The Seed is Scattered
Luke 8:4-15
February 24, 2019 anno Domini – Redeemer
The word parable means to cast alongside, so Jesus throws out a story, but there’s more to the story than your ears first hear or your eyes first see. When you see the story with the eyes of faith in Jesus it’s like that first time you had to wear glasses or updated your prescription. You didn’t realize what you were missing. Suddenly everything becomes clear and new.
That’s how Jesus Himself speaks of the parables to His disciples, “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.’”
You’ve heard the parable and you see exactly how it works. A sower went out to sow. That’s how farming works. Maybe some of you are already buying your garden seeds. You’re eager to see less white and more green. There might be one thing that bothers us about this farmer. He appears reckless with the seed. Seed in the ancient world was precious. If you lose seed you’ve lost life. So why does he throw it on a path, or where there’s lots of rocks, or where he knows the weeds are thick? Keep that question in mind because that’s the secret which makes this parable – well, a parable.
The seed is God’s Word and with His explanation Jesus is calling you to examine your life as it relates to God’s word.
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 … The 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.” How often do we trample the Word of God down and make it easy for the devil to snatch the Word away? Our children are taught evolution as fact and the teaching of creation is trampled underfoot and the Devil snatches God’s Word. The world advocates death as a means to avoid suffering and we listen and the devil snatches away God’s Word that nothing including suffering will take you away from God. Which is easier to believe – closed communion or open communion? Marriage or living together? Salvation in Christ alone or all gods are the same? When we trample God’s Word the Devil snatches it.
And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. … And 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.”
When visitors come to Redeemer they are impressed by the number of people we have in Bible study. Probably 1/3 of our attending members participate. If I was an optimist I would assume the rest of you spend time in your Bible every day, studying and meditating. But I’m a realist. Are you rocky soil? Is the Word in you, but barely in you? If your daughter or granddaughter comes home college and puts the heat on you with questions about religion or accusations against the Bible, will you melt in the heat or will you have the depth of God’s Word to answer? Could you answer a simple question like how do we know the Bible is true? Or was Jesus real?
Lastly Jesus asks us– are you too busy for God’s Word? “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And 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.” They have the appearance of life. They flower. They produce seeds, but they kill and destroy. So the Devil has sown his weeds all over the world. In fact he scatters them right beside God’s good gifts – family, hobbies, sports, money, home, possessions, pleasure, work. Do those good gifts take you away from God’s Word? God’s Word cannot be part of your life. It is either life or it isn’t. The cares and riches and pleasures of life will choke out God’s Word.
So far you should find no deep secrets with this parable and explanation. You may not like what you heard, but you’ll have to take it up with Jesus because He said it.
The secret or surprise of the Parable goes back to that seed sowing sower and his recklessness with the seed. Jesus tells the parables to the crowd, but only tells the explanation to the disciples. Why? Because these men would be ordained to scatter His seed, to preach the Word to the ends of the earth. Here’s the secret. Even though Jesus described four different types of soil He did not command his men to scatter the seed only on the good soil. He didn’t tell them to look for good soil, because while God can see what kind of soil you are, I cannot. Neither could Peter or James or Andrew. You might look like a granite ledge of stubborn sinfulness to me, but God knows you’re good soil, with nothing but sin in you, dead with guilt and sorrow, ready for His life giving Word. So Jesus wants His men and His church to scatter the seed everywhere.
The sower can be reckless because the seed is God’s Word and God’s Word is Jesus. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The seed of God’s Word is this Jesus took the punishment for all the sin of all the world on the cross. For the death He died He died to sin, once for all. (Rom 6:10) All covers it. All is enough. So when you hear God’s Word planted in your ears – Jesus Christ died for sinners and you ask, “Even me?” The answer is all. But what about before I was young and I …? All. What about when my wife and I were going through that difficult time? All. What about that sin I’ve really been struggling with? All. “…we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10, ESV)
Jesus scattered His Word in the ears of Pharisees and Tax Collectors, Scribes and Soldiers, Politicians and Prostitutes. People judged Jesus. Why are you talking to her? She’ll never believe. What are you doing in his house? He’s a thieving IRS agent. But you know the secret don’t you? The imagined good soil of the Pharisees was rock hard and most of them rejected Jesus. While the apparent evil weedy and seedy life of sinners proved to be wonderful soil that received the Word of God and produced 100 fold. Sometimes the best grass grows in a crack in your sidewalk or there in the middle of granite ledge will be a giant tree. That’s the power of a single seed. So today Jesus casts out this parable for us to consider. Examine your own life and repent of your shallowness, hardness, and busyness toward God’s Word. Come to Bible study, set out to read Scripture, redeem some of your time from binge watching Netflix to be in God’s Word. Receive God’s Word. Christ Jesus died for all – and all means you. All means all your sins. He who has ears to hear, let him hear the Word of life in the name of Jesus. Amen.