart is serious. O dear disciples, she will have said, what shall we do now? The stone of the tomb is gone, and the tomb is open; how will it always be closed? With these words she reveals her fierce heart, which carries her to Christ, and her great desire and lust, of which her heart is full.
V.3-10. Then Peter and the other disciple went out, and came to the sepulcher. And the two ran together, and the other disciple ran before Peter, and came first to the sepulcher, and looked in, and saw the linen laid; but he went not in.
978 Eri. so, 418-421. interpretations on John the Evangelist. W. VIII, SÄS-IVVI. 979
Then Simon Peter came after him, and entered into the sepulcher, and saw the linen laid, and the face-cloth, which was bound about Jesus' head, not laid with the linen, but wrapped up by itself in a place apart. Then went in also the other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and saw, and believed. For they did not yet know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went together again.
22 These two disciples, Peter and John, were also on fire, and loved the Lord Jesus above all the other disciples; therefore they also set out first for the tomb, and run more than all the other disciples; but John runs faster than Peter, who also was younger and stronger than Peter.
23 John the Evangelist made a long theiding of it, and as it seems a useless discourse, that these two ran together, and John came first to the sepulcher, but did not enter into the sepulcher; but Peter, following him, went into the sepulcher, and saw the linen laid, and the face-cloth wrapped aside in a separate place; for the sepulcher had two doors, where one could go in and out.
(24) This beautiful, noble text the pope and his followers wanted to draw and stretch to prove and confirm his authority that he, the pope, is the head of the whole Christianity and lord of the whole world, as well as an earthly God and Christ's governor on earth. This, he says, is indicated here, that Peter, whose heir to the throne is the pope, is a lord of all apostles. For since John does not want to go into the tomb of the Lord before Peter, but lets Peter go in first, as the chiefest, much less would he have done or undertaken anything else in which he did not grant Peter the preference and the authority. It is as if Christ had established and instituted a physical, temporal government through his apostles.
25 Christ, our dear Lord, had more needful things to do on earth, for which he came, than to preach and teach about the temporal kingdom, or to establish it, and
order. He commanded the worldly rule to Adam, when he said to man Gen. 1, 28: "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. He came to earth to save us from sin and death, and to teach us the way to salvation. He called and sent his apostles to preach the kingdom of heaven, and by their word and preaching to bring people to salvation. And this the dear apostles did faithfully and diligently. If the pope also did this, we would willingly and gladly consider him to be the supreme authority. But the fact that the pope led the people to salvation does not result in anything, but rather he leads them away from the kingdom of heaven to hell through his idolatry and infernal abominations.
(26) It is true that every Christian should contend and contend that he is the chief and chiefest in Christ's and the apostles' office [Luc. 13:24], but it is necessary to interpret and understand what Christ's and the apostles' office is. Christ did not rule the house, the country, the people, the cities, nor did He subject Himself to rule, but rejected such office and rule from Himself, saying Matt. 8:20: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." And Luke 12:14: "Who hath made me a judge or a judge of inheritance over you?" His office and work is to preach the gospel and to give the Holy Spirit, so that men may come to the knowledge of the truth, be saved from sins and death, and be saved.
He commanded the apostles to preach the gospel of the grace of God and to lead people to the kingdom of heaven through such preaching, not to rule and reign in a worldly manner. Thus he says to his disciples Matth. 20, 25-28: "You know that the worldly rulers rule, and the overlords have power. It shall not be so among you; but if any man will be mighty among you, let him be your servant. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but
that he may serve and give his life for the salvation of many. If the pope, cardinals and bishops wanted to be the highest and most noble in this service, how gladly we would accept them and recognize them as our highest and most noble; but they do not like the official authority, but quarrel about the authority of power and rule.
