Main A Unique Vessel A Strong Stand A Reformer and Shepherd

X. Luther as a Shepherd

While Luther was fighting the enemy and taking a strong stand against the Catholic Church, he also was shepherding and caring for the flock of God. This was not an easy task. He was tempted to neglect the flock in the city and to turn to a rural environment in the country, as he writes:

What would I not give to get away from a cantankerous congregation. and look into the friendly eyes of animals. [2]

Luther did not find shepherding easy, but he cared for the flock faithfully by ministering the living Word to them from 1522 to 1535. He preached several times a week, covering various books of the Bible. He spoke on 1 and 2 Peter, Jude, Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy. He also covered the minor prophets, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, and one of his favorites, Galatians.

One of the most important contributions Luther made to the meetings was congregational singing. Luther so developed this element that he may be considered the father of congregational song. This was the point at which his doctrine of the priesthood of all believers received its most concrete realization. Prior to Luther, the liturgy was almost entirely restricted to the officiating priest and the choir, with the congregation merely reciting a few responses. What is so common to us today was entirely foreign in Luther's day. Singing practices were set up during the week for the entire congregation. Luther encouraged whole families to get together and sing in the home after the hour of instruction.

It was Luther’s habit to visit the homes of the sick and needy. Often he was sought out for spiritual counsel and help. He was well-qualified to give counsel on dealing with the temptations of the enemy, for the devil often tried to undermine his faith and negate his stand. The enemy even pursued him when he would sleep. Luther said:

When I go to bed, the Devil is always waiting for me. When he begins to plague me, I give him this answer: “Devil, I must sleep. That’s God’s command, ‘Work by day. Sleep by night.’ So go away.” If that doesn’t work and he brings out a catalog of sins, I say, “Yes, old fellow, I know all about it. And I know some more you have overlooked. Here are a few extra. Put them down.” If he still won’t quit and presses me hard and accuses me as a sinner, I scorn him and say, “St. Satan, pray for me. Of course you have never done anything wrong in your life. You alone are holy. Go to God and get grace for yourself. If you want to get me all straightened out, I say, ‘Physician, heal thyself.’” [3]

Luther did not always speak so lightly of the enemy's temptations. Bainton quotes Luther:

“Don’t argue with the Devil,” he said. “He has had five thousand years of experience. He has tried out all his tricks on Adam, Abraham, and David, and he knows exactly the weak spots.” And he is persistent. If he does not get you down with the first assault, he will commence a siege of attrition until you give in from sheer exhaustion. Better banish the whole subject. Seek company…. Shun solitude. “Eve got into trouble when she walked in the garden alone. I have my worst temptations when I am by myself.” Seek out some Christian brother, some wise counselor. Undergird yourself with the fellowship of the church. [4]

In the year of the enemy’s most severe assault on him, Luther composed this hymn, commonly known as “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”:

Throughout his life, Luther compiled nine hymnals. These contained about thirty-eight of his own hymns, including “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” “Dear Christian People All Rejoice,” and “All Praise to the Eternal Lord.” Also included were his translations of Latin hymns, revisions of pre-Reformation German hymns, and paraphrases of Scripture. Many of his hymns were renditions of the Psalms. Luther was particularly fond of the Psalms:

Would you like to see the holy Christian Church painted in living color and form and put into one little picture? Then take up the Psalter [the book of Psalms] and you have a fine, bright pure mirror that will show you what the Church is;… you will find yourself also in it and the true know thyself, and God himself besides, and all creatures. [6]

One of Luther’s most important contributions to the German people was his translation of the Bible:

For the Germans, Luther’s rendering was incomparable. He leaped beyond the tradition of a thousand years. There had been translations before him of the Scripture into German, reaching back to the earliest transcription of the Gothic tongue by Ulfilas. There were even portions of the Bible translated not from the Latin Vulgate, but from the Hebrew and the Greek. But none had the majesty of diction, the sweep of vocabulary, the native earthiness, and the [spiritual profoundness] of Luther. “I endeavored,” said he, “to make Moses so German that no one would suspect he was a Jew.”

… He went to incredible pains to find words. The initial translation did not satisfy him. His New Testament was first published in September 1522, but he was revising it to the day of his death in 1546. The last printed page on which he ever looked was the proof of the latest revision. The Old Testament was commenced after his return from the Wartburg. The complete translation of the entire Bible did not appear until 1534…. Luther on occasion achieved the most felicitous rendering at the first throw. At other times he had to labor. In that case he would first make a literal translation in the word order of the original. Then he would take each word separately and gush forth a freshet of synonyms. From these he would select those which not only best suited the sense but also contributed to balance and rhythm. All of this would then be set aside in favor of a free rendering to catch the spirit. Finally the meticulous and the free would be brought together. Sometimes he was at a loss for terms and would set out in quest of words. In order to name the precious stones in the twenty-first chapter of Revelation he examined the court jewels of the elector of Saxony. For the coins of the Bible he consulted the numismatic collections in Wittenberg. When he came to describe the sacrifices of Leviticus and needed terms for the inward parts of goats and bullocks, he made repeated trips to the slaughterhouse and inquired of the butcher. The birds and beasts of the Old Testament proved a hard knot.[7]

Luther listed the prerequisites for this type of work:

Translating is not an art that everyone can practice. It requires a right pious, faithful, diligent, God-fearing, experienced, practical heart. [8]