PATTERN OF SOUND WORDS

Tag: Lent

  • Notes and Useful Applications for 1 Corinthians 9:24–10:5 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Epistle Reading of Septuagesima, 1 Corinthians 9:24–10:5, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    1 Corinthians 9:24–27

    II. Concerning Paul’s lifestyle, that he lives moderately and that he still is of the single estate; but especially, that he preaches the Gospel without pay, etc. (v. 24–27)

    Annotated Text

    24. Do you not know,1 that those who run in the race (Luther: “In or around the competition”) all run, but (only) one obtains the (set forth) prize? (namely, the one who first reaches the goal) Run now thus (carry out your run in Christendom in such a manner), that you may seize it (that you may obtain the promised heavenly reward out of grace, so that you do not run in vain).

    (Galatians 5:7; Philippians 3:14; 2 Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 12:1)

    1 † Here follows the conclusion of all the preceding admonitions to right use of freedom, and therein rests the greater part on the little word “abstain” [ἐγκρατεύεται] (v. 25), which here signifies so much as  “to exercise self-control” [abbrechen sich], as that upon which [the right use of freedom] continually depends.

    25. But * everyone who competes restrains himself in all things (that might hinder him in the attainment of the victory); those (those who run or compete in the race) such that they receive a perishable crown (or wreath, for the most part of leaves or herbs), but we (all of us together who as spiritual combatants must always be at war against the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh; if we overcome, we will obtain) an imperishable one (an incorruptible eternal crown, 1 Peter 5:4).

    * Ephesians 6:12 (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7; 1 Peter 1:4)

    26. Now1 I run in this way, not as uncertain (as those who do not know that they will reach and will win without fail, and thus have striven for nothing and in vain); I fight in this way, not as one who strikes in the air (as swordsman at times make many failing strikes in that they do not hit their opponent, but rather, strike the air; rather, I have set before myself a certain victory in my spiritual race and combat, toward which I direct all my doings, namely, God’s honor, the conversion and salvation of men, and my own eternal welfare. Luther: “Just as a combatant  who runs out of bounds must miss the goal and one who strikes and makes failing strikes, swings vainly into the air, in this way it goes with all who indeed do many good works without faith, for they are uncertain how they are with God, therefore, they are mere missed runs, failing strikes, and false works”).

    (2 Timothy 1:8)

    1Greek: “Therefore, I also run (as you previously heard) …” [ἐγὼ τοίνυν οὕτως]

    27. Rather, I * subdue (and overcome) my body and tame it (through moderation and fasting; I also do not indulge in my fleshly lusts and desires that want to hold me back from right course and combat, but rather I subdue them and guard against them so that they do not break out into works), that I not preach to others (and that they would be saved through the preaching of the Gospel, 1 Corinthians 4:16), and disqualify myself (that I do not make myself unfit for good and give an evil example to others).1

    * Romans 8:13, 13:14 (Galatians 5:24)

    1 † Because the apostles has previously spoken about restraining oneself and exercising self-control out of love toward others in the use of middle things [i.e., adiaphora] and also about taking pay, so this also must without doubt be understood as abstaining from various things of the like to avoid offense, even if became hard upon his flesh and blood. For properly speaking, the discourse here is not concerning fasting.

    Useful Applications

    II. COMFORT and CORRECTION: It is a great comfort for Christians that their running finally brings a glorious crown; however, each must see to it that he does not forfeit it with loveless self-will. (v. 24–27)

    1 Corinthians 10:1–5

    I. Paul counters the objection of the converted Corinthians, since they supposed that, by virtue of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, there would be no distress with them in the rest, even if they made use of idol sacrifices; there, Paul holds before them certain types from the Old Testament, with proof, [namely, that] just as the Jews misused those same signs of grace and yet finally were harshly punished, that God also in this way will visit those who eat of idol-sacrifices. (v. 1–14)

    Annotated Text

    1. But I do not want to hold back from you, beloved brothers, that * our fathers (our forefathers, the Israelites in the Old Testament, in whose stead you have been received as the people of God in the New Testament) were (indeed) all under the cloud (under the pillar of cloud in which the Lord went before them by day so that He led them on the right way; the cloud which also stood over them, Numbers 14:14, and which overshadowed them), and † all went through the (Red) Sea (and thus were rescued from the hand of Pharoah who pursued them with a great army).