(28) Now you know, as you have often heard, what the difference is between Christ's kingdom and the temporal government. Christ's kingdom goes no further than to save men's souls from sin, death and hell, and to help them to God's grace and mercy, so that man may be saved to eternal life. And in this kingdom and ministry Christ's apostles are to serve. Whoever does this, and preaches to the people about this grace of God, and serves them so that they may come to eternal life and be saved, shall be called a pope and a ruler. But this kind of authority, which stands in vain service and servitude, the pope does not like with his group, but seeks worldly power and sovereignty; and for the way to salvation he teaches vain outward ceremonies and human commandments of eating, drinking, dressing, celebrating etc. That is, stepped out of Christ's ministry and left the ministry of the apostles, martyrs and all righteous Christians.
(29) What do I ask for it, or what does it help me against sin and against death? or, what does it promote me to eternal life, if I already have and keep all the commandments of the pope, of ceremonies, eating, drinking, dressing, celebrating? Eating, drinking, dressing belong to the worldly regiment; in the spiritual one I am not allowed to take such care. The soul is not allowed to eat, drink, dress or anything like that. If I only have someone here who faithfully and diligently preaches to me how I can be rid of sins and death and become eternally blessed, I will listen to him and gladly give him the honor of sitting far above me. But that the pope and his mob sit on top, and want to be the rulers in the church, and ride on delicious mules and large, magnificent cabals, and do not even ask how the people are taught, and know how they can be saved from sins.
and death, and be saved and saved, which are all the bishops in our time: this may well be the devil's authority and sovereignty, of which neither Christ nor his apostles and martyrs in his kingdom know anything; without it being proclaimed by Christ and the apostles that false Christs and false prophets will arise [Matth. 24, 5], and "that the man of sins and the child of perdition, who is an abominable man, shall exalt himself above all that is called God or worship, so that he shall sit down in the temple of God as a god, pretending that he is God", 2 Thess. 2, 3. 4.
(30) Such devilish authority of the pope and his followers is now revealed by the gospel, so that anyone who understands Christ's kingdom and ministry rightly will not be misled or hindered by such larvae. For Christian authority, which Christ commanded in his kingdom, is called and is a service, namely to wait for souls, to serve people with the word of grace, so that they may be redeemed and saved from sins, death and hell. He who works and does the most here is the best and highest.
If you want to understand this text correctly and know why Peter entered the tomb first and John followed, whether he came to the tomb before Peter, know that Peter was older and was called first by Christ. For this is how it should be in Christianity, that one should honor the other because of his age or gifts, as St. Paul teaches in Romans 12:10: "One should precede the other with reverence." So the other disciples let Peter be the greatest among them and gave him the preference, because he was the oldest among them and the first to be called. Again, even though Peter was the greatest and most distinguished among the disciples because of his age and profession, he still allows himself to be sent out by the other apostles in Samaria to preach the word of God [Acts 8:14], and every Christian willingly and gladly allows another to be preferred over him. Therefore, in this text it is described and indicated how John held Peter in honor, and not how Peter was the supreme apostle, and such authority was inherited from Peter to the pope.
(32) In the world this order and distinction must be and remain, so that the temporal authorities are held higher than the subjects; and a mayor in a city is more honestly dressed and kept than a bad citizen; and a citizen more honestly dressed and kept than a common servant. Where this difference and order would not be in the secular regime, the strong would trample the weak under their feet, and finally become a desolate being in the world; But here, in the spiritual government and kingdom of Christ, where there are vain pious children, such a difference is not, nor is it necessary, but the lower a man lets himself be brought down, and the more he serves others, the greater he is in the kingdom of heaven; and again, the greater the Christian, the more he rejoices and takes pleasure in it, when he himself is to serve others, or sees that another is preferred to him.
(33) Therefore this and other such gospels are not to be applied to the outward, physical nature, as the pope does, but to the inward, spiritual nature, so that all who are in Christ's and the apostles' office may promote how the souls of men may be helped. For worldly authorities govern body and goods, but Christ governs souls through his apostles and disciples with the word. Therefore, with this text, St. John neither establishes nor confirms the authority and sovereignty of the Pope, which he himself assumes over all of Christendom and over all the world, as the head of the church and God of the world, but thereby shows the kindness, love and humility of the dear apostles, which they had among themselves.
