Over the two years since he posted the Ninety-Five Theses, Luther frequently preached and wrote about the sacraments, especially Penance, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The engagement with theological opponents and the encouragement of friends and admirers drove him to study the scriptures to determine what the sacraments were and what God had to say about them. Gradually he began to see that the church had drifted away from the Biblical understanding of the sacraments as gifts that offer grace. Once bull Exsurge Domine was published against him, Luther felt free both to address his opponents and to fully explore the nature of the sacraments according to the Scriptures.
At the time of the Reformation, the Church in the West saw salvation as a balancing act. They believed that when a person sins, he or she adds to the debt of guilt which must be paid if he is to enter God’s presence. When a person receives a sacrament or does a good work, it pays off some of that guilt. If a person sins with some of that guilt left to be paid, he or she must go first to purgatory to pay it off. If a person died with more grace than sins, the merit goes into the treasury of the saints, which the church can give to people through indulgences. The chief means by which grace is given to believers is through sacraments (Latin for “holy things”) which Christ entrusted to the priests of the Church. So, through the seven sacraments, the Church had control over the everyday life of believers. In The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, Luther destroys the whole system.
Luther began work on the Babylonian Captivity in August and completed it on October 6th, 1520, five hundred years ago. It came off the press on October 8th. In it Luther defines a sacrament as God’s Word combined with a physical element, by which God gives his grace and promises the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Using this definition, he argues there are two, maybe three sacraments, which we call: baptism, confession and absolution and the Lord’s Supper. A Christian who believes the promises of God’s word in the sacrament, receives what its promises. The power, then, resides in God’s word, not in the priest offering it or the work of performing the rite.
The impact of this work was felt immediately. Humanists distanced themselves from Luther. Others were moved by the clear, simple and Biblical presentation to join the Reformation movement. The outlines of Lutheran theology were now in place and the breach with Rome unrepairable.
Dear saints, this morning’s Gospel text contains two of the four events that occur at a Sabbath dinner and a ruling Pharisee’s house. Though we are not explicitly told everything he does this day, Jesus would have begun his Sabbath like he begins every Sabbath: by attending a service at the Temple or the Synagogue. Afterward, he is invited to a dinner and accepts the invitation, even though he surely knows the invitation is intended to trap him.
Our Lord arrives and is being watched carefully. The religious leaders are hoping that he does something they can accuse him of breaking the Law for. And behold, there was a man there with dropsy. We are not told if he was there to trap Jesus or if he showed up hoping that Jesus would heal him. Today the man’s affliction is more commonly called edema. His body was holding water. He may have been suffering from congestive heart disease. His body would enlarge; he would gain weight. He would be seen as cursed or as having committed some sin to warrant such punishment. And while we have drugs to alleviate the condition today, there was no man-made cure or relief at the time.
Jesus sees the man and loves the man. He intends to heal him, but first tests those invited to the dinner. “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” Those present remain silent. Perhaps because they are unsure if Jesus means according to the Mosaic Law or the rabbinical law. The answer would be different. As they remain silent, Jesus takes the man and heals him of his disease.
But before any of them object and claim the Lord has broken the Sabbath, he poses another question: “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” Our lesson says they could not reply to him. They were silenced because Jesus has just made their hypocrisy clear. Of course, they would pull out their son. None would be willing to lose an animal. They would rescue man or beast and call it justified work. Nor would they rebuke the priest serving, that is, working in the Temple on the Sabbath as breaking it.
This reminds me of when Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath is a day of rest rather than a day of burden. It was given to us that we would rest, relax, and worship. That we would be filled with the Word of God and receive his gifts. It was so we would receive mercy and compassion. Like a man with dropsy or who had fallen into a well.
You and I are those who need mercy. Our condition is worse than a man with dropsy or in a pit. And God is kind to you. He is merciful to you. He provides for you and grants a place to gather and receive all your spiritual needs.
This we consider as we look at the other half of our lesson. Jesus heals the man and silences the others invited. Those who invited pretend to keep the Sabbath by attending worship, but then work to trap Jesus. They worship God with their lips, but their hearts are far from them. But Jesus still does, knowing they are trying to trap him. He loves them enough to come into a hostile house for dinner. He silences them and observes how they seat themselves. How they honor themselves and promote themselves by choosing the choice spots. Thus, we have our parable. Jesus says that, when invited to a wedding feast, you should choose the lowest seat rather than the highest. Rather than assuming you are a distinguished guest and being wrong, you should assume you are not so you will be lifted up.