    * Exodus 13:1

    † Exodus 14:22 (Nehemiah 9:19; Psalm 78:14)

    2. And they were all baptized under Moses1 (who led them through the Red Sea and through the wilderness) with the cloud and with the sea. (This passage through the Red Sea and this covering by the cloud was a type of Holy Baptism, which has been instituted in the New Testament. For in the same way that God the Lord assured the Israelites of His gracious presence and His help against enemies through these wonderful blessings, in the same way Holy Baptism is a powerful seal of the divine promise and a certain testimony of the grace of God. Just as the Israelites were rescued from the bondage of Pharoah by such passage, but Pharoah with all his hosts was drowned in the Red Sea, in this way Holy Baptism is the saving bath of renewal and regeneration [Titus 3:5], by which we are redeemed from the power of the devil and the bondage of sin, that the old man with his evil lusts be drowned, and the new man may arise [Romans 6:4, 6]. Just as the Israelites by this blessing were obliged to believe the doctrine of Moses, in the same we are baptized into Christ and are thereby obliged to believe His Word and follow His commandments.)

    (1 Peter 3:21)

    1 Greek: “into Moses” [εἰς τὸν Μωϋσῆν], that is, into that church polity [German: Kirchenverfassung] that was set by him before the people from Sinai as a covenant.

    3. And * they all ate the same spiritual food (namely, the Manna, which is therefore called a spiritual food, because it fell from heaven in an wonderful unnatural manner, and because it signified the spiritual soul-food, Christ Jesus, John 6:32–33, who feeds us with His flesh in the Holy Supper);

    * Exodus 16:15ff. (Psalm 105:40)

    4. And * they all drank the same spiritual drink (namely, the water that flowed from the rock, which is called a spiritual drink because it sprung forth from the hard rock in a supernatural manner, and because it signified the spiritual soul-drink, Christ Jesus, who quenches us with His blood in the Holy Supper); but they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, which was Christ. (As our fathers altogether, both the wicked as well as the pious, drank from the same water which flowed from the rock, so they also, according to the figure and type, drank from the spiritual rock which led them through the wilderness, which spiritual rock was no one other than the Son of God, Christ Jesus.)

    * Exodus 17:6ff. (Numbers 20:10, 21:16; Psalm 78:15ff.)

    5. But with many of them (among those same Israelites) God had no good pleasure; for * they were struck down (and all those who were over twenty years perished altogether when they were led out of Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb excepted) in the wilderness. (From this, it sufficiently appears that God has no pleasure in them.)

    * John 6:49 (Numbers 26:65; Psalm 106:26; Hebrews 3:17ff.)

    Useful Applications

    I. WARNING: Because Paul warns his own of idolatry, fornication, tempting God, and impatient murmuring on the basis that the end of the world had come upon them, how much more ought we allow ourselves to be warned, we who live seventeen hundred years afterward and who have fallen into the last sludge of the evil world? (v. 1, 11)

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Matthew 20:1–16 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Holy Gospel of Septuagesima, Matthew 20:1–16, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    I. An explanation of the nearest preceding words [from v. 15], “There are many who are first, etc.,” with a parable of the laborers. (v. 1–16)

    Annotated Text

    1. “The 1 kingdom of heaven is like a House-father, who went out (first thing) in the morning to hire laborers into * His vineyard. (In this parable, by the kingdom of heaven is understood the estate of the Church of God, or the kingdom of grace here on earth, not only with regards to the call of God into the Church, but also the transfer of men out of the kingdom of grace into the kingdom of glory and majesty. By the house-father is understood God the Lord, the heavenly House-Father, John 15:1, who immediately from the beginning of the world has called men into vineyard of His Church through the preaching of His Word and continues this calling until the end of the world in such a form that at different times of the world He calls men to His Church and kingdom of grace.)2

    1 Greek: “For…” [γάρ] — One should note here this little word, which provides the occasion [v. 15] and the key to the parable, which most German editions have omitted.

    * Matthew 21:33 (Isaiah 5:1ff.)

    2 † In particular, He calls at all times laborers as stewards (that is, teachers) into His vineyard of the Christian Church, whom He does not allow to labor vainly, but rather He kindly divides His gifts, bodily benefits and provisions, necessary relief, internal consolation, and the like in His order and measure.

    2. And when He came to agreement with the laborers for a groschen[1] (concerning the value of a groschen, see Matthew 18:28) for a day (when He made a promise to those who had been called by Him into the spiritual vineyard that their labor shall not remain unrewarded), He sent them into His vineyard (to carry out their labor in it according to estate and calling of each person).