34 Secondly, the running of these two disciples serves well in the history to make it firm and certain, and is as much said as if one said, Christ is truly risen from the dead; for the sign, the two disciples, Peter and John, ran out with each other to the tomb. Item: John ran to the sign before Peter, and came to the tomb first. John did not go into the tomb at the time of the sign, unless Peter came afterwards and went into the tomb first. Item: as a sign, these two disciples in the tomb
The linen cloths in which the Lord's body was wrapped were found laid in one place, and the face-cloth that was tied around Jesus' head was laid in another place and wrapped on one side.
35 But the beloved disciples, though they had seen and experienced these signs, yet could they not thereby be sure of the resurrection of Christ, but concluded from these signs the contradiction, that the body of the Lord was stolen by his enemies, and taken away out of the sepulchre. Because they found the tomb open, and the linen cloths and the face-cloth laid, each in a separate place, they said, "There have certainly been men here who have power and authority to open and close the sealed tomb, that they have been allowed to commit such an outrage, and to tear off the linen cloths and the face-cloth from the body of the deceased, and to wrap them together. If friends had done so, they would have carried away the body with the linen cloths and the face-cloth at the same time, and rolled the stone again on the grave. So the dear disciples, in their weakness, are interpreting against the resurrection of the Lord what serves and should serve for the resurrection of the Lord. It helps a lot that they heard from Mary Magdalene that she said: "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. By this they are strengthened in their delusion, that because they now thus found it, they were said: Verily, dear Mary, thou hast rightly said that the body is gone; for where his enemies had not taken him away, the linen cloths and the face-cloth would not be fo neatly laid.
The disciples could not believe that the Lord had risen from the dead, because they did not yet know the Scriptures. Therefore the outward word is always the strongest testimony of all the works of Christ. As long as the disciples are without the word, they cannot believe that Christ has risen from the dead; but when they receive the word, and Christ presents the Scriptures to them, and opens their understanding, they believe. And if three angels Gabriel had already come and testified to them, they would have believed such a thing.
We do not believe the testimony as firmly and strongly as we believe the Word and the Scriptures. Therefore there is no better and more certain safeguard for our conscience than the outward, bodily word. We would not turn to all testimonies, both of friends and enemies, nor be moved by them, if Christ's voice itself did not follow, namely the holy Scriptures, which are the best and strongest testimony.
V. 11. But Mary stood before the degree and wept outside etc.
37.1 ) This story is described by St. John so that he may depict and portray Mary Magdalene with great seriousness, as she walks along and burns with fervent love for Christ, as if she were drunk and, as it were, without sense and reason. She is so full of devotion, desire and love for the Lord Christ that she neither sees nor hears. If she had not been so drunk with great love, she would have turned away when she stood alone in the garden and saw two angels in white garments sitting before her in the tomb, and heard them talking to her and asking why she was weeping. Then the Lord Himself appears in the form of the gardener and speaks to her, saying, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom seekest thou?" Then she should have been frightened by such a sight, and should have fled from the grave; as St. Marcus [Cap. 16, 5.] writes of the other women, who, seeing in the grave a youth in a long white garment, were terrified, and quickly went out of the grave, and fled away with trembling. But she is so completely drowned in love and drunk that she respects none, and fears neither angels nor anyone. "Tell me (she says to the Lord, whom she believes to be the gardener), where hast thou laid him, and I will fetch him?" Truly, there should have been a beautiful carrying, if a woman had dared to carry a dead corpse.
1) Marginal gloss: Saturday after St. Mti, i.e. on the 19th of the fallow month [Junis Anno 1329 has D. M. L. this sermon gethan.-Vermuth had Bugenhagen not yet returned, because on June 14, 1529 Luther reports to Justus Jonas (De Wette, vol. Ill, p.. 469; Walch, old edition, vol. XXI, 1168): "Pommer writes that he will come shortly."
