1. As we heard while explaining the meaning of Christ's passion,
that it was not enough to know its mere narrative and history; so it is
not enough to learn only how and when Christ our Lord arose from the dead;
we must also preach and understand the benefit and use both of the sufferings
and the resurrection of Christ, namely, what he thereby acquired for us.
For if we preach only its history, it is an unprofitable sermon, which
Satan and the godless know, read and understand as well as true Christians;
but when we preach to what end it serves it becomes profitable, wholesome
and comforting.
2. Christ himself pointed out the benefit of his sufferings and resurrection
when he said to the women in Mt 28, 10 - "Fear not: go tell my brethren
that they depart into Galilee, and there shall they see me." These are
the very first words they heard from Christ after his resurrection from
the dead, by which he confirmed all the former utterances and loving deeds
he showed them, namely, that his resurrection avails in our behalf who
believe, so that he therefore anticipates and calls Christians his brethren,
who believe it, and yet they do not, like the apostles, witness his resurrection.
3. The risen Christ waits not until we ask or call on him to become
his brethren. Do we here speak of merit, by which we deserve anything?
What did the apostles merit? Peter denied his Lord three times; the other
disciples all fled from him; they tarried with him like a rabbit does with
its young. He should have called them deserters, yea, betrayers, reprobates,
anything but brethren. Therefore this word is sent to them through the
women out of pure grace and mercy, as the apostles at the time keenly experienced,
and we experience also, when we are mired fast in our sins, temptations
and condemnation.
4. These are words. full of all comfort that Christ receives desperate
villains as you and I are and calls us his brethren, Is Christ really our
brother, then I would like to know what we can be in need of? Just as it
is among natural brothers, so is it also here. Brothers according to the
flesh enjoy the same possessions, have the same father, the one inheritance,
otherwise they would not be brothers: so we enjoy with Christ the same
possessions, and have in common with him one Father and one inheritance,
which never decreases by being distributed, as other inheritances do; but
it ever grows larger and larger; for it is a spiritual inheritance. But
an earthly inheritance decreases when distributed among many persons. He
who has a part of this spiritual inheritance, has it all.
5. However, what is Christ's inheritance? His heritage is life and death,
sin and grace, all that is in heaven and earth, eternal truth, power, wisdom,
righteousness; he governs and rules over all, over hunger and thirst, over
fortune and misfortune, over everything imaginable, whether in heaven or
on earth, not only spiritual but also secular affairs; and the sum total
of all is, he has all things in his hand, be they eternal or temporal.
Now if I believe on him, I become partaker with him of all his possessions,
and obtain not only a part or a piece; but, like him, I obtain all, eternal
righteousness, eternal wisdom, eternal strength, and become a lord and
reign over all. The stomach will not hunger, sins will not oppress, I will
no more fear death, nor be terror-stricken by Satan, and I will never be
in want, but will be like Christ the Lord himself.
6. In the light of this we now easily understand the sayings here and
there in the prophets and especially in the Psalms; as when David in Ps
34, 10 says: "The young lions (the rich) do lack, and suffer hunger; but
they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing." And in another Psalm:
"Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be
forever. They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; and in the
days of famine they shall be satisfied." Ps 37, 18-19. And immediately
following in verse 25: "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not
seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." All this comes
of itself from the fact that we are and are called Christ's brethren; not
because of our worthiness, but because of God's pure grace. Yes, if God
gave us this in our heart, so that we experience it, then we would be saved;
but it goes in one ear and out the other. And this it is that Paul praises
so highly and strongly to the Romans when he says: "For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For ye received not the
spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs
of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him,
that we may be also glorified with him." Rom 8,14-17.
7. The title of being Christ's brothers is so high that the heart of
man cannot understand it. If the Holy Spirit bestows not this grace, none
can say: Christ is my brother. For reason is not bold enough to say so;
although one may say it with the tongue, as the spirits of modern times
do. It is not uttered in this way, it is necessary for the heart to experience
it; otherwise it is pure hypocrisy. If you truly experience it in your
heart it will be such a great thing that you will much prefer to keep silence
than to speak about it, yea, in the presence of the magnitude of this inheritance
you easily doubt and waver as to whether it is really true or not. Those
who only cry: Christ is my brother! Christ is my brother! are not true
Christians. A Christian acts quite differently, and it is very wonderful,
so that the flesh shudders at it and dares indeed neither speak of it nor
confess it.
