Held on the 1st Sunday after Trinity, June 8, 1539.
Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have come out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother remains in death. He that hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that a murderer hath not eternal life abiding with him. By this we have known love, that he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if any man have the goods of this world, and see his brother brought to nought, and shut up his heart against him, how doth the love of God abide with him?
This epistle and other epistles preached from Easter onward speak much of love, not only toward Christ for redeeming us and forgiving us of sin, but also of love that has received nothing, but does good and lets others receive forgiveness of sins and all kinds of good. The first love is to give thanks for the great and high good deed of God, that Christ became man and died for us. The other is when we begin to love others and do good to them. Whether those to whom we do good do not love us again should not surprise us. For it is certain that whoever loves God and gives thanks to Him, the world hates him. For the greater part is full of blasphemy. Yes, the whole world despises the love of God and neighbor. St. John speaks a lot about this love.
"Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world is angry with us and hates us and would like to have us dead. What is more strange on earth than that people hate them?
who love others there? We ourselves say, "I did not mean that people should be so wicked and ungrateful. Only look at us who have been baptized and have accepted the gospel, who love God for His great, unspeakable love, and rejoice that He has sent His Son to us! For this is an exceedingly great good deed, that he pours out his great mercy and has put his Son into sin, and yet we love and thank him for it weakly and sickly. Others, who are not yet like us in this, what do they do? When they hear this, they go away and condemn it as heresy, saying, "It should not be preached; but he who preaches it is the very worst. Just as in 1 Corinthians 4:13 we are held to be an accursed thing and a curse, that no one in the world should be so wretchedly accursed as a Christian, and especially those who are in the preaching ministry. So we are certainly already held by the pope and his followers. For this reason he says here: "Do not be astonished!"
Truly, it is to be wondered at! For it would not be a miracle that the earth would rise up and swallow us all up, that we should not give thanks to God, who gives us His Son and makes God and man One Person, so that through Him we, redeemed from sins, from death and eternal damnation, might be brought to eternal life. Isn't it terrible that God should be hated more than the devil, and that this divine teaching should be condemned as error? In the prophet Micah it is said [6, 3-5]: "What have I done to you, my people? And how have I offended you? Tell me.
*These two sermons are reprinted here (with the necessary improvements) from "Elf bisher ungedruckte Predigten von D. Martin Luther gehalten in der Trinitatiszeit 1539. Nach Zwickauer und Heidelberger Handschriften zum ersten Male veröffentlicht von Georg Buchwald. Werdau, Verlag von Kurt Anz. 1899".
I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage; I sent Moses, Aaron and Miriam before you. My people, remember what Balak king of Moab intended to do, and what Balaam son of Beor answered him, from Shittim even to Gilgal; that ye may know how the LORD hath done you all good. So Christ also speaks to the ungrateful: Do I therefore preach unto thee of my benefits, that the preachers should be slain, and the doctrine cut off and condemned? We may well be grateful to God and accept the great treasure that the Son of God became man, suffered and died for our sins and rose again from the dead, sits at the right hand of God, and will give you all good things here temporally and there eternally. You see, this is why St. John says that the world hates God for this gift, that He gave it His Son.
Dear one, do not be surprised that such things happen to you, and that the world hates you, who distribute small and poor gifts. If I have shown you love for a long time, I will give you a skirt or risk my life so that the teaching of the gospel will be known, preached, spread and confirmed by me. But even if I give all my possessions for the sake of God and die for you, so that you may be strengthened in the knowledge of God, you will not be saved. Therefore 1) it is a stinking, nasty love compared to the love of Christ, because he dies and redeems you from eternal death through his death. What wonder is it, then, that one should be disgusted with Him through whom we are saved, if God the Father gets ungrateful people for His great good deed in putting His Son to the shameful death of the cross? Truly, here you will not be allowed to be very proud that people will be ungrateful to you. For you are far from being Christ. So you cannot give such great gifts as he does, even if you commit yourself to death for the sake of another man's salvation. For this unworthiness of yours is swallowed up by the fact that God did not spare His own Son.
1) "Accordingly" put by us instead of: "Nevertheless".
But why does the world hate you? The same he says just before this text, that their works were evil. A good, beautiful and right thing, 2) that the murderer and death-slayer is bad and evil, and he who does good deeds is good and pious, lives honestly in the worldly government, and is upright in his housekeeping. A prince punishes evil and hangs a thief on the gallows for his theft. Such punishment of evil is right. But the world is such a herb that hates those who do good to it. Therefore he says, "Marvel not!"