(38) So is every Christian's heart, which truly loves Christ, that it makes itself believe that all things are possible for it, whatsoever it may think. Earthly love also does this: everyone who is in it makes himself believe that he wants to do more than he can or may, as the common saying goes: "Much depends on thoughts. This is why this Mary is a fine, beautiful model and excellent example of all those who cling to Christ, that her heart should be inflamed with pure, righteous love for Christ. For she forgets everything, both her feminine manners and her person, and does not let herself be challenged by the fact that she sees the two angels before her; nor does she think that Annas and Caiphas are hostilely angry. Summa, she sees nothing, hears nothing but Christ alone. If she would only find the dead Christ, she would have enough. For this reason the evangelist was so diligent to present an example to all the world, so that we who preach it or hear it might also gain a desire, love and fervor for the Lord Christ.
The Lord had cast out seven devils from Mary [Luc. 8:2], therefore she could not forget such great good deeds. In addition, she was the host of the Lord, and the Lord was her constant and dearest guest, who often stayed with her [Luc. 10, 38. ff. Joh. 11, 20.], so that Christ and Mary, both because of the good deeds and the daily fellowship, became a brotherhood, not only in an earthly way, but also spiritually. Therefore her heart is full of love for the Lord, and cannot think, dream, or speak in any other way than this: "If I only had this man, my dearest guest and Lord, my heart would be content. It still happens today when a person has received a benefit from another, and especially when a long-lasting habit, an old companionship and friendship come into play, which becomes so strong that when it is time to part, it hurts beyond measure. This happens naturally. But in addition to such earthly love, there is also a spiritual love for the Lord in Mary, because she loves him so dearly and fervently, and has followed him, served him, and given him her goods and honor, her life and limb, and everything she has.
(40) Whoever reads or hears this example should take himself by the nose, smell his bosom, and search his heart to see if it also burns with such fire and heat of love for Christ. For we have all received great abundant benefits from God, as St. Paul says in Titus 3:4, 5: "that the kindness and brightness of God our Savior appeared to us, not because of the works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy He made us blessed" etc. And what other benefits do we receive from him daily? He also deals with us in the same way as he dealt with this Mary; we read, preach, hear his holy word. He is such a common guest with us and lodges with us daily, but spiritually, as he was and lodged with Mary. Yes, he is more with us; for in this way we have it much clearer and brighter than she had it, and has cast out from us not only seven, but a hundred thousand devils. Such things, I say, have happened to us, and still happen to us daily; yet we are not so pious as this Mary Magdalene, for none of us loves Christ so much, and has such a fervent, ardent heart for him, as she had. Therefore, when one of us reads or hears this example, let him cast down his eyes and be ashamed. For our ingratitude cannot be sufficiently explained in words.
(41) Yea, wouldst thou say, Mary hath done well; she hath had the Lord with her personally and bodily, and he hath been her guest, therefore she hath been able to love him easily; if he were my guest also personally and bodily, I would love him also, and do him all good, even as she did.
42. Answer: What would be more, if he was already personally with you, and bodily your guest? I mean, you would love him as the Pharisees loved him; they also had him personally, and he was their guest in the flesh, eating bread with them; yet they stung him like poisonous vipers and serpents. But the Gospel tells us that Mary loved the Lord Jesus, not because of his yellow hair, nor because of his person, nor because of his bodily presence alone, but because of his presence in the flesh.
I was hanging on his mouth, listening to his speech. The same word that she heard from him was the fire of her love that burned in her heart. If we were to make the calculation here, the fire of love in our hearts should be much greater than it was in Mary, because we now hear his speech much more abundantly and clearly than she heard. She has heard his speech for about a year, or barely half a year; but we have now heard his gospel for ten years, and yet we act as if we had always had such a treasure, and as if it were not a gift or a present that the word has been given to us so abundantly at this time: we are so lazy, indolent and careless about the dear word.
And would God that sloth and laziness would not remain, and that the laziness of the word would not be followed by the contempt and persecution into which all the world has fallen. We no longer remember what we have been put into under the papacy. Truly, a hundred thousand devils had possessed us at that time; we had accepted all false doctrine, error and abomination, and the whole world was full of idolatry, holy service, pilgrimages, indulgences, bulls, confraternities, masses, and who can tell it all, and all this without any measure; and in sum, we were all deprived of the dear pure Word, did not know what Christ was, or faith in him. Who is there among us who remembers this now? Now we should thank God that he has delivered us from such a prison of the devil, and has given us the light of his word: so we go on, and are not only careless and lazy to hear the dear word, but also begin to despise and persecute it.
