February
3rd
and 4th,
2018 – Sexagesima Sunday – Luke 8:4-15
In the Name of Christ Jesus, the Light of the World +
St. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” Few passages of Scripture demonstrate this truth better than the parable of the Sower and the Seed. In fact, I don’t know if there is any character in any story Jesus tells that seems more ridiculous than the Sower. But in this parable we learn God’s wisdom, God’s love – and indeed how His weakness is true strength for us. Let us consider our parable this morning. “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” What a foolish Sower! His seed gets everywhere, it is scattered all over the place! Doesn’t this Sower realize that seed is precious, that you shouldn’t waste it? A full three quarters of his seed is wasted. Not one of our farmers here would put up with that. It would be ruinous. You don’t sow seed on the roads, you don’t plant on the rocks, you don’t throw it into thorns and thistles! It’s as though the Sower isn’t even a farmer – he sounds more like some city boy playing at being a farmer. And to people who hear with only the ears of the world, to people who think only by their own reason and strength and without the aid of the Holy Spirit, this would be a story of nothing but utter folly.
In the Name of Christ Jesus, the Light of the World +
St. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” Few passages of Scripture demonstrate this truth better than the parable of the Sower and the Seed. In fact, I don’t know if there is any character in any story Jesus tells that seems more ridiculous than the Sower. But in this parable we learn God’s wisdom, God’s love – and indeed how His weakness is true strength for us. Let us consider our parable this morning. “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” What a foolish Sower! His seed gets everywhere, it is scattered all over the place! Doesn’t this Sower realize that seed is precious, that you shouldn’t waste it? A full three quarters of his seed is wasted. Not one of our farmers here would put up with that. It would be ruinous. You don’t sow seed on the roads, you don’t plant on the rocks, you don’t throw it into thorns and thistles! It’s as though the Sower isn’t even a farmer – he sounds more like some city boy playing at being a farmer. And to people who hear with only the ears of the world, to people who think only by their own reason and strength and without the aid of the Holy Spirit, this would be a story of nothing but utter folly.
After
He preaches this parable, the disciples pull Jesus aside. What are
you talking about, Jesus? “To
you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but
for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.’
This is an interesting thing that Jesus says. Not everyone is going
to understand the Word of God. Some folks aren’t going to get it.
Some will not understand – for some this parable will remain
nothing but a foolish tale, or they will run off in strange
directions with it. That’s the way it is in this fallen world.
Jesus is quoting the prophets when He says “seeing they may not
see, and hearing they may not understand.” That was the story over
and over in the Old Testament, especially when the prophets
proclaimed the coming of Christ. But you – you have been given
ears to hear, and by the power of the Spirit, you will hear.
“Now
the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.”
And with these simple Words, Jesus flips everything around. The
seed is the Word of God. The point of the parable isn’t the
farmer. This parable isn’t about our actions, or how we are to
learn not to be so careless or foolish like the farmer – this is a
description of how God sends forth His Word. And the parable does
remind us of a truth that we Christians forget: to the eyes of the
world, God is foolish. So often they see His people, His Church at
work, and simply mock. So often the world hears but does not hear,
and the Church is ridiculed and mocked. Indeed, most of these very
disciples to whom Jesus is speaking will be mocked and even put to
death by the world because the world disdains the Word that they will
proclaim, the seed that they will sow. But here we see God’s
Wisdom. The Word will go forth! The Word will be sent forth into
all the world, the mockers not withstanding. And this makes perfect
sense when we remember that it is God who truly sends forth the Word.
The whole world exists how – only by the Word of God – that is
how God creates. “In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All
things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made
that was made.”
This is true, even though, “He
was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world
did not know him. He
came to his own, and his own people
did
not receive him.”
The ignorance and foolishness of the world does not undo the Word of
God – and just as God has sent His creative Word throughout the
world, so too He will have His Gospel preached to the entire world…
even to people who couldn't care less. With this parable, Jesus is
telling us what we should expect when we as His Church look upon the
world, when we see disdain for the Word.
“The
ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes
and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not
believe and be saved.”
Our Lord reminds us of a truth that we do not like. This world is
not a morally neutral or safe place. No, in this world there is
active opposition to God, and when you proclaim Christ, when you show
forth Christ’s love, you will be opposed. You will be mocked.
