Thurs, July 13, 2023
Argula von Grumbach
The Rev. anne williamson
Gospel Reflection: Matthew 7:24-29
Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”
Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
‘The wise man built his house upon the rock’ – a favorite Sunday School song! This story of the wise man whose house survived the torrential rain is at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. The final verse of the chapter gives us insight as to the response of those who heard Jesus’ words, from the Beatitudes at the beginning of Matthew Chapter 5 to this story at the end of Chapter 7: Jesus taught as one having authority. There was something different about the way Jesus spoke about God and faith, different from the other faith teachers of that day. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, there is a repeating structure to Jesus’ teaching. Jesus would say ‘You have heard that it was said….but I tell you….’, inviting the people to listen to him, and then to act on his words.
Today we remember, Argula von Grumbach, an extraordinary woman who knew the word of God and was not ashamed of the word or unwilling to risk her reputation, or indeed her life, to proclaim the word. In any age this is a noble undertaking, but especially for a woman in 16th Century Germany at the height of Reformation tensions when certain proclamations of the word lead to excommunication, exile and even death, often by burning at the stake. Despite the risks, von Grumbach ‘became the first published Protestant woman writer, and participated publicly in the theological and political debates of her time’( see Argula von Grumbach.). She was orphaned at 17, married at 18 and raised four children, only one of whom lived into adulthood. Her father had given her a German language bible when she was 10 and her love of scripture and theology began. Her public writings were prompted by the persecution of a Lutheran university student and she wrote this to the university authorities:
To the honorable, worthy, highborn, erudite, noble, stalwart Rector and all the Faculty of the University of Ingolstadt: When I heard what you had done to Arsacius Seehofer under terror of imprisonment and the stake, my heart trembled and my bones quaked. What have Luther and Melanchthon taught save the Word of God? You have condemned them. You have not refuted them. Where do you read in the Bible that Christ, the apostles, and the prophets imprisoned, banished, burned, or murdered anyone?
Her words resonate today when I consider the places around the world where Christians condemn other Christians>
Argula von Grumbach’s missive was not well received by the authorities. She was subjected to abusive retorts and threats of violence, denounced for her heretical views and especially for having the audacity, as a lay woman, to refute the position of theologians and clergy. Von Grumbach was resolute in her commitment to sharing the word of God and is remembered as a woman of great faith and a woman who built her house on the rock of the word of God. Known as the ‘Bavarian Deborah*’, she was seen as a prophet of the time and despite the many tribulations she endured due to her proclamation of the word, she remained a faithful witness. In her own words: With Paul, 1 Corinthians 2, I say “I am not ashamed of the gospel which is the power of God to salvation to those who believe.”. . . What I have written to you is no woman’s chit-chat, but the word of God.
May our ears be open to hear the word of God, and as we are hearers of the word, may we also be doers of the word.
Almighty God, who gave your servant Argula von Grumbach a spirit of wisdom and power to love your Word and to boldly draw others to its truth: Pour out that same spirit upon us, that we, knowing and loving your Holy Word, may be unashamed of Christ and may not sin against the Holy Spirit that is within us. Amen.
*Deborah was a judge and prophet in the Hebrew Scriptures. Her story is found in the book of Judges, Chapters 4-5.