Friday, May 29, 1528 (Part 1)

Martin Luther preaches a sermon on baptism and the Lord’s Supper. This is the tenth sermon (of eleven) in Luther’s first (of three) series of sermons on the Catechism preached in 1528. As I have not found an English translation of these catechism sermons, in lieu of an excerpt from the sermon preached on May 29, we have an except from the beginning of the Large Catechism‘s (1529) discussion of the Lord’s Supper.

Quotation:

[Part Five: The Sacrament of the Altar]

As we heard about Holy Baptism, so we must speak about the second sacrament in the same way, namely, these three points: What is it? What are its benefits? and, Who is to receive it? All these are established by the words Christ used to institute it. So everyone who desires to be a Christian and go to the sacrament should know them. For we do not intend to admit to the sacrament and administer it to those who do not know what they seek or why they come. The words are these:

“Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night in which he was betrayed, took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’

“In the same way he also took the cup after supper, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Take, drink of this, all of you. This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’” [1]

Here, too, we do not wish to enter into controversy and contend with those who despise and blaspheme this Sacrament, but to learn first (as we did regarding baptism) what is of the greatest importance, namely that the chief point is God’s word and ordinance or command. For it has not been dreamed up by any human, but it was instituted by Christ without anyone’s counsel and deliberation. Therefore, just as the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Creed retain their nature and worth even if you never keep, pray, or believe them, so also does this blessed Sacrament remain unimpaired, so that nothing is detracted or taken from it, even if we use and handle it unworthily. Do you think God cares so much about what we do or believe that on that account he would permit them to affect his ordinance? No, in all temporal matters everything remains as God has created and ordered them, no matter how we employ or use them. This must always be emphasized, for thus we can refute the prating of the seditious spirits who, contrary to the Word of God, regard the sacraments as something that we do.

Now, what is the Sacrament of the Altar?

Answer: It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in and under the bread and wine, which we Christians are commanded by Christ’s word to eat and to drink. And, as we said of baptism that it is not mere water, so here also we say that the sacrament is bread and wine, but not mere bread and wine, such as are ordinarily served at the table, but bread and wine comprehended in, and connected with, the Word of God.

It is the Word (I say) that makes this a sacrament and distinguishes it from ordinary bread and wine, so that it is called and truly is Christ’s body and blood. For it is said: “Accedat verbum ad elementum, et fit sacramentum.” [2] That is, “When the word is joined to the external element, then it becomes a sacrament.” This saying of St. Augustine is so appropriate and so well put that he could hardly have said anything better. The word must make a sacrament of the element; otherwise, it remains a mere element. Now, it is not the word or ordinance of a prince or emperor, but of the divine Majesty, at whose feet all creatures should fall, and confess that it is as he says, and accept it with all reverence, fear, and humility. [to be continued in the next post]

Notes

[1] Luther conflates the descriptions of the institution of the Lord’s Supper in 1 Cor 11:23-25; Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; and Luke 22:19-10.

[2] Augustine, Tractate 80 on John 15:3 [NPNF Series 1. 7:344]: “The word is added to the element, and there results the sacrament, as if itself also a kind of visible word.” (trans. James Innes, 1873)