Luther for the Busy Man

THE WEEK OF TRINITY XI - MONDAY

LESSON: 1 PETER 5:6‒11

“The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” Luke 18:13

It seems that the tax collector must have heard something of God’s Word beforehand, that he believed this Word and became a godly man as a result of this, as Paul says, “Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ” (Romans 10:17). When God’s Word takes hold of a man’s heart...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY XI - SUNDAY

LESSON: LUKE 18:9‒14

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” Luke 18:10

You have already heard that before any man can do what is good and pleasing in God’s sight he must already be a pious man, that is, he must be accounted as justified and righteous before God by faith in Christ. At all times it remains universally true that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and, contrariwise, that a bad tree cannot produce good fru...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY X - SATURDAY

LESSON: LUKE 21:21‒24

“They will not leave one stone upon another in you.” Luke 19:44

Jesus becomes angry at the desecration of His temple by these greedy money-grubbers. They not only despise and neglect the true worship of God but turn it completely upside down and trample it under foot. Out of the temple which God set up to teach men God’s Word and bring them into heaven, they made nothing else but a den of robbers and murderers.

It was, indeed, a den of murderer...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY X - FRIDAY

LESSON: 2 THESSALONIANS 2:12‒17

And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” Luke 19:45‒46

The temple and the whole priesthood was established to promote God’s Word and for the praise of His grace and mercy. This was to be attested with the external service of sacrifices and in public thanksgivings. But the temple services were not simply regarded by the Jews as opport...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY X - THURSDAY

LESSON: 1 PETER 4:12‒19

“Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” Matthew 19:29

In many ways we resemble the Jews. They were more concerned about their bellies than about God, more intent on filling their bellies than on learning God’s plan of salvation for them. Ultimately, therefore, they lost out in both directions, and deservedly so. Inasmuch as they refused to accept eternal life and joy, God a...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY X - WEDNESDAY

LESSON: PSALM 19:1‒4

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you. 2 Thessalonians 3:1

In our day, praise God, the Gospel is being proclaimed with a fullness and clarity that has not been known since the days of the apostles. We should appreciate this time of visitation and pray earnestly to God to continue it among us, especially also by continuing the blessings of peace.

The princes and rulers are always only too ready to...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY X - TUESDAY

LESSON: PSALM 95:6‒11

“The days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:43‒44

These words of Jesus were fulfilled about forty years after this when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in the manner described by Jesus. Let us l...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY X - MONDAY

LESSON: ROMANS 13:11‒14

“Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace!” Luke 19:42

There are many ways in which God can punish men for despising and neglecting the Gospel and His Word. He can send them false prophets and sectarians who preach with such assurance that one would imagine they had swallowed the Holy Spirit. Even men in whom we had every confidence can become their victims and fall into error, so that they no longer know what they should do or leave undone.

T...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY X - SUNDAY

LESSON: LUKE 19:41‒48

When He drew near and saw the city, He wept over it. Luke 19:41

The events described in this Gospel occurred on the day we usually call Palm Sunday when Jesus, amidst public acclaim, entered Jerusalem as the king of grace. On that occasion He proceeded at once to the temple, and there He preached for three days on end. This He had never done before. The sum and content of this Gospel is Christ’s deep concern over those who despise God’s Word and Hi...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IX - SATURDAY

LESSON: MATTHEW 25:31-46

And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

How will the people whom we help by means of the unrighteous mammon receive us into the eternal habitations? Will they take us by the hand and lead us in? By no means!

When we come before God’s judgement, some poor man to whom I have done good will stand up in...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IX - FRIDAY

LESSON: HEBREWS 12:18-24

Enter not into judgement with thy servant; for no man living is righteous before thee. Psalm 143:2

It seems, on the surface, that Christ in this week’s Gospel (Luke 16:1-9) actually suggests that we should do good works by means of unrighteous mammon, so that we may obtain eternal life thereby and that those whom we have helped with our mammon may receive us into eternal habitations.

Our opponents are not slow to remind us that we have always taught we sh...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IX - THURSDAY

LESSON: PSALM 15

Faith working through love. Galatians 5:6

Scripture also speaks of our walk of life externally, of how we are to walk with our fellowmen as human beings made up of flesh and blood. That I am accounted truly righteous before God is something that you do not know, and I myself cannot simply take it for granted. I must make my faith sure and certain for myself and other people as well. I must do good to my neighbor so that my faith proves itself.<...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IX - WEDNESDAY

LESSON: MATTHEW 12:33-37

“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

When Christ declares that we should make friends for ourselves by means of the unrighteous mammon, it is quite clear that He means that we should do good works, on the basis of which these friends will receive us into the eternal habitations (Luke 16:9).