But what is it called? How should it be painted? The world is called Cain, the good mother Eve. When she gave birth to the first man, she gave him a name with great joy and hope, saying [Gen. 4:1], "I have the man, the LORD." She had seen no man young before, should not the first be glorious and lovely? He is the first dear fruit of the human race. Cain, that means, possession; as if she should say: I have got the right treasure, the right property. She pronounced herself blessed. And Cain will have noticed it too, thought: It is I, and condemned his brother: Ei, he is not the first, but the other. My name is Cain and not Abel. Cain, the first one, is the one, the other one nothing. Abel is called vanitas, which is void and vain, since there is nothing behind it. Cain is nothing.
All here she has painted 3) the world. Cain is a squire and everything; because the world also wants to float up. But Abel must be Cinderella and nothing; that is the Christian church. My brother, says Cain, stinks before me and is called Abel, that is, nothing at all. This hopefulness has also overthrown him, so that he has fallen into misery and killed his brother. Both parents loved their first son, especially Eve, who gave him his name. When he grew up and thought that he should be a savior who should save from sins, death, the devil and hell, the rude young man Cain, the right heir, sacrificed and brought a good sacrifice. Abel, he is a poor shepherd. The Jews say that Cain sacrificed a sheaf of grain, therefore
2) Here the text is undoubtedly corrupted.
3) The subject of this sentence is probably "the Scriptures".
He was rejected, but Abel brought a lamb. But when they sacrificed, fire fell from heaven and burned the sacrifice. This was a sign of God's grace. So Abel's sacrifice went and burned. But Cain's grain was not eaten. This was an indication that Cain was rejected by God. From this came the hatred that he could not forgive his brother. His parents said to him, "Why are you disguising yourself against your brother and behaving so badly? But he would not accept it. For his name was Cain, and he thought that he alone had done it; and it displeased him, because he was a proud and haughty man, that he should not be all that he was.
This is the name of the world, namely Junker Cain, who has it all. Therefore we must not be surprised if the world hates us. It has been so from the beginning of the world and will remain so. Those who are, do not have to be, and those who are not God's friends, even want to sit in his lap. But it shall be so, as it was said of the patriarch Jacob [Gen. 25, 23.]: "The greater shall serve the lesser." Abel, the pious child, believed in God, thanked Him, did not want to harm or hurt his brother, hoped that God would bring into the world the future seed in which he and all the world would be blessed, loved his brother, served him and made a good example of Cain, that he also believed in God and thanked Him. But he remembers: God owes it to me. I am the firstborn. Therefore the Lord will look at me and say to me: Welcome, Squire Cain! will not accept anything from others, but only from me, Cain.
Thus the world does for and for. Therefore, it is also grateful to God for the sake of the highest good. Look at the highest examples. First, the Lord Christ; then Abel and Cain. He had no other occasion or cause for his brother, except that his works were good and that he pleased God. This is still the case today. What did the apostles sin? Did they grab their sword from the authorities, steal, commit adultery and fornication, or rob in the streets? No, but they prayed, preached the gospel that,
Whoever would be saved should believe in Christ and be baptized, and on the other hand condemn and destroy idolatry and idolatries, since 1) they could not help anyone. Therefore hold on to 2) faith! Since the apostles wanted to save the world from death with this teaching, they were killed for the sake of the good work. To this our Lord God should have said: Yes, what you have done so far pleases me. Just clean up the fishermen, the apostles, quickly.
That is why the world and all those in high places cannot stand the truth, and they give one advice after another, and there is no end to it. They think they do not have to see us. They have a painted glass in front of them, so they do not think otherwise; we do not see anything either. We preach the faith in Christ, just as the little children do, which they also confess with words, without us adding: 3) If Christ, who became man and died for us, does it, so do not the saints, the orders, the brotherhoods, pilgrimages and masses. It is because Cain's sacrifice, done in unbelief, becomes a mere hope, and is of no use. Otherwise, they could have more than we have, if only they would drop their Cain worship and accept Abel's worship, that they would thank God that He is a gracious God and shows an unspeakable mercy and love to us, that He gives us poor sinners blessedness without all our merit and worthiness, only for the sake of His dear Son. Ei, they say, what should this harm me [that I call on the saints, accept an order 2c.] ? 4) They will not take away my life. And because Abel's works are good, and Cain's evil, therefore the noise is raised. The world does not want to leave its idolatry and does not want to accept faith. They do not want to suffer the word of God that one should believe in Christ alone, but force and drive people to leave the bright, loud and clear word of God and follow their Cain works.
1) Buchwald: that.
2) Buchwald: also.
3) In the preceding we have changed Buchwald's interpunction several times: before "therefore" there was a period, before "we" a comma, before "without" a period.
4) Here the relation is again extremely poor, so we have added.
The devil is so mighty and powerful that he deludes people. So mighty and powerful is the devil that he blinds men, that they ask nothing of their salvation, when they should accept it with thanksgiving. For great benefits are offered to them, and nothing is taken from their goods.
