To help those readers observing Holy Week, I shall be featuring three posts on one of Martin Luther’s sermons from 1519, ‘How to Contemplate Christ’s Sufferings’ (H/T: the Revd Mark Henderson’s Glosses from an Old Manse).
As the sermon is not only lengthy but substantial, I’ll be featuring one part today, another tomorrow and a third on Good Friday.
Today’s post is from the first part of Luther’s sermon (emphases and inserted explanation mine):
I. THE FALSE VIEWS OF CHRIST’S SUFFERINGS
1. In the first place, some reflect upon the sufferings of Christ in a way that they become angry at the Jews, sing and lament about poor Judas, and are then satisfied; just like by habit they complain of other persons, and condemn and spend their time with their enemies. Such an exercise may truly be called a meditation not on the sufferings of Christ, but on the wickedness of Judas and the Jews.
2. In the second place, others have pointed out the different benefits and fruits springing from a consideration of Christ’s Passion. Here the saying ascribed to Albertus [Albertus Magnus — St Albert the Great (1206 – 1280)] is misleading, that to think once superficially on the sufferings of Christ is better than to fast a whole year or to pray the Psalter every day, etc. The people thus blindly follow him and act contrary to the true fruits of Christ’s Passion; for they seek therein their own selfish interests. Therefore they decorate themselves with pictures and booklets, with letters and crucifixes, and some go so far as to imagine that they thus protect themselves against the perils of water, of fire, and of the sword, and all other dangers. In this way the suffering of Christ is to work in them an absence of suffering, which is contrary to its nature and character.
3. A third class so sympathize with Christ as to weep and lament for him because he was so innocent, like the women who followed Christ from Jerusalem, whom he rebuked, in that they should better weep for themselves and for their children. Such are they who run far away in the midst of the Passion season, and are greatly benefitted by the departure of Christ from Bethany and by the pains and sorrows of the Virgin Mary, but they never get farther. Hence they postpone the Passion many hours, and God only knows whether it is devised more for sleeping than for watching. And among these fanatics are those who taught what great blessings come from the holy mass, and in their simple way they think it is enough if they attend mass. To this we are led through the sayings of certain teachers, that the mass opere operati, non opere operantis, is acceptable of itself, even without our merit and worthiness, just as if that were enough. Nevertheless the mass was not instituted for the sake of its own worthiness, but to prove us, especially for the purpose of meditating upon the sufferings of Christ. For where this is not done, we make a temporal, unfruitful work out of the mass, however good it may be in itself. For what help is it to you, that God is God, if he is not God to you? What benefit is it that eating and drinking are in themselves healthful and good, if they are not healthful for you, and there is fear that we never grow better by reason of our many masses, if we fail to seek the true fruit in them?
Tomorrow: The True View of Christ’s Sufferings
7 comments
March 25, 2013 at 5:06 am
Tom
I’ve been reading your blog since I’m subscribed to new postings as they come out, but have not posted any comments in a while. In general though, I would say you do a very good job of covering a lot of angles not often thought about in regard to faith and truth and things to be wary of by way of false teachings and so forth that sound appealing in the politically correct popularized sense but aren’t going to pave a pathway to heaven and might just lead to the other. So my comment is just to say you do a very good job of research and reporting and even if I’ve not commented on anything in a very long time, I still do enjoy your blog. Thanks.
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March 25, 2013 at 12:55 pm
churchmouse
Thank you, Tom, for your kind words, which are greatly appreciated!
Thank you for subscribing and reading here! It’s always a pleasure to hear from you, and I’m delighted that you checked in to say hello.
Best wishes for a very happy Easter.
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March 25, 2013 at 5:35 pm
RichStine
Contemplating the sufferings of Christ: Luther, and so many others, have ideas on what this means. Catholics and other Christians, reflect on the Stations of The Cross,etc.
Can we, do we…ever really comprehend what it is Christ suffered?
