The Fifth Sermon,
We have heard of the things that are necessary, such as that the mass is not to be performed as a sacrifice, and of the unnecessary things, such as monks’ leaving the monasteries, the marriage of priests, and images. We have seen how we must treat these matters, that no compulsion or ordinance must be made of them, and that no one shall be dragged from them or to them by the hair, but that we must let the Word of God alone do the work. Let us now consider how we must observe the blessed sacrament.
You have heard how I preached against the foolish law of the pope and opposed his precept,22 that no woman shall wash the altar linen on which the body of Christ has lain, even if it be a pure nun, except it first be washed by a pure priest.23 Likewise, when any one has touched the body of Christ, the priests come running and scrape his fingers, and much more of the same sort. But when a maid has slept with a naked priest, the pope winks at it and lets it go. If she becomes pregnant and bears a child, he lets that pass, too. But to touch the altar linen and the sacrament [i.e., the host], this he will not allow. But when a priest grabs it, both top and bottom, this is all right.
Against such fool laws we have preached and exposed them, in order that it might be made known that no sin is involved in these foolish laws and commandments of the pope, and that a layman does not commit sin if he touches the cup or the body of Christ with his hands. You should give thanks to God that you have come to such clear knowledge, which many great men have lacked. But now you go ahead and become as foolish as the pope, in that you think that a person must touch the sacrament with his hands. You want to prove that you are good Christians by touching the sacrament with your hands, and thus you have dealt with the sacrament, which is our highest treasure, in such a way that it is a wonder you were not struck to the ground by thunder and lightning. All the other things God might have suffered, but this he cannot allow, because you have made a compulsion of it. And if you do not stop this, neither the emperor nor anyone else need drive me from you, I will go without urging; and I dare say that none of my enemies, though they have caused me much sorrow, have wounded me as you have.
If you want to show that you are good Christians by handling the sacrament and boast of it before the world, then Herod and Pilate are the chief and best Christians, since it seems to me that they really handled the body of Christ when they had him nailed to the cross and put to death. No, my dear friends, the
But you may say: We live and we ought to live according to the Scriptures, and God has so instituted the sacrament that we must take it with our hands, for he said, “Take, eat, this is my body” [Matt. 26:26]. The answer is this: though I am convinced beyond a doubt that the disciples of the Lord took it with their hands, and though I admit that you may do the same without committing sin, nevertheless I can neither make it compulsory nor defend it. And my reason is that the devil, when he really pushes us to the wall, will argue: Where have you read in the Scriptures that “take” means “grasping with the hands”? How, then, am I going to prove or defend it? Indeed, how will I answer him when he cites from the Scriptures the very opposite, and proves that “take” does not mean to receive with the hands only, but also to convey to ourselves in other ways? “Listen to this, my good fellow,” he will say, “is not the word ‘take’ used by three evangelists when they described the Lord’s taking of gail and vinegar? [Matt. 27:34; Mark 15:23; Luke 23:36]. You must admit that the Lord did not touch or handle it with his hands, for his hands were nailed to the cross.” This verse is a strong argument against me. Again, he cites the passage: Et accepit omnes timor, “Fear seized them all” [Luke
Therefore no new practices should be introduced, unless the gospel has first been thoroughly preached and understood, as it has been among you. On this account, dear friends, let us deal soberly and wisely in the things that pertain to God, for God will not be mocked [Gal. 6:7]. The saints may endure mockery, but with God it is vastly different. Therefore, I beseech you, give up this practice.
Concerning Both Kinds in the Sacrament
Now let us speak of the two kinds. Although I hold that it is necessary that the sacrament should be received in both kinds, according to the institution of the Lord, nevertheless it must not be made compulsory nor a general law. We must rather promote and practice and preach the Word, and then afterwards leave the result and execution of it entirely to the Word, giving everyone his freedom in this matter. Where this is not done, the sacrament becomes for me an outward work and a hypocrisy, which is just what the devil wants. But when the Word is given free course and is not bound to any external observance, it takes hold of one today and sinks into his heart, tomorrow it touches another, and so on. Thus quietly and soberly it does its work, and no one will know how it all came about.
