“Parables Both Reveal and Conceal the Secrets of God’s Kingdom”
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Dear fellow Students of Jesus’ parables, grace, mercy, and peace
from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. [Amen.]
May the Spirit’s pow’r unceasing
Bring to life the hidden grain,
Daily in our hearts increasing,
Bearing fruit that shall remain,
So in Scriptures, song, and story,
Savior, may Your voice be heard.
Till our eyes behold Your glory
Give us ears to hear Your Word.”
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
584:2)
Gospel
Reading............................................................................................
St. Luke 8:9-10
9“And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10he said, ‘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.’”
Prologue: In response to God asking the prophet Isaiah: “Whom
shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah answered: “Here am I! Send
me.” (Isaiah 6:8 ESV) I suspect Isaiah didn’t fully (if at all!) realize or
understand the task for which he was volunteering. God sort of revealed to
him—briefly instructed him—about that daunting task when He said: “Go, and
say to this [stubbornly rebellious] people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not
understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this
people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with
their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and
turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9-10 ESV)
In today’s Gospel Reading His disciples asked Jesus for the
meaning of the parable He had just told. He answered as we heard just a few
minutes ago: “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.’” (St Luke 8:10 ESV)
So, as I asked in my sermon two weekends ago I ask again today:
“Was Jesus employing oxymoron, paradox, or irony?” And the answer this
weekend is the same resounding answer as two weekends ago: “Yes!” That is,
He employed all three at the same time in an effort to help His disciples
more fully learn the truth about Himself and His Kingdom.
We pray in the Second Petition of The Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom
come.” The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther explained that petition this way:
“The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we
pray in this petition that it may come to us also.” Then he further
explained: “God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy
Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives
here in time and there in eternity.”
Additional catechetical instruction tells us: “The kingdom of God
is His ruling as king over the whole universe (kingdom of power), the church
on earth (kingdom of grace), and the church and angels in heaven (kingdom of
glory).” So what we ultimately pray for, realizing that “God’s kingdom of
Power … is already present everywhere,” is for God to “A. give us His Holy
Spirit so that we believe His Word and lead godly lives as members of His
kingdom of grace; B. bring many others into His kingdom of grace; C. use us
to extend His kingdom of grace; [and finally] D. hasten the coming of His
kingdom of glory.” (Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation. Copyright ©
1986, 1991 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Pages 183-185.)
Jesus Himself put all that into proper perspective and order when He
declared: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent
and believe in the gospel.” (St Mark 1:13 ESV)
Now with all that not-so-brief introduction but, nevertheless,
beneficial review, let’s turn our attention to today’s text about which my
sermon theme informs us that …
“Parables Both Reveal and Conceal the Secrets of God’s Kingdom.”
I learned in my long-ago earlier years that a parable is “an
earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” While that explanation may not be
precisely accurate and some pastors much smarter than I may challenge it, it
does, nevertheless, give us a bit of an insight into the nature of and our
Savior’s use of parables. After all and at the risk of getting overly
technical, The Lutheran Study Bible tells us that the Greek word “parabole”
from which we get our English word “parable” “ordinarily means ‘a complete,
imaginary story that illustrates some spiritual truth.’” In fact, it
further tells us that a parable is “A teaching tool with deep roots in [the]
O[ld] T[estament]. Parables typically use a metaphorical story, suggestive
imagery, and/or memorable turns of phrase to clarify a spiritual truth.
Many parables illumine the nature of the Kingdom.” (The Lutheran Study
Bible. E. A. Engelbrecht, Gen. Ed. Copyright © 2009 Concordia Publishing
House, St. Louis, MO. Pages 1609 & 1719.) William F. Arndt defines it as
“a fictitious narrative which is to teach a religious truth.” (William F.
Arndt in Concordia Classic Commentary Series: Luke. Copyright © 1956, 1986
by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 229.) In addition,
Donald Guthrie informs us that “parables were easy to remember, but they
left many [who heard them] wondering whether or not they had grasped the
point of the teaching. Probably all the parables of Jesus were intended to
illustrate some aspect of the Kingdom.” (Donald Guthrie in Jesus the
Messiah: An Illustrated Life of Christ. Copyright © 1972 by The Zondervan
Corporation, Grand Rapids, MI. Pages 140 & 141.)
Well, enough said at this time about the definition of parables
except that they are mini portraits that Jesus painted with words
describing, as I already said, Himself and His Kingdom. In addition, most
pastors (myself included in the past) when they preach on this text spend an
abundance of time and energy explaining and applying the parable. Since
Jesus already did that (and very adequately, I might add) I won’t try to
improve upon it or presume to think that I can mine some additional super
exciting and original gold nugget from it. Rather, I will simply tell you
about the author of this parable, our Lord Jesus Christ. In so doing, we
first of all discover that …
I. Jesus Attracted Many People to Himself. (4-8)
4When a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to
[Jesus], he said in a parable: 5“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. 6And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it
withered away, because it had no moisture. 7And some fell among thorns, and
the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8And 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.”