Perhaps in glimpses. Maybe, because we suffer, too, we have an idea of what sufferings Christ endured on our behalf (though often our sufferings are a direct or indirect result of our own misdeeds, misjudgments, or just plain, old stupidity.)
False accusations. Ridicule. Physical abuse. Torture. Death. Complete and utter rejection, by friends & foes. Parental rejection.
I get raised eyebrows, with the last: ‘parental rejection.’
I don’t mean that Jesus was rejected by his Mother Mary, or his Father, Joseph. I mean being rejected by G_d the Father.
It is impossible for the Almighty to be sinful. He rejects sin. I submit that the sufferings of Christ are incomparable to anything we can even imagine, for now, in this life. Christ’s sufferings were far more than what we know: Thorny crown, heavy cross, whippings, spittle, piercings, etc.
Those are plenty-bad enough, right? Especially since he’s innocent for the reasons he’s being punished and executed for!
But being separated from the Father, and from the Holy Spirit, to become one of His own creatures…fully, and suffer so…and be rejected as sin for sinners, perfectly….I doubt any man-made ritual, temple, building, can contain or compare with the realities of what Christ’s sufferings are, fully and wholly.
To include masses, rites, and traditions.
Luther, like so many others, want to know. We who believe, want to understand. But like Peter, who asserted that he would and could go where Jesus was going, in the conversation that followed the ‘last supper’ and into the Garden before Jesus was hauled away, we fail to see the big picture.
There was no way Peter would have been able to go with Jesus to the cross.
And Jesus told him as much (not too mention the whole ‘hey, Peter, not only can’t you come with me this time, but you are going to deny me three times in just a little while’).
Peter was a faithful follower of Christ. Loved Jesus with everything. But I don’t doubt for a second that Peter was wondering why his Lord would say such an awful thing about him. They were friends, right? Why would Christ tell him he would, of all things, betray him? Ouch!
We want to know & understand, fully.
For now, we, like Peter, and later, Saul-converted-to-Paul, see through a glass, darkly. (I Corinthians 13:1+) Wikipedia has a provocative entry about this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Corinthians_13
Blessed Hope: We will know, even as we are known. Like Jesus knowing Peter even better than Peter, himself. We all have a bit of Pete in us.
Perhaps that is the reason we exclaim, “Oh, for Pete’s Sake!”
🙂
A thought…
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March 25, 2013 at 10:57 pm
churchmouse
I’m not sure the full import of what Jesus prophesied of Peter dawned on him (Peter) until the cock crowed. Nor did the Apostles realise what they were affirming when they said after that prophecy that they would be faithful to our Lord. They fell asleep a short time later in the Garden of Gethsemane. Look who was there at the Crucifixion — only John. (I always wonder if there was some link to John’s being there and being the only one of the Twelve not to die as a martyr.) Who found the tomb empty at the Resurrection? The women who were faithful to Jesus.
What Luther is getting at is ditching the ritualistic devotions and deeply considering our own guilt in Christ’s death on the Cross. That should be a reality for us at all times, especially this week.
We have much to contemplate as Christians and you raise excellent points — many thanks.
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March 27, 2013 at 1:06 pm
RichStine
Agreed: Peter & other Apostles were no doubt amazed, as, with excruciating revelation, the very words Jesus spake, began to unfold before their very eyes. And, as if giant punctuation mark, realizations that roles each thought or mused they would play in His Kingdom, was unnervingly different from expectations.
Wow…since you’ve mentioned it, I’m curious about any correlation between John’s presence at Christ’s crucifixion & being the only one of the 12 to not die as a martyr. Interesting thought!
I appreciate the work you do here, Churchmouse.
🙂 RS
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March 27, 2013 at 4:18 pm
churchmouse
You’re most welcome, Rich.
If I don’t hear from you before the weekend, have a very happy Easter! 🙂
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March 29, 2013 at 1:40 am
RichStine
Likewise, to you! Thanks so very much. I share this with you…and your readers:
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