    [1] A groschen was a silver coin that was often issued as part of a daily wage. The Greek word here is denarius (δηναρίου).

    3. And He went out (by this going out is signified that God, out of the hidden light of His majesty, as it were, has stepped forth and revealed Himself in His Word) around the third hour (when it was already three hours of the day) and He saw others in the market (in this world) standing idly (who had not yet come into the spiritual vineyard of the Church, and therefore, were not rightly serving God),

    4. and He said to them, ‘You go out (as the previous workers who were called before you) into the vineyard; I will give to you what is right (I will thus make it with you that you should have no cause to complain about me, as if I wanted to allow myself to be worked for and served for free).’

    (1 Corinthians 15:58)

    5. And they went out. Once more, He went around the sixth and ninth hour (the sixth hour is the time of midday, the ninth hour is the time of vespers, three hours before the setting of the sun) and did likewise in this manner (He called those whom He saw standing idly in the market, likewise to go into the vineyard in order to work).

    6. But around the eleventh hour (when only one hour was remaining until sunset, John 11:9) He went out and found others (by which the Gentiles can be understood, as those who were called in the last part of the world) standing idly and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idly the entire day?’

    7. They said to Him, ‘No one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go out into the vineyard, and whatever is right, shall become you.’ (cf. v. 4)

    8. Now when it had become evening (),1 the Lord of the vineyard (the heavenly House-Father, who is Lord over all) said to His Steward (to Christ, His Son, whom He has set as Lord over His house, Hebrews 3:6), ‘Call the laborers and give to them the wage and begin with the last, until the first (thus, that you give to each a groschen, to the last as well as to the first).’

    1 † Others understand by the evening not precisely the end of the world, but rather the time of the promised reward of grace in general; since some, especially the reward-seeking Jews, according to the nature of their special covenant shall receive only a temporal reward, but others, [namely,] the right-believing in Christ from the Jews and Gentiles shall receive the eternal reward of grace by faith, according to God’s promise, certainly, but none from merit.

    9. When they came who were hired around the eleventh hour, they each received a groschen.

    10. But when the first came, they thought they would receive more (because they had labored longer in the vineyard); and each of them also received his groschen. (By those who were hired around the eleventh hour are understood those who at the preceding calling willingly entered into the vineyard of the Christian Church, labored faithfully therein, and in their labor did not look to the reward, but rather to the goodness of the heavenly House-Father and to His promise. In particular, this refers to believing Gentiles, who do not rely upon their own righteousness and upon the merit of their works, but only upon the grace of God in Christ. By the first are understood those men who indeed followed the call, came into the fellowship of the Church of God, and labored therein; but only sought the reward, and therefore relied upon the merit of their works and in their hearts exalted themselves over the laborers of grace. In particular, this pertains to the Jews who were called to the Kingdom of God first, that is, before the Gentiles; but they sought to establish their own righteousness, Romans 10:3, and placed the trust of their hearts in the merit of their works. These receive their groschen, that is, the promised reward, which they have already received in this life in the manifold temporal blessings, Matthew 6:2; but they neither have any share in the eternal reward, nor anything for which to hope.)

    11. And when they received it, they murmured (from impatience and seeking a better reward) against the House-Father (who, in their opinion, maintained no equity).

    (Luke 15:28ff.)

    12. And they said, ‘These last have only labored for an hour, and you have made them equal to us who have born the burden and heat of the day (having labored throughout the entire day with great hardship).’

    13. But He answered and said to one among them (namely, one who elevated himself before others), ‘My friend, I have done you no injustice. Did you not agree with Me for a groschen?

    14. Take what is yours and go away. But I will give to these last just as I gave to you. (This must not be understood as if even the murmuring work-saints, who build and presume upon their own merit, will obtain eternal life, since by the groschen is not to be understood precisely eternal life, but rather, in general every kind of reward, whether it be here temporally in this, or there eternally in that life; and thus indeed these murmuring work-saints also receive their reward, namely, temporal blessing, but not the eternal reward in heaven.)

    15. * Or do I not have the right to do what I want with that which is Mine? (Should it be forbidden to Me to deal with that which is My own, and which no one can earn from me, according to My gracious will?) Do you therefore see askew (are you therefore so resentful and envious), that I am so kind (free-giving)?’