Just what attracted the people to Jesus? Was it His handsome
facial features with long flowing hair like many of the pictures with which
we’re familiar portray Him? Most certainly not since Isaiah prophesied
about the coming Messiah: “he had no form or majesty that we should look at
him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2 ESV)
Was it political aspirations? Again most certainly not as we
discover from what He told Pontius Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world.
If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that
I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the
world. You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this
purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone
who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (St John 18:36-37 ESV)
Neither handsome facial features nor political aspirations
attracted people to Jesus. Rather, the words He spoke and the miracles He
performed attracted increasingly growing audiences. The evangelist Mark
recorded the truth about Jesus: “on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and
was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them
as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” (St Mark 1:21-22 ESV)
The apostle John identified that authority when he recorded that Jesus
declared: “I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father
taught me.” (St John 8:28 ESV)
All four New Testament gospel-writers recorded miracles done by
Jesus that epiphanied His divine power and compassion and caused people to
take notice of Him. You know, like when He calmed the stormy sea and raised
Lazarus from the dead with divinely-spoken words; caused an amount of food
that was barely enough to feed one person to feed over 5,000 people with a
divine blessing; restored sight, voice, and hearing to the blind, mute, and
deaf with divine touch; and most notably defeated Satan, sin, and death with
His gruesome atoning crucifixion death and validated what He had done with
His divine resurrection from the dead. He did all that for all sinners so
that through Spirit-given faith in Him we might benefit from what He did for
us.
Jesus continues to attract people to Himself today not with glitz
and glimmer, bright colorful lights and loud piercing music, or
well-rehearsed entertaining performances. Rather, He attracts people to
Himself with the calm ordinary water of Holy Baptism, the comforting message
of Holy Absolution, His reassuring body and blood hidden in ordinary bread
and wine, and His powerful Holy Word of Law and Gospel. After God’s damning
word of Law has crushed us, demoralized us, and made us realize what
destitute miserable sinners we are who deserve only God’s severest “temporal
and eternal punishment,” then his sweet reconciling word of forgiveness,
salvation, and eternal life brings us the Good News that we are rescued and
redeemed by God, restored to a relationship with God, and enabled to live to
God’s praise and glory here in time and hereafter in eternity. Realizing
the merciful and gracious gifts He daily gives us, we want to thank and
praise Him but may not necessarily know how. It’s then that we remember
that …
II. Jesus Instructed the People Whom he Attracted. (11-15)
11Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12The 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. 13And 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. 14And 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. 15As 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.”
Although He didn’t always do it, in this instance Jesus thoroughly
explained the parable in meticulous detail. He continues to explain
spiritual difficulties to us today with faith-strengthening reassurances.
Today’s Old Testament Reading informed us: “For as the rain and the snow
come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it
bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so
shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me
empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in
the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11 ESV) Today’s Epistle
Reading did a similar thing: “For the word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of
spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions
of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 ESV)
Knowing that apart from Himself we are “like sheep without a
shepherd” (St Matthew 9:36 & St Mark 6:34 ESV), He sends the Holy Spirit to
call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify us in the one true faith in Himself as
our Savior and Redeemer. Having done so, the same Holy Spirit “sanctifies
[us] in the true faith, that is, by faith He works a renewal of [our] whole
[lives]—in spirit, will, attitude, and desires—so that [we] now strive to
overcome sin and do good works” (Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation.
Page 153.) that thank and praise Him. Today’s Gradual, “[Let your enemies]
know that you alone, whose name is the Lord [Yahweh!], are the Most High
over all the earth.” (Psalm 83:18 ESV), becomes our battle cry and today’s
Collect, “O God, the strength of all who put their trust in You, mercifully
grant that by Your power we may be defended against all adversity” our
ongoing plea for divine strength and assistance.
Even as Jesus taught His disciples and the crowds that followed
Him, so we today tell the Good News about Jesus to family members, friends,
neighbors, acquaintances, classmates, workmates, and whomever He places in
our life-path. We not only hear Him instruct us through the ongoing reading
and hearing His Holy Word, but we then become His mouth to tell others about
Him—His works and His words.
So, realizing that …
“Parables Both Reveal and Conceal the Secrets of God’s Kingdom,”
we hear and eagerly respond to His invitation: “Come to me, all who labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (St Matt 11:28 ESV);
joyfully obey His urging to “deny [your]self and take up [your] cross and
follow me.” (St Matt 16:24 ESV); and seek to live in harmonious peace and
unity with one another. We do so knowing, believing, and celebrating that …
I. Jesus Attracted Many People to Himself. (4-8) including ourselves,
and …
II. Jesus Instructed the People Whom He Attracted. (11-15) also
including ourselves.
Let’s do so in the joyful confidence of today’s Introit: “But you
have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. In God
we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever.”
(Psalm 44:7-8 ESV)
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
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