8. We should bestir ourselves to hear this, not only with the natural
ear, but also to experience it in our hearts, for then we would not be
so forward and impudent, but would be surprised and amazed over it. True
and godly Christians go along in life in contempt of themselves and in
fear; they think thus: Ah, shall I, a poor, miserable person, who am steeped
in sin, be now so exalted that God's Son becomes my brother? Ay, how is
it that I, a miserable poor creature, am thus honored? I am at once confounded
before it and feed upon it; for it truly requires a great effort to believe
it; yea, when one experiences it thus, how it is in truth, he must from
that hour die; for man, since he is flesh and blood, cannot understand
it. Here in this life man's heart is in too great straits to lay hold of
it; but after death, when the heart becomes larger and broader, we experience
what we have heard through the Word.
9. In the Gospel of John Christ tells Mary Magdalene of the benefit
and use of his death and resurrection still more plainly, when he says:
"But go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and
your Father, and my God and your God." Jn 20,17. This is one of the great
and comforting passages upon which we can venture, and of which we dare
boast. As if Christ had said: Go hence, Mary, and say to my disciples who
have deserted me on the field of battle, and who have well merited punishment
and eternal condemnation, that my resurrection has taken place for their
benefit; that is, by my resurrection I have brought it to pass that my
Father is their Father, and my God is their God. These are few words and
very short; but they contain a great thought, namely, that we have as great
a confidence and refuge in God as Christ his Son himself has. Who can grasp
such exceeding joy, unless one speaks of himself when he says a poor, corrupt
sinner can and may call God his Father and his God, just like Christ himself
does?
10. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews has grasped the words of
Ps 22,23 and taken them well to heart, when he says of Christ: "For which
cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy
name unto my brethren, in the midst of the congregation will I sing thy
praise." Heb 2,11-12. If any worldly lord were to condescend so low as
to say to a thief, or a murderer or to a low French character, Thou art
my brother; that would be a great thing and everyone would be amazed at
it; but that this King, who in his glory sits at the right hand of God,
his Father, says to a poor sinner: Thou art my brother, that no one takes
to heart, no one receives it in earnest, and yet on that hangs our highest
comfort and courage against sin, death, Satan, hell, law, and against all
misfortune, both of the body and of the soul.
11. Since we are flesh and blood, and subject to all kinds of affliction,
it follows that it must be thus also with our brother; or he would not
be like us in all respects. Therefore, in that be becomes like us, he tastes
of all that we do, in order to be our true brother and save us, so that
we on the other hand may become like him. This the Epistle to the Hebrews
paints and brings out very beautifully when it says: "Since then the children
are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook
of the same; that through death he might bring to naught him that had the
power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all them who through
fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily not
to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham.
Therefore it behooveth him in all things to be made like unto his brethren,
that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining
to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that he
himself hath suffered being tempted, be is able to succor them that are
tempted." Heb 2, 14- 18.
12. St. Paul in a very beautiful way condensed the benefit and use both
of Christ's sufferings and his resurrection in one short passage, as in
a nutshell, when he says to the Romans: "Who was delivered up for our trespasses,
and was raised for our justification." Rom 4, 25.
But on this theme enough has been said for the present; whoever desires
may with profit meditate on it; more is written about it in the Postil;
whoever desires to have it let him get it and read. We will now discuss
another subject. Since people in many localities still cling to the papal
abuses, so that they flock to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper on Easter,
and this custom is so deeply drilled into them, that it is very difficult
to root it out everywhere, we wish to give some instruction to the singleminded
and plain people, how they should at the present time partake of the Sacrament
of the Lord's Supper. (Rodt's Ed., 1525.) Of this the following sermon
plainly speaks.
