I. THE STORY OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION.
1. In the first place we shall briefly examine the text of this narrative,
and afterwards speak of the benefits of the resurrection of Christ, and
how we should build upon it. The text reads: "And when the sabbath was
past." Here we must remember Mark writes of the sabbath according to the
custom of the Hebrews, for according to the Jewish reckoning the day began
in the evening and lasted until the evening of the next day, as the first
chapter of Genesis says: "And there was evening and there was morning,
one day," "a second day," "a third day," and so forth. Thus the first and
greatest Sabbath began on the evening of the day when Christ was crucified,
that is to say at the time of sunset on the evening of Friday. Our reckoning
conveys the wrong sense. Yesterday was the great Sabbath, when Christ lay
in the grave; in addition to this the Jews had seven full days which they
celebrated and all of which they called sabbaths, counting them from the
first holiday after the great Sabbath and calling it prima sabbathorum
(first of the sabbaths), and the third holiday secundarn sabbathorurn (second
of the sabbaths), and so forth. On these days they ate only wafers and
unleavened bread, for which reason they are also called by the Evangelist
the days of unleavened bread. From this we must conclude that Christ rose
before sunrise and before the angel descended in the earthquake. Afterwards
the angel only came to open the empty grave, etc., as has been clearly
described by the Evangelists.
2. The question now arises: How can we say that he rose on the third
day, since he lay in the grave only one day and two nights? According to
the Jewish calculation it was only a day and a half; how shall we then
persist in believing there were three days? To this we reply that be was
in the state of death for at least a part of all three days. For he died
at about two o'clock on Friday and consequently was dead for about two
hours on the first day. After that night he lay in the grave all day, which
is the true Sabbath. On the third day, which we commemorate now, he rose
from the dead and so remained in the state of death a part of this day,
just as if we say that something occurred on Easter-day, although it happens
in the evening, only a portion of the day. In this sense Paul and the Evangelists
say that be rose on the third day.
3. For this period and no longer Christ was to lie in the grave, so
that we might suppose that his body remained naturally uncorrupted and
that decomposition had not yet set in. He came forth from the grave so
soon that we might presume that corruption had not yet taken place according
to the course of nature; for a corpse can lie no longer than three days
before it begins to decompose. Therefore Christ was to rise on the third
day, before he saw corruption.
4. The great longing and love of the women for the Lord must also be
particularly noted here, so that unadvised and alone they go early to the
grave, not thinking of the great stone which was rolled before the tomb.
They might have thought of this and taken a man with them. But they act
like timid and sorrowing persons, and therefore they go on their way without
even thinking of the most necessary things. They do not even think of the
watchers who were clad in armor, nor of the wrath of Pilate and the Jews,
but boldly they freely risk it and alone they venture on their way. What
urged these good women to hazard life and body? It was nothing but the
great love they bore to the Lord, which had sunk so deeply into their hearts
that for his sake they would have risked a thousand lives. Such courage
they had not of themselves, but here the power of the resurrection of Christ
was revealed, whose Spirit makes these women, who by nature are timid,
so bold and courageous that they venture to do things which might - have
daunted a man.
5. These women also show us a beautiful example of a spiritual heart
that undertakes an impossible task, of which the whole world would despair.
Yet a heart like this stands firm and accomplishes it, not thinking the
task impossible. So much we say for the present on this narrative, and
now let us see what are the fruits and benefits of the resurrection of
Christ.
II. THE FRUITS AND BENEFITS OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
6, St. Paul writes in Romans 4, 25 as follows: "Christ was delivered
up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification." Paul is indeed
the man who extols Christ in a masterly manner, telling us exactly why
and for what purpose he suffered and how we should conform ourselves to
his sufferings, namely, that he died for our sins. This is a correct interpretation
of the sufferings of Christ, by which we may profit. And as it is not sufficient
to know and believe that Christ has died, so it will not suffice to know
and believe that he rose with a transfigured body and is now in a state
of joy and blessedness, no longer subject to mortality, for all this would
profit me nothing or very little. But when I come to understand the fact
that all the works God does in Christ are done for me, nay, they are bestowed
upon and given to me, the effect of his resurrection being that I also
will arise and live with him; that will cause me to rejoice. This must
be brought home to our hearts, and we must not merely hear it with the
ears of our body nor merely confess it with our mouth.
7. You have heard in the story of the Passion how Christ is portrayed
as our exemplar and helper, and that he who follows him and clings to him
receives the Spirit, who will enable him also to suffer. But the words
of Paul are more Christian and should come closer home to our hearts and
comfort us more, when he says: "Christ was raised for our justification."
Here the Lamb is truly revealed, of whom John the Baptist testifies, when
he says in Jn 1, 29: "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin
of the world." Here is fulfilled that which was spoken to the serpent:
"I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed: he shall bruise thy head," which means that for all those who
believe in him, hell, death, and the devil and sin have been destroyed.
In the same manner the promise is fulfilled to-day which God gave to Abraham,
when he said in Gen 22, 18: "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth
be blessed." Here Christ is meant, who takes away our curse and the power
of sin, death and the devil.
