All now depends on this, that you accept such assurance and hold it to be true that God is merciful unto you for Christ’s sake. This we here learn from the man sick with the palsy. In the first place, the Lord admonishes him to believe, saying: Son, be of good cheer, and doubt not, thy sins are forgiven thee. As soon as the palsied man believed these words his sins were really forgiven.

Thus we come into possession of the forgiveness of sins in our day also, when the servant of the Church, or any other Christian, assures you: God is not angry with you, do not you be angry with Him, because He has, for the sake of His Son Jesus Christ, forgiven you all your sins. You should therefore, with all confidence, trust in this assurance and suffer yourself to be torn to pieces rather than to doubt it. For if you doubt, the absolution, even if it were pronounced over you orally by God and His holy angels, would profit you nothing.

Where there is no faith, there God is considered a liar, as though He did not tell us the truth and would not fulfill His promises. May God in mercy graciously deliver us from such unbelief and sin, although the devil is a real expert in leading people to consider God a liar and to distrust His promises. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 832)

This Gospel teaches us to note particularly the good tidings which God has granted us, that we may here on earth say to each other, “Thy sins are forgiven thee,” so that with the people here spoken of we may marvel and glorify God, Which had given such power unto men. And it is indeed a great power that one Christian may say to another: My brother, be of good cheer, you have a gracious God; only believe the assurance which I give you in Christ’s name and it is as certain as if God Himself had said to you, Thy sins are forgiven thee. Such power, as we hear, originated in Christ and is now given unto men, especially to those who are in office and are commanded to preach the Gospel, that is, repentance and forgiveness of sins, in Jesus’ name. Other Christians, although they are not in that office, also have the command, in case of necessity, to comfort you when you are troubled on account of your sins, and to say: Why are you troubled? I, as a Christian, assure you that you are wronging yourself; God is not unmerciful unto you. You are for Christ’s sake to put all your trust in His grace. You are to comfort yourself as surely with these words as if Christ spake them in person from heaven. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 831-832)

The sum of the matter is that our Lord boldly tells the Pharisees that they do not know what it is to keep the Sabbath day and to sanctify it. According to your idea, He tells them, it is sanctifying the Sabbath day to be altogether idle and to do no work whatever. No, this is not the meaning of the Sabbath day. To sanctify the Sabbath day means to hear the Word of God and to help our neighbor wherever we can. God does not want a keeping of the Sabbath day in which our neighbor is neglected or left to suffer. For if I serve and help my neighbor, I have kept the Sabbath as it should be kept, and have done a truly good work. This doctrine concerning the Sabbath day shows us how to understand the third commandment aright, according to which we are required, not to be idle or to do nothing, but to hear the Word of God and to live according to that Word. And what does that Word teach us? It directs us, according to the second table, to love and serve one another. This God wants us to learn on the Sabbath day. Hence it must also follow that we are not desecrating the Sabbath day by such good works as these. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 815)

He wants to teach all of us to look upon death as an insignificant thing, of which we have no reason to be afraid, but to await death and other misfortunes with a believing and patient heart, because we are assured of having a Lord who can easily help us and overcome death and other misfortunes. Behold how quickly and easily the woman is delivered, after having given up all hope of help. For who would have thought that the deceased son, who is carried to the grave for burial, should be restored to life?

After all hope had failed, our dear Lord Jesus Christ draws nigh and does nothing more than say: “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise!” And at once the dead man arises and lives. Here we must confess that in the eyes of the Lord death is like life, and that it makes no difference to Him whether we live or are dead. For though we had died, for Him we are not dead, because He can overcome death and restore life by a single word. Therefore the Lord truly says: “God is not a God of the dead, but of the living.” Though Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and other holy patriarchs are dead for us, yet they live unto God.

From the Gospel of today and from the son of the widow we should learn to perceive the great power which God, through Christ, will apply to us at the last day, when, by a word, He will recall to life all men and give everlasting salvation to believers. This will be done in the twinkling of an eye, in order that we may not doubt in the least either the power of our Lord Jesus to do this or His will gladly to do it. For here we have the example. The son of the widow is dead; he has lost the gift of hearing and all other senses. But when Christ speaks to him, he hears. This is certainly a strange and wonderful incident. He that does not hear, hears; and he that does not live, lives. Nothing is done but that Christ opens His mouth and bids him arise. The single word is so powerful that death has to vanish and life return. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 807)

If we believe these truths with all our heart, we will be urged by the example of the Samaritan to love our neighbor. It is the nature of the Word, whenever it is rightly heard and believed, to make such people as the Samaritan here, who are full of pity and kindness toward every sufferer. When they find others in misery, they are ready to deliver them at their own trouble and expense. I have reference here to the help of indigent poor who are not in the habit of begging, like the indolent, idle and slothful professional beggars, who never can be induced to labor, but wander about over the whole country. Such vagabonds should not be supported. But when a Christian meets a worthy poor person he will be ready to help, like the Samaritan. He will reason thus: It is my neighbor, a man composed of body and soul like myself, and having the same God that I have. Hence he has also more claim on me than any other creature, and I will not pass him by. Come, dear brother, let me help thee, etc. He has compassion on him, as the Samaritan had compassion on the man having fallen among thieves, or a mother on her sick and suffering child. These are the true saints. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 776-777)

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)