St. Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23
St. John the evangelist wrote in his third letter to the churches: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth”(3 John 4). One way that Christians walk in the truth is that they bear much good fruit. Those of you who come and listen to my preaching regularly can attest to the fact that my sermons are very biblical. The sermons really zone in on what Jesus is doing or saying. There is a reason for this. Being a Christian means that you become God’s people. God’s people listen to God’s word and conform their lives according to that word and teaching. Asaph speaks in Psalm 78 with the desire that the people will listen to God’s word: “Give ear, O my people, to my law; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.” Belonging to God means that God’s people incline their ears to the words of God’s mouth. The Lord’s words become the source of meditation and thought, and is informative as to how we live. People often have the unfortunate idea that if we baptize our children and then just leave it at that without any instruction, then we have at least done what we are supposed to do. At least, the people understand the value of baptism and that as St. Peter says, “Baptism now saves you.” To be sure, we are washed in the blood of Christ in baptism and this informs our lives. Psalm 78 speaks to the people who already belong to God. So, in New Testament terms, those who are baptized do not, then, move on from God to other things. Rather, they spend their lives concerning themselves with what is God’s. Deuteronomy 6 also speaks to the way God’s people live. We are to teach God’s word diligently to our children and we are to teach God’s word to our children when we are “sitting in our homes,” when we are “walking by the way,” “when we lie down, and when we rise up.” All of this and more is wrapped up in the meaning of the parable of the sower. It must be remembered that a biblical preacher doesn’t preach what he wants: he preaches what God preaches. The sower sows what is given. He doesn’t genetically alter or engineer the seed. He preaches what is given. The preaching arrives at the ears of many. I think it is important to note that in the parable there are 4 places wherein the seed falls: only one place brings forth something good and lasting. 3/4 of the places listed end up not bearing the good fruit. Jesus explains the problems with the soil receiving the seed. The first one makes sense. If a person hears the word of God’s love and doesn’t understand it, Satan takes it away. What is interesting to me is the second and third situations. The person receives the word with joy but tribulation and persecution arises because of the word--an important point--and by it the person is offended. Offended by what? The word that is preached. The third situation is also interesting. In this soil the cares of this world choke the word and, as Jesus says, “he (the person) becomes unfruitful.” These are Jesus’ words not the preachers. They become the preacher’s words, because they are Jesus’ words. It is Jesus who lays it out for us. It is we who are to meditate upon it. It becomes the Christian life and existence such that after baptism he or she spends the rest of his or her life forever pondering the truth of the scriptures and teach it to their children. The good soil, the last situation, is the person who hears God’s word, understands it, and bears good fruit. This means that the Christian is not to remain idle. This means that the Christian is to do what Asaph says in Psalm 78--”give ear to the law of God” and then to do what Deuteronomy 6 says: “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6 is actually very interesting because of its progression of thought. The progression of thought there is good for the Christian life. First, we are to worship God, rightly understanding who He is. Second, we are to love God above all things. Third, we are to keep God’s word in our heart always (which is another way of saying that preaching should be biblical), and fourth, we are to love our children, which points to God’s love covering all of creation and humanity. The good soil bears good fruit, Jesus says, and St. Paul seems to spend a good deal of time reminding the churches to bear good fruits. Thankfully, St. Paul gives the churches an indication as to what good fruit looks like. He says that good fruit is holiness (Romans 6:22); love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23); goodness, righteousness, truth (Ephesians 5:8-10); and serving in the newness of the spirit (Romans 7:5-6). This means that being a Christian entails a couple of things: First, you must be about God’s holy things. You are to attend to His word--it is to become your life. You are to attend to receiving the sacrament, bearing the fruit of repentance. You are also to spend your life bearing the good fruit just described as you love and serve God and humanity. The great difficulty that we face, the hard truth we are left with is that we don’t often live the way the scriptures describe. There is a great danger in not living for God. There is a great danger in causing trouble for other people rather than caring for and loving others. There is a catastrophe waiting for the person who does not conform his or her life to the scriptures and spend their time meditating upon it. The consequences, according to the scriptures, are severe. Jesus came into the world, taking on flesh, not to give us an excuse to continue in our sins. Jesus isn’t the free ticket to sin boldly, but He is the Savior who died bearing our sins. There is a difference. Sin kills, but Jesus makes alive. For all of your failures to live the Christian life with God on your mind and in your heart always, Jesus took upon Himself the death that was meant for us. His life has become the life for us. The stains upon our lives and our failures to be godly have been reversed by the sacrificial Lamb for our good, because our godliness is the godliness that Jesus gives to us. Our righteousness is His righteousness. The love that covers is the love of Jesus. His love becomes ours. Our very lives and being are now changed, because we live in Christ. Who we are and who we are becoming is cloaked by the love, mercy, and atonement of Jesus on the cross. This is good for you, because now you live as one bathed and washed in the blood of Jesus and you have been sealed with baptism to be God’s holy ones who go forth with the love and gentleness that is Christ’s. The Lord’s holy word resounds in our midst and makes us alive. Amen. -- Rev. Chad Kendall Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=243282012833