(44) I have often said this, and I think it is good and necessary to speak of it often, and to remind people of the cruel blindness and terrible darkness in which we lived under the papacy, since we had no knowledge of God and His will, and no comfort, but only restless, volatile hearts and consciences. But now that we have been mercifully delivered from such blindness and darkness and have come to the Word [Isa. 9, 2. Luc. 1, 79.], from which we can learn to know God rightly, we are so ludicrous,
sleepy and ungrateful, that not enough can be said about it. If one were now to give to God in honor and to the Word for promotion the hundredth part that one has given to the devil in the papacy for the service of establishing and confirming masses and other idolatries, we would have to despair.
But we will also be paid daily. It will happen to us as Solomon says, Proverbs 10:24: "What the wicked fears, that comes upon him." We are ungrateful to God and His word, therefore it will happen that the devil who is cast out from us will bring seven other devils with him, which are worse than he himself, and for one error we will have seven times as much error, and will thus become seven times worse with us than it was before [Luc. 11, 26.]. Then all blame will be placed on the gospel, as many have already begun to blaspheme the gospel and say: God would have us remain under the pope; these are the fruits of the gospel, that it is everywhere evil; if we had not accepted the gospel, there would have been no need. So the gospel must take the blame and bear it, and our ingratitude and contempt, which is the cause of all evil, must go out blameless and free, so that it may be true that seven devils have come where there was one before.
46. after that, that we now stand as if we would starve [Ex. 16:3, Deut. 11:5], this also shall come upon us, and come into the hands, that men shall die there as swine. Now it is said that the devil brought the gospel into the world. This is because we are so ungrateful for the great good deed of God that the devil has been cast out from us and we have the fellowship of the gospel. Now Christ is staying with us, he is with us not only in the church, but also in the room, in the parlor and everywhere; he deals with us in the most loving and friendly way, but we do not respect it; therefore we will have to pay enough for it.
47 Therefore, this example of Mary Magdalene is prescribed for us, so that we may see a picture of a beautiful, fine heart, which is so full of Christ that she sees nothing before it.
nor hears; before her all else is dead and dead; Christ alone, dead and buried, lives in her heart. If she does not have him, she has nothing; but if she has him, she has everything. Dear one, show me such a Christian among us, who is thus minded against the gospel, who is thus moved, if he have not the gospel, that he have nothing; and again, if he have the gospel, that he have all things.
48 St. Paul boasts of himself that he is such a man who respects nothing but Christ alone, Phil. 3:7, 8: "What I have gained I have counted as loss for Christ's sake. For I reckoned it all as harm, against the abundant knowledge of Christ my Lord, for whose sake I reckoned all things as harm, and reckoned them as filth"; and Phil. 1:21: "Christ is my life, and to die is my gain." But we cannot boast of ourselves with truth, but we may boast of our ingratitude and contempt, if it is to be boasted of. Unfortunately, it is so with us that if I were to preach to the elderly alone, I would have stopped three years ago, but for the sake of the young, who are growing, I must preach. We old people remain John in eodem; and go with us according to the saying: Old dogs are not to be tamed; old peelers may not be made pious. And in sum, we are not worthy to hear such examples as this Mary's is; we should be preached to by Marcolfo; innocent hearts alone accept it; with us old people it is lost. This example of Mary makes us all ashamed; let us also be a little ashamed.
V. 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary. Then she turned and said to him, "Rabbuni, that is, Master.
(49) Mary, being in heat, and not knowing the Lord Jesus (for she does not believe that he is risen and alive, but thinks that he is stolen out of the tomb), desires to know where he is laid, and will go and dig him up. When she is thus heated, I say, and burning, she calls Jesus by name, saying, "Mary". The Lord has let his usual voice go, which is the
He was most known to the disciples and women who were around him, as the natural, ordinary voice is very difficult to conceal. When the Lord spoke thus and let his ordinary voice go, Mary knew him from the beginning. She no longer thinks he is the gardener, nor does she say to him, "Where have you taken him, tell me, and I will fetch him? but soon turns and runs to him, wanting to touch him and kiss him: Now he is no longer dead with her, whom she wants to dig up and fetch; but his voice gives her testimony of him, that he himself is present and alive.
