Reformation Religion Theology

Sheer Nonsense: Martin Luther Preaches About Christmas

From the great Reformer’s sermon on Shepherds, collected in Martin Luther’s Christmas Book: “This is […]

David Zahl / 12.12.07

From the great Reformer’s sermon on Shepherds, collected in Martin Luther’s Christmas Book:

“This is a fair, dear and precious assurance to troubled and tormented consciences laden with sins, that to them and to us all a Child is born who will rule and vindicate, who will help and not destroy, murder, strangle or kill.”

“The Christian faith is foolishness. It says that God can do anything and yet makes himself so weak that either his Son had no power or wisdom or else the whole story is made up.”

“God does not even send an angel to take the devil by the nose. He sends, as it were, an earthworm lying in weakness, helpless, without his mother, and he suffers him to be nailed to a cross… So spoke Caiaphas and Pilate, ‘He is nothing but a carpenter,’ and then in his weakness and infirmity he crunches the devil’s back and alters the whole world. He suffered himself to be trodden under the foot of man and to be crucified, and through weakness he takes power and the Kingdom.”

“If I had come to Bethlehem and seen it, I would have said: ‘This does not make sense. Can this be the Messiah? This is sheer nonsense.’ I would not have let myself be found inside the stable.”