I was glad to know when some one wrote me, that some people here had begun to receive the sacrament in both kinds. You should have allowed it to remain thus and not forced it into a law. But now you go at it pell mell, and headlong force every one to it. Dear friends, you will not succeed in that way. For if you desire to be regarded as better Christians than others just because you take the sacrament into your hands and also receive it in both kinds, you are bad Christians as far as I am concerned. In this way even a sow could be a Christian, for she has a big enough snout to receive the sacrament outwardly. We must deal soberly with such high things. Dear friends, this dare be no mockery, and if you are going to follow me, stop it. If you are not going to follow me, however, then no one need drive me away from you—I will leave you unasked, and I shall regret that I ever preached so much as one sermon in this place. The other things could be passed by, but this cannot be overlooked; for you have gone so far that people are saying: At Wittenberg there are very good Christians, for they take the sacrament in their hands and grasp the cup, and then they go to their brandy and swill themselves full. So the weak and well-meaning people, who would come to us if they had received as much instruction as we have, are driven away.
But if there is any one who is so smart that he must touch the sacrament with his hands, let him have it brought home to his house and there let him handle it to his heart’s content. But in public let him abstain, since that will bring him no harm and the offense will be avoided which is caused to our brothers, sisters, and neighbors, who are now so angry with us that they are ready to kill us. I may say that of all my enemies who have opposed me up to this time none have brought me so much grief as you.
This is enough for today; tomorrow we shall say more.
SERMON ON THE WORTHY RECEPTION OF THE SACRAMENT
1521
Translated by Martin H. Bertram
INTRODUCTION
By January, 1521, Martin Luther was a full-fledged heretic, condemned and excommunicated by the Roman pontiff1 and under virtual condemnation by the emperor. Nonetheless, German rulers participating in the Imperial Diet at
Less than a week before his departure for
Poliander’s3 collection of Luther’s sermons contains a version of this discourse,4 which, while at times quoting the text followed here, is generally more detailed and polemical. It should be noted, however, that Poliander gives only three points, whereas our text contains thirteen.
The translation is based on the German text, Sermon von der würdigen Empfahung des heiligen wahren Leichnams Christi, gethan am Gründonnerstag, in WA 7, (689) 692–697.
SERMON ON THE WORTHY RECEPTION OF THE SACRAMENT
Jesus
First, those who openly live in sin or who wilfully harbor evil thoughts, such as of hatred, of uncleanness, and the like, shall not receive the sacrament. Until they shun these sins, the church’s precept is not meant for them. It is better to obey God’s command than that of the church [Acts
Second, those who find that they are prompted to partake of it merely because of the order of the church2 or from habit, who, if wholly free to choose, would not come to it with good will and longing, also must not partake of the sacrament. As
Third, you may say that if this is true, then there is reason to fear that only a few people in the world receive the sacrament worthily, since almost everybody receives it not by free choice but only in obedience to the church. Answer: that does not alter facts. There must be hunger and thirst for this food and drink; otherwise harm is sure to follow. The same is true in nature. When your body is sated and filled, and yet you partake of a plentiful and rich meal, this is bound to end in sickness and death. But if your body is hungry and thirsty, such a meal will make you cheerful, healthy, and strong.
Fourth, the pope falls short of his duty, yes, he does wrong, by indiscriminately driving and ordering the people to the sacrament rather than first doing all in his power to instil this hunger and thirst in their hearts. Thus he simply ruins souls and drives them to sin, utterly defeating the purpose of the sacrament unless we understand the pope’s command as applying only to those who hunger for the sacrament. If that is not the meaning, it is indeed an evil and harmful command; it should be ignored until your own hunger constrains you to come to the sacrament. Then you will no longer need the pope’s command. After all, the sacrament—even God himself—can bestow nothing on you against your will. Since God’s gifts are so great, they demand a great hunger and desire, but they avoid and flee from a forced and unwilling heart.
