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The sermon for September 2 was based on Luke 10:23-37.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Last week you heard how important it is to have ears to hear God's Word. But
now Jesus says, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see."
[23] And what do you see? You see Jesus answer the question: "What must I
do to inherit eternal life?" After all, that is the question you and every
human being must answer rightly if you hope to see eternal life.
A lawyer came to Jesus and asked Him that very question. Jesus pointed him to
the Law and asked what the Law demands. "So [the lawyer] answered and said,
‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and ‘your neighbor as
yourself.'" [27] Jesus said, "If you do this you will live." The
catch is: no one can do this. "There is none righteous, no, not one."
[Rom 3:10]
And so, look what happens when this lawyer tries to justify himself by the Law.
Jesus responds with a story called the Good Samaritan. I'm sure you know the
story well. It's one of those stories that is told over and over again among
Christians. Unfortunately, it is far too often misinterpreted in an effort to
move you to do something, and thereby have you believe that you are living a
God-pleasing life.
Jesus tells the story of a man who was beaten and robbed and left for dead
alongside the road. First a priest and then a Levite, both religious leaders of
their day, came by, looked at this half-dead man, and passed by on the other
side of the road. They didn't lift a finger to help him. They just left him
there to die.
Samaritans were hated by the Jews. They were outcasts. They were despised. They
were ridiculed. They were second class people. The Jews absolutely hated the
Samaritans. They considered them to be no better than dogs. And so for Jesus to
tell this good Jew that good Jewish religious leaders passed by this man but a
Samaritan stopped to help, was indeed a hard pill to swallow.
The Samaritan picked this man up, brought him to an inn, tended to his wounds,
and left him in the care of the innkeeper. And so Jesus asked this lawyer,
"Who was the neighbor?" He had no choice but to respond by saying that
the Samaritan—the one who showed mercy—was the true neighbor.
Now when Jesus tells stories or parables, He does so in a way that the people to
whom He is speaking identify themselves with certain characters in the story.
And the same holds true for you. So, who are you in this story? Are you the
priest, or the Levite, or the Samaritan, or the man who was beaten and robbed?
Here is where many people get it wrong. Many want to identify themselves with
the Samaritan. But if you identify with the Samaritan, you have missed the point
of this text. Remember that this story is answering the question: "What
must I do to inherit eternal life?" For you to act like this Samaritan and
do what he does, thinking that you are pleasing God, is still an attempt to
justify yourself by the Law. The person with whom you must identify is the man
who was beaten and robbed and left for dead.
That is exactly what sin does to you. Sin strips you of the glories of God. Sin
casts you down into the depths of despair. Sin stains your robe making it
unclean before God. Sin leaves you beaten and bloodied, lying in the road for
dead. Because of sin, you need someone to come and help you, since you cannot
help yourself.
But then the truly merciful One comes along: One who is despised and hated, One
who is not accepted, but rejected, One who was outcast and ridiculed. This One
is Christ Jesus, the Good Samaritan. And He has compassion on you. And He stops,
He picks you up, and He carries you into the inn, His Holy Church, where He
takes care of you. And He leaves you in the constant and caring hands of the
innkeeper, the Pastors of His Church.
Who is your neighbor? The One who showed mercy: the Lord Jesus Christ. In mercy
He lifts you from the depths of sin and despair. He washes your sin-filled
wounds with the waters of Holy Baptism. He feeds you with His own precious Body
and Blood so that your strength and health will return. He pays the price for
you to live in His House and to be cared for by His innkeepers.
And so, what must you do to inherit eternal life? What did this beaten and
robbed man do? He laid there in the ditch bleeding and waiting to die. He was
lifted up and carried off to an inn. He was cared for and fed. What did he do to
change his situation and restore his health? He simply received the great acts
of mercy that were being poured out upon him by this Samaritan.
What must you do to inherit eternal life? Simply receive the great acts of mercy
that are being poured out upon you by the Son of God. So that there is no
misunderstanding, I will say it plainly: what must you do? Absolutely nothing!
Simply receive what Christ gives: His Gifts of grace and mercy. He gives these
to you here in His Church, where the waters of Baptism are found, where His Holy
Word is preached, where His precious Body and innocent Blood is given.
Next week Bethany begins another Sunday School season. Many teachers will devote
many hours imparting many lessons to the children. But all these efforts will be
for nothing, unless you children learn this basic truth, as well as you adults:
you are like this poor man. You cannot save yourself from the wrath of God which
you deserve because of your sin. But the Good Samaritan—Christ Jesus, the Lord—has
come, and has lifted you up, saved you from your sin, and made you holy in the
sight of God the Father. This is the faith that saves. This is the faith that
must be handed down to our children.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see." [23]
For these eyes of faith see the things of Christ. And seeing the things of
Christ is to see your salvation. Blessed are your eyes, for your eyes have seen
His salvation! The Good Samaritan has lifted you up. Your wounds have been
washed. You have been brought to the inn, safely kept by the innkeepers. Your
room and board has been paid in full. The table is set before you for your
strength and health. Come and receive the mercy of the Good Samaritan, the Body
and Blood of God, given for you. Amen.
The peace of God, which passes . . .
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