This is not advice. This parable is mocking the Pharisees. They were so covetous of honor, Jesus was effectively telling them: “Since you want honor so much, don’t do something that would dishonor you. Instead, feign humility so you will be seen and lifted up to the place of honor you so desperately seek.”
But the parable hits us as well. Who of us does not want to be recognized? Does not want to be honored? Sure, we know not to sit at the bridal party’s table. But we are tempted to seek glory in honor in other places. And to feign humility hoping that we are exalted is still evil.
While it is important for us not to be prideful, that is not the point being made in this parable. The point is the One who should take the highest spot at the first table has been humbled. He has been taken from his seat of glory, taking on our flesh, and was born of the virgin. He walked under his Law. He was rejected by his own. He was crucified like the worst of criminals were.
And the reason was so that you, who are not even worthy of the least of seats, would be lifted up. That you, who deserve nothing but evil and condemnation, would be forgiven, cleansed, and saved. That you would be made worthy to sit at the table in the Wedding Feast.
Jesus goes to the Sabbath dinner because he has come even for those who oppose him. He goes to show them what mercy looks like. What humbleness looks like. He perfectly keeps the Sabbath day and shows mercy at the same time. He demonstrates true humility. Jesus does what the religious leaders did not and refused to do.
Having taken the lowest seat, the Lord Jesus has now taken the highest seat through his death, burial, and resurrection. And in doing so, he invites all who are humble of heart to his own Wedding Feast. All who repent and believe in his sacrifice are called to it. This sacrifice is applied to you by water and the Word. Through the Body and Blood of the sacrificed Lamb. You are no ox; you are the beloved of God.
But your invitation to this Feast is not as a guest. Rather, you are elevated as Jesus’ holy and pure bride and he gives you the seat of honor. He has healed your own case of dropsy. He has healed your soul and softened your heart. He works in you and through you. You are given the ability and desire to love and serve Him and your neighbor. He prepares your feast. Your Bridegroom and Lord has had mercy. Amen.
Rev. Brent Keller Peace Lutheran Church Alcester, SD
Dear saints, apart from the youngest among us today, we all know what it is like to lose someone near and dear. Some know it more than others. Fewer still know what it is to lose a child. Whatever we have or have not lost, we can all empathize with the widow women in our Old Testament and Gospel lessons this morning.
We first hear of the woman in Zarephath. She was introduced last week when Elijah encounters her gathering sticks to make a final fire and final loaf of bread for her and her son. There was a severe famine, and she was preparing their final meal. But Elijah tells her that her flour will not be spent; her oil will not run out until the rain again falls to the earth. After some time, her son falls ill and dies. She is angry at Elijah and accuses him of causing her son’s death.
Elijah takes the boy and cries out to God saying, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” He does this three times. On the third, the Lord answers Elijah’s prayers and restores the child’s life to him. The boy is brought back to his mother and she replies, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
St. Luke reports that the only son of a widow had died. We only know he was a young man and had left his mother a childless widow. Such a report is tragic in our day, but in ancient times, it was especially burdensome on these women. It is no wonder there was a large crowd accompanying her outside the city gate to bury her son.
But before they can fulfill the task, they encounter Jesus and the crowds following him. Inexplicably to the funeral party, Jesus stops the procession. He tells the woman to end her weeping. And in what must have been a confusing moment for all, he touches the bier of the young man saying, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And he does. He sits up and speaks. We are not told, but I would imagine his mother might just be weeping tears of joy as our Lord gives her back her son.
The reaction of the people is not surprising. Fear seizes them and their response is to glorify God. They realize that Jesus acts with the power of God, but it does not seem that they realize that he is their God. Nonetheless, this miracle at Nain is reported in the region and the fame of Jesus expands.
These two miracles are gracious gifts to the women who receive them. Not only are their sons given back to them, but a desperate life as a childless widow is also spared. The graciousness of God is seen in not only the restoration of life but the comfort of these women’s physical affliction.
But what I want to focus on for the rest of our time this morning is how these young men are raised. Elijah lays on the boy and cries out to God. He cries out three times that God would give the boy life. And the boy’s mother tells Elijah she now knows he is a man of God and the words of the Lord are in his mouth. On the other hand, Jesus touches the bier simply commands the young man to rise. The crowd reacts by praising God. And rightly so! But then simply regards Jesus as a great prophet.
I can think of three other accounts of the dead being raised in the Old Testament: Elisha raises the Shunammite’s son by praying to the Lord. A dead man is hastily thrown in Elisha’s tomb and is raised by touching his bones. A valley of dry bones is raised when Ezekiel prophesies over them according to the word of God. In these accounts, the dead are raised not by the man, but by the power of God.
But that is not the case here. There is no petition to God to have mercy. No prayer or request for the miracle. Jesus uses his own power because he is the God Elijah, Elisha, and Ezekiel called upon. “Whoever can awaken a dead person by his own power must be the true God and eternal life himself.” [CFW Walther]
And this is a great comfort to Christians. For how great the power of the one for whom the might of death is weak and impotent. Our world is in turmoil. Christians feel pressure from all corners. There is surely some who fear that the enemies of the Lord and his church might prevail. But we should not have such worry. For Christ has protected his Bride and has promised that the gates of Hell shall not prevail. No matter what trials may come, he will rescue his people and restore us. He will cause his enemies to stumble.
But if you find yourself worried, return to Nain. Remember how the Lord plunders death and then rejoice that we have such a great and gracious Savior. A Savior who speaks and has it done, who commands and sees it stand fast. So, if you find yourself gripped by sin, if you lack comfort as you feel the iniquity you have done, return to Nain and find comfort. He who conquers, even reverses death, is also the Lord over sin. For death is the payment of sin and sin is the sting of death. So, hold fast to Jesus Christ, for in him you will find forgiveness of all your sins. In him, you find victory over all the foes of your soul. In him, you have grace, life, and salvation.
Those frightened of death; those who weep at the grave of your loved ones: hurry to Nain. The Lord Christ, who turned those tears of sorrow into tears of joy will also dry your tears. So miraculous is the power of Jesus that, like the widow who again embraced her son, you will also someday embrace your loved one who died in the faith. Morning comes when Christ says to all of his own, in a new heaven and on a new earth, “Weep not! I have ended all sorrow. I have conquered for you. Therefore, rejoice with me. You shall have no more separation; no more departure.”
Our Lord says, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” If worries about your final hours fill your mind, take heart. At those words, death departed, and life returned. So also has Christ destroyed your death and brought you life and immortality. Your Savior watches over you, so fall asleep in peace. Someday you will awaken. And on that day, there will be no more death, for the first death, so dreaded in our world, will be forever gone. Amen.
Rev. Brent Keller Peace Lutheran Church Alcester, SD
Samson’s mother was unable to have children until God came to visit her and her husband Manoah. He came in the form of the Angel of the Lord. (Many Christians believe this messenger is the Son of God appearing to people. The Angel always speaks as if He is God. Yet the people who see Him do not die, as unholy people do when they see God) God promised she would have a son. He was to be a Nazirite, a man who never cut his hair or drank wine. These were signs that Samson was to be fully dedicated to God.
Samson was the second-last judge of Israel, one of the leaders God raised up to defeat their enemies. He was from the tribe of Dan and lived in their southern territory near Jerusalem and bordering Philistine cities. The Philistines were moving into their territory peacefully and inter-marrying with God’s people, threatening to absorb them. God would use Samson’s disobedient nature to provoke conflict with the Philistines and lead to eventually defeating them.
God gave Samson miraculous strength. He would use it to defeat wild beasts and repeatedly to kill Philistines. He desired a Philistine woman for his wife. During the wedding, he made a bet with some Philistines, who cheated to win the bet. Samson killed thirty Philistines to repay the bet. This escalated into one reprisal after another.
Samson’s downfall came when he fell in love with another gentile woman, Delilah. The Philistines bribed her to try and learn the secret of his strength so they could defeat him. Three times he lied to her and defeated the Philistines who came for him. The fourth time he told her it was in his hair, which by his Nazirite vow, he was to keep uncut. This time his strength left him. In captivity, when his hair regrew, he prayed that he would have his strength back to defeat Philistines one more time. God granted it, and Samson pulled down the pillars of the temple of the Philistine god, killing them and himself.
Samson isn’t the kind of role model that we want to have our children follow. He was violent, mean and vindictive. He was the kind of man you didn’t cross. Samson, in spite of his sinfulness, relied on God for his strength. For this reason, God used him to defeat the Philistines. Even after Samson’s vow was broken, Samson remembered to turn to God for strength.
Encore Post: So, you want to study God’s word, but you’re kind of afraid to do so. You remember all those “begats” and difficult words, long, boring lists of names and places you only half understand. It doesn’t help that you haven’t much cracked the book open since college or even confirmation class. Then the pastor pours on the good old Lutheran guilt. So… you go to the store and see rows and rows of Bibles of all sizes, shapes, colors, translations and types. Makes you think you really can’t do it, doesn’t it?
Well, you’re not alone. Many people find it hard to approach the Bible, even though they know it is good for them. There are lots of barriers to understanding the Scriptures. But there also is much that even the smallest child can understand. After all, God knows you and knows you need help. That is why he takes the initiative and spoke to us though first prophets, and then, in these last days, though his Son.(Hebrews 1:1-2) God’s nature is impossible for us to understand in the end, but a man — just like us — now that we can understand.
One classic analogy tells us the Bible is like an ocean. At the shore, it is shallow and inviting, a place even a toddler can enjoy. Yet it is so deep and challenging that the most experienced diver cannot exhaust its mysteries. The great fathers and theologians have spent a lifetime exploring it, and yet always found more to challenge them.
So, don’t be afraid of it. Wade in — the water is fine! To help you find your way, we’ll explore some rules you can use and strategies you can take to learn much. You may be pleased to discover that most of them are common sense.
After the bull Exsurge Domine was formalized in Rome, Pope Leo X appointed Johann Eck and Aleander as Nuncios to proclaim the bull in Germany. Eck was reluctant to do this with good reason — he himself was very controversial in Germany and it hurt the credibility of the bull to have him put it into effect. Aleander was a respected humanist and given the task to deliver the bull to the emperor, Frederick the Wise and other rulers. Eck went first to his parishes in Ingolstadt, where he had the bull printed. He had no difficulty issuing it where the Pope’s loyal supporters were in power. In Mainz, Cologne, and Louvain, it was proclaimed and Luther’s books burned. That was where his good fortune ended.
In Northern Germany, the bull was greeted with hostility. It was posted in Meissen five hundred years ago on September 21, in Merceburg on 25 September and in Brandenburg on 29 September. Eck remained in Leipzig until 3 October. Not risking entering Wittenberg or Electoral Saxony personally, he sent copies to the University of Wittenberg in the hands of militiamen. Although Duke Georger favored the bull, the people reacted angrily, vandalizing the proclamation, circulating pamphlets against him and sending him death threats. He had to stay in the Dominican monastery for protection. Students from Wittenberg engaged in these and other violent activities against him. On October 4, Eck returned to Ingolstadt.
Bishops, rulers and universities by and large stalled, made excuses and attempted to dodge proclaiming it.
Encore Post: You are a good Lutheran. Really! You are a committed Christian. You go to church every Sunday, give 10% of your income to church and care for anyone in need you meet. You study the scriptures, go to Bible Study and serve in one church position after another. You even read this blog every time we post! So, when you get sick, when you are in an accident, when a flood or tornado hits your home, you cry out to God, “It isn’t fair!” And you are right — but in a way you do not expect.
When we try to be fair to others, we’re trying to do a number of things. To be fair, we strive to treat everyone the same. We try to be consistent, acting the same way every time. We give people what the rules say they deserve — no more or no less. Yet we cannot know all the factors that should influence our decision. We are, after all, human. We expect better from God.
The Scriptures tell us that God is just, righteous and even-handed. And he is God expects us to be holy in thought, word and deed. He shows no partiality.
Friedrich Wyneken‘s call for pastors to serve in America was very successful. From the beginning of his missionary work in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, Wyneken wrote one letter after another to friends in Germany, church newspapers and anyone who would listen. A few pastors joined him on the frontier, but not nearly enough to meet the needs of the ceaseless flood of immigrants settling there. In 1841, one of these pastors came to Fort Wayne and Decatur to care for his parishes. He decided he needed to press the case in person. The General Synod agreed to send him home to do this and seek treatment for a throat ailment.
From October 20th, 1841 to July 5th, 1843, Wyneken met with people throughout Germany, raised funds, and recruited missionaries. He met with Wilhelm Löhe, who had already been working to send men to America, nicknamed Sendlinge (Sent ones) and Nothilfer (emergency helpers). They formed a friendship that shaped Löhe’s strategy, who would prepare second career men for service in America and send them to an American seminary to round out their education in country. He also helped Wyneken polish his appeal into the very successful Distress of the German Lutherans in North America. The first seminary to benefit from these students was the Ohio Synod’s german language institute in Columbus, Ohio.
175 years ago, Wilhelm Sihler, Friedrich Wyneken and the Sendlinge met in Cleveland. The American Lutheran church bodies were proving to be not very true to Lutheran doctrine and practice. Of special concern was the form of the words of institution used by the Ohio Synod (“Jesus said, “take, eat…”), which allowed for Reformed tradition Christians to commune with Lutherans, and that the Columbus seminary would not exclusively teach in German. In addition, the first issue of C. F. W. Walther’s Der Lutheraner indicated there were other confessional Lutherans in America. The wrote a joint letter, the Document of Separation, in which they all resigned from their respective Synods. They agreed to reach out Walther and the Saxons about the possibility of forming a new synod and to Löhe to found a seminary in Fort Wayne.
Dear saints, last Sunday we encountered the merciful Samaritan. This week we encounter the thankful Samaritan. He is afflicted with leprosy, a disease that killed the body and separated you from both your family and worship community. Life with leprosy was a lonely proposition, and so you would build something of a community with others like yourself. And this is what we hear this morning: ten leprous men lived in something of a community outside the village that Jesus happens to be entering.
The men stand at a distance and cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Using master indicates they recognize power and authority in Jesus, but not his deity. Jesus looks to them and, bestowing that requested mercy, tells them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” He tells them to perform the duty required of the leper under the Law of Moses. They are to go to Jerusalem, present themselves to the priest, and perform the rituals and cleansing. After this, they may return to their families and again worship in the Temple.
Being told to go, but not being told they would be healed, they turn and begin their journey. And as they went they were cleansed. We are not told how long into the journey they were, and we do not know how long they were clean before they noticed. But we know that, whenever they realized they were healed, nine of them continue on, presumably heading up to the Temple as instructed. But one does not. He turns back and returns to Jesus. He falls on his face at the Lord’s feet and gives him thanks.
Of the ten, only one returns. Nine Jewish men travel to the Temple; the Samaritan returns to the Lord. And looking down at this man, Jesus tells him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
That the man who returns is a Samaritan is shocking on a couple of different levels. First, we recall that Samaritans were looked at as inherently impure by Jews. They were seen as half-breeds. Jews did not associate with Samaritans. But here, a Samaritan has joined nine Jews who shared a condition with him. Despite the prejudices Jews had against them, nine Jews with leprosy were willing to welcome this Samaritan into their group. Their lot was so bad and desperate, they welcomed the company of anyone. Even a Samaritan.
The other is that, of the ten, only the Samaritan recognizes Jesus for who he is. Samaritans only held the first five books of the Bible as authoritative. This may be the reason Jesus tells the woman at the well, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”
But recognize Jesus is what this man did. He turned with the other nine to go to Jerusalem. Yet when he realized he was healed, that he was cleansed, he turned back. But instead of calling from a distance, he boldly approaches Jesus and falls on his face at his feet. He gives thanks. He takes the position of worship and praises God.
All this happens as Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, which means he is on his way to the cross. And that reminds us why things like leprosy exist. Without sin, we would not have maladies like leprosy or cancer or deadly viruses. Without sin, we would not die. Without sin, our God would not need to take on our flesh and die in our place to save us. But we have sinned. And, as I have said before, there is no better comparison to our disease of sin than the disease of leprosy.
As I mentioned, leprosy separated you from not only your family but from your worship community. You were unclean under the Law. There was no cure, so it was also a death sentence that would cause you to suffer while waiting.
Sin is similar. It may alienate you from your family, but it always alienates you from your God. It always makes you unclean and unrighteous. It is always fatal. There is no human cure. Like leprosy in the ancient world, it is always and only God that can cleanse you from sin.
All of humanity are like lepers. We are deathly ill with no hope of surviving. We need mercy. The lepers in our lesson this morning call out to Jesus seeking mercy. He shows it to them by telling them to go to Jerusalem and show themselves to the priests there. He shows them mercy by healing them as they turn and go. And yet only one of them returns to him and worships him.
Jesus shows us mercy by taking on our flesh and dying for our sins on the cross. It is a death that forgives the sins of all. Yes, all sin is forgiven by the death of Christ. In the miracle of our text, we see the cleansing power of Christ. But not all realize what mercy has been shown upon our race. Many remain in their condition unaware of what has been done for them. Others are thankless and abuse it. And some fall at the feet of Jesus in worship and thanksgiving.
And that is what we have come here to do this morning. We cry out, “Lord, have mercy!” We listen to his word. We receive and believe him in the absolution. And, in a few minutes, we will fall to our knees before the altar in thanksgiving. There you receive your Lord and Savior and obtain from him forgiveness.
At the end of our lesson, Jesus looks to the cleansed man and says, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has saved you.” As you rise from the rail, he tells you to depart in peace. He tells you that you are forgiven. He tells you that he has given you faith and it has saved you. You may go in peace knowing he has made you clean. Amen.
Rev. Brent Keller Peace Lutheran Church Alcester, SD
Dear saints, you do not need to be a Christian, or even a Theist, to know about the Good Samaritan. Many people think they know the parable and its meaning. We have organizations, nursing homes, charities, hospitals and other groups who take on the name. Many of these entities do a lot of good work. They do a lot to love and serve their communities. But if you asked many of those who work and volunteer at those places, they would probably tell the meaning of the parable is to simply love and serve your neighbor. Now, they would be telling you to do a good thing, but they would also be giving you a moralizing and Law-based meaning. They are missing the point of the parable.
The reason for this is because many do not realize what the context for the parable is and why our Lord tells it. It is not just a moral story about treating your neighbor well. It is theologically deep and meant to draw a man to trust in Jesus. So, let us jump in, shall we?
Jesus sent out seventy-two men in pairs to preach about Him before he came to that city or town or village. When they returned, they were excited because even the demons were subject to them in Jesus’ name. The passage that bridges the return of the seventy-two and our parable is just as important. Jesus gives thanks to God that what he calls the little children are the ones who see and understand rather than the wise and understanding. He says to his disciples, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
The prophets and kings of old heard God’s promises. They heard and believed the Gospel. But they did not get to see it. The disciples get to see Jesus with their eyes and hear him with their ears. They get to see and hear the Gospel. The ancients saw the shadow; the disciples see the real thing and hear the details.
Today we hear a lawyer stand up to test Jesus. “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Already there is a problem. What does one do to inherit eternal life? The question does not make sense. You inherit something not because of anything you do. You inherit something because of what and who you are.
Jesus knows the lawyer is asking the wrong question and that he is being tested by him. But Jesus also cares for and loves this lawyer. And so, he engages the question but does not answer it. Instead, he asks his own question: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” The lawyer answers rightly. He gives the correct summary of the Mosaic Law. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus affirms the answer. “Do this, and you will live.”
And it is there that the lawyer knows he is in trouble. He knows he has not fulfilled the requirements of the Law and its summary that he just gave. And so, he looks for a way out. If he can prove that his neighbor is limited; that he can dictate who his neighbor is…perhaps he can ‘do this, and live.’ Perhaps he can find himself justified based on what he has done. And so, when he asks Jesus who his neighbor is, Jesus responds with the parable.
The scenario is not farfetched. There were dangerous roads and routes then just as there are now. An unnamed man goes down the mountain from Jerusalem to Jericho and is beaten and robbed. He is left for dead. And as he lays there, a priest also comes down along that way. He sees him, goes to the other side of the road, and continues on his way. A Levite does the same.
But then an outsider comes. A Samaritan. An outcast and hated man. This man stops and checks on the half-dead man. He has compassion on him. He cares for him, puts him on his animal, and bore the burden of the journey to an inn. There he cares for this stranger overnight and then gives the innkeeper two days’ wages to care for the beaten man, promising to come back and pay whatever bill the stranger might incur.
It is at this point of many sermons that the priest and Levite are typically beaten up on. They are shunned because they did not come to the beaten man’s aid. I am not going to do that. Instead, I want to ask, “Why didn’t they do anything to help him?” The answer begins with the context of the lawyer’s test. He is an expert in the Law. He knows it back to front. And he looks to it for his right standing before God.
And so, he tests Jesus with his misguided question. Jesus turns the tables on him and causes him to feel the burden of the Law upon his shoulders. This is because the Law was never meant to save anyone. It came 430 years after God’s promise and covenant with Abraham. That promise is where salvation lies. Not from the law which was given because of sin. This is we heard from St. Paul. The Law does not and did not replace God’s promise of the Offspring. The promise of Christ.
So, when the lawyer asks what he must do to be saved, Jesus has him answer using what the lawyer thought the standard was: The Law. And by rightly confessing that he was to love the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, strength, and mid and to love his neighbor as himself, he knows he had just condemned himself.
At a minimum, his instincts tell him he has not loved his neighbor as himself. And so, if he can limit who his neighbor is, perhaps he can again trust in his righteousness through the Law. This is why Jesus mentions the priest and Levite. They are the keepers, performers, and protectors of the Law. They ensure purity. And so, the priest and Levite have a code they must live by. If they are traveling along that road to perform a duty, they cannot touch a dead body, become unclean, and still perform their duty. The man looks like he may be dead. Thus, they walk away from where he is so that they do not become unclean. Or, maybe they just finished serving and they are anxious to return to their families. If they were to touch a dead body, they would be unclean and thus be delayed in their return to the families.
They do not help the man because they cannot. And that is the point. The Law is powerless to save unless you keep it perfectly from fertilization, and, well, good luck with that. The priest and Levite can do nothing but pass the man by. But the Samaritan is not under the Mosaic Law. He is an outsider and despised. The Samaritan has mercy and aches for the battered man.
The compassion the Samaritan has on the beaten man has both a physical and monetary cost. He puts himself in danger to attend the man. After all, this could have been a ruse and the beaten man only acting. And so, putting himself in danger, he uses oil and wine, the day’s version of antibiotic and cleaning agents, to clean up the injured man. He bears the burden of lifting the man onto his animal and walking rather than riding to town. He bears the burden of caring for the man overnight.
And then he bears the cost of paying for the man’s night, two additional nights, and whatever the man would rack up in costs between the time he leaves and comes back. All this is done without checking to make sure this beaten man is honorable. Is worthy or trustworthy. The Samaritan simply does it for this stranger.
Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? The lawyer asks who his neighbor is. Jesus shows what it is to be a neighbor. And the lawyer must answer that the Samaritan, the one who showed him mercy was the neighbor. The one who, no questions asked, saved the half-dead man.
The lawyer should realize that he is the beaten and half-dead man. He has fallen into the hands of his own sin and the devil, who have beaten him, stripped him and left them for dead. But then, the Samaritan comes: Jesus. The Son of God, who is rejected and seen as an outcast. He comes to be the merciful neighbor of the beaten and abused man, the lawyer, and you.
That is the point of the parable. Because of sin, we are born worse than half-dead. We are fully dead spiritually. We have already been killed by sin. But Jesus has compassion. He comes to you. He bears your burden. He pours water, and sometimes, oil upon you in baptism. He gives you his blood under the wine in the Holy Supper. He fully pays for you. He puts and keeps you in his care. Put simply, he shows you mercy.
The message of the Good Samaritan is not, “Try harder,” or, “Be nicer.” The message of the Good Samaritan is you are condemned under the Law. You are beaten up by the Law. And Jesus comes and rescues you. Our wonderful and merciful neighbor saves us by dying in our place on the cross. And we receive that mercy daily.
The parable ends with Jesus telling the lawyer to “go, and do likewise.” Jesus tells us to do the same. Not to justify ourselves, like the lawyer sought to do, but because we have received mercy. And because we have received mercy, we want others to receive that same mercy. Let us always cling to Jesus, our Merciful Neighbor. And may we also show mercy as we bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Amen.
Rev. Brent Keller Peace Lutheran Church Alcester, SD