V. 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.
How am I to understand this? Should she touch him only when he has ascended? Did I mean that if he had ascended to the Father, he would have to descend to be touched; if he had ascended to the Father, he could no longer be touched? Answer: So you shall understand: Christ wanted to punish Mary's opinion with these words, and to show that it was wrong and unjust. But her opinion was this, that she understood the resurrection of the Lord to mean that he would live with them again, as before; just as Lazarus, the widow's son at Nain, and the daughter of the ruler of the school, and other dead men, after they had been raised by Christ, went about among the people, eating and drinking, as before. So she also thought that Christ had come back to mortal life through his resurrection, as before; therefore she also wants to touch him in such a way that she delights in his bodily fellowship, kisses him, deals with him in the most friendly way, and serves him, as before.
51) But the Lord does not want his resurrection to be understood in this way, therefore he says, "Do not touch me, I have not yet ascended," as if to say, "I have not risen from the dead because you touched me and kissed me, as before. So I am also no longer in the being and life as before. Through my resurrection I have not again entered into the former being and life, so that I may use it as I did before.
Lazarus and others, after they were raised by me, needed it. But for this cause I am risen from the dead, that I might ascend unto my Father, and receive another life eternal. In this way Lazarus did not rise from the dead, for Lazarus did not ascend to heaven. So the Lord wants to indicate with these words that his resurrection has a different meaning than Lazarus and the others who were raised from the dead, namely, that he thereby ascends to heaven and takes the kingdom as a king and lord over all. As if he wanted to say to Mary, "I do not care about your touching me, but I care about what you think of my resurrection, namely, that you believe that I have come into another being through it.
V. 17. 18. But go to my brothers and tell them: I ascend to my Father, and to your Father, and to my God, and to your God. Mary Magdalene comes and announces to the disciples: I have seen the Lord, and these things he said to me.
You hear this text preached almost every year at the Easter feast, for it is a beautiful text that requires a whole sermon. But to speak briefly of it, this is the summa: Christ, risen from the dead, wants to be and be called brother to his disciples and to all believers.
(53) These words should be written with great and golden letters; not badly on paper, nor in the book, but in our hearts, that they may live within. "Go, and tell my brethren." This may be a word that should make a Christian cheerful, and stir and awaken him to love for Christ. But such words do not belong to ungrateful hearts; it is also always a pity that they should fall into a sure, impudent, reprobate, ungrateful heart, for they are such pearls as Christ says Matthew 7:6 should not be cast before swine.
54 Who could properly syllogize and calculate what the word "brother" means? Peter had denied the Lord three times; the other disciples had fled from him in his distress and suffering, and had disgraced him.
So not only Peter, but also the other disciples were all in a bad conscience, fear and trembling, and were not only not allowed to move before the Jews, but also had to cast down their eyes and be ashamed of themselves, as the unfaithful and perjurers who had turned away from their Lord. To them he should have rightly said: Go to the perjured, unfaithful wicked, who have in part denied and conspired against me, and in part have become apostate and unfaithful to me, and tell them that they have this and that. But he turns it back, and says, "Go, and tell my brethren." He could not have used a kinder, gentler word against those who sit in the midst of hell, with an evil conscience and terror, because they have been unfaithful and perjured against their Lord. In addition, it is God's eternal Son, Creator and Lord of all things, who calls them brothers.
