Monday, June 24, 2013

Sending God back To School?

“We have the idea that God could not reign if he did not have wise and understanding people to help him. . . . [The wise and understanding] are always exerting themselves; they do things in the Christian church the way they want to themselves. Everything that God does they must improve, so that there is no poorer, more insignificant and despised disciple on earth than God; he must be everybody’s pupil, everybody wants to be his teacher. . . . They are not satisfied with what God has done and instituted, they cannot let things be as they were ordained to be. . . . These are the real wiseacres, of whom Christ is speaking here, who always have to have and do something special in order that the people may say, ‘Ah, our pastor or preacher is nothing; there’s the real man, he'll get things done!’ . . . Should God be so greatly pleased with these fellows who are all too smart and wise for him and are always wanting to send him back to school?”
Martin Luther, preaching his last sermon, on Matthew 11:25-30, quoted in Luther’s Works: Sermons I (Philadelphia, 1959), pages 383-384.

The scripture Luther is referring to is "I thank you Father Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes Father for such was your gracious will." These were the religious leaders of Jesus day that said John had a demon and Jesus was a glutton and a drunkard, well so much for what they knew. But Luther includes so many self appointed experts in the church that always know more than anyone else, especially the Pastor. These people submit to no one acting as if they know more than God himself.
Read all of chapter 11 to get the whole picture and read verse 27 "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

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