Now the world is called Cain, that is, a great lord, and the world is the devil himself, and its members and whole race are Cain. But the Christian church, the Abel, that is nothing. The pope and emperor - starting from the top to the bottom - are the great Cain, who is everything, are mighty, rich, wise, holy, they do not lack intellect, they want to be lords over heaven and earth. They are the most beautiful bunch, have the greatest power, are the most learned, and also know that they are learned in all kinds of arts.
Teach, then, what their manner is, and what their color is, by which they may be known, namely, that they are angry with Abel, and kill for his good works. But if you weigh Cain and Abel on a scale, you will find one or two pious emperors, pious kings, princes, and also some pious noblemen, citizens and peasants. These are Abel. The others are all Cain, especially the bishops and cardinals. For the world is the devil's kingdom, in which he reigns. So they cannot stand that the despised Abel, that is the Christian crowd, should preach that we are saved by God's grace and mercy alone, and that the "pope's sacrifice at Mass should not count for anything. Thus the world is of the best mind, as far as the soul is concerned, in the first table; the same also in the other table. And if they are not concerned about the first table, yet in lesser matters, they exert all courage, press and hate Abel, not only in the first table for the sake of the sacrifice, but also for the sake of temporal goods. One brother does not allow the other to eat a morsel.
In the first table this is the wickedness of the world, that they despise God and his word, there the services are not right for them. Then the world enters the other table, disobeys parents and overlords, does not honor them, murders, steals, robs, commits fornication. This is the color of the world. In the first commandment
Christ is also understood. Therefore, because the world does this, do not think: "My dear, should all emperors, all great men, the best and brightest on earth be mistaken? If the world is to be respected by reputation, 1) then they consider themselves princely and noble. But this is terrible, that they are so bitter, poisonous, evil against the word of God, and for no other reason than because it is Abel, that is, that one does not want to let it be good what they sacrifice. One would still be astonished at this: They are the best people, wise, learned, just before the world. And it cannot be otherwise: If people are to have peace, they must be allowed to be the best, and we must be put under their control. Then they say, This is the most noble and learned man, and yet he is Cain, who wants to have everything, even to be the most wise. Abel shall be nothing and have nothing, and yet this being of the world shall please God.
For this reason, St. John preaches much about love, that we should take care and not be Cain, but Abel. Let him be a lord of the world, wanting to be and have everything. But we are called vain and nothing in comparison with him. He is everything; nevertheless, since 2) we love God and our neighbor (even if Cain beats us to death over it), 3) we should forgive him, ask God to forgive his sin, and not seek revenge. For we are to love our neighbor, but especially God. We love and thank God for having mercy on us. We grumble at the ingratitude of the world. It is not surprising that we who preach the truth are not well received. He who speaks the truth is hated, and woe to him who helps another from the gallows. The ghouls themselves have experienced this.
The world is a thief, redeemed from the cross, how much more in the high thing it does not understand, than when it crucifies Christ, who nevertheless saved it from death. For this reason, we are a little accustomed. When you preach in the first tablet that everyone must believe
1) "according to the appearance" put by us instead of: "according to the soul".
2) Buchwald: that.
3) These brackets are set by us and a second "nevertheless" is deleted after the parenthesis.
in Christ, then it is no wonder that Cain is sorry for you. And if you serve one and do good, and he gives you all the malice in return, do not be mistaken. These are the works which the Lord Christ himself did, of which he says [John 14:12], "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and shall do greater works than these," and [he that doeth them] shall lose them 1) also. The world [does works and] wants to earn thanks with it. One should love and cannot do otherwise. If it can happen to her, she accepts it. If not, then it begins to blaspheme, to thunder and to flash. This is the way of the world. If you know a thing beforehand, you must not be surprised when it happens to you afterward. For the people who are called the world cannot do otherwise. And yet you must live with them, and preach the first table, even if you die over it, 2) and in the other table do them all good; but they shall carry wood and fire.
So learn to distinguish the world and the Christian church. Cain is a nobleman and everything, Abel is a Cinderella and nothing. This is how it is painted in the Holy Scripture. Look at all the examples from the beginning of the world, how great the ingratitude of the world is. But therefore the spring of doing good shall not fail. Be a good tree that bears fruit, and though the apples and pears fall from it and are eaten by a sow, yet it does not cease to bear fruit, or though a wicked wretch cut off a branch, yet it is not made wicked for that reason. Therefore we should not let ourselves be made wicked, so that we become ungrateful because of their wickedness. For we know that we have come out of death into life. He speaks plainly and badly, but he uses it masterfully:
"We know that we have come out of death into life." Do not be surprised! We have enough of it! Even if they are ungrateful to us, it is enough for them.
