Christ says in the Gospel (Luke 11:21, 22): When a strong man (that is, the devil) holds his palace and guards it, all things are at peace. But when the Word of God comes, which is stronger than he, then he kicks up a fuss and things begin to fly. When the Word is absent, everything is quiet, and he can safely rule his own, as we have seen under the kingdom of the pope. Then he used to leave things nicely at peace, for there was no one around to disturb them. But now that the light of the Gospel has dawned, look how active and lively he is! He stirs hand and foot, just as we read in the Gospel (Mark 9:26). When Jesus wanted to drive out the devil from the man who was possessed, the devil convulsed the man, raging and raving, foaming and grimacing and refusing to be driven out. This is the case in our own time too. When someone wants to drive him out through the Gospel, he fights back tooth and nail, He bestirs himself, arouses sects and fanatics, and makes people angry, avaricious, jealous, hateful, and concerned only about their bellies. At one time people were willing to give a hundred thousand guldens to monks and priests and even to the devil himself. Now they are hardly willing to give even one gulden; in fact, they would take that back if they could. The Gospel teaches giving, but the devil teaches taking. And what is the source of all this? It is not flesh and blood alone, but the living devil himself. He has been aroused, he is afraid that he must vacate his nest, and he knows very well what he has at stake. Martin Luther Luthers Works, AE 13:409, Selected Psalms II, Psalm 112:5
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 11:18:26 +0000
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