The Law in Service to the Gospel

Trinity 13| Luke 10:23-37| Pastor James Preus| Trinity Lutheran Church| August 25, 2024

We Lutherans have been raised and catechized to understand the distinction between the Law and the Gospel. The Law commands works, while the Gospel offers God’s grace for Christ’s sake to be received through faith. The Law convicts you of sin, while the Gospel forgives your sins. The Law condemns you for not doing the works it demands. The Gospel saves you from being condemned by forgiving your sins against the Law for the sake of Christ, who died for your sins. We normally think of the Law coming first, because it needs to convict us of our sin, so that we repent, before we can receive the Gospel, which offers forgiveness of sins to those who repent. However, God did not give us the Law first, but rather the Gospel. The Gospel precedes the Law. St. Paul tells us that the Law was added because of transgressions. In other words, the purpose of the Law is to serve the Gospel. The Law behaves as a mirror and reveals to us our sin. As the mirror, the Law proves that only the Gospel saves. As St. Paul writes, the Law imprisons everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. So, it becomes clear that God added the commandments of the Law, not to show us an alternate route to salvation, but to hem us in as sinners, so that we would recognize that the only way to salvation is through the Gospel.

This is where that lawyer made a mistake. He asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life.” He treated the Law as if it were contrary to the Promise and as if one could gain life by being righteous under the Law. He voided the promise given to Abraham by asking how he could earn the inheritance, which God promised to Abraham as a gift to be received through faith before the Law had ever been given. Yet, Jesus shows the lawyer’s folly by asking him what the Law says? The man answers correctly, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus responds, “Do this and you will live.” But how can the man be sure that he has done the commandment? How can he be sure that he has fulfilled the commandment well enough to inherit eternal life? Already the Law is convicting him, so he tries to justify himself by narrowing the Law. “Who is my neighbor?” he asks. He doesn’t ask this because he loves his neighbor, but because he wants to make the commandment easier for himself to keep. So, Jesus tells Him a story, which places the Law in its proper place, in service to the Gospel.

A man leaves Jerusalem to go down to Jericho. Jerusalem is the city of God. It represents the Holy Christian Church, where God’s Word is proclaimed and where people worship God in spirit and truth. Jericho represents the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life. The man abandoned God’s Word and pursued the riches of life, that is, he followed his natural sinful impulses. On the way, he gets jumped by bandits, who beat him, strip him, and leave him half dead. These bandits represent Satan and his devils, who lure us into sin, shame, and condemnation. That poor man lying on the side of the road, beaten up, begging for life, is the lawyer trying to justify himself under the law. He sees the priest and the Levite come by. The priest and the Levite represent the commandments of the Law, as they served the temple and all things religious under the Law of Moses. But the priest and the Levite don’t help. They just walk on by. It is ironic, because when the lawyer asked, “And who is my neighbor?” he was really asking, “And whom must I help and not just walk on by?” The lawyer wanted to do as the priest and the Levite to whomever was not his neighbor! But he learns here that it is the Law, which does that to him. The Law does not help him in his sin! The Law simply tells him to stop being a sinner, do what is right! Like the priest and the Levite, the Law simply walks on by him without helping, leaving him naked, cold, and half dead.

And that, dear brothers and sisters, is the first way the Law serves the Gospel. Because when you find yourself helpless, when you realize that your works cannot save you and that you need someone else to save you, then you are ready to receive the Gospel. Then, when your sins have increased in your mind and become a burden too great for your conscience to bear, do you long for someone else to come and rescue you. And that someone is the Good Samaritan.