8. All this is done, I say, by faith. For if you believe that by this
seed the serpent has been slain, then it is slain for you; and if you believe
that in this seed all nations are to be blessed, then you are also blessed.
For each one individually should have crushed the serpent under foot and
redeemed himself from the curse, which would have been too difficult, nay
impossible for us. But now it has been done easily, namely, by Christ,
who has crushed the serpent once, who alone is given as a blessing and
benediction, and who has caused this Gospel to be published throughout
the world, so that he who believes, accepts it and clings to it, is also
in possession of it, and is assured that it is as he believes. For in the
heart of such a man the Word becomes so powerful that he will conquer death,
the devil, sin and all adversity, like Christ himself did. So mighty is
the Word that God himself would sooner be vanquished than that his Word
should be conquered.
9. This is the meaning of the words by St. Paul: "Christ was raised
for our justification." Here Paul turns my eyes away from my sins and directs
them to Christ, for if I look at my sins, they will destroy me. Therefore
I must look unto Christ who has taken my sins upon himself, crushed the
head of the serpent and become the blessing. Now they no longer burden
my conscience, but rest upon Christ, whom they desire to destroy. Let us
see how they treat him. They hurl him to the ground and kill him. 0 God;
where is now my Christ and my Saviour? But then God appears, delivers Christ
and makes him alive; and not only does he make him alive, but he translates
him into heaven and lets him rule over all. What has now become of sin?
There it lies under his feet. If I then cling to this, I have a cheerful
conscience like Christ, because I am without sin. Now I can defy death,
the devil, sin and hell to do me any harm. As I am a child of Adam, they
can indeed accomplish it that I must die. But since Christ has taken my
sins upon himself, has died for them, has suffered himself to be slain
on account of my sins, they can no longer harm me; for Christ is too strong
for them, they cannot keep him, he breaks forth and overpowers them, ascends
into heaven (takes sin and sorrow captive, Ed. 1531), and rules there over
all throughout eternity. Now I have a clear conscience, am joyful and happy
and am no longer afraid of this tyrant, for Christ has taken my sins away
from me and made them his own. But they cannot remain upon him; what then
becomes of them? They must disappear and be destroyed. This then is the
effect of faith. He who believes that Christ has taken away our sin, is
without sin, like Christ himself, and death, the devil and hell are vanquished
as far as he is concerned and they can no longer harm him.
10. Here we also refer to the passage in Hosea 13, 14, which Paul quotes
in reference to the victory that Christ has won by his resurrection and
by which he has conquered sin, death, hell and all our enemies. Paul says
that death is swallowed up in this victory, and he defies death with these
words: "0 death, where is thy victory? 0 death, where is thy sting?" just
as if Paul would say: 0 death, where are thy teeth? Come, bite off one
of my fingers. Thou formerly hadst a spear, what has become of it now?
Christ has taken it from thee. Death, where is now thy spear, etc.? Sin,
where is now the edge of thy sword and thy power? Paul says that the power
of sin is the law. The more clearly we understand the law, the more sin
oppresses and stings us. For this reason Paul says that Christ has completely
destroyed and annihilated the spear and whetstone of death. Now, this Gospel
he has not taken with him into heaven, but he caused it to be preached
throughout the world, so that for him who believes in Christ, spear and
whetstone, nay, sin and death, should be destroyed. This is the true Gospel,
which bestows life, strength, power and marrow, and of which all the passages
of Scripture speak.
11. Therefore seek and learn to know Christ aright, for the whole Scriptures
confer upon us the righteousness of the true knowledge of Christ. But this
must be brought about by the Holy Spirit. Let us therefore pray God that
his Gospel may prosper, that we all may truly learn to know Christ and
thus rise with him and be honored by God as he was honored.
12. The question now arises: If Christ has taken away death and our
sins by his resurrection and has justified us, why do we then still feel
death and sin within us? For our sins torment us still, we are stung by
our conscience, and this evil conscience creates the fear of hell.
13. To this I reply: I have often said before that feeling and faith
are two different things. It is the nature of faith not to feel, to lay
aside reason and close the eyes, to submit absolutely to the Word, and
follow it in life and death. Feeling however does not extend beyond that
which may be apprehended by reason and the senses, which may be heard,
seen, felt and known by the outward senses; For this cause feeling is opposed
to faith and faith is opposed to feeling. Therefore the author of the Epistle
to the Hebrews writes of faith: "Now faith is assurance of things hoped
for, a conviction of things not seen." For if we would see Christ visibly
in heaven, like the visible sun, we would not need to believe it. But since
Christ died for our sins and was raised for our justification, we cannot
see it nor feel it, neither can we comprehend it with our reason. Therefore
we must disregard our feeling and accept only the Word, write it into our
heart and cling to it, even though it seems as if my sins were not taken
from me, and even though I still feel them within me. Our feelings must
not be considered, but we must constantly insist that death, sin and hell
have been conquered, although I feel that I am still under the power of
death, sin and hell. For although we feel that sin is still in us, it is
only permitted that our faith may be developed and strengthened, that in
spite of all our feelings we accept the Word, and that we unite our hearts
and consciences more and more to Christ. Thus faith leads us quietly, contrary
to all feeling and comprehension of reason, through sin, through death
and through hell. Then we shall see salvation before our eyes, and then
we shall know perfectly what we have believed, namely, that death and all
sorrow have been conquered.