That’s just the way it is. And yet the seed is still sown. God is
not daunted or intimidated by the world – still His Word goes
forth. Even those birds who care nothing for the Word still are
alive only by the power of the Word – just as even the most coarse
and crass unbeliever still lives off of the goodness of God, off of
the care of Him who makes the rain to fall on both the just and the
unjust.
“And
the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive
it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in
time of testing fall away.” A
second warning. In this world there will be trials and testing, and
yes, trials and testing even for those who believe. The seed in the
rocky soil sprouts, but it cannot bear the summer heat, it is cut off
from the moisture of the soil. Now, consider this. You are
baptized. God has come to you in water and the Word, made you His
own child. This is true – even when sorrow and trial and hardship
come your way. For this is the temptation that Satan will throw at
you – the idea that old snake will whisper is this – “see how
hard your trials are, surely God no longer cares for you!” Satan
will try to dry you out, to burn you to a crisp with despair and
disappointment. Over and against the words of Satan, remember the
true and powerful word of God – I baptize you In the Name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Your sins are
forgiven. You are not rootless, but you are tied to the life giving
waters of Holy Baptism, joined to Christ Jesus Himself, attached to
Him. Do not let the vexations of Satan cut you off – remember your
baptism, remember that you are indeed delivered from Evil and from
the Evil One.
One
final trial. “And
as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as
they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and
pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.”
This is the one that we as Americans should know the most. We are
the people who are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of
life. And Jesus simply warns us of the truth – our sinful flesh
will want to turn blessings from God into idols, will take something
good in our lives but let it grow all out of proportion, let it grow
like a weed, like a cancer, and it can choke us out, strangle our
faith. And this is a common enough reality. Do I have to belabor
the point? Doesn’t the temptation lay upon all of us to be off
doing something else right now? Our work, our family, our
entertainment – all blessings from God, yet in this sinful world
our flesh would gladly let them be the excuse to forego receiving
God’s greater gift of forgiveness with our brothers and sisters in
Christ.
And
then the final soil. “As
for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold
it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”
Now, don’t get too proud, my friends, don’t puff out your chest
and go, “Oh, lookie at me, see I’m good soil.” Not the point.
The point is not the try to compare soils or figure out who’s good
or who’s rocky. The point is the Seed is the Word of God. What do
you call a good field with good soil that has no seed planted on it?
You call it empty, barren. And that is what we were – apart from
God we would be empty, barren fields, as dead as the highway,
unkempt, rocky, full of whatever weeds or junk just happened to grow
there. But what has happened? God has come to you with His Word,
and He has given you growth and wisdom. This is not your own doing –
it is a gift of God. Do you believe because your heart is good –
or rather, as we sing does God create in you a clean heart, a right
Spirit within you – and thus you hold fast and cling to God? Do
you bear fruit because you are awesome, or because Jesus is the vine,
you are His branch, and abiding in Him, remaining in Him you bear
fruit? Is patience your own doing, or is it the work and gift of the
Holy Spirit?
You
have been given ears to hear – and so hear the wisdom and wonder of
God. While you are there, powerless and weak, like and empty and
barren field, God in His great love and wisdom comes to you and
plants His Word in you, showers you with it, gives it to you with
full abandon over and over again. And why? So that you would
receive the life and love of Christ Jesus, so that you would see the
wisdom of God in sending His Son Christ Jesus to the cross for the
forgiveness of your sins. So that in hearing the Word, so that by
being joined to the Word in Baptism, being nourished in the Word in
the Supper, you would remain tied and attached to Christ, so that He
would bring forth fruit and life and patience and a clean heart in
you. You were dead, but the Word has come, and now you live. You
were empty, but the Word has come, and God has called you together
here in His house. You were fallow, but the Word has come, and now
you have abundance in Christ.
The
truth is the world will not care for God’s Word, and indeed, your
own sinful flesh will fight and rail against it. But yet in His
Wisdom, God has given you the Word of His Son, He has proclaimed it
to you even when to the eyes of the world you were trampled upon, or
rocky, or prickly and full of thorns. He has come to you and made
you His own soil with which He is well pleased, for He has planted
the Word, Christ Jesus in you. And that Word of God gives you life,
gives you what it says. You are forgiven of all of your sins, you
are a new creation in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting. In
the Name of Christ Jesus, the Light of the World +
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