Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 30, “The Visible Community”

Chapter 30, “The Visible Community”

Although Bonhoeffer has repeatedly emphasized the Christian as an individual he now talks about the Church as a community. The doctrine of the Church, the concept of Christianity, the idea of belief on Christ takes no space. But the Church is a gathering of real people in a real place, in fellowship with Christ and with one another. The people are gathered around the apostolic teaching. They receive the testimony and live in light of it. The word of God dwells in the Church, the assembly of believers.

How does God’s Word form the Church? It comes to gather people through preaching, baptism, and communion (Loc. 3405), a very orthodox Lutheran view. Through baptism and communion we receive the forgiving presence of God. Because of this importance of Word and Sacrament Bonhoeffer urges his readers to consider the value God has placed in the Church. This is where Christians are bound together and strengthened for life and service. We remain, then, both in our life in society and in new life within the context of the Church.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 29, "The Body of Christ"

Chapter 29, “The Body of Christ”

When Bonhoeffer has a chapter entitled “The Body of Christ” right after a chapter about baptism our thoughts may go immediately to Luther’s catechism where we expect teaching about the Sacrament of the Altar. In fact, he does not go there. Instead, this chapter talks about the disciples being in the bodily presence of Jesus. After the resurrection, Bonhoeffer talks about the Church as Jesus’ body. This is where we receive our assurance. It is the context of our giving and receiving the message of salvation.

Considering Jesus in his body, Bonhoeffer draws a good distinction (Loc. 3205) when he says God took on the human nature. This is not to say that God took on the man Jesus. This is an entirely different idea. If God simply adopted Jesus, a human son, we believe to no effect. Jesus would be unable to bear our sin. Rather, God became the representative for sinful humanity.

Bonhoeffer’s view is that by faith in Jesus that function of dealing with sin and proclaiming salvation has passed to the Church. This is where we find our fellowship and identity. Jesus has made us the new man in him. Jesus is the head and we are the body. We continue to suffer as Jesus did. Through faithful suffering we become the temple of God, just as Jesus was the fulfillment of the temple.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 28, "Baptism"

Chapter 28, “Baptism”

In the New Testament there are different places where attention is focused. The Gospels tend to focus on the call of Jesus and the very physical work of following him. Paul, working among people whose entire Christian experience is after the resurrection, has a greater focus on the baptismal life. It is baptism which makes the clear break from the life of the flesh and the entry into the life of the Spirit. Bonhoeffer suggests that where the Gospels speak of calling, Paul speaks of baptism. This baptism is passive. We receive baptism just as we might receive a call. Our lives change in baptism, since we are brought into the covenant of grace. Baptismal grace justifies the sinner by putting the body of the old man to death. As a consequence we then live by grace. Bonhoeffer states a reluctance to endorse infant baptism without the presence of a community of faith. Otherwise the child will not be brought up in the faith. Baptism is a great and precious gift, received once, and believed upon throughout life.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 27, "Preliminary Questions"

Chapter 27, “Preliminary Questions”

In this final section of his book Bonhoeffer draws conclusions based on his earlier study of discipleship. Here he begins by asking several questions which he thinks should come to our minds.

1) How is Jesus’ call given to us today?  Since Jesus the rabbi is not walking around, he has left his call in the Scripture. He is heard, he is found in the ministry of Word and Sacrament, both proclaimed and physically present. There is no need of personal revelation. Jesus is altogether available in Word and Sacrament.

2) Does Jesus speak to us differently now? Jesus in fact has the same message for disciples of every time in history. His will never changes.

3) Don’t we have to decide what way he is calling us, what kind of disciple we are? Jesus calls all the same, to faith in him and love for our neighbor. We imitate Jesus, not one or another of his disciples. This takes away the confusion in our life of discipleship.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 26, "The Fruit"

Chapter 26, “The Fruit”

What is the fruit which disciples receive in all their suffering? From Matthew 10:40-42 Bonhoeffer draws the disciples as God’s gift to those they visit. By bringing Christ’s word to others they become participants in God’s grace. When people receive the disciples with love, joy, or kindness, the disciples become participants in the ministry of God to them through others. God makes us participate in what he gives others through us. The goal of our work, then, is that the Church may be presented to God.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 25, "The Decision"

Chapter 25, “The Decision”

