St. Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God"(Romans 10:17). St. Paul said that. Those words are the
spotlight on the parable of Jesus in today's gospel. We heard the
reading of the parable of the sower. There is much to glean from this
text. First, Jesus mentions that the sower goes out to sow. What
does this tell us about the one who sows the seed? The one who sows is
called a sower, meaning that this is not just a one time occurrence.
This is what the man does; He sows. He knows what he is doing, and
when he sows seed it tends to go all over. We hear in the parable
that some of the seed fell by the wayside, some fell on rocky places,
some fell among thorns, and some fell on good, dark, rich soil.
Notice that it's the same seed, the same sower sowing, but different
ground. So, what do the different types of ground signify? The hearts
of the hearers.
The seed that falls by the wayside is quickly devoured by the birds.
The seed that falls on rocky ground springs up quickly but is scorched
by the sun. The seed that falls among thorns is choked out by the
thorns, as they compete for the soil's nourishment. What is important
for you to know is what these different variables are and why they
arise.
Why do the birds devour the seed on the wayside? Why does the sun
scorch the quick-growing seed on rocky ground? Why do the thorns choke
the seeds? Can't they live side by side? Even the disciples needed
this parable explained. Jesus explains that the birds who snatch away
the seed happen to be the devil. But notice that Satan snatches away
the seed sown because the people who hear the word of God are not
understanding it. In other words, they are not cognitively listening
to God's word.
This is for all of us. You can come to church every Sunday, but if
you are not actively trying to understand the scriptures, if you are
not pondering the Holy Scriptures, then it is violently snatched away
by Satan. If during the readings and the sermon you are daydreaming
or thinking about all those things you are going to do for the coming
week, Satan is snatching God's word, His seed, right out of your
heart.
We need to seriously consider and ponder God's word, listening to the
Majesty from on high speak words of life to us. But there's more! He
who receives seed on rocky ground is he who hears the word and
immediately receives it with joy, but there is no root and when the
world creeps into your life, then you quickly fall away. The seed is
scorched.
This is what happens in much of our culture today. When churches try
to bait and hook people through emotionally driven services, people
respond quickly and find joy in what they have found. But once the
emotional high is gone, then there is nothing left.
Because these same kinds of church are usually low on substance, ie.,
they don't teach doctrine or the scriptures, then people fall away
quickly due to the pressures of the world, family, work, etc. The
churches that often try to get people in through emotional services
tend to see a high rate of turnover.
The seed among thorns, we are told, grows for a while, but when the
cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word,
then the seed dies. We see this today, particularly in young
families. They go to church if there are no schedule conflicts, but
when a schedule conflict exists, then the world's agenda takes
precedence. The world's ways get in the way of the gospel. This
world and church are difficult things to balance today, no doubt.
The world presses in like thorns, and it forces people to make
decisions. Which shall I do? Shall I tend to the things of this world
or shall I tend to God's word? If we looked at things a little
differently, it might help us in some of our struggles. If I went one
day without eating food, I would be hungry. If I went very many days
without food, I would start to lose weight. You would see a physical
change in me after some time. We must look at God's seed in much the
same way.
If we are going to church to hear God's word and gather for the
Lord's Supper, we are feeding ourselves spiritually. If we "fast"
from God's spiritual food, it begins to have an effect on our souls.
We would do well to take heed to Christ's warnings in this parable,
but there is more. Seed is sown on good soil and Jesus says that he
who hears the word and understands it will bear and produce fruit.
Did you notice an interesting point Jesus makes? Those who hear the
word and understand it will produce fruit. Do you remember what Jesus
said about the seed sown by the wayside that the birds violently
devoured? By the wayside, they did not understand the word. In order
to make this point clear, we have to understand what the Greek says.
The Greek word that St. Matthew uses for "understanding" means to
comprehend and to put together ideas for better comprehension. In
other words, this is an active endeavor, having received this seed to,
then, take it to heart. Those who don't try to comprehend and put
together in their hearts and minds the scriptures, will not gain much
but will lose what is sown.
But, those who do comprehend and put together God's word in their
hearts and really wrestle with the word will bear fruit, but did you
hear what Jesus said about the fruit? Those who do actively work to
understand God's word will produce fruit in different measure: some
will produce a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. In other
words, God the Holy Spirit works different things in different people
at different paces.
Not everyone is a St. Paul. What it does mean is that Jesus works
His salvation and sows that seed according to His good pleasure. The
church is full of saints and you are all at different points on the
path of Christ, but what is great is that you are on His path.
What I, your undershepherd, am concerned about is that you take to
heart God's word. May your hearts be the good soil. God plants His
seed in your heart through the hearing of scripture and through the
preaching of God's word.
The gospel and the blessing in all of this is that Jesus knows each
of you and understands you as His beloved creation. He gives to you
as He sees fit and when Jesus gives, it is good. Through His Holy
word, God leads us to muse on the mysteries: We cannot help but ponder
the mystery of the cross;
We cannot help but ponder the resurrection from the dead; We
cannot help but ruminate on the incarnation of God in the womb of a
virgin and His birth; We are awed by the whole notion that God walked
on this earth with footsteps—feet of a man who also breathed like we
do and felt pain as we do.
We are further awed by God who promises to come to us under bread and
wine, thereby giving us His body and blood to eat and drink. And to
think that we become one with Christ through water and the word in
Holy Baptism. Jesus means for you to ponder these things and take
them to heart, because these things mean eternal life for you.
You are blessed, because Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted by
the world. He knows what you are up against. The peace of Christ is
yours freely. The seed that is sown in your heart is likewise free.
It comes as a gift from the cross. Jesus, knowing what this world is
like gave the apostles this seed to sow so that you may be continually
strengthened and protected. The love of Jesus is here for you, now
and always. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
www.frchadius.blogspot.com
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
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