Fifth, such hunger and thirst are created not by compelling a man, but by showing him his frailty and his need so that he will see his wretched condition and feel the desire to be delivered from it. This happens, for instance, when you recognize that you are weak in faith, cold in love, and faint in hope. You will find that you are disposed toward hatred and impatience, impurity, greed, and whatever other vice there is. This you will undoubtedly find and feel if you really look at yourself. All the saints have found this to be true about themselves. You must also see whether you have weakly yielded or would have fallen prey to one or the other. To know and understand your sin and to be willing to resolve to get rid of such vice and evil and to long to become pure, modest, gentle, mild, humble, believing, loving, etc.—that is the beginning of such hunger and thirst.4
Sixth, the greater and more fervent this desire is in you, the better fit you are to receive the sacrament. God has given his commandment so that you might thereby know your sin. Moreover, he punishes some dreadfully and threatens others with death and hell and pain and misery to spur man on to long for godliness and thus prepare him for this sacrament. Then a man no longer heeds the church’s command but is happy that he can partake of the sacrament because of his own urging and need, without any command or demand. The pope and all the priests should implant this doctrine and teaching in the people and leave their own precept aside, thus giving everybody a free hand. Then he who for such reasons does not long for the sacrament will not partake of it. Now, however, they stress only their command, and the people throng to it, and great harm is done to Christendom.
Seventh, when a man has this hunger and so is prepared for the sacrament, he must carefully avoid receiving it while trusting in his own worthiness. Nor must he merely pray, as some do, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but say only a word, and my soul will be healed” [Matt. 8:8]. I am not rejecting that prayer, but one should be aware of something else. I am referring to the words Christ spoke when he instituted the mass: “Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. Take, drink, all of you; for it is the cup of the new and eternal testament in my blood, poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins” [Matt. 26:26–28].
Although the priest utters these words softly during mass5 (would to God that he would shout them loudly so that all could hear them clearly, and, moreover, in the German language), every Christian should have these words close to himself and put his mind on them above all others. For just as they are meant for us all, so they are spoken by the priest in the stead of Christ to all who stand around him. We should take all of these words to heart, placing our trust in them and not doubting that with these the Lord invites us to be his guests at this abundant meal.
Eighth, the priest’s elevation of the sacrament and the cup, together with the ringing of the bells,6 has no other purpose than to remind us of the words of Christ. It is as if the priest and the bell-ringer were saying to us all, “Listen, you Christians, and see, take and eat, take and drink, etc. ‘This is the body and this is the blood of Christ,’ spoken softly by the priest, but heard clearly and audibly by us. With these words you must now edify your hungry heart and rely upon the truth of this divine promise, then receive the sacrament, make your way to God, and say, ‘Lord, it is true that I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, but I need and desire your help and grace to make me godly. I now come to you, trusting only in the wonderful words I just heard, with which you invite me to your table and promise me, the unworthy one, forgiveness of all my sins through your body and blood if I eat and drink them in this sacrament. Amen. Dear Lord, I do not doubt the truth of your words. Trusting them, I eat and I drink with you. Do unto me according to your words. Amen.’ ”
Ninth, worthy reception of the sacrament, however, is not based on our diligence and effort, our work and prayers, or our fasting, but on the truth of the divine words. To be sure, some invented various fruits of the mass to stimulate a desire and longing for the sacrament. One devised this fruit, another that. Some among them write that he who comes to the mass will not grow older. They have fooled with it so long that they have made the fruits of the mass appear to be nothing but bodily and temporal benefits,7 although they have no authority beyond their own dreams to do this. They also believe that the mass assures security and happiness for the day on which it is heard. Nothing has remained of the mass, that is, of the meaning and use of this divine promise, which is really the whole essence of the mass. For during the Last Supper the Lord instituted only these words, and he gave them to us solely for spiritual purposes, such as, the remission of sin and the reception of grace and help so that the human heart, clinging to these words by faith, should gain strength in everything good against sin, death, and hell. His Word and work were not intended to help us in a temporal way, but in a spiritual and eternal way. It is an insult to God to misuse these for the attainment of temporal benefits.