14. Take as an illustration the fish in the water. When they are caught
in the net, you lead it quietly along, so that they imagine they are still
in the water; but when you draw them to the shore, they are exposed and
begin to struggle, and then they first feel they are caught. Thus it also
happens with souls that are caught with the Gospel, which Christ compares
with a net, Mt 13,47. When the heart has been conquered, the Word unites
this poor heart to Christ and leads it gently and quietly from hell and
from sin, although the soul still feels sin and imagines to be still under
its power. Then a conflict begins, the feelings struggling against the
Spirit and faith, and the Spirit and faith against our feelings; and the
more faith increases, the more our feelings diminish, and vice versa. We
have still sins within us, as for instance pride, avarice, anger and so
forth, but only in order to lead us to faith, so that faith may increase
from day to day, and the man become finally a thorough Christian and keep
the true sabbath, consecrating himself to Christ entirely. Then the conscience
must become calm and satisfied and all the surging waves of sin subside.
For as upon the sea one billow follows and buffets the other, as though
they would destroy the shore, yet they must disappear and destroy themselves,
so also our sins strive against us and would fain bring us to despair,
but finally they must desist, grow weary and disappear.
15. In the second place, death is still at our elbow. It also is to
exercise the faith of him who believes that death has been killed and all
his power taken away. Now, reason feels that death is still at our elbow
and is continually troubling us. He who follows his feelings will perish,
but he who clings to the Word with his heart will be delivered. Now, if
the heart clings to the Word, reason will also follow; but if reason follows,
everything will follow, desire and love and all that is in man. Yea, we
desire that all may come to the point when they may consider death to be
dead and powerless. But this cannot come to pass until the old man, that
is the old Adam, be entirely destroyed, and meanwhile that process has
been going on of which Christ speaks in Mt 13, 33, where he compares the
kingdom of God to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures
of meal. For even if the kneading has begun, the meal is not yet thoroughly
leavened. So it is here. Although the heart clings to the belief that death
and hell are destroyed, yet the leaven has not yet worked through it entirely.
For it must penetrate and impregnate all the members of the body, until
everything becomes leavened and pure, and there remains nothing but a pure
faith. This will not be brought about before the old man is entirely destroyed;
then all that is in man is Christlike from center to circumference.
16. These two things, sin and death, therefore remain with us to the
end that we might cultivate and exercise our faith, in order that it may
become more perfect in our heart from day to day and finally break forth,
and all that we are, body and soul, become more Christlike. For when the
heart clings to the Word, feelings and reasoning must fail. Then in the
course of time the will also clings to the Word, and with the will everything
else, our desire and love, till we surrender ourselves entirely to the
Gospel, are renewed and leave the old sin behind. Then there comes a different
light, different feelings, different seeing, different hearing, acting
and speaking, and also a different outflow of good works. Now, our scholastics
and papists have taught an external piety; they would command the eyes
not to see, and the ears not to hear, and would put piety into our hearts
from the outside. Ah, how far this is from the truth! But it comes in this
way: When the heart and conscience cling to the Word in faith, they overflow
in works, so that, when the heart is holy, all the members become holy,
and good works follow naturally.
17. This is signified by the sabbath that was to be hallowed and on
which the Lord lay quietly in the grave. It signifies that we should rest
from all our works, should not stir, nay, should not allow any sin to stir
within us, but we should firmly believe that death, hell, sin and the devil
are destroyed by the death of Christ, and we are righteous, pious, holy
and therefore contented, experiencing no longer any sin. Then all the members
are calm and quiet, being convinced that sin and death are vanquished and
prostrated. But this cannot be brought about, as I have said, until this
impotent, wretched body and the old Adam are destroyed. Therefore it is
indeed necessary that we are required to keep this sabbath. For as Christ
lies in the grave on the sabbath, never feels nor moves, so it must be
with us, as we have heard: Our feelings and actions must cease. And I say
again that this cannot be accomplished before the old Adam is annihilated.
Nevertheless we still experience sin and death within us, wrestle with
them and fight against them. You may tie a hog ever so well, but you cannot
prevent it from grunting (until it is strangled and killed Ed. 1530). Thus
it is with the sins in our flesh. As they are not yet entirely conquered
and killed, they are still active, but when death comes, they must also
die, and then we are perfect Christians and pure, but not before. This
is the reason why we must die, namely, that we may be entirely freed from
sin and death. These words on the fruits of the resurrection of Christ
may suffice for the present, and with them we will close. Let us pray God
for grace that we may understand them and learn to know Christ aright.