Jesus said 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.” You too are blessed along with the disciples when you see that Jesus is the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan finds the man half dead, and he helps him. So, Jesus finds us dead in our sins, and He makes us alive again. The Good Samaritan is the man’s enemy, as Samaritans are sworn enemies of the Jews, yet he helps him anyway. So, Christ died for us while we were still enemies with God. The Good Samaritan bore the man on his own animal. So, Christ bore our sins and took them away. He pours oil and wine. The alcohol in wine stings as it kills the germs. So, Christ’s preaching stings when He convicts us of our sin. Yet, he pours on the soothing oil of the Gospel, a balm to heal our consciences. The Good Samaritan brings the man to an inn and pays for him to be cared for until he returns. And so, Christ places us into the fold of His Christian Church, and provides us with stewards (1 Cor. 4:1) to feed us and care for us out of Christ’s own expense. Baptism, the preaching of the Gospel, the Lord’s Supper, which is Christ’s body and blood, these things which offer us new birth, forgiveness, and strengthening of faith, these don’t cost the minister anything to give. They were procured by Christ Himself with His own blood and death for us. And so, the innkeeper does not spend his own money to care for the man, but he spends the Good Samaritan’s money. Finally, the Good Samaritan promises that he will return. And so, our Lord Jesus promises to return for us. Our eternal welfare is His concern. So, we wait with great hope for His return, as the innkeeper cares for us from Jesus’ purse.  

Yet, the Good Samaritan does not serve only to demonstrate how Christ saves us from the curse of the Law. The Good Samaritan also shows us another way the Law serves the Gospel. The Good Samaritan is our example of how we love God and our neighbor. Jesus said, “Go, and do likewise.” Go and live like the Good Samaritan. Be a neighbor like he was. Show mercy like he did. In other words, imitate Christ! St. Paul exhorts us, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) That word for tenderhearted is related to the word Jesus used to say the Good Samaritan had compassion. As the Good Samaritan had compassion on him who fell among the robbers, so we should have compassion on one another. As Christ had compassion on us, so that He poured Himself out like wax for our sake, so we should be tenderhearted, kind, and forgiving to one another.

The Apostle John tells us that one cannot love God and hate his brother and if someone has the world’s goods, but sees his brother in need, yet does not help him, the love of God cannot abide in him (1 John 4:20; 3:17). Yet He also writes that we love, because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). What is John teaching us with these words? He is teaching us that when we love our brother, we show forth the love of Christ! He is teaching what Jesus taught, “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another!” (John 13:35) And this is another way the Law serves the Gospel. It serves the Gospel by glorifying Christ!

The Law cannot undo the Promise. God would not give a Law that would nullify His own Promise. So, the Law must serve the Gospel, not nullify it. You have already heard that the Law serves the Gospel by showing you your sin, so that you know that only the Gospel can save you. Yet, now through the example of the Good Samaritan, you learn how the Law serves the Gospel by glorifying Christ, who is the heart of the Gospel. The Law glorifies Christ by teaching you to walk by Christ’s example. As a Christian, you do not try to earn your salvation by following Christ’s example. You follow Christ’s example, because He has earned your salvation and you love Him for it.

Martin Luther teaches that promise we make in the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” is a comforting sign. How is it comforting to promise to forgive others? Because whenever you forgive others, you are confessing that Christ has forgiven you. And when you are kind, tenderhearted, and merciful, you are confessing that Christ has been kind, tenderhearted, and merciful to you.

The example of the Good Samaritan is beautiful. He does not try to limit how much he must love or whom he must love. He loves. He didn’t beat up the poor man and leave him half dead. Yet, neither did the priest and Levite, who nevertheless, failed to love the man. The Good Samaritan not only refrained from hurting and harming his neighbor’s body, but he helped and supported him in every physical need. He truly treated his neighbor as himself and did unto him as he would have wanted to be done to himself. This is more beautiful love than you will find in any fairytale written by man.

And so, Christ bids us to follow this beautiful example of love, not to justify ourselves, but to glorify Him, so that others may see the love of Christ and draw near to Him. Go and do likewise is Law. Yet, when it is viewed in service to the Gospel, it is not a burdensome command. Rather, it is the constant joyous pursuit of the Christian. You will not perfect this task in this lifetime. You will fail to love perfectly and will need your Good Samaritan to come and lift you out of the ditch, tend your wounds, and care for you. Yet, your faith in Christ compels you to begin and continue this task for His glory.

Through Baptism, you died with Christ, so that you might live with Him in glory. So, through faith in Christ put to death what is earthly in you, that is, what belongs to Jericho, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, and put on your new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of Christ (Col. 3:5-10). Through Christ’s tender care for you in Baptism, the preaching of His Word, and the Sacrament of His body and blood, He is transforming you to be like Him. In the resurrection, you will reach this perfection. But until then, Christ bids us to begin imitating Him for His glory. Amen.