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)

The first point we notice is, that the Savior here lauds His precious Gospel, saying to His disciples: “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see. For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them.”

In these words the Savior wishes to comfort us when we see that the precious Gospel is despised more than anything else in this world. For it is a fact that the wicked world can hear and suffer all false doctrine, lies of the devil, and all heresy rather than the Gospel, which it will neither hear nor see, but continues to revile and to persecute vehemently, and thus to cause great sorrow to those who preach it. Such deplorable examples we observe all over Germany and many other countries. This the Lord observes, and comforts His disciples, saying: The children of this world, yea, even my own people, to whom I have been promised and sent, all deride and blaspheme my Word. But he that is so favored as to have this Word and uses it for his comfort, is indeed blessed and has blessed ears. He has reason to thank God from all his heart that he possesses and is able to appreciate what the children of this world so much despise. You are indeed more blessed than Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah — yea more than David and other pious kings. The highest desire of all sainted patriarchs, prophets and kings was for the time when they should see and hear me. This time they have not reached; but you have been blessed to see it. Therefore rejoice and be comforted, and thank God with all your hearts for the inestimable blessing of seeing and hearing me. You are indeed blessed above all others.  (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 774)

In this world there will always be such a difference in regard to person, standing and gifts, so that the one will be more highly esteemed than the other. Yet on that account we are not unequal before God. And because nothing is recognized before Him except grace, why should anyone be permitted to boast and to be proud? All should humbly recognize the fact that God is the same, notwithstanding the difference in us; He has the same eye upon the poor as upon the rich. Therefore all should learn to trust in God’s mercy and grace. Both the righteous and the sinner, the rich and the poor, the strong and the feeble, are in the hands of God. Whatever they possess, they have received from Him. Of themselves they have nothing but sin. Hence no one should exalt himself over others, but all should fear God and be humble. For everything good is a gift of God. God has reason to claim the credit, not we. For us it is becoming to make use of His gifts with thanksgiving and in the fear of God. He will not suffer us to be proud, presumptuous and boastful.

But whilst God forbids all pride on account of piety and other gifts, He does not, at the same time, want us to despair on account of our sinfulness. He rather wants us, in this case, to trust in His mercy and to say: Though I am not as plentifully supplied as others, yet their God is my God and He has promised to be merciful to me also. Hence I will be contented and be faithful in my office or vocation, according to the gifts which He has bestowed; I will despise no one, nor exalt myself, neither will I feel slighted if others are favored more than I. I am well satisfied that the God of others is my God also, who is always the same, notwithstanding the difference in men. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 762-763)

In short the Pharisee imagines that he is everything and has everything, whilst he considers the publican to be nothing and to have nothing. What consummate wickedness! He should rather have said: It is true, I give my tithes regularly; I fast and do other good works as much as I can; yet I cannot trust in all my doing. All I have and do is a merciful gift of Thine, O God, and this publican may be more pleasing in Thy sight than I. Thus the Pharisee should have placed the publican above himself, or at least on an equality with himself. He should have said: It does not depend on gifts, either many or few, but on a gracious God. Why should I boast and despise others; when everything de pends on the mercy of God and not on the gifts which we may possess? But such is not his language. He rather boasts of his piety, and that at a time when he is standing before God and praying.

Thus the Lord forbids us to boast on account of our piety. He also teaches that no one has any reason to despair on account of sin, into which he has been misled by the devil. We have one God who embraces and covers us all with the mantle of His mercy — the pious and the sinner, the learned and the ignorant, the rich and the poor — He is the God of us all. Hence we should not exalt ourselves, but be humble, and should not imagine that we are better than others because we are rich, whilst they are poor. For God may favor the poor rather than the rich; yea, He can take away riches and reduce to nakedness, and again cover the naked beautifully and bestow excellent gifts. Why then should we exalt ourselves and despise others? (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 762)

In our Gospel lesson a special example of God’s dreadful judgment is given on His beloved and most holy city of Jerusalem and His own peculiar people, which city was His own house and home and which people were members of His own family. Jerusalem was like a second heaven, in which God dwelt with His holy angels, the true worship was instituted, almost every prophet lived and found His grace, and finally Christ the Son of God Himself lived, died, was buried, arose again from the dead and poured out His Holy Spirit. This city was indeed overwhelmed, as it were, with holiness, so that the like has not been in the whole world nor will be to the end of time. All this, however, could not save the city, because the inhabitants thereof did not accept nor follow the Word of God, who so strictly adhered to His Word that His beloved city had to be made desolate. How much less will He spare other cities which are nothing compared to Jerusalem, and other nations which are not as near unto Him as the Jews, who are His blood relations.