    * Romans 9:21

    16. Thus (all servants of God, especially Church ministers, should not to look for temporal gain, honor, and the like in their work, much less should they envy others; but rather, in faithful and  honest purpose toward God’s promise, they ought to persevere in their duty and call with true godliness, so that they do not deprive themselves of God’s grace and eternal blessing with pride, envy, and murmuring. For) the * last (the laborers of grace, who rely only on God’s grace and do not insist upon their merit) will be the first (will be preferred to the first), and the first (those who are murmuring work-righteous men) will be the last (that is, will be rejected). For many (that is, all, all men) are called (through the Word to the Church of God); but few (reckoned contrary to the great heap of the damned) are chosen (by God to eternal life because they seek righteousness and eternal life not only and solely in the grace of God and in Christ, but rather in the merit of their own works and exalt themselves over others).”

    * Matthew 19:30, 22:14 (Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30)

    Useful Applications

    I. CORRECTION: That we, by impatience and grumbling, shall not overcome [or become master of] God in His governance and in the rewarding of good, but rather ought to leave everything to His holy will and allow ourselves to be content with that which He bestows upon us with thanksgiving. (v. 11–15)

  • Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Judica (Lent 5)

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Judica (Lent 5)

    The following is a translation of Martin Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Judica (Lent 5), as found in his Postilla (Vol. 1, pgs. 576–77). Chemnitz’s text is John 8:46–59.

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline:

    “Now this Gospel has many beautiful and necessary doctrines in it, which we want to handle in an orderly manner.

    1. First, of the fierce conflict between Christ and the Jews, in which one denounces the other, that finally comes to such seriousness that the Jews become so incensed that they want to stone Christ to death, even in the temple. From this we learn that a preacher cannot be friendly at all times when he wants to carry out his office with faithfulness and proper seriousness and zeal, as he is commanded by God, but rather must also at times be sharp and zealous when necessity demands it. The world becomes bitter and angry over this and can hardly tolerate such, and therefore becomes ill-disposed toward preachers and lies in wait for an opportunity to take revenge on them, to which they must not concern themselves with, but rather, regardless of all of this, they must do what belongs to their office and what is demanded of them by God, whatever the world may say about it.
    2. Second, what the fierce conflict between Christ and the Jews was about, namely, over religion and doctrine, which was the right doctrine of God’s Word, and what was the true Church of God. When the Jews appealed to their church, Christ on the other hand appealed to His own, when they said they were God’s people and the church of God, Christ said no to this. They boasted that because they were Abraham’s seed according to the flesh, they were righteous and free from all sin. Christ showed them that they are all sinners, and can be saved nowhere else than in Christ their promised Messiah, whom they despised, and did not want to hold as the Messiah, and thus, finally, they will also certainly die in their sins. Over these points Christ fought with the Jews so fiercely, which He does not want to be taken from Him, therefore He is so zealous.
    3. Third, how the Lord is not only zealous against His opponents and enemies, and speaks with the same sharpness and threatens those who persist in their own held opinions against God’s Word and their own consciences, what will therefore follow, and what danger they stand in, that they will die in their sins; but He also preaches as a mediator for the comfort of repentant and believing sinners, who hear His word and believe in Him, that through Him they will be saved, and be protected from eternal death.

    We want to handle these three points in this sermon, and set forth the chief doctrines which are presented to us here. The Almighty grant us His grace and Holy Spirit that we may thus hear and learn this, that from it we be certain of our faith, hold steadfastly and firmly to the pure doctrine, so that finally, through Christ, we may be freed from our sins, protected from eternal death through faith, and be and remain children and heirs of eternal life.”

  • Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Laetare (Lent 4)

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Laetare (Lent 4)

    The following is a translation of Chemnitz’s homily outline for Laetare (Lent 4), found in his Postilla (Vol I, pgs. 550–51). Chemnitz uses a combination of all four Gospel accounts: Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17; and John 6:1–15 (see below). Square brackets indicate my own notes.

    Chemnitz’s Combined Reading:

    And the apostles came again to gather to Jesus, and they reported everything to Him (what had happened to John), and they told Him the great things they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, “Let us go into the desert and rest a little.” For there were many of them coming and going and they did not have enough time to eat. And he took them with Him and went away in a boat over the sea, to the place of Tiberias, in Galilee, which is called Bethsaida. And when the people heard this, and became aware of this, and they saw Him depart, they followed Him and went after Him. And many knew Him, and went together on foot from all the cities. And a great multitude followed Him and arrived before Him and came to Him because they saw the signs that He had done for the sick.
    But Jesus went up on a mountain and sat there by Himself with His disciples. Now the Passover, the Jewish festival, was near. And Jesus went out and saw the large crowd and He had compassion on them, for they were like sheep who had no shepherd. And He called them to Himself and began a long sermon and spoke to them of the Kingdom of God, and He healed their sick and made healthy those who were needy.
    But in the evening, when the day was beginning to draw to a close and the day was almost over, His disciples, the Twelve, came to Him, and said to Him, “This is a desert, and it is desolate here, and the day is now spent and the night is falling. Send the crowd away that they may go around into the villages and markets and buy themselves bread and food, for they have nothing to eat; that they may find lodging and food, for we are here in the desert.”
    But Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not necessary that they depart. You give them to eat.” And they said to Him, “Should we depart and and go buy two hundred pfennigs worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” Then Jesus lifted up His eyes and saw a great crowd coming to Him, and He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread, that these may eat?” (He said this to test him, for He knew what He wanted to do.) But Philip answered Him, “Two hundred pfennigs is not enough for them that each of them take a little.”
    But He said to them, “How much bread do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “We have nothing more than five loaves of bread and two fish. Therefore, we must go and buy food for so large a crowd.” (For there were about five thousand men.) Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to them, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what is this among so many?”
    But Jesus said to His disciples, “Make the people to lie down and sit in groups, fifty by fifty.” Now there was plenty of grass in that place. And He commanded them all to sit down in full table groups on the green grass. And they did so, all of them sat down in groups, hundreds by hundreds, fifty by fifty, so that about five thousand men laid down.
    Now Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish, sighed into heaven, gave thanks over them, and broke the bread, and gave it to the disciples so that they lay it before the people, and He divided the two fish among them all. And the disciples gave it to those who were seated, and likewise of the fish, as much as each desired. They all ate and they were satisfied.
    Now when they were satisfied, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the remaining fragments, so that nothing be lost.” So they gathered them and took up what remained of the fragments of the five barley loaves and fish which remained from those who had eaten. Now those who had eaten were five thousand men, besides women and children. Now, when the men saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, “Truly, this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus therefore noticed that they were coming to take him in order to make Him king, He immediately urged His disciples that they get into the boat and go over before Him to Bethsaida, until He had dismissed the crowd. And when He dismissed the crowd and sent them away, He climbed up into a mountain alone so that He could pray, and He withdrew once more to the mountain, He Himself alone.

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline

    “We now want to take up these accounts for ourselves and deal with these points in an orderly manner:

