Special and chosen sermons of D. Martin Luther collected out of his writings and…

We will discuss and examine this Gospel throughout, as God shall give us grace. These words the Lord spake unto his Disciples after his Supper, when he was now about to depart from them. Forasmuch as he had said many things unto them of his departure and passion, they were after a sort troubled and terrified, wherefore the Lord beginneth lovingly to comfort them, saying: Let not your heart be troubled. As if he would say: I perceive that my departure doth grieve you, and that ye are therefore troubled: But seeing it can not be otherwise, be not discomforted, there is no cause why ye should therefore be troubled, I will come again unto you. Notwithstanding ye shall see many things in me before, whereat ye will be offended, they shall crucify me and unworthily handle me. But be not ye troubled because of these things, be not afraid, it will be better shortly after, the will of the Father is such. Howbeit flesh can not do ⟨p. 472⟩otherwise but be offended, if it seeth Christ to be crucified, it byandby revolteth from him, it believeth him not neither counteth him for a Saviour. Which also it doth, when it seeth holy men suffer persecution, to be afflicted and tormented, for then it thinketh that God hath no care of them. Against this offence Christ aforehand confirmeth his Disciples, and saith: Ye believe in God, believe also in me. That is, ye believe that God loveth you and will glorify you, believe that he will do it after that sort, that ye see me glorified, and believe that this my death is life, to the glorifying both of me, and of my whole body, that is, of all Christians, and that this death satisfieth for the since of the world, as the Apostles afterward witnessed of him in their writings.¹ Thus John saith: Christ is the reconciliation for our since: and not for ours only, but also for the since of the whole world. Wherefore thou seest that Christ here will have hearts confirmed by faith, and by no other outward thing. He saith moreover:

We will discusse and examine this Gospell throughout, as God shall giue vs grace. These wordes the Lord spake vnto his Disciples after his Supper, when he was now about to depart from them. Forasmuch as he had said many thinges vnto them of his departure and passion, they were after a sort troubled and terrified, wherefore the Lord beginneth louingly to comfort thē, saying: Let not your heart be troubled. As if he would say: I perceiue that my departure dothe grieue you, and that ye are therefore troubled: But seeing it can not be otherwise, be not discomforted, there is no cause why ye should therefore be troubled, I will come againe vnto you. Notwithstanding ye shall see many thinges in me before, whereat ye wilbe offended, they shal crucifie me and vnworthely handle me. But be not ye troubled because of these thinges, be not afrayde, it wilbe better shortly after, the will of the Father is such. Howbeit flesh can not do