This may...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IX - TUESDAY

LESSON: MATTHEW 10:16-23

“The sons of this world are wiser in their own generation than the sons of light.” Luke 16:8

To understand the story in this week’s Gospel (Luke 16:1-9) correctly, consider St. Paul’s statement, “Adam…was a type of the one who was to come” (Romans 5:14). Adam was a type of Christ. How can the apostle compare Adam with Christ when Adam brought sin and death upon us, and Christ has brought us righteousness and life?

St. Paul compares Adam with Christ in resp...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IX - MONDAY LESSON: 1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19 “The master commended the dishonest steward for his prudence; for the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation than the sons of light.” Luke 16:8 We shall understand the story by which Jesus makes his point in this week’s Gospel (Luke 16:1-9) in its simple meaning, without introducing a large number of subtleties into it, as Jerome has done. It is not always necessary to search out such a pointed meaning; the milk of the story is enough for us. We do not necessarily have to explain here i...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY IX - SUNDAY

LESSON: LUKE 16:1-9

He who trusts in his riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. Proverbs 11:28

In this Gospel, “mammon” means surplus sustenance, including money, with which one can help others without injury to oneself. It is called “unrighteous mammon” by our Lord because of its daily use for unrighteous purposes and because it incites men to all kinds of unrighteousness.

“Mammon” is also God’s creation, like wine and corn, and God’s creatures are good. But men can misuse God’s...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VIII - SATURDAY

LESSON: LUKE 6:46-49

No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11

We must remain free judges with authority to judge, accept, or reject even what popes or councils decide. If we accept anything, we should accept it because it agrees with our conscience as instructed by Holy Scripture, not just because pope or council orders it. St. Paul says in Romans that if a man has prophecy, it should be in agreement with the faith (Romans 12:6). All prophecy...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VIII - FRIDAY

LESSON: 1 JOHN 4:1-6

“He who is of God hears the words of God; the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” John 8:47

Do not let yourself be persuaded to believe in all simplicity what the pope says or what the councils have decided. If you recognize God in the truth of His Word, you have the rule, the measure, and the yardstick whereby you may form a judgement on all the doctrine of the fathers, namely, when you know that...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VIII - THURSDAY

LESSON: PSALM 119:105-112

Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:8-9

In regard to God’s Word, you must reach the point when you say, “That is how matters stand; no one will ever move me from my stan...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VIII - WEDNESDAY

LESSON: PSALM 119:89-96

We also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 1 Thessalonians 2:13

God makes His Word known to us through men, and He proclaimed it and had it written down especially through the apostles. St. Peter and St. Paul did not speak their own words, but God’s Wo...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VIII - TUESDAY

LESSON: 2 PETER 1:19-21

Whoever speaks, [speak] as one who utters oracles of God. 1 Peter 4:11

You must be just as sure and certain about the Word of God as you are sure and certain that you live, and even more so. For on this Word alone your conscience must take its stand.

No matter how many men come along, or even angels and the whole world, with some sort of conclusion, if you cannot make such a judgement or reach such a conclusion, you are...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VIII - MONDAY

LESSON: ROMANS 11:17-20

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15

We should note very carefully that the Lord Jesus orders Christians and gives them authority to be judges over all doctrine, to pronounce judgement on whether it is correct or not. This authority was filched from us by false Christians for something like a thousand years, so that we had no authority to pronounce judgement on any doctrine but simply had to accept, without expressing any ju...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VIII - SUNDAY

LESSON: MATTHEW 7:15-23

“Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12

After explaining the commandments of God as reported in Matthew, chapters five and six and in the earlier part of chapter seven, the Lord concludes His discussion with the words, “Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” This is a Christian doctrine and a neat summary of the whol...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VII - SATURDAY

LESSON: COLOSSIANS 1:15-20

He [Christ] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17

This Gospel (Mark 8:1-9) sets Christ before us as a rich, powerful lord and steward. To be sure, He is a rich miller and baker in one, better than any other that the world has ever seen, and He has learnt His trade very well. He really draws on a number of trades at once and without any human help at all. He ploughs and harvests, threshes, grinds and...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VII - FRIDAY

LESSON: ROMANS 12:1-8

Christ ... suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21

In the Gospels, we are taught both faith and love. Christ is portrayed to us from two viewpoints: from the viewpoint of faith, that we should repose our whole faith and trust in Him and not indulge in anxious care and worry; and from the viewpoint of love. Just as He does to us in His concern for us, feeding us, giving us drink, and clothing us...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VII - THURSDAY

LESSON: PSALM 33:8-22

“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat; and if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come a long way.” Mark 8:2-3

What a friend we have in Jesus! He is even concerned about the welfare of those despicable stomachs of ours. Our hopes must be aroused, and we must certainly find comfort in Christ’s words regarding the mu...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VII - WEDNESDAY

LESSON: PSALM 145:14-21

He has filled the hungry with good things. Luke 1:53

In the discussion on this Gospel of the feeding of the four thousand, we have said quite a lot about entrusting our bodily welfare to God and God’s assurances to us that we will never lack the temporal blessings we need.

We also want to say something about the spiritual blessings which we need, more particularly in the face of death. When we have death before our eyes, we will find th...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VII - TUESDAY

LESSON: PSALM 37:16-26

With God nothing will be impossible. Luke 1:37

Faith is the firm foundation upon which I wait for that which I do not see. Hence, I must always have enough. Before faith would ever experience dire need, the angels would come from heaven and dig bread out of the earth so that a believer with such faith should be fed. Heaven and earth would have to pass away before God allowed such a person to suffer want in clothing or any other necessity. The...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VII - MONDAY

LESSON: EPHESIANS 3:14-21

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Here the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews reminds us that faith is the basis on which we rely for blessings which we do not yet see, or, in other words, I must wait for a blessing that I can neither see nor hear but can only hope for.

This was also the situation in the Gospel (for this week, Mark 8:1-9). Here we...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VII - SUNDAY

LESSON: MARK 8:1-9

The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17

Scripture holds up a twofold picture before us: a picture of fear, that is, a picture of the boundless and strict wrath of God before which no one can stand the test, a picture which would mean utter despair for every one of us if we did not have faith. Over against this, the picture of grace is held up before us, so that faith should regard it very...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - SATURDAY

LESSON: ROMANS 8:1-9

“Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17

What are we to learn from Christ’s interpretation of the Law in His Sermon on the Mount? First, you should learn that if you were to be judged by your obedience to the Law, you would have to be condemned as a child of sin and the devil. From this lost condition you cannot possibly rescue yourself by you...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - FRIDAY

LESSON: LUKE 12:57-59

“Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:25-26

We do injury to our neighbor in many ways. When I do not protect his good name to the best of my ability and when I am unfriendly to him...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - THURSDAY

LESSON: MATTHEW 18:21-35

“If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24

There are two parties here. One has committed a wrong against another man; he must ask forgiveness. The other man has been wronged; he must offer forgiveness in a friendly and ready manner, even if he has not been requested to d...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - WEDNESDAY

LESSON: 1 PETER 1:22-25

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:15

It is quite clear from Christ’s interpretation in this Gospel that we are all guilty of breaking the commandment, “You shall not kill.”

He who is not born again from God cannot possibly ever throw off the charge of murder. Even though a man refrains from the act of murder, he cannot get rid of his murderous thoughts and his ac...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - TUESDAY

LESSON: ROMANS 10:5-13

“Whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.” Matthew 5:21

Christ here interprets the law of Moses and pronounces a judgment which applies all over the world. What man on this earth is not guilty of breaking this commandment? What will we do now in the face of the necessity of keeping this commandment while not being able to do so? We cannot sweep away the mire. We are faced with despair and must judge ourselves accordingly. Hence, God’s laws are only a mirror in whi...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - MONDAY

LESSON: PSALM 1

“You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgement.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire.” Matthew 5:21-22

This word is so lofty and deep at one and the same time that it defies all and any effo...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY VI - SUNDAY

LESSON: MATTHEW 5:20-26

“I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20

The scribes and Pharisees led a life of such a kind that both they themselves as well as other people were of the opinion that they would gain the kingdom of heaven as a result. But they were very wide of the mark. Christ censures them and tells His disciples that, unless their righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, they...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY V - SATURDAY

LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:11-15

“Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” Luke 5:10

This is an evangelical word by which weak hearts may obtain consolation. We have seen in this Gospel how God looks after our bodily needs. He provided Peter with so many fish when he would have probably had enough with two or so. God also fills Peter so richly spiritually that he should have enough also in this respect to share it with others. He makes Peter a fisherman both bodily and spir...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY V - FRIDAY

LESSON: PSALM 143

If thou, O Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. Psalm 130:3-4

When you feel your sins and become like Peter with a desire to run away from God, you must turn around and get closer and closer to Him. For if God were disposed to flee from you and were not willing to take away your sins, He would never have come to you or pursued you. Therefore, the more you...

THE WEEK OF TRINITY V - THURSDAY

LESSON: ROMANS 5:18-21

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken. Luke 5:8-9

We may take Peter here as an example of those who are to believe in the eternal blessings and actually see them. A sinful conscience is by nature so constituted that it does what Peter does here, it flees from i...