    1. First, how in this account we see that it is God’s work, that God feeds and nourishes us men and provides for all our needs richly, which He has demonstrated not only in the first creation, but He does this indeed in every year, every hour, and every moment to men, beasts, and everything that lives on earth and brings it into effect; and how we ought to recognize this and give thanks to God for it.
    2. Second, pious Christians ought to accustom themselves that they always make use of this as a reminder and for comfort, and think that this therefore happened at that time, at the beginning of the New Testament, so that Christians of every time, who belong in the New Testament, can grasp constant comfort, so that just as the Lord Christ once took care of His disciples—leading them out of danger, feeding them in times of hunger and need, and comforting them in times of affliction—that we likewise also even today have to look to him with certainty, so that if we should also suffer something for the sake of God’s Word, be hated and be persecuted, hunger and thirst for the Gospel, we will not become fainthearted, much less despair, but rather trust God, who surely will sustain and provide for us; how this is so beautifully presented to us here, when the Lord sits down in the midst of His disciples and looks over them, comforts them, and speaks to satisfy them, then allows also the people to come to Him, allows Himself to be aroused to pity so that they are not abandoned and left comfortless, and takes care of them and helps them out. From this we ought also learn that God wants to do the same for us, as we have God’s Word, promise, and assurance to which we ought to firmly hold on to, and with this and other examples from Scripture, whereby God has proven that He wants to keep His promise and assurance, that we should regard them as certain and hold them to be true, and from this we ought to look to God, for He wants to provide for us both in body and in soul; and that we can now look to God for us in this time, just as the children of Israel had experienced this in the Old Testament; that we ought to remember and console ourselves with these accounts, just as the Jews had remembered and comforted themselves with the miracles that took place in the desert for forty years.
    3. Third, we also have in this account the manner and way in which God does things when He wants to help those who belong to Him, namely, that He does it in such a wonderful and peculiar way that we cannot judge it and understand it with our reason. For He begins with His beloved children to whom He promises salvation and rich blessings, so wonderfully that everyone must be astonished by it and often become fainthearted, and see nothing other than that everything is against them, and that they have no hope that God Himself will take care of them, while, in contrast, it goes well for the godless, who have everything to the full, who lack nothing, but rather find vain happiness wherever they turn and go about; that we ought not be troubled by this, but rather console ourselves that the happiness and prosperity of the godless will one day come to an end, and that all our misery and suffering will, in turn, come to a blessed end, and that we therefore ought not to place our trust in things that are temporal and transient, but rather that we ought to be content that we have the heavenly eternal goods and eternal salvation with our dear Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, if our reason cannot deal with it and cannot understand how God wants to help, that we should not therefore think as if it were impossible, but rather that we ought to put all our reason aside and entrust it to God, who, in His time, will surely know how to find the means and way by which He will help us, even when we cannot yet see nor find it. Also that we recognize our misery and weakness, how little we often believe this, so also, that the irrational animals surpass us in this case who can trust God more than men; which is a shame to us and ought to guide us that we can learn to trust God also a little more than we usually do, and that we comfort ourselves with the examples of Holy Scripture, that just as God has cared for His own at all times, so He wants to prove it to us also now, however strange it may otherwise seem to us.
    4. Fourth, we then want to consider these accounts as they are described to us so powerfully by all four evangelists at length and with many beautiful circumstances so that we learn from how God tends to act, that when He has appeared as a stranger, as if He did not know what to advise us or as if He could not help us, He nevertheless finally, when His time has come, He comes for to us and proves Himself so that we must confess that it is a powerful thing and goes beyond all reason, so that God can prove His majesty and omnipotence, so that He can help powerfully, and thus, as St. Paul says, that we cannot understand or comprehend it [Romans 11:33].

    We want to consider these points in this sermon and deal with them briefly and simply in order that our faith may thereby be strengthened and that our confidence in God may be strengthened in both temporal and eternal needs and concerns.”

  • Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Oculi (Lent 3)

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Oculi (Lent 3)

    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.”

  • Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Dominica Reminiscere (Lent 2)

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Dominica Reminiscere (Lent 2)

    The following is a translation of Chemnitz’s homily outline for Reminiscere (Lent 2), found in his Postilla (Vol. I, pg. 484–85). Chemnitz uses a combination of the account from Matthew 15:21–28 and Mark 7:24–30. I have added allusions to other biblical passages in square brackets.

    Chemnitz’s Outline:

    “Now in order that we may take away something useful for ourselves for our teaching (Lehr), remembrance (Erinnerung), and comfort (Trost), we want to deal with these parts in the Gospel:

    1. First, why God sends the cross and afflicts this Canaanite woman and thus all pious Christians; namely, if we otherwise do not want to come to him, the lust of the world, the lust of the eyes, and prideful life (read: hoffärtiges Leben) would lead us away from the Kingdom of Christ and keep us from it; that we thus would be led through cross and affliction to the Lord Christ, as this woman was through her house cross (Hauß Kreuz) on her daughter; and that we would be kept with Him as the true Shepherd of our souls [1 Peter 2:25] to eternal life.
    2. Second, when we now come to Christ with our needs, that we ought to ground our prayer in these two points: (1) First, that He, as a proven Son of God, can help mightily in more ways than we can think or comprehend [Ephesians 3:20], and (2) thereafter also as our dear fellow Brother, according to His human nature, He bears a heartfelt compassion toward our misery, and wants to willingly and gladly help us.
    3. Third, how if He were to delay with His help for a long time, and we were to cry out in vain for a long time, how we should learn to right ourselves in His mind, overcome the trial (Anfechtung) with patience, and take comfort in His promise that He will not deceive (read: betrügen) us, but rather will give us all that our hearts desire.
    4. In conclusion, the use of the account of the Canaanite woman, how we can make use of her example throughout all of our Christianity.”
  • Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Invocavit (Lent 1)

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Invocavit (Lent 1)

    The following is a translation of Chemnitz’s homily outline for Invocavit (Lent 1), found in his Postilla (Vol. I, pg. 449–50). Chemnitz uses a combination of all three synoptic accounts for the Temptation of our Lord (Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13).

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline:

    “That we may handle this teaching in an orderly manner and grasp it so that each can make use of it and use it in a Christian manner, so we will divide it thus into these parts:

    1. Firstly, we will see powerful and glorious the account is described, how the Lord Christ, after He was proclaimed by God at the Jordan that He was the Messiah, thus has stepped into His office (Ampt), how both of the high great prophets, Moses, who gave the Law, and Elijah, who was a chief of all prophets, began their ministry for Him, so that everyone from this ought to see that although He walked around in poor form (armen Gestalt), He was nonetheless the great prophet which Moses had promised from God’s command (Deuteronomy 18[:15–18]).
    2. Second, how the devil himself has tempted Christ, and thus held the chief dispute (Häuptstreit) with Him.
    3. Third, how from this all Christians ought to learn that just as the devil has tempted our Head, the Lord Christ, so also he will tempt us, His members, and dares to bring us into his own kingdom again.
    4. Fourth, how the devil undertakes his task when he wants to tempt a Christian, what He uses for means and ways, how this is described here in a threefold way so that each can clearly recognize and notice when the devil shows himself to him with one or more of these temptations.
    5. Fifth, how we, according to the example of Christ ought to withstand the devil, and what we must have in our hand for defense (Wehre) and weapons (Waffen) so that we can defend ourselves against this vile and powerful fiend. And how this ought to be our comfort (Trost), that if we are too weak for the prince of this world, that He who crushed His head [Genesis 3:15] will then fight for us [Romans 16:20], and how He has overcome him and obtained the victory against him, as this account says.

    Concerning these five parts we will now deal with this gospel, that we all through God’s grace may make use of this account for teaching (Lehre), for warning (Warnung), and for comfort (Trost).”

  • Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Estomihi (Quinquagesima, Baptism of our Lord)

    Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for Estomihi (Quinquagesima, Baptism of our Lord)

    The following is a translation of Martin Chemnitz’s homily outline found in his postil for Estomihi, or Quinquagesima(Postilla, Volume I, pgs. 426–427). At Chemnitz’s time it was common for churches to observe the Baptism of our Lord on the final Sunday before Lent, which connects the Baptism of our Lord to His temptation (the Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Lent). Chemnitz cites all three versions of the Baptism of our Lord found in the synoptic gospels (Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22). The Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) still follows this tradition. In the ELS lectionary, the assigned Old Testament reading is Isaiah 42:1–7 and the Epistle is 1 Peter 3:18–22.

    Chemnitz’s Outline:

    “We will now thus explain this glorious and beautiful account that we may set forth these points:

    1. First, as this account reports, in what manner and in which form our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was ordained and anointed to the office (Ampt) of Messiah, so that we can be certain of this when we recognize and accept Him as the Messiah, confess Him and hold to Him, that we therefore make no error, but rather receive in Him God’s grace and help, eternal life, and salvation.
    2. Second, what office (Ampt) Christ has, that He is anointed as the High Priest, King, and Prophet, and how He holds this office in heaven, and what counts there.
    3. Third, because Christ is proclaimed here as the only Messiah, and all men are commanded that they recognize Him as such, and ought to hear Him, so here we have this point, which is of the upmost importance for us, that we can know what we ought to hold concerning the doctrine of Christ (Lehre Christi) and everything that we find therein, namely, that it is the doctrine to which God the Father Himself has directed us, and in which the Holy Spirit is present, and He wants to be thereby efficacious so that heaven may be opened to us through it, and the way to eternal life may be prepared and readied.
    4. Fourth, next to the Word, we also have the most revered sacraments, to which we are directed and bound just as much as to the Word [i.e. Acts 2:42]. This account also teaches us further as to what we ought to hold concerning these sacraments, and what they count before God in heaven; but particularly, what concerns the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, which is chiefly dealt with here, what we ought to know about it, and what Christ has brought into our baptism through His baptism, and what He has confirmed [i.e., Matthew 3:15].
    5. Fifth and Last, how the holy Divine majesty has revealed Himself here, how we ought to recognize Him rightly according to His essence and will, to the end that we also ought to be certain of this, each for himself, that God wants to be gracious to us and is heartily pleased with us for the sake of Christ [i.e, Matthew 3:17].

    On these five points, we will now set forth the explanation of this beautiful and comforting account. The almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ grant us His Holy Spirit, grace, and blessing that we may not only understand this in a historical manner, but rather also may make use of it in a Christian manner through God’s grace.”