(55) If a man could consider how rich and comforting these words are, he would be drunk with joy and gladness, as Mary Magdalene is drunk with devotion and love for the Lord. All that is in the world would stink before him; he would not make a god out of the wealth, money, goods, power, splendor and glory of this world, as the majority of the world unfortunately does. For he who believed with all his heart that Christ was his brother, would walk along in vain leaps, saying, "Who am I that come to such honors, and am and am called the brother of the Son of God? I am not worthy that such a great king and Lord of all creatures should call me his creature [Gen. 18:27]. Now he is not satisfied that I am and am called his creature, but also wants me to be and be called his brother. Shouldn't I be happy because this man calls me his brother, who is Lord over heaven and earth, over sin and death, over devils and hell, and over all that may be called, not only in this world but also in the world to come? But our hearts are too small and narrow, and the consolation is far too great and even exuberant, that we cannot grasp it, even though we hear and learn about it daily. But where such things fall into a heart, and are grasped with faith
When a brother becomes a brother, it must follow that such a heart becomes joyful and despises everything that is in the world as vain filth and stink in the face of this brotherhood. But if a heart does not become joyful and glad, it is a sign that the same person has never heard the word "brother" or has never understood it, or if he has heard and understood it, he has never accepted or believed it.
But the consequence of the word "brother" is important and glorious beyond all measure. For if I am Christ's brother (as Christ certainly promises us in these words), it follows irrefutably that I sit with Christ in joint fiefdom and equal inheritance, and have in common with him all the goods that he has. St. Paul knows how to syllogize and conclude this very well, to Ephesians on the other hand, when he speaks Cap. 2, 4, 5, 6: "God, who is rich in mercy through His great love, so that He loved us when we were dead in our sins, made us alive together with Christ (for by grace you were saved), and raised us up together with Him, and seated us together with Him in the heavenly realm in Christ Jesus. And to Colossians Cap. 3, 3. 4.: "You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ your life shall be manifested, then shall ye also be manifested with him in glory"; and 1 Cor. 3:22, 23: "All things are yours; but ye are Christ's; but Christ is God's"; and 1 Cor. 6:2, 3: "Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? Know ye not that we shall judge the angels?" So the word "brother" gives me such a crown on my head, which no one can pronounce, nor fathom or comprehend with thought [2 Tim. 4:7, 8]. St. Paul understood it; that is why he spoke and wrote about it so gloriously.
57 Our enthusiasts and the spirits of the sect are misusing this beautiful, lovely word "brother" to such an extent that we are no longer allowed to use it. It is almost forbidden to call anyone by the name of "brother," for they have so polluted this word, as well as other words, with their shameful nature. But if this word "brother" is used by me correctly and from the heart, and firmly believed
994 Eri. so, 4S7-4SS. Interpretations on John the Evangelist. W. VIII, EV-UW. 995
it follows that I belong to the paradise and kingdom of heaven, where Christ is the Lord, because I am a joint heir with him. He gives us this name because we are to be his fellow heirs, to live and reign with him; indeed, he not only gives us the bad, mere name, but also gives us the inheritance to it. Therefore every Christian and believer in the Lord Christ is called a brother because he is a joint heir with Christ of all heavenly goods. Christ also says about this Matth. 12, 50: "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, sister and mother. To "do the will of the Father" does not mean to enter a monastery and become a monk, but to adhere to Christ and to believe with certainty that what he promises us is true, that he wants to be our brother. This is how the Lord Himself interprets what God's work and will is, when He says: "This is God's work, that you believe in Him whom He has sent"; and soon after, v. 40: "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that whoever sees the Son and believes in Him, may be saved. Son, and believeth on him, shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." There you hear, whoever holds on to Christ and believes in him, is Christ's mother, brother, sister, God's child and heir.
What can be preached that is better and more comforting? What is it that our enthusiasts pretend that such things should not be preached, but that the word should be abandoned and we should go much higher? I ask you, can anything else, better and higher be preached than that our dear Lord Jesus Christ preaches to us here about his brotherhood? Ask your reason about it right away. Even if I knew and preached all allegorias and secret interpretations, neither I nor anyone else would become Christ's brother. Therefore there is no higher word and preaching in the Scriptures than that a poor man, who is in sins as Peter and the disciples were then, and is the devil's own, shall, without all his merits and works, come to the glory of being Christ's brother, that is, an heir of the kingdom of heaven, and lord over sin, death, the devil, and hell.