Bonhoeffer now addresses Matthew 10:26-39, where Jesus tells his disciples to beware of giving offense to God rather than fearing men.  He calls his disciples to lay down their lives for him. This call of Jesus to his disciples is a great encouragement. No matter what happens they are not to fear. The sufferings Christians endure in secret will be made known. The attacks against them are not forgotten by God. None of the harm suffered in this world will hurt in eternity. As long as the disciples are true to Jesus he will be true to them forever (Loc. 3009). This is the way God is able to love us in Christ.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 24, “The Suffering of the Messengers”

Chapter 24, “The Suffering of the Messengers”

Matthew 10:16-25 shows Jesus teaching his disciples about the end times, when they will be attacked for their faith, will answer for Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, and likely be put to death. Their mission is to continue speaking God’s Word. Bonhoeffer reminds us that the Christian knows the master’s orders and that God’s Word is reliable. No matter the consequences, the disciples could take courage from Jesus’ call. We have a mission. Though we may be tempted to move from the mission Jesus has given us, we must be faithful to it, trusting Jesus’ promises. We are cautious of people but we know in the end, even if they kill us, it will not harm us eternally. Yet we may flee from one place to another, still proclaiming Jesus’ Word until he comes. His coming is our assurance in suffering.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 23, "The Work"

Chapter 23, “The Work”

In Matthew 10:5-6 Jesus sends his apostles to go only to the lost of Israel. Bonhoeffer considers that the apostles surely would have wanted to go to all the world, but they were restrained by Jesus’ command until after the resurrection. Israel’s rejection of the Messiah was to be completed first.

As he moves on in verses 7-8, Jesus gives a commission to preach, heal, raise the dead, and cast out demons. This is the same work Jesus is doing. Jesus, in fact, is working through his twelve apostles.

In verses 9-10 the apostles are told they will be cared for. They did not need special equipment. They simply went with Jesus’ word. They were not going as beggars, but simply trusting Jesus to supply their needs.

In verses 11-15 the apostles are to seek out people who would be worthy, those praying to God. They will care for Jesus’ ministers. The apostles would get to work quickly, bringing peace and announcing the kingdom of God. The call to repentance is urgent. The consequences of rejection are enormous. Yet the apostles go to announce forgiveness and grace.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 22, "The Apostles"

Chapter 22, “The Apostles”

Commenting on Matthew 10:1-4, Bonhoeffer says the Father revealed to the Son the twelve he should choose. Jesus gave them power, in Bonhoeffer’s view (Loc. 2816) more important than a word or doctrine. This power enables the apostles to be like Christ in their ability to overcome the devil. There is no strong bond among the twelve except they were called by Jesus.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 21, "The Harvest"

Part 3 - The Messengers Matthew 9:35-10:42

Chapter 21, “The Harvest”

Bonhoeffer now shifts his attention to God’s messengers. In Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus has been teaching and healing. The people are like wandering sheep. He asks his disciples to pray that the Lord would send workers. The leaders of Israel and the leaders from Rome have not cared for God’s people. They are unprotected. Jesus, seeing this, is moved to rescue his people. He sees a ripe harvest, not a barren field. What do we see? Bonhoeffer suggests that we will not see the same thing unless we have Jesus’ eyes and heart. He also (Loc. 2803) says Jesus cannot do the work himself. Neither can the disciples. Their course of action is to pray that God will send laborers. They do not send themselves.

Bonhoeffer, 1937. Chapter 20, "The Conclusion"

Chapter 20, “The Conclusion”

Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount by telling of the man who heard Jesus’ words and built his life on them. His house, set on a rock, could stand in the storms. Bonhoeffer concludes that all Jesus calls us to is a life of obedience. We do not enter into discussion, interpretation, or application but we simply hear and do what Jesus says. What of the one who fails to do Jesus’ word? It is a denial of his Word and a rejection of his call.

Bonhoeffer, 1937. Chapter 19, "The Great Divide"

Chapter 19, “The Great Divide”

Bonhoeffer dedicates a chapter to Matthew 7:13-23 where Jesus speaks pointedly about dividing the world into those he knows and those he does not know. This great divide is the final judgment. We have already seen that there is a separation between disciples and others. This, Bonhoeffer asserts, is the walking in the narrow way which Jesus introduces. The way is hard, and, we are told (Loc. 2666), it is very hard not to stray. We must keep our eyes focused on Jesus, as he has gone before us.

Some of the challenges we face will be from those opponents rising within our ranks. They look like Christians, they may be prophets or preachers, but they are wolves who attack Jesus’ people. Bonhoeffer suggests we can identify them by watching the fruit they bear (Loc. 2690). Jesus will separate the genuine Christians from the nominal. This will happen even within the body of confessing Christians. Some, says Bonhoeffer, confess falsely without genuine faith. The true Christian is obedient, having his life built on God’s grace.

