Sermon 134

SERMO 134

ON THE WORDS OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (8, 31-34):
"If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples."

Christ is the teacher of all. Abide in the word of God.

Your Love knows that we all have one Master and are fellow students under Him. We are not your masters because we speak to you from a higher place, but the Master of all who dwells in all of us is speaking. He was just now speaking to all of us in the Gospel and was telling us what I am also telling you: but He speaks of us, and to us and to you: "If you remain in my word, not indeed in my word, who is now speaking, but in His, who was just now speaking in the Gospel: If you remain in my word," He says, "you are truly my disciples." It is little to come to a disciple; but to remain. Therefore, He did not say: "If you hear my word;" or: "If you come to my word;" or: "If you praise my word;" but see what He said: "If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." What shall we say, brothers? Is it a labor to remain in the word of God, or is it not? If it is labor, consider the great reward; if it is not labor, you receive the reward freely. Let us therefore remain in Him who remains in us. We, if we do not remain in Him, fall; but He, if He does not remain in us, has not therefore lost His abode. For He knows how to remain in Himself, who never forsakes Himself. But let it be far from man that he should remain in himself, who has lost himself. Therefore we remain in Him out of need; He remains in us out of mercy.

The reward of abiding in the word of Christ. To be freed is said in two ways.

Now therefore, if it is clear what we must do, let us see what we shall receive. For He has prescribed the work, and promised the reward. What is the work? If you continue in my word. A short work; short in word, great in deed: If you continue. What does it mean: If you continue? If you build upon the rock. O how great it is, brothers, to build upon the rock, how great it is! The rivers came, the winds blew, the rain descended, and beat upon that house, and it did not fall: for it was founded upon the rock. What then is it to remain in the word of God, but to yield to no temptations? What is the reward? You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Have compassion on us, because you perceive my voice to be feeble; assist me with your tranquility. O the reward! You shall know the truth. Perhaps someone might say: And what does it profit me to know the truth? And the truth shall make you free. If the truth does not delight you, let liberty delight you. In common Latin usage, to be liberated is spoken of in two ways; and we are especially accustomed to hearing this word such that whoever is liberated is understood to escape danger, to be free from troubles. However, to be liberated is properly said to be made free: just as to be saved is to be made safe; to be healed is to be made healthy; thus to be liberated is to be made free. Therefore I said: If the truth does not delight you, let liberty delight you. This is more clearly expressed in the Greek language, and it cannot be understood otherwise. And so that you may know that it cannot be understood otherwise; while the Lord was speaking, the Jews answered: We have never been enslaved to anyone; how do you say that: The truth shall make you free? That is: The truth shall make you free, how do you say to us, who have never been enslaved to anyone? Those whom you see, they say, to have no necessity of servitude, how do you promise freedom to them?

Slavery of sin.

They heard what they ought to have done: but they did not do what they ought to have done. What did they hear? Because I said: The truth shall set you free; you considered yourselves to be free because you did not serve man, and you said: We have never served anyone. Everyone: Jew and Greek, rich and poor, honored and dishonored, emperor and beggar, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. Everyone, he says, who commits sin is a slave to sin. If men acknowledge their servitude, they will see whence they receive their freedom. A freeman is captured by barbarians, from a freeman he has become a slave; a compassionate man hears, considers that he has money, becomes a redeemer, goes to the barbarians, gives the money, redeems the man. Clearly, he has returned freedom, if he has taken away iniquity. But who has taken away iniquity? A man from another man? He who served among the barbarians, was redeemed by his redeemer; and there is a great difference between the redeemer and the redeemed; yet under the dominion of iniquity they might be fellow slaves. I ask the redeemed: Do you have sin? I have, he says. I ask the redeemer: Do you have sin? I have, he says. Therefore neither should you boast of being redeemed, nor should you exalt yourself as the redeemer: but both flee to the true liberator. It is little that those who are under sin are called slaves; they are also called dead. That which a man fears captivity would do to him, iniquity has already done to him. For what does it matter that they seem to live, did he who said this err: Let the dead bury their dead? Therefore all are dead under sin, dead slaves, serving dead, dying slaves.

