In the Name of Christ Jesus, the Light of the World +
Again this week, as we continue our preparations for Lent, we get another frustrating parable. Last week was the workers in the vineyard, where the master makes everyone equal – for salvation is based upon God's grace and generosity, not our works or efforts. And then today, we get the parable of the sower, and this one again can be frustrating, as it seems like so much of the seed is wasted. Between these two weeks I'm surprised our farmers don't have full blown conniption-fits over how poorly run this agricultural business seems to be by the Lord! 75% of the seed doesn't even end up in the good soil, what is the Lord doing? Well, in a parable demonstrating again His almost reckless generosity, Jesus reminds us that salvation comes about by the Word alone. Let's listen again.
When a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to [Jesus], He said in a parable... Pause here. There's a great crowd listening to Jesus, following Him. You do realize that this parable is describing this crowd, describing the very preaching that Jesus is going to engage in. By the time we get to Good Friday and Easter, how many are still following Jesus? How many are still interested? How many, by that time, have left and forgotten Jesus because the spectacle was gone, or they just got caught up in something else, or they got ground down. It's not just a strange parable, but it's a sad one, a sad commentary on what happened in Jesus' own ministry. 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 the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold. And there it is – there is the parable – the seed gets sown, but there are four distinct endings, and only 1 is the happy one that you would hope for. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
And, of course, no one understands. Even the disciples have to go ask Jesus to explain it to them – and even then Jesus' explanation, while it connects the dots, leaves a lot to be desired. We find out what the soils represent. The path – the ones along the path are those who have heard. Then the devil comes along and takes the word away from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Sometimes, disciples, when you preach, people just aren't going to really hear a lick. Satan will snatch away the Word, it will be in one ear and out the other, you will be dismissed and blown off. And not to put too fine a point on it, we probably all know times and places where we've shared the Gospel, proclaimed God's Word, and it just got thrown back in our face. And none of us like that at all, and often it can be heart rending. But Jesus is honest here – it happens, and whenever you proclaim the Word of Jesus, it will happen. That's the way it is.
And then we hear about the 2nd type of soil. The ones along 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. Sometimes people seem really excited, really all in on this Jesus thing, but then they just... fall out. Move on to the next thing, and then on to the next. The root doesn't grow, and they wither away and the wind sweeps them on to the next thing. And again, this is something we are familiar with. We all know people we love who have done this – where'd so and so go? And to put even a finer point on it – some of us have been here. If we went back to the days of our youth, I'd bet many of us could find times where we were really gung-ho and then just faded out, immature passion and excitement waning away and replaced by some other hip thing. Again, Jesus is honest here – it happens, and whenever you proclaim the Word of Jesus, it will happen. That's the way it is.
Oh, and then we get to the third type of soil. As for those that 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. And there are those who know, who should be solid and mature, and yet... just too busy. Got this going on and then that. And then time for the Word, for hearing the Word and proclaiming and the Word and being in the Word just gets... squeezed out. Again, we all know plenty of people like this... and to put an even finer point on it, I'd reckon that quite a few of us in this room know all entirely too well what Jesus is describing here – where right now we feel that pressure, that press, that pull of being busy and there's this and there's that, and some of it good and some of it bad – and perhaps many of those new years' resolutions we made about reading our bible have already been squeezed out and forgotten? And this isn't me picking on you guys here – a pastor has plenty of busywork task that can occupy his time and strangle out his time for study. There's a reason that room over there is called the Pastor's Study – and to let you in on a secret that I don't think too many pastors would be too scandalized over me sharing – every pastor's study is filled with books they have wanted to read and learn from, to dive on into the Word, but somehow just got too busy to get to it. Once more, Jesus is honest here – uncomfortably honest. It happens, and whenever you proclaim the Word of Jesus, it will happen. That's the way it is.
Now, if Jesus had ended the parable here, and if we were to end the sermon here, it would be quite dour, wouldn't it? And this is the thing, we don't like the dour, we don't like the down, the fizzles and failures. And we certainly don't like them when they are close to home, when they start to describe my family and friends, when they start to describe me. But the simple fact is that we are sinners in a sinful world, and Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion, and there is no shortage of trouble and hardship. And we can't pretend that there isn't, otherwise we will be caught terribly off guard. Not only will false hopes and dreams come crashing down, but we ourselves will fall swiftly into the same pitfalls and traps. But, my friends, I will assert that this parable is not meant to be dour or depressing, but defiant and hopeful. Now, it's depressing if we look at it like we sinful humans do, with our expectations, and our greed that puts limits on what we will do, what we will give. That's not how God operates – that's not how your wondrous Lord works. He's never scanty. A sower went out to sow his seed – now the parable is this: the seed is the Word of God. If there is to be any growth, any success, any harvest – the seed must be sown. And that happens – and a harvest comes. 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. Sometimes the Word is heard, and it grows, and there is fruit – there is more seed, 30, 60, 100 fold of the fruit, the seed, the Word to be proclaimed, and then the Sower sows it out again.
God keeps sowing the Word. And God keeps producing a harvest. And He does so even in you. The fear, the worry, the anxiety about failures that we have – they don't stop Jesus from sowing His Word. He keeps sending the Word forth into the world, and the Word does its job, and it reaches people and creates faith and forgives and people proclaim the Word and forgiveness again. And while we get frustrated, because this process isn't as smooth or successful as we want it or because this church isn't packed the way I might want it to be packed – that doesn't stop God at all. The Gospel of Christ Jesus – that He has died for your sin so that you are forgiven and there is no more guilt tied to you, and that He has risen, showing that Satan and death actually are defeated and you will rise again – this is proclaimed still! To this place, right here, right now – to you, this day, whatever the story of your life had looked like. The Sower still sows His seed.
And you know what? I have no idea how this seed will play out. For some of you, this sermon might resonate; for some it might be in one ear and out the other. It happens, and whenever one proclaims the Word of Jesus, it will happen. That's the way it is. And as frustrating as you and I might find this – Jesus just takes it in stride as a matter of course. Jesus understands the power of sin and Satan – and Jesus neither downplays it nor overblows it. Jesus understands hardships and trials, but He is not so scared of them that He doesn't even start. He simply sees His Word sown, again and again and again. And we're in a rural community – we should get this. Our farmers could probably tell us a dozen ways this summer's crop could be devastated, things they'd have no control over. Still, you've got to go out and sow the seed otherwise there will be no harvest – and if one field fails, or one section goes bad – the seed still has to go into the ground or nothing good will happen.
So God sends the seed into the ground. The Father sends the Son, and the Son is buried and planted in the ground on Good Friday so that His harvest of life and salvation would arise and bear fruit on Easter – and that fruit, that seed is proclaimed to you – and proclaimed to you over and over and over. And God is diligent in seeing His Word proclaimed, and He has it proclaimed even when many people would simply assume it does no good, when they'd focus on failures and the like. That's not God's approach, and it's not His approach to you. You hear His Word, He proclaims His Word to you, because He is persistent, and He is persistent to save you. He knows what is He doing. A sower went out to sow his seed – now the parable is this: the seed is the Word of God. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
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