1) Buchwald: "und wird's auch verlieren". The bracketed words are added by us.
2) "should also die over it" put by us instead of "and then die".
Harm, and not us. 3) We have come from death to life. How do we know this? Hence, "For we love the brethren." But yet we teach that God so loved us that we did not begin before Him. Then we also begin to love not only God, but also our neighbor. So, when Christ died and rose from the dead, he also begins to love, sooner than I love him. If I only believe this, then love begins, that I thank God and love Him from the heart. And after that I also love my neighbor and do good to him, even if he becomes ungrateful to me.
Therefore he says: "We have come out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He clearly says: "We have come out of death through Christ. There is a great emphasis in this word. We know that St. John wrote this epistle against the false Christians. He speaks of the effect, not of the cause. For there are many who boast that they are Christians, and confess that they are cleansed by the blood of Christ and brought out of death into life, and yet they remain in the old Cain. For they do no good or service to their neighbor, and prove not the works and fruit of faith. Therefore there is no love. Therefore we must know that we have been saved from death, so that, as St. Peter says [2 Pet. 1:10], we may make our profession sure by good works, that you may be a righteous Christian and chosen for the kingdom of heaven, that you may not remain in doubt and lead in the mouth alone, saying, "I believe," but make it sure, not only in your heart but also before all men.
What St. Peter said about making the profession certain through good works, St. John says: through the love of the brethren. For if you love the Christians, your brothers, then you know that you have been brought into life through faith, which redeems from death. We always preach about this, that faith justifies. But by this I learn and know whether faith is true or colored. If it is a colored faith, one remains in hatred, in avarice, in drunkenness.
3) Buchwald: "in us".
and other sins, and such nevertheless go to the sacrament, but are nevertheless hopeful, favorable people and nevertheless boast of the faith and their Christianity. But the heart never knows that you are a believer. Neither does God nor his neighbor know it. The word is preached [Marc. 16, 16]: He who believes is saved; but see that you make it certain. By what? By loving your neighbor. Every man look to himself!
He does this with many words, with four or five signs, by which one can recognize whether the faith is true. One should love so that one also dies for the other. Whoever does not do this remains in death and is a death thrower. He also puts it in the other tablet: "But if a man have goods of this world, and see his brother die, and shut up his heart against him, how doth the love of God abide with him? How can he know that he has been brought out of death into life, or that he is a Christian, but he is sure that he is Cain and not Abel. If he does not want to offer this life's goods for a Christian and reach out to him, how should he want to die for him? If he does not give him a morsel of bread, he will not give his head for him, just as the rich man does in the Gospel [Luc. 16:19-31]. If these are sure that they are Cain, where will those remain who torment others, torture them with robbery and plunder, give nothing to anyone, and harm others with robbery in public and with secret practices. They are not brethren, but Cain, not only in the first board, but in the other board, as the whole world knows them. Nevertheless, they want to be Christians and stand firm in the Christian faith. But you are not a Christian because you say: I am; but you must make it certain. They all cannot say, "We know that we have come out of death into life." Therefore no one should adorn himself by saying, "I believe I am saved from death," and yet harm others, or be proud, angry, or revengeful. If you are a brother, help your neighbor, so that, if it is from
If you were in need, you would also fight for him. It is true that many are ungrateful. Nevertheless, Christians give alms because otherwise pagans would not do so.
That is why the devil sends those who pose as poor beggars and steal our alms. But we must do as Moses says, that we may see who is in need, or if any lie in a whore, and work not, but revel. If someone is known and poor, and would like to work, but the work is not enough, then you are obliged to help, or you are still in death. If this were done, any city would be well provided for, if it knew who was poor. If not, heaven is closed and hell is opened, and belongs to Cain, not to Abel.
Strange beggars often come, bringing letters from other places. But the council sees to it that the letters are not false. But who belongs to the parish, we should attack ourselves, not let everything go over the common box. These are the elect Christians, who not only believe, but also prove their faith and know that they are Christians and let others know it too. The godly do good works, but the oppressors give all things dearly. All craftsmen who help 1) with too. I hear now that a candel of beer is given for 4, 5 and 6 pfennigs. Be careful! Is this love? You want to die for your brother? And your poor brother shall be so esteemed by you? There will be thunder and lightning. All the prophets cry out about the weight, scales and cubits. God does not want people to translate in purchase. They hang petty thieves on the gallows, and you steal a penny or two in a barrel, where is the gospel? If you want to be Cain, be it and kill us too! If you deceive us, you will not deceive God. But if you want to be a Christian, be sure to do your job, and know that you prove your faith by your good deeds toward your neighbor. But we do the opposite, rob and steal.
1) "help" put by us instead of: "see".