From the bondage of sin and death, none but Christ delivers. Likeness of sinful flesh in Christ.

Who then frees from death and slavery, if not the one free among the dead? Who is free among the dead, if not the one without sin among sinners? Behold, the prince of the world comes, our Redeemer himself says, our Liberator: Behold, the prince of the world comes, and he will find nothing in me. He holds those he deceived, those he led astray, to whom he persuaded sin and death; he will find nothing in me. Come, Lord; come, Redeemer, come; let the captive recognize you, let the captor flee from you: you be to me a liberator. He found me lost, in whom the devil found nothing to act upon. The prince of this age found flesh in him, he found: and what kind of flesh? Mortal flesh, which he could hold, which he could crucify, which he could kill. You are mistaken, deceiver, the Redeemer is not mistaken: you are mistaken. You see mortal flesh in the Lord, it is not the flesh of sin: it is the likeness of the flesh of sin. For God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin. True flesh, mortal flesh, but not the flesh of sin. For God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin, so that by sin He might condemn sin in the flesh. For God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin: into flesh, yet not into the flesh of sin; but into the likeness of the flesh of sin. For what reason? So that from sin, which surely was not in Himself, He might condemn sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.

Sins, sacrifices for sins.

Therefore, if it was a likeness of sinful flesh, not sinful flesh itself, how: That he might condemn sin in the flesh on account of sin? It is also common for a likeness to take the name of the thing of which it is a likeness. A man is called true; but even if you show a painted image on a wall, and ask what it is, it is answered: A man. Therefore, the flesh having the likeness of sinful flesh was called sin, so that it might be a sacrifice for sin. The same apostle says in another place: He who knew no sin, he made to be sin for us. He who knew no sin; who knew no sin except him who said: Behold, the prince of this world comes, and he finds nothing in me? He who knew no sin, he made to be sin for us; he himself, Christ, ignorant of sin, God made to be sin for us. What is this, brothers? If it were said: He made him sin, or: He made him have sin, it would seem intolerable: how do we tolerate what is said: He made him to be sin, so that Christ himself is sin? Those who know the Scriptures of the Old Testament recognize what I say. For it is not said once, but often, very frequently, that sins are called sacrifices for sins. For example, a goat, a ram, anything offered for sin was named sin itself. Therefore sin was called a sacrifice for sin: so that somewhere the Law says, priests ought to lay their hands upon the sin. Therefore: He who knew no sin, he made to be sin for us; that is: he was made a sacrifice for sin. Sin was offered, and sin was erased. The blood of the Redeemer was shed, and the obligation of the debtor was erased. This is the blood which was shed for many for the remission of sins.

Conclusion.

What is it then that you foolishly rejoiced, my captor, because my Redeemer had mortal flesh? If he had sin, see: if you found anything of yours in him, hold on to it. The Word was made flesh. The Word is the creator, the flesh is the creature. What of yours is there, enemy? And the Word is God, and the soul of man is a creature, and the flesh of man is a creature, and the mortal flesh of God is a creature. Look for sin. But what are you looking for? The Truth speaks: The prince of this world will come, and he will find nothing in me. Therefore, he did not find not flesh, but nothing of his own, that is, no sin. You deceived the innocent, you made the guilty. You killed the innocent; you destroyed whom you ought not to have, return what you held. Why then did you rejoice for a moment, because you found mortal flesh in Christ? It was your trap: from where you rejoiced, there you were caught. Where you exalted that you found something, there now you grieve over what you have lost. Therefore, brothers, who believe in Christ, let us remain in his word. For if we remain in his word, we are truly his disciples. Not only those twelve, but all who remain in his word, we are truly his disciples. And we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free; that is, Christ the Son of God, who said: I am the truth. He will make us free; this is: he will liberate us, not from barbarians, but from the devil; not from captivity of the body, but from iniquity of the soul. He alone thus liberates. Let no one call himself free, lest he remain a slave. Our soul will not remain in servitude, because our debts are forgiven daily.