The following is a translation of Chemnitz’s homily outline for Oculi (Lent 3), found in his Postilla (Vol. I, pg. 519). Chemnitz uses a combination of the synoptic accounts found in Matthew 12:22–45, Mark 3:20–35, and Luke 11:14–28 (see below). Parentheses indicate marginal notes in the manuscript. Square brackets indicate my own notes.
Chemnitz’s Synoptic Reading:
They brought to Him a possessed man who was blind and mute, and He cast out the demon and healed Him so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the people were astonished and amazed and said, “Is this not David’s Son?” But some among them, the Pharisees and scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, when they heard it, they said, “He has Beelzebub, and drives out the demons in no other way than through Beelzebub, the prince of demons.”
Jesus, however, knew their thoughts, and called them together and spoke to them in parables, “How can one demon cast out another? Any kingdom that is divided is made desolate and may not stand, and any city or house that is divided may not stand, and one house falls upon the other. So then, if a demon casts out another and is divided against himself, how then will and may his kingdom stand? Because you say that I cast out the demon by Beelzebub, so he cannot stand, but rather it is over for him. So, if I cast out the demons by Beelzebub, then by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. But if I cast out the demons by the Spirit and Finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house, fall upon him, and rob of his household goods, unless he first binds the strong man and then robs him of his house? When a strong armed man guards his palace, so his own goods remain in peace. However, when a stronger man comes upon him and overcomes him, so he takes from him his armor in which he trusted and divides the spoil. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me, he is scattered. Therefore, I say to you: All sins and blasphemies will be forgiven men, however the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. And whoever speaks something against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but whoever speaks something against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him either in this or the next world.”
“Either make a good tree and the fruit will be good or make a rotten tree and the fruit will be rotten, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you speak good, because you are evil? For out of the fullness of the heart the mouth proceeds. A good man brings good things out of good treasure of his heart, and an evil man brings forth evil things out of his evil treasure. But I say to you that that men must give an account at the last judgment for every idle word that they have spoken. From your words you will be justified, and from your words you will be condemned.”
Then some among the scribes and Pharisees answered and said, “Master, we want to see a sign from You.” And He answered and said to them, “The evil and adulterous kind seek a sign, and no sign will be given to it other than the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the midst of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the last judgment with this generation and they will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, there is more here than Jonah. The queen of the south will rise up at the last judgment with this generation, and they will condemn it, for they came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, there is more here than Solomon.”
“When an unclean spirit is cast out of men, so it wanders through arid places seeking rest and it finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return back to my house from which I had departed.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and decorated. So he goes in and takes with himself seven other spirits more troublesome than himself, and when they come in, they dwell there and it becomes worse with the same person afterwards than it was before. So it will also be with this wicked generation.”
Then while He was still speaking to the people, behold, His mother and His brothers came up, wanting to speak with Him. Then they said that He would come to His senses [cf. Mark 3:21]. Then the people came together, for they had nothing to eat. Then one said to Him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they want to speak with You.” But He answered and said to him, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” And He stretched out His hand over His disciples and said, “Behold, this is my mother and my brother, for whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, that one is my brother, sister, and mother.”
And it happened as He spoke such, a woman among the people lifted up her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb which has borne You and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “Indeed, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
Chemnitz’s Homily Outline:
“In order that we may learn something useful from this long text and expansive Gospel, so we want to divide it into these three points:
(Concerning the Great Power and Tyranny of the Devil)
1. First, that we see in this poor wretched man who is presented to us that the Devil has possessed him bodily and has blinded his eyes and robbed him of speech and thus proves His gruesome tyranny in him; and how the Lord further gives a sermon on it, what a mighty prince Satan is, how he is armed, and what a firm castle he had in him, etc. Thereby, we want to allow ourselves to be reminded of the great might and power of the vexatious Satan, which he obtained over us poor men by way of our sin; also from God’s Word and this text, we are reminded how we should use such doctrine in the fear of God, and ought to thank God, who has redeemed us from such tyranny of this vile fiend.
(Concerning the Counter-Power and Great Strength of the Lord Christ)
2. Second, concerning the greater power of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, which He proved over the devil when He overcame him and delivered us from His kingdom, that He overcame the strong armed man, and took over His palace, stripped Him of His armor, took away all His power and whatever property He had until that time in peace, and has distributed the spoil among His people.
(Concerning the Use of Both Doctrines, for Preachers and Hearers)
3. Third, this is the most important, how we ought to make right use of this doctrine on both sides according to the instruction which the Lord Christ Himself made in this Gospel, and thus He gives all preachers an instruction, how they ought to carry out their office (Ampt), so that they not think it is enough when they preach to their hearers of the Devil’s kingdom and warn them of it, and of God’s kingdom to which they ought to exhort them that they may be found therein; but rather that they pay attention to how each makes use of such doctrine; that also the hearers may take instruction from this, so that they apply the test to themselves, how they hear God’s Word and how they conduct their lives accordingly, how they are found either in God’s Kingdom or in the devil’s kingdom.
On these three points we want direct it, what is to be handled with this Gospel. May the blessed God bestow His grace that such Christian instruction may create much fruit with us. Amen.”
PATTERN OF SOUND WORDS 