The second point is that the Lord refers us to the fruit of the Gospel, to the good works which follow from hearing God’s Word aright…. But before we proceed to speak further of the blessed fruit of hearing and seeing what Christ says and does, we should observe, that in the Samaritan is given us not only an example of love, but also and especially that in it we find represented the unspeakable grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which He manifested in behalf of the whole human race. Mankind had been stripped by the devil of all divine knowledge and spiritual gifts, and instead of it had been smitten with blindness, contempt of God, etc., and thus shamefully wounded and disfigured, so that no fear, love and trust in God remains in the hearts of men, but the very opposite. Hence the Apostle St. Paul calls them “by nature the children of wrath.” From such misery and ruin no creature in heaven or on earth can deliver us. If we were to be delivered from this deplorable condition, from death and eternal damnation, it had to be done by the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the true Samaritan. He had to become man and take upon Himself our sins and diseases, and to assure us in His Word that by His sufferings and death He has rendered satisfaction for our sins, and by His resurrection has brought to light righteousness and eternal salvation. Of this however we shall speak more at the close. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 775-776)