In the end, Jesus separates his true disciples based on his proclamation of knowing them. Those Jesus knows are his disciples. Others are not.

Bonhoeffer, 1937. Chapter 18, “The Disciple and Unbelievers”

Chapter 18, “The Disciple and Unbelievers”

In Matthew 7:1-12 Jesus talks about judgment and the condemnation which we may be tempted to place upon others. He also calls us to ask the Father eagerly for good things. Bonhoeffer sees a sharp shift between Matthew 6 and 7, with Jesus changing the focus to the Christian’s interactions with unbelievers. Because Christ’s disciples have received gifts from the Lord, they might expect to sit in judgment. Jesus excludes this idea.Why is this? Bonhoeffer asserts that the Christian does not have the privilege of judgment because it is only Christ who can see accurately. On the contrary, the job of the Christian is to love and care for the unbeliever.

In our effort to care for unbelievers, Bonhoeffer cautions us against using human means and coercion to make converts. This, he suggests, is what Jesus views as “casting pearls before swine” (Loc. 2603). Rather, we look to the Lord, allowing his Word to work or not work as God pleases. This motivates the Christian disciple to prayer for his neighbors. It encourages our dependence on God.

Bonhoeffer, 1937. Chapter 17, "The Simplicity of the Carefree Life"

Chapter 17, “The Simplicity of the Carefree Life”

In Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus tells his disciples not to be concerned about possessions but to lay up treasure in heaven. He also tells them their eye is the lamp of the body. If their eye is single, focused rightly, they are full of light. Jesus then warns against serving God and riches.

Bonhoeffer tells us that we are in the light only as we look entirely to Christ, nowhere else. He goes so far as to say that Jesus’ work cannot penetrate a heart which is closed (Loc. 2421). It is, then, only through our having our eyes focused solely on Jesus that we can be his disciples.

This world, however, is full of material goods. Jesus himself had some. Bonhoeffer suggests we can find our heart and its desires by seeing what our treasure is. If our treasure is Christ and his kingdom we are looking to him. So should we simply enjoy the material blessings of God? Bonhoeffer rejects this idea, as material blessings compete for our hearts. Rather, we look to God alone for all our supply, including daily provisions. Looking ahead and preparing for the future is failure to trust God. Being true disciples takes away our anxiety, as we see the Lord provides all our needs.

Bonhoeffer, 1937. Chapter 16, “The Hiddenness of the Devout Life”

Chapter 16, “The Hiddenness of the Devout Life”

How is the Christian’s life of subjection to God described? In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus tells his disciples that their fasting is to be seen by God. When fasting, they are to prepare themselves for life as they always would otherwise.

Bonhoeffer observes first that the Lord assumes disciples are planning to fast. It is by fasting and other self-renunciation that we die to ourselves. In this way we discipline our flesh so the old man has no rights. This may be a practice we would like to avoid, but Bonhoeffer reminds us that our discipleship separates us from our world and its pleasures.

There is a danger, which Bonhoeffer acknowledges, of trying to replace Christ’s sufferings with our own. This moves the locus of our salvation from Jesus to ourselves. We avoid that but still practice our self-denial.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 15, "The Hiddenness of Prayer"

Chapter 15, “The Hiddenness of Prayer”

In chapter 15 Bonhoeffer discusses Jesus’ teaching on prayer from Matthew 6:5-8. He considers Jesus’ act of teaching his disciples to pray as indicating that prayer is not a natural activity. We can pray and not find God’s blessing. Christians pray to the Father through the mediation of the Son. This is how we know our prayers are heard and answered.

How do we go to pray in secret? Bonhoeffer says (Loc. 2292) that we need to hide our prayers in such a way that we don’t pray from our will but from God’s will. We “do this by letting Christ alone reign in our hearts, by surrendering our wills completely to him, by living in fellowship with Jesus and by following him.” This standard, of course, bases the efficacy of prayer solely on our level of discipleship.

