#4 – The Insanity of Luther
In the 16th century, hot debates would go
on in the world of religion. Martin Luther was considered rude at
times, and the Pope referred to him as a wild boar running around their
vineyards. It was thought he was a
drunken German, and they believed he would change his mind about his 95 Theses after he
sobered up. Some in the 20th
century thought perhaps he was a madman. Why? He engaged in theological debate
in an unusual way, very crass at times.
He was intemperate in his speech and neurotic about his health (hypochondriac), had nervous anxiety and nervous stomach, had kidney stones, predicted his death 6
or 7 times thinking he was going to die with his stomach aches. He had
many phobias. He had such
a fear of the wrath of God that early on in his ministry someone asked him if
he loved God. He said “Love God? You ask me if I love God? Sometimes I hate
God! I see Christ as a consuming judge who is simply looking at me to evaluate
me and visit affliction upon me.”
That
hatred was related to his paralyzing fear he had about God. As a young man his
dad wanted him to be a lawyer. When Luther was a law student he was a brilliant
young mind, but in the midst of that experience he came home when a storm
arose, and he was trapped in the road in a violent thunderstorm. A lightening
bolt landed so close to his horse that he was thrown. Had a narrow escape from
death, and promised to become a monk. Thought it was an omen and a call to the
ministry, dropped out of law school and took training for ministry, not out of
love for God but out of phobias.
At last his first mass
came, and Hans Luther (his dad) came. Martin Luther was an outstanding scholar and speaker, so everyone was waiting in
anticipation for the first mass. They believed a miracle took place. During the prayer of
consecration, they believed transubstantiation occurred. The appearance of bread and wine was the
same, but they thought there was a substance change in these elements – changed into the substance of
the body and blood of Christ. Luther
made his prayer over these elements.
Everyone waited for Luther to say the words of consecration. This
arrogant person capable of public speaking and well rehearsed suddenly froze, he trembled, his mouth opened and lips moved but no words came out. His dad was embarrassed. Not
a mental lapse as was thought, but he began to contemplate that his sinful self could not hold in
his sinful hands the body and blood of
Christ. So overcome with his unworthiness that he froze.
Most indicate his
insanity was the apparent commitment to meglamania (I'm not sure if I spelled that right): a person being willing to defy every
authority structure in this world and stand utterly alone as a young priest
against the pope, church, counsels, everyone.
Debated with many. Went to Diet of Worms. He claimed the Pope is an adversary of Christ, and the vicar of
Satan. Less than tactful and diplomatic.
Luther marched in to the Diet of Worms, and when asked if he would recant (deny) what he said about Christ and faith and his 95 Theses, he declared he would not recant Christ. Hollywood version was he came in boldly and loudly and said: “Unless I am convinced by sacred Scripture or
by evident reason I will not recant. For my conscience is held captive by the
Word of God and to act against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I
stand. God help me. I can do no other.” That's not how it happened. That moment
in church history when asked: Will you recant? He said so quietly that no one heard him, and he was asked to answer a second time. He said, “could
I have 24 hrs. to think it over?” He
didn’t know if he was right. He was
granted the additional time.
He retired
to his cell for private prayer and meditation and wrote a prayer that has
survived to this day. A private Gethsemane. Here is a portion of his prayer: “Oh God, Almighty
God everlasting, how dreadful is the world. Behold, how its mouth opens to
swallow me up, and how small is my faith in Thee…if I had to depend upon any
strength in this world, all is over….help me against all the wisdom of this
world…for the work is not mine, but Thine. I have no business here, I have
nothing to contend for with these great men of the world. I would gladly pass
my days in happiness and peace, but the cause is yours, and it is righteous and
everlasting, Oh Lord….I lean not upon man…dost thou not hear?...Thou hast
chosen me for this work, I know it. Therefore, O God, accomplish thine own will
and forsake me not, for the sake of thy will, beloved son Jesus Christ, my
defense, my buckler, my stronghold…”
When Luther returned to the Diet of Worms the next day, they again said, “Brother Martin,
will you now recant of these teachings?” Again he hesitated for a moment and he
said, “unless I’m convinced by sacred scripture or by evident reason, don’t you
see, I can’t recant. My conscience is
held captive by the word of God and to act against conscience is neither right
nor safe. Here I stand. I can’t do
anything else. God help me.” Meglomania?
Visions of grandeur – maybe.
Going back to the years on the monastery, the monks would give a daily confession. As a matter of routine the
other brothers would do their confessional, but Martin Luther would spend 2 hours or 3 hours or 4
hours to confess sins in the past 24 hrs.
The superiors in the monastery told him to stop. They were small little sins, and they wondered if he just liked to spend time in the confessional, trying to get out of doing other things. But
they realized he was earnest about this. Would come out and hear the words of
the priest say “your sins are forgiven”, and would feel lighthearted and joyful
until he remembered something he forgot to confess. Guilt affliction.
There is a thin line
between insanity and genius. Psychiatrists overlook that before he studied
theology he was a brilliant student of the law. He applied that training to the law of God,
and analyzed himself to the holy law of
God and couldn’t stand the results. The character and righteousness of God was so holy, and he saw he was so awful, so he started to hate the idea of the righteousness of
God. He was a doctor of theology, and as he read
Romans 1 he noted, “for the righteousness of God is revealed by faith…and the
just shall live by faith.” Suddenly the
concept burst upon his mind that it was
discussing the righteousness of God that God provides for you and for me
graciously, freely to anyone who puts their trust in Christ receives the covering
and cloak of the righteousness of Christ. He realized for the first time that
his justification is established not based on his own naked righteousness which
will always fall short of the demands of God but rests solely and completely on
the righteousness of Christ. He finally
understood the gospel.
To popes and counsels and diets and kings he declared that the just
shall live by faith alone, God is holy and I am not. Not negotiable – it’s the gospel. If that’s
crazy, then we need an army of "insane" people like that to go into this world that the
gospel may not be eclipsed, that we may understand that in the presence of a
holy God, that we can be justified who are unjust. God offered us the holiness
of his son as a covering of our sin, so we will not perish but have everlasting life if we
believe in Jesus Christ. For this Luther
was willing to die.
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