When Luther speaks about ”the external Word”, he implicitly criticizes two other kinds of meditation, both of which bypass the incarnation of our Lord and His physical interaction with us through the Word. On the one hand, Luther is critical of the method of meditation that he learned as a monk. This method used the Scriptures as a kind of spiritual springboard for mental reflection on heavenly realities and the ardent prayer for the ecstatic union of the heart with its heavenly bridegroom. On the other hand, he is equally critical of the practice of meditation on the inner Word of the Holy Spirit, spoken as prophecy in the hearts of spirit-filled people. Luther instead advocates meditation on ”the external Word”, the embodied Word of Christ, spoken from human lips, written with human hands, and heard with human ears. Like the light of the sun, the Word is present with us here on earth, addressed to us by a pastor, written in a book, enacted in the divine service. Meditation is indeed a matter of ”the heart”, but only of the heart. The way to the heart is from the outside of the inside, from the mouth through the ears and in to it. In meditation we hear inwardly what is outwardly spoken to us.

Mycket viktiga ord av prof emeritus Dr John W. Kleinig: Luther on the Practice of Piety.

Dessa ord är högaktuella också i vår tid, men de kräver av läsaren litet utöver det vanliga.

Det yttre Ordet skyddar oss från godtycklighet och från att ledas vilse i tron. De röster och budskap som vi hör i olika sammanhang och också inom oss, måste alltid prövas med det yttre Ordet, Bibeln. Det handlar inte bara om faktaprövning, det handlar om ett liv i bibelstudium och bön om den Helige Andes ledning.

Henrik

http://www.johnkleinig.com/files/4614/3401/0360/Luther_on_the_Practice_of_Piety.pdf