Therefore we should pay attention to this example of the wrath of God, and guard against despising His Word, so that we may not say, as we are apt to do: Oh, God will not be so angry, nor will He punish so severely. If He destroyed His holy city of Jerusalem, which was His most precious jewel upon earth, leaving no stone upon another, because the people who heard His Word were not benefited by it, we need not expect Him to spare us, if we are guilty of the same transgressions. Jerusalem was swept away entirely, so that we could not say that one house was left standing. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 748)

It is thus the will of the Lord that we should cleave to the Word and not suffer ourselves to be led astray. Whatever is in opposition to the Word we are to hate and flee from as from the devil himself. For this reason we should never be secure or fall asleep. And as has been said before, wherever the Word is in its purity, wolves will not stay away, but will surely come. This is to be seen first of all in the Church, then also in the civil government and in the family. Everywhere the wolf will interfere and try to lead us away from the Word and do us harm. The Christian Church has the true and pure Word of God; this the devil hates to see, and therefore introduces all kinds of fanatics who bring in new and strange doctrines concerning Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the person of Christ, thereby to confuse and mislead the people. And when such fanatics arise, we wicked and inquisitive people have the bad habit, which sticks to us like the plague, to run after them as soon as we hear their novelties, and fall away from the Word. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 727)

As then we can expect nothing else on earth than to be subject to the devil, who has the world under his control and is always sowing his tares, our Lord, as the faithful teacher and shepherd of our souls, admonishes us in our text to beware of false prophets.

It is as though He would say: I have given you my Word and have taught you what to do, how to understand the ten commandments, how to trust in God and to call upon Him in prayer, and also how to do good works. Now all depends on your care that ye be not led away from this doctrine. I warn you, and you will have no excuse; for I do not send you among angels, but among wolves, and do not sow you among wheat, but in the midst of tares. Therefore beware, lest you be misled. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 727)

This is an important doctrine upon which a great deal depends, that we regard our calling as comprehended in God’s Word, so that each one may be sure that all he does and leaves undone he does and leaves undone in the name and at the command of God. Thus the soul is prepared to defy the devil, can be of good cheer, and say: I have today done this and that, and I have done it, because I know God has told me and commanded in His Word to do so; I therefore know that it is a good work with which God is well pleased. Who ever cannot speak thus should abandon his work, no matter what it may be; for it is sin and God is displeased with it, as St. Paul saith: “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Here we must know, that whoever does not want to live in uncertainty, like the heathen, but desires so to govern his actions that God may be pleased and to do all in faith, must have and know the Word of God. For faith cannot exist where the Word of God is not. You may wonder what such Word is, that comprehends all vocations and our whole external life. But we can easily tell you. In the first place, there is the fourth commandment: “Honor thy father and thy mother.” This commandment embraces all stations of life. For the state of matrimony is the source of all other states. God has made one state depend upon the other; as the state of matrimony must serve all others — for no civil government nor civil well being could exist without it — so again all other states have to serve the state of matrimony. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 697)

For whoever hears the Word of God diligently enjoys two great advantages, which could never be enjoyed without that Word.  The first is that we learn to know God’s will, how He is disposed towards us and what He will do with us after this life. It is impossible for man to know these things without the Word of God; for be either proceeds on his way securely and presumptuously, without the fear of God and not believing that God is really angry at sin; or, if he has a sufficient knowledge of this fact from the preaching of the law, he can arrive at no other conclusion than that God will condemn him on account of his sin. But the Word of God teaches that, although God is fearfully angry at the impenitent, yet He will be merciful, deliver from sin and death, and give eternal life to all those who turn to Him by true faith in His Son Jesus Christ. This is one blessing we derive from the Word, which therefore we should cheerfully and diligently hear.

The other is this, that we learn from it how our temporal life, vocation and work, being comprehended in the Word of God and sanctified by it, forms a true service of God with which He is well pleased. Therefore to serve God it is not necessary for a man to engage in something extraordinary in his external life, as the monks have been doing. Let him remain in his temporal calling and do what his rulers, office, and position require of him. In this way God is served aright, and is well pleased, and He will grant success and prosperity. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 696)

In this narrative St. Luke tells us how Peter and others were called to the Apostolic office. And, indeed, the narrative is very appropriate. For by the extraordinary draught of fishes the Lord wanted to show them how the Gospel would be spread in the world with great power, and would catch men who are in the kingdom of the devil and bring them into the kingdom 696of God. For at the close the Lord Himself interprets it, that Peter, Andrew, James and John, from hence forth, shall catch men.

This is a great comfort in the temptations to which all pious ministers of the Gospel are generally exposed. They are apt to suppose the world to be too wicked, that all preaching will be useless and in vain, and that nobody will be converted thereby. This, Christ wishes to say, may be expected from the preaching of Moses; but wherever my Word is preached at my command, it shall accomplish its end, as was the case with the draught of fishes, in which Peter was engaged at my command.

Before, however, the Evangelist begins his narrative, he states that a multitude of pious people followed the Lord Jesus and was anxious to hear Him preach.  By this example He would incite us also willingly to hear His Word and zealously to continue in it. For whoever hears the Word of God diligently enjoys two great advantages, which could never be enjoyed without that Word. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 695-696)