59. that is why the sorry devil is with the
They are the same as the red spirits and enthusiasts who pretend that the preaching of the Gospel is nothing and that we must go even higher. Even though they have been chattering on for a long time, they cannot produce a higher doctrine, nor a better sermon, but bring forth their own thoughts and shameful dreams. But here is the best and highest doctor and teacher that ever came and will come on earth, who brings forth this teaching from his brotherhood. Therefore it is a great, horrible and frightening thing that the devil can blind people in such a way that they abandon this highest, the highest doctor's sermon and teaching, and pretend that one must come even higher.
(60) Now we ought to take heed to this preaching of our dear Lord Christ, for it is not written for the disciples' and apostles' sake, but for all our sakes. Therefore, because it has come down to us and is preached to us, we should diligently attend to it. And especially let evil and despairing consciences have this sermon commanded them, that in temptation, fear, and trembling they may rightly apprehend this consolation, that they may not fall into despair, nor be dismayed or afraid of him who calls them brethren. If you have sin or an evil conscience, your brother Christ has no sin but pure innocence and righteousness; if you are in death, he is not in death but alive, indeed he is life itself. The same Christ calls you his brother; now that he has died and risen again from death, and has become a Lord over all, why will you be afraid? What you have of sins and death, he can easily repay and replace, and bring you to righteousness and life.
Whoever does not learn this consolation and does not take it seriously is not a Christian; but whoever learns this consolation correctly and firmly believes that Christ is his brother is a Christian and blessed, and if he is already in sin up to his ears, so that he has also already denied Christ. The sin of Peter and Paul need not be too great; the word "brother" must redeem Peter and Paul, if they hold to Christ and believe that what Christ has promised them is true, and be greater than all the perjury and denial committed by Peter, and all the lusts of the Lord.
rung, vilification and persecution, committed by Paulo.
62 But, alas, it is lacking in us, that we do not believe it strongly and firmly. Mary Magdalene comes to the disciples, brings them the word, and preaches the sermon to them, as Christ had commanded her: "Go and tell my brothers. The disciples hear the same comforting word, that Christ will be their brother, and his Father their Father, and his God also their God; Christ makes no distinction between himself and them as to common goods and inheritance, though there is a great difference between himself and them; yet he will share his inheritance with them, so that there will be no difference between him and them as to the inheritance and fellowship of heavenly goods. But what do the dear disciples do? They think that such a message and such a word are fables and fairy tales, that Christ has died and that they cannot believe that he has risen from the dead.
63 This is why the word of grace and the preaching of Christ's brotherhood is preached, heard, talked about, and yet not believed, but considered a fable. We do not receive the same word from the heart, nor do we have joy of it in our hearts. It is a great thing and a wonder that Christ does not mind that we are such great husks and bad boys; nevertheless, regardless of this, he wants to be our brother. Therefore there is no lack in him, but the lack is in us. This shows how difficult it is in
Come to believe the word of grace. If you were a hundred years old, you would still have enough to study and learn about the word "brother," and you would never learn it. The apostles themselves heard it, but still did not believe until another master came over them, namely the Holy Spirit. Therefore it is not only difficult for us, but also for them, to believe such things. For the gnawing and biting of the conscience is so hard and heavy, like a stone, that it does not allow the word "brother," but always says against it, "Yes, how can I believe it, because I have forsaken and denied Christ, have committed this and that sin? Thus it is that one does not believe the word, even though one hears it, reads it and speaks it himself.
(64) Therefore let us forget our sin (for there is a time for remembering sin; there is also a time for not remembering sin), and let us not follow the gnawing and biting of our conscience, nor judge according to our feelings, but according to the word. When our heart says: If I knew how I would atone for my sin, I would walk on vain needles and not let anything spoil it. Say thou against it: Let hear what my brother, Christ, says; who thus speaks: I am the Son of God and heir; thou shalt be my joint heir, if thou cleave unto me, and believe on me. And such treasure thou shalt not earn of me; but I give it thee by grace and freely. Now this may be a sermon to which we are much too weak, both to preach and to believe.