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Professor Fritz Büsser commented on Zwingli’s powerful and lengthy sermon (see “The Shepherd: Who is the True Pastor”) delivered on the third day of the Second Disputation in Zurich (1523) when the City Council instituted many of the reforms Zwingli had been preaching since the Council granted him freedom to speak his convictions earlier in the year. The following are excerpts from Zwingli’s sermon. (The complete work can be found in Huldrych Zwingli: Selected Writings, Vol. 2; Pittsburgh: Pickwick Publications, 1984, edited and translated by H. Wayne Pipkin.)

Therefore Christ teaches to be ready to bear the cross daily, for persecution grows the more the divine word grows. The more that grows, the more the flesh is angered. Therefore they are wrong who think they will soon obtain rest, that they will not have to suffer great persecution for the sake of the word of God. Even though the people come to the Word of God in droves, nevertheless there will be opposition enough from the high ones of this time. Even if they were not there, then all the more the false teachers will stand up, who have more knowledge than love, and for the sake of a hazelnut, will wound all the simple and quiet ones to show how learned they are. Hereby the cross becomes very burdensome and requires new strength; for offense of the simple does not take place without great concern by the strong who are concerned on behalf of the simple. As Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 11:29: “Who is offended that I am not burned?” In short, every day there is a new cross; it must be so. Here the soul is not only taken for the bodily life but for human feeling, intention or counsel. Whoever retreats from the Word of God for the sake of this ephemeral life will lose his life. Whoever depends on his own knowledge, counsel or feeling, thinking therewith to save himself, will destroy his own soul. Therefore the shepherd must deny himself, throw off his self-love, and certainly prepare himself to bear each day a new cross. Christ Jesus himself did so, always subjugating his will to that of the Father, bearing every cross until he came to the honor of sitting at the right hand of God.

When now the shepherd, or any person, empties himself in this way, then the next thing is to be filled again with God, that is, he has all his confidence and consolation in God. This Christ demonstrated in his disciples whom he cares for not only with temporal nourishment (since they follow him) in that they answered that nothing was lacking, when he asked them whether they lacked anything as he had sent them out without staff and sack. (Cf. Lk. 22:35.)

Christ also breathed on them and before he bestowed the office of preaching on them (Jn. 20:22) said to them: “Take the Holy Spirit.” For none is suitable for feeding the sheep unless he has emptied himself and only God dwells in him and speaks out of him. Therefore he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem until they had received the promised spirit. (Cf. Lk. 24:29; Acts 1:4). When they had received it with much joy and rejoicing they began from that hour on to preach. Thus must the shepherd lead his sheep into no other pasture than that in which he has previously been nourished, that is, in the knowledge and trust of God. So must he always know God beforehand and have all his solace in him.

Following that, he should begin to preach as Christ began: “Repent!” (Mt. 4:17.) It was with this form that the forerunner John the Baptist also began. (Cf. Mt. 3:2.) Now no one will repent who does not know how evil he is. Therefore, here must sin be preached, and then salvation. Let no one here be led astray by the fact that Christ says in Matthew 10:7 and Mark 16:15 to preach only salvation or the gospel. For always the illness must be recognized before one takes the medicine.

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