Proper 10 A
The Seed
Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23
16 July 2017 – Redeemer
So what is the one word Jesus wants to stick in your ears from his parable? The seed. A sower went out to sow and what did He sow? Seed. Not with his monstrous John Deere Tractor and sixty-foot wide seeder like today, but as the farmers did in Jesus’ day – he simply scattered the seed. Some seed fell along the path. Some seed was scattered on the rocks. Some fell among the thistles. And some seed landed on good soil produced a harvest.
What is the seed? Jesus tells us. It is the “Word of the Kingdom.” What Word brings God’s Kingdom of life into our dead soil? What Word leads to the harvest of souls and the resurrection of the body on the last day? The Word of Jesus. The word that was proclaimed to you this morning – your sins are forgiven. Why? Because Jesus said so and He did so. Jesus, the seed of a woman promised in Genesis, the only truly living Man after Adam sinned, bore your sin, died on the cross, was planted in a garden tomb, and there, because He took your sin away, He sprang to life never to die again. Your sin brings death. Jesus brings you forgiveness and therefore life. Everyone who believes in Jesus will live even though he dies – the only seed which brings life in this dead world is God’s seed, God’s Word, Jesus. Jesus wants you, all of you, to have this good seed planted in your ears. “He who has ears, let him hear.”
From our perspective, the seed sowing farmer is somewhat reckless. He probably would have been kicked out of 4H and flunked Ag school at the U of M, because He is wasting his seed. Why throw seed on the path? Why not avoid the rocky soil? Who would throw good seed into a patch of weeds? Well, the sower obviously isn’t as concerned about wasting a little seed as He is about gathering a great harvest.
Isn’t that exactly what God’s Word tells us about our Father in heaven – He is not afraid of losing His Son to gain you. He sends His only begotten Son to earth where Jesus is in danger of losing His life from the moment of conception. Joseph could have had Mary stoned. Herod sought to kill the little boys in Bethlehem. Jesus’ life was threatened by the crowds, the Pharisees, and the Chief Priest. There wasn’t a place where Jesus was afraid to be cast to gather a harvest. He is cast into the desert, into Samaria, at the hard hearts of the Pharisees, into Mary and Martha’s home where the concerns of the world were choking Martha, into the broken and dead soil of tax collectors and prostitutes. Finally, you know where Jesus was planted for you – He was planted on the rocky ground of Calvary and buried in that garden tomb.
The Holy Spirit still scatters the seed of Jesus abundantly so the world can have life. I remember having a conversation with a young man, not a Lutheran, about the Sacraments. He asked me, “Why do you need the Sacraments?” I answered, “God gives His gifts in many ways so everyone can receive life.” The Holy Spirit sprinkles the seed of forgiveness on newborn babies in baptism. He plants the Word into the ears of troubled sinners in absolution. He nourishes the faithful who struggle with the cares of the world with Christ’s own body and blood.
God the Father is reckless with His Son. The Holy Spirit just throws forgiveness around in the Word and Sacraments, that all of you, from infants to old age, might have forgiveness and life..
Are you as reckless with the seed as the Sower? Are you quick to forgive or do you want to make sure the person is really, truly, heartily, most certainly sorry and repentant and will never do that again? When you see someone at church or in your family that you know is struggling with some sin, do you begrudge them forgiveness or pray that they receive it? Often we want to plant forgiveness where we are sure it will work, but that goes contrary to the parable. For in the rest of the parable we learn a paradoxical truth about the seed – it is at the same time weak and all-powerful.
The seed is weak. It has enemies – including your own sinful desires. Jesus warns us. You can lose the life that Christ gives you.
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. What is that hard path? Well it might be the hardened heart of the unbelief? Or it might be the many, many people who were raised in church, know about Jesus, but really don’t see the big need for Him? But what about you? Are your ears ever calloused toward the Word of God? Do you grow bored with church or Sunday School or God’s Word? We’ve been down this path of the liturgy for umpteen years, time to check out and daydream. Be on guard, the Devil will pluck Jesus from you if He can.
As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. We might call this surface, shallow Christianity. You’ve heard the word of Jesus. As long as everything is going as planned in life Jesus is fine – you look to Jesus for ease and happiness and a good life. But when persecution comes or tribulation your shallow Jesus will not hold. Jesus bring a cross for His followers. He brings forgiveness. He would plant your faith deep in His empty tomb so that you can stand and live even when death comes your way.
As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. Do you know the dollar has more power than Jesus? That’s right – you can lose Jesus in pursuit of the dollar. Basketball, baseball, and hockey – they are all more powerful than the Word of God. They too can cause you to miss the sowing of the seed.
Do you see on the one hand how weak the Word of God is? God will not force it into your ears or your hearts. He will not force His love or forgiveness on you. He will simply call you with His Word, let you suffer in this world so you see your need, have death visit close by so that you realize you are dying and then over and over and over again He will scatter His seed, plant His Word into your ears, that you might have Jesus and having Jesus you have forgiveness and join in the final harvest of life.
So the Word is weak and yet, it is strong.and powerful. For what happened when that seed fell on good soil? As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Many of you are beginning to enjoy the fruit of your gardens. This past week someone left a zucchini in front of my office door. Those of you who have gardens till the soil, mix in all kinds of dead stuff to fertilize. You pour on the water and pray for sun. And God alone gives the growth – that one little seed turns into a hundred zucchinis. It is not the soil that makes the seed sprout and grow – it is the God’s miracle of life in the seed.
So it is with God’s Word – good soil is dead soil, broken soil, soil that has been plowed and is ready to receive the seed. God does the plowing and breaking and yes, even killing, so that we are ready for Jesus. If you’re not a sinner, if you’re not dying, if you don’t have any trouble, Jesus will bounce right off your ears and heart. The Word alone brings us life, brings us forgiveness, brings us salvation. You never know where a seed will sprout – sometimes I have better grass in the cracks of the driveway than on my lawn. So God scatters His seed – and the Word too root in a couple of Pharisees, in a tax collector, in some prostitutes, and in you. He who has ears, let him hear the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pr. Bruce Timm
15 July 2017 anno Domini