Baptism of Myles Hayes Frazier
St. Luke 10:23–37
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
What must I do to inherit eternal life?
Isn’t it obvious? You can’t DO anything to inherit. You get to inherit because of what someone else decided and did FOR you—putting you in their will. Jesus could’ve answered the lawyer’s question with a very straightforward answer, something like St. Paul would later write in Titus, chapter 3: When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying” (Titus 3:4–8).
So, how do you inherit eternal life? You have to become an heir of God. And how do you become an heir? God makes you one. He puts you in His will, so to speak. Jesus does something for you. He makes you the beneficiary of His testament. God does not save you because of any works you’ve done. You play no part in inheriting. You inherit eternal life because God baptizes you into Jesus. God gives you a new birth in the washing of baptism so that you are united with the Son of God, and so you are made an heir with the Son.
But Jesus doesn’t spell out His answer this way. Instead, He tells a story. He tells a story about a man who is helpless, a man who has nothing, can do nothing—he’s as good as dead. But this helpless man was picked up, rescued, healed, cared for. In a way, he was resurrected to a new life. Why does Jesus tell this story? Why doesn’t He just give a straightforward answer? Because He wants the lawyer, and He wants us, to learn how to see—how to see yourself in the story, and even more, see Jesus in the story.
First of all, the story cannot simply mean what so many people try to make it mean. It can’t be, “Now you go be a good Samaritan. Go be nice to everyone and then you’ll be saved.” Obviously, the story can’t mean that because it goes against the clear teaching of God’s Word which says no one is good, no can be saved by their works. Instead, we get the full meaning of the story when we learn to see Jesus rightly.
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.” What did the disciples see and hear? Jesus! The promised Savior, God in the flesh, God with us, dying and rising for us. The prophets and kings of the Old Testament longed to see the Savior, but their eyes could not. He did not come in their time. They did not get to see Him teaching truth and doing miracles and laying down His life for the life of the world.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, then eyes did see Him: the promised One, Jesus Christ. Now that Jesus has appeared, we can see clearly how it is that we are able to inherit eternal life through Jesus. So, blessed are the eyes that see what you see. Blessed are the eyes and ears that see and hear Jesus in the story. He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness. We are the helpless man, the man who has nothing, can do nothing—who’s as good as dead. And until we really come to grips with that, we have no hope of being saved, because we cannot try to justify ourselves like that lawyer. We cannot prove ourselves right. Jesus is the One who saves us, who justifies us by His grace. He makes us right with God. He is the Good Samaritan, who picks us up, rescues, heals, and cares for us. He resurrects us to a new life.
And all this is why we baptize babies—helpless babies, as good as dead in the sin they are born with. This is why Myles was brought here to be baptized, not so he could do something—what could he possibly do? Not so his parents or sponsors could do something—they cannot save him. No one is saved by anything humans do. God saved Myles according to His own mercy, through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on Myles generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by God’s grace, Myles might become an heir having the hope of eternal life.
In the waters of Holy Baptism, Jesus has made Myles an heir of God. That is how you inherit eternal life. And so, Myles and all of the heavenly Father’s heirs can sing this joyful and confident song:
Death, you cannot end my gladness:
I am baptized into Christ!
When I die, I leave all sadness
To inherit paradise!
Though I lie in dust and ashes
Faith’s assurance brightly flashes:
Baptism has the strength divine
To make life immortal mine.
There is nothing worth comparing
To this life-long comfort sure!
Open-eyed my grave is staring:
Even there I’ll sleep secure.
Though my flesh awaits its raising,
Still my soul continues praising:
I am baptized into Christ;
I’m a child of paradise!
(LSB 594:4–5)
Jesus died. His last will and testament have gone into effect. We have already received our inheritance in the forgiveness of sins. And Jesus rose and lives forever. So our inheritance is eternal. We have eternal life now. And so being heirs of eternal life now, we live in a new way.
Only as children of paradise does Jesus’ statement, “You go, and do likewise,” apply to us. Even though the story cannot only mean you have to be like the Good Samaritan, Jesus does still say to us, “You go, and do likewise.” But only heirs of God can do like the Good Samaritan—like our good, loving, kind Savior, like a good neighbor to those around us. Having been baptized, Myles and all God’s children will live out their Baptism and use their inheritance. Being forgiven by God, they forgive others. Being loved by God, they love others. They show the goodness and loving kindness of God in their words and actions. This is what all baptized heirs of eternal life now do.
They don’t do anything to inherit eternal life. But having been made heirs by our Savior, having inherited eternal life in Him, then they watch and learn from Jesus, their Savior and Good Samaritan, and do likewise.
In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.