Tenth, when the pastor administers the sacrament, it must be understood that he is acting in accord with Christ’s words, “Take, and eat,” etc. A person should receive the sacrament on the strength of these words, be mindful of them, and not doubt that in him there takes place the intent and content of those same words of Christ, namely, that Christ’s body is given for him and that his blood was shed for him, and that he is an heir of the New Testament, that is, of God’s grace and favor for eternal life. Faith creates godliness and drives out all sin, grants strength in sickness, enlightens in all blindness, heals all evil inclinations, guards against sin, and performs every good deed. In brief, the fruit of such faith is that never can there remain any frailty; for in faith the Holy Spirit is given, and thereby a man loves God because of the abundant goodness received from him. A man becomes cheerful and glad to do all that is good without the compulsion of law and command.
Eleventh, just see how far those who taught us that if we wanted to receive the sacrament worthily we would have to be perfectly pure8 have departed from the proper path. They made us shy and timid. They reduced the sweet and blessed sacrament to a frightful and hazardous act. As a result, only a few people come to the sacrament with joy and longing, since they constantly fear that they are not pure and worthy enough.9 It is just this worry and fear that makes them unworthy and, at the same time, drives out hunger and thirst. Fear and desire cannot exist side by side. Thus they hindered us with the very means by which they thought to advance us. If you do not want to come to the sacrament until you are perfectly clean and whole, it would be better for you to remain away entirely. The sacrament is to purify you and help you. Yet you do not want to come until you no longer need its help and have already helped yourself. This is just as if you were invited to a splendid banquet and would gorge and swill before you went. Then, as you sit at table, you would feel nauseated and miserable, while all the fine dishes would be served you in vain. How would your host like that?
Twelfth, you see, that is what happens when one tries to make people pious and lead them to the right by means of commandments and laws. It only makes them worse. Thanks to such tactics, they do unwillingly and drearily whatever they do. This becomes a hindrance to God’s grace and sacrament. God neither wants to nor will he grant this grace to those who were forced, pressed, and driven to the sacrament by commandment and law, but only to hearts that long and pine and thirst for it, to hearts that come voluntarily. In Matthew 11 [:12] Christ says, “Since the days of John the Baptist the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence took it by force.” That is to say: Since John showed the people their sins and shortcomings, which all pastors should do, they longed so for the
Thirteenth, Christ entices us similarly in Matthew 11 [:28], saying, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will refresh and help you.” It is out of the question that the Lord is here speaking about physical labor or burdens, for he helps only the soul. Therefore, these words of his must be understood to refer to the labor and the burden of the conscience, which is nothing else than a bad conscience oppressed by sins committed, by daily transgressions, and by a leaning toward sin. The Lord does not drive all such people from him, as do those who teach that we must come to the sacrament with purity and worthiness. Nor does he issue a command or compel anyone to go to the sacrament, but rather he kindly invites and encourages all who are sinners and find themselves burdened and who yearn for help. The sublime sacrament must be regarded by us not as a poison, but as a medicine for the soul.10 Christ himself declares in Matthew 9 [:12], “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” The only question is whether you thoroughly recognize and feel your labor and your burden and that you yourself fervently desire to be relieved of these. Then you are indeed worthy of the sacrament. If you believe, the sacrament gives you everything you need. At present, however, most people come to the sacrament without this understanding of it. They come with a hungry stomach and a full soul; they pray much beforehand and yet do not believe. They receive the sacrament and yet do not really avail themselves of it. They have no other reason for receiving the sacrament than a fearful and unwilling obedience to the church’s precept, thus becoming utterly unfit for it. Woe unto all teachers who not only are silent about the use and power of the holy sacrament, but also are a hindrance to it with their mad doings and writings. May God deliver us from them. Amen.
Finis
[1]Luther, M. 1999, c1969. Luther's works, vol. 42 : Devotional Writings I (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works. Vol. 42 (Vol. 42, Page 167-179). Fortress Press: