St. Luke 10:23–37

Turning to the disciples [Jesus] said privately, “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.”

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “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.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

“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.” — Jesus says that to His disciples. And then there’s this little episode with a certain lawyer asking Him how to inherit eternal life (and ensuing conversation thereabouts). And then, Jesus tells this parable of the Good Samaritan. We’re going to talk about how it’s all connected.

Jesus says they’re blessed at seeing a certain thing; it’s Him they’re seeing (or, they’re blessed that they’re seeing Who God truly is). Jesus had just been talking about it before our text. He had said, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Jesus has revealed Himself (to many, actually), and these disciples are among those who have believed in Him. That's the incredible thing they’ve known that is so much the envy of the important people of the world. They’ve known how to inherit eternal life. They have believed that it is God’s merciful gift that comes through the person of Jesus Christ—the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus’ answer to the lawyer is kind of confusing, though, isn’t it? He isn’t talking about God’s grace, but rather about the Law. The man asks, What must I do to inherit eternal life? In turn, Jesus asks, What is written in the Law? The man gives a summary of the law that comes from the Old Testament. You recognize it as what God requires from you (loving Him and your neighbor perfectly), but that we’re always saying you’re incapable of fulfilling. We’re always saying you can’t keep the Law as God requires for eternal life; you have an inherited sinful nature that prevents it. So, why does Jesus let stand this answer to the man’s question about how to inherit eternal life? Why does He say, Do this and you will live?— Why talk about the Law here (about doing), and not the Gospel (not God’s grace that enables the Law to be fulfilled)? It seems strange, doesn’t it?

The Bible says we have to be prepared first, if we’re going to be able to see what Jesus commends of the disciples in our text. We have to be able to see ourselves as we truly are; we have to see our sin. It’s painful, but it has to be the case. The lawyer doesn’t see his sin yet, so he won’t see his Savior. If you don’t think you have any need, you aren’t looking for a solution. We need to see our sin, to see our Savior. That’s why Jesus answers him in the way He does. For the moment, He’ll play along with the man’s confusion, his thought of doing enough to be saved. He will direct him to take a close look into God’s Law, and into his own heart. He aims to prepare him to see what those see who can inherit eternal life. He hopes to get him to see his savior.

That’s where the parable of the Good Samaritan comes in. The man has been operating under the conviction that he has suitably loved his neighbor as the Law requires. Most people would think the same, wouldn’t they? They’d say they don’t go out of their way to cause anybody any trouble. In fact, they even go out of their way to do kind things sometimes. It’s true of you, isn’t it?

Our love isn’t really tested in the easiest of situations, though, is it? It’s in the hardest situations that it’s tested. That’s why in wedding ceremonies it often talks about being together in good times and bad times, in sickness and in health. It would seem easy to love our neighbor if there was never any difficulty in it.

The parable sets out a hard situation. A man has been beaten by robbers and left to die along the roadside. A priest and then a Levite happen by (separately) a little while later (religious folk—leaders even, in the Jewish faith). Each passes by on the other side of the road. Well, it’s a hard situation, like we said. Could be further danger in the area. Certainly, it’s an interruption in whatever they’ve had planned. Whatever is their reasoning, they have determined that it will not be their problem. And in the end, Jesus and the lawyer agree that mens’ decision has been a failure in neighborliness—a failure in fulfilling that law of loving the neighbor.

Earlier, the lawyer had asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” We might guess that his preference would have been to only have his love of neighbor tested in the easiest of situations. He wouldn’t have wanted to be considered a poor neighbor because he didn’t help in a situation like that in the parable. As far as he’s concerned, that’s too much to expect. For him to put himself in peril for a stranger? The Law can’t be asking that, can it?

We talked about Jesus pointing out to his disciples the blessing they have of seeing what others haven’t seen. We said that it’s Jesus they’re seeing. They know how to get to heaven. They know that God will be merciful to them because of His Son.

It makes sense that Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan here, because it’s that Savior we’re seeing in the parable too. Another comes along the road. There isn’t anything that prevents Him helping when He sees someone who is in need. Jesus even makes the man a Samaritan to emphasize that this is one of those hard situations (Jews and Samaritans didn’t mix). This is one of those situations from which the lawyer would certainly have excused himself. It’s too much, he would think. But for this third man nothing is too much. Think of how this compares to what St. Paul writes about our need in our relationship with God: God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Talk about a difficult situation. Jesus is showing Himself in the Good Samaritan. He’s the One Who doesn’t hesitate to come to the rescue of the man who is as good as dead. He bandages him up. He brings him to safety. He sees to the man’s care even as He will be absent for a while. He makes plans to return to see it through.

The lawyer might well have seen his own shortcomings in the priest and the Levite in Jesus’ story—the ones who passed by their needy neighbor without helping. But Jesus also meant for him to see himself in the beaten man—the needy man, the one who is helpless unless a savior comes to his rescue.

Do you see yourself there, too? You’ve seen the things too, that many prophets and kings desired to see but did not see. You know the Savior. You know how a person inherits eternal life. You are to be considered blessed in the same way. Often times, when we stop and talk about being blessed in a certain situation, we are reminding ourselves not to forget about the blessing, not to be neglectful of it. We’re sort of saying, We really should recognize the blessing of this, though often we have failed in recognizing it.

No doubt, Jesus had this in mind in his statement to the disciples. Isn’t He saying it to you, too? Don’t neglect this. Don’t forget it, or treat lightly this blessing that you have of knowing God’s grace toward you in Christ. Don’t forget the need you have of a Savior. You have tended to forget at times, prioritizing God’s Word out of your every day life—choosing other things over it. You have even tried to justify yourself like the lawyer, as if you didn’t really have this need of a savior from sin, as if you might just be able to stand before God and be good enough on your own steam. It was a deception from Satan. Of course, it was a lie. Not only didn’t it provide some new way of inheriting eternal life; it robbed you of the blessing of what you have already known and possessed for yourself in Christ.

But He is the Savior you have needed. He lived in this world the absolute devotion to God and His Word that you have neglected. He didn’t hesitate to come to your rescue when you were dead in your trespasses and sins. He bandaged you in Baptism, and through the healing Word of God. He brought you into the safety of His Church, made a citizen of His kingdom. He saw to your care in a place like this—strengthening you through preaching and through the Supper that is the food of immortality. He has given you His body and blood to sustain you in His temporary absence. You anticipate His return in glory to take you to be with Him in the kingdom.

Blessed are the eyes that see what you see, hear what you hear. You have seen the Savior, and the way to inherit eternal life. You know that forgiveness is God’s merciful gift that comes through the person of Jesus Christ—the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. You are forgiven in Him. You are truly blessed. Amen.

Leviticus 18:1-5

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.

Galatians 3:15–22

To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his Offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your Offspring,” who is Christ. This is what I mean: the Law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the Law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

Why then the Law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the Law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.