Bonhoeffer next reviews the Lord’s Prayer as “the way Christians must pray” (Loc. 3307, emphasis his). In his commentary Bonhoeffer does picture prayer as expressing dependence on God for all we need, with our central concern being God’s holiness.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 14, "The Hidden Righteousness"

Chapter 14, “The Hidden Righteousness”

Bonhoeffer moves on to comment on Matthew 6:1-4. He sees a sharp shift between Matthew chapters 5 and 6. If left with chapter 5 the disciples might develop a triumphalistic attitude and ignore care for the world, having been set apart as God’s extraordinary people. But here Jesus tells his disciples to practice their good works “in secret.” Since the good works are in secret, Bonhoeffer asserts (Loc. 2205) that they must not be visible for the sake of visibility. Rather, we even hide our good works from ourselves, only looking to Jesus. He says (Loc. 2218) that “we must be unaware of our own righteousness.” Our discipleship, then, is something which consists of looking to Jesus alone.

Bonhoeffer makes some disturbing statements (Location 2231) regarding discipleship. “All that the follower of Jesus has to do is to make sure that his obedience, following, and love are entirely spontaneous and unpremeditated . . . Christ’s virtue, the virtue of discipleship, can only be accomplished so long as you are entirely unconscious of what you are doing.” As he concludes the chapter, he lapses into decision theology and salvation by works, saying, (Loc. 2249), “Who can live a life which combines chapters 5 and 6? Only those who have died after the old man through Christ, and are given a new life by following him and having fellowship with him.”

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 13, “The Enemy - the ‘Extraordinary’”

Chapter 13, “The Enemy - the ‘Extraordinary’”

What is it that allows the Christian to deal with his enemies? What allows the disciple to be perfect as God is? As he comments on Matthew 5:43-48 bonhoeffer draws some conclusions.

The Christian does have enemies, or rather, there are people who view Christians as enemies. Christ’s disciples treat all people as friends but not all will reciprocate. Unlike national Israel, the Church does not remove enemies from the land. Jesus’ disciples are left to overcome the enemy by love.

Jesus is specific about how the Christian loves an enemy. It is done by blessing, by doing good, by praying for those who would oppose us. this, Bonhoeffer observes, is exactly the way Jesus has treated his people. This love convicts the enemies of Christ of their sin and calls them to repentance.

This character of love Bonhoeffer identifies as the “extraordinary” (Loc. 2135). We are not special because of any quality but love for God and neighbor. We engage in acts of love for our enemies, which by itself makes us perfect in love.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 12, “Revenge”

Chapter 12, “Revenge”

Bonhoeffer now turns his attention to Matthew 5:38-42. What is the Christian’s response to attack? He asserts that all the Old Testament is to be fulfilled, that here we see the Sermon on the Mount applied not only to the decalogue but to the whole of God’s Law. Sadly, he talks about the disciples as those who fulfill the law. Here, the true disciple fulfills the law by laying down his rights and accepting evil. This is the way the “true disciple will prove himself” (Loc. 1966).

Bonhoeffer builds this idea of the Christian not defending his rights upon the foundation that the Church, unlike Israel, is not a political entity. Since it does not operate in the civil realm it will not resist evil. This non-resistance results in the enemy’s attack being in vain. This does not mean we acknowledge the rights others have to inflict harm, but that we do not respond to that force.

Bonhoeffer describes (Loc. 2001) the Reformers’ idea of the individual and the office. For instance, as an individual we would not meet force with force, but as one in the office of soldier we would. His assessment is that Jesus makes no such distinction. Again, Bonhoeffer discusses the idea of the disciple as an individual called out from the community. therefore he finds no place for resisting evil. God is our protector.

Bonhoffer, 1937. Chapter 11, "Truthfulness"

Chapter 11, “Truthfulness”

Chapter 11 makes comments on Matthew 5:33-37, where Jesus prohibits swearing oaths. This passage and the practice of making oaths has been difficult for the Church to apply. Often in history, “mature” Christians would not make oaths, but others would. Some groups reject all oaths while others reject frivolous ones. Bonhoeffer observes that Jesus made promises before a court of law and Paul often uses oath-like expressions.

Bonhoeffer defines an oath as (Loc. 1903) “an appeal made to God in public . . . invok[ing] the omniscient deity to avenge the truth.” If this is the case, we would have no reason to avoid oaths when we know the truth certainly. Yet swearing an oath may leave open the possibility that the Christian is not truthful when not under oath. Of course, we also do not have exhaustive knowledge or perfect memory of all events, so we are always open to error.

Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:33-37 is finally a claim for truthfulness. Bonhoeffer (Loc. 1941) again makes a distinction between those who genuinely and completely follow Jesus and others, even though the others may in fact believe Jesus. The true disciple, then, is truthful.