Sexagesima February 20, 2022
Luke 8:4-15
Fruitful Patience
v.15 As 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.
Dear friends in Christ, our text for this morning is the familiar Parable of the Sower as told by Jesus in St. Luke's Gospel. Jesus gives this teaching as great crowds came upon Him to hear Him preach. And so Jesus takes this opportunity to give instruction on the Word of God, particularly how it is often received. He uses the analogy of a farmer going out to sow his seed.
Now remember, Jesus is telling this parable in a time and context where most people had a very good understanding of agriculture. No doubt they were somewhat mystified at this story, since it bears no resemblance to how they knew the average farmer conducted his business. Seed is precious. Unless one carefully plants one's seed in good ground, there is no guarantee of bountiful harvest, which can have life and death consequences. So, when they heard this tale of a farmer who scattered his seed upon a well-trodden path to be trampled underfoot and eaten by birds, or who cast it upon rocky ground where there would be no way for the plant to long survive, or even cast some of the seed into patches of weeds and thorns where anything that grew would be choked and die, they must have thought this was a crazy story!
Nevertheless, there is rich meaning in these words of our Lord, as He called out to all gathered to hear His Word proclaimed, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Pay careful attention and listen to what Jesus says here, for it has eternal life and death consequences!
The disciples, along with the people in the crowd, were unsure what to make of this strange story, and so they ask Jesus what this parable meant. As they are given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God—that is, since they have been chosen by God to inherit the kingdom and serve as future stewards of the Word of God, Jesus clearly explains it to them. He notes that the seed is the Word of God. So far, so good.
It is evident that God sows the seed of His Word far more liberally than any farmer would sow seed for his crop. But such is the gracious nature of God that He desires all men to saved and to come to knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ as their Savior. So, the Word of God is cast far and wide upon the earth, with the desire that everyone should hear it.
However, people's response to this Word of God varies wildly. There are some who harden their hearts to the Lord's Word, trampling it underfoot, and becoming easy prey for the devil and his fallen angels to snatch the word from them. These are those who hear the Word, but dislike what it says—who reject both God's Law and God's Gospel—casting it aside as irrelevant, wishing rather to trust only in themselves. The devil comes and devours them, leading them to forsake God's Word, even as he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden to do the same. "Did God really say….???" the devil asks, and people question the creation of the world, the moral teachings of God, and even the doctrine of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. A terrible situation indeed!
Another response to the Word of God is to at first receive it with great joy. This is often the case for people who come to faith as Christians, but who do not receive adequate instruction. They may be firm believers while everything is going well, but "in time of testing fall away." Jesus is great and wonderful as long as I have no problems, but when tribulation from the world comes along, that brief spark of faith can quickly vanish. When they are questioned about their faith and find they can give no real answers, it is easy to abandon the Word of God and give in to the pressures of the unbelieving world around them. They have no root, and so their faith can wither and die, as it is not sustained by God's Word and Sacraments. Just so with those who choose to forsake the Word and Sacraments for any extended period of time. Woe to you! God calls you to receive His gifts so that you may be sustained by His mercy in Christ Jesus. Repent before you completely fall away into death and eternal damnation in hell.
Thirdly, there are those hear the Word of God and their faith grows for a time. However, "as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature." These are those who are primarily tempted by their own sinful flesh. Their spiritual growth begins, but then ceases when they see that Christian living requires sacrifice of a personal nature. We cannot give in to every impulse of thought, word, or deed, but rather must discipline ourselves, take up our cross to follow Jesus.
Alas, this is too much for some who become enamored with seeking after personal pleasure and goodness in this life. They treat those whom God has given them to love with disdain, rather than those to whom they owe a debt of love and care. We seek after those things that serve our own selfish gain, rather than looking to the needs of others first. Our greed and self-importance lead us to fail to produce the fruit of faith—good works for our neighbor—indicating that our faith is dead, as St. James indicates in his epistle.
At this point you may be thinking to yourselves, like the disciples did in another situation, "Lord, who then can be saved?" To which Jesus replied, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." For our gracious God also evokes the response of faith to the hearing of His Word. As the prophet Isaiah (55:11) said, God's "Word shall not return to [Him] empty, but it shall accomplish that which [He] purposes, and shall succeed in the thing for which [He] sent it."
"As 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." These are those who hear God's Word and hold it fast—guard it and protect it as a great treasure—and bear good fruit in difficult circumstances—that is, they endure under much suffering. This Christian perseverance under suffering is inspired by a heroic will to hold firm, no matter what. As James writes in his epistle (1:2-3), "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."
So we humbly rejoice when suffering and trial come upon us on account of our faith, for it is another opportunity for our faith to grow, and for us to bear good fruit, by enduring with patient suffering whatever comes our way. But make no mistake. In persevering, the Christian is not referred to our own power, but rather to God and His Word. As St. Paul writes in Colossians (1:11), the Christian is "strengthened with all power, according to [God's] glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy."
So, beloved, you persevere under the attacks of the devil, the world, and even your own flesh, trusting not in your own power or strength, but rather in God and His Word. His Word brings you gifts for your strength and peace. Gifts of Jesus' blood and righteousness. For you know that Jesus Himself was cast as a seed into the ground that He might die for your sins. But now that He has arisen in glory and triumph, you are the good fruit that He bears before the Father in heaven!
Our Lord sustains you with His forgiveness for all your sins. All the times you have given in to temptation. All the times you have acted selfishly. All the times you have heeded the voice of the devil and ignored the Word of God. All those times—every sin—has been paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. His Word comes to you now, being planted deeply in your hearts, watered by His Baptism, fed by the Supper of His body and blood. This Word comes to you and transforms your hard heart of stone, surrounded by your thorny will, captive to the devil's lies, and changes it into good soil. A heart that is ready, willing, and eager to receive the Lord's Word with joy and thanksgiving, putting it to good use in loving service to your neighbor.
As Jesus said in John's Gospel (12:24), "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Our Lord Jesus suffered and died and was planted into the earth for your sake and mine. So that He could produce much fruit for the Father's kingdom—you and me! His resurrection from the dead is proof that we too shall be raised, and that we are part of God's kingdom by grace through faith in Jesus. St. Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15:20-24), "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ."
So, you and me and all believers, those who have persevered to the end with penitent faith in Jesus, will arise on the Last Day in glorious splendor, along with our Lord Jesus! For by His death He has destroyed death. And by His resurrection, He has provided life and salvation to all who believe. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" that he might bear fruit with patient endurance. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Luke 8:4-15
Fruitful Patience
v.15 As 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.
Dear friends in Christ, our text for this morning is the familiar Parable of the Sower as told by Jesus in St. Luke's Gospel. Jesus gives this teaching as great crowds came upon Him to hear Him preach. And so Jesus takes this opportunity to give instruction on the Word of God, particularly how it is often received. He uses the analogy of a farmer going out to sow his seed.
Now remember, Jesus is telling this parable in a time and context where most people had a very good understanding of agriculture. No doubt they were somewhat mystified at this story, since it bears no resemblance to how they knew the average farmer conducted his business. Seed is precious. Unless one carefully plants one's seed in good ground, there is no guarantee of bountiful harvest, which can have life and death consequences. So, when they heard this tale of a farmer who scattered his seed upon a well-trodden path to be trampled underfoot and eaten by birds, or who cast it upon rocky ground where there would be no way for the plant to long survive, or even cast some of the seed into patches of weeds and thorns where anything that grew would be choked and die, they must have thought this was a crazy story!
Nevertheless, there is rich meaning in these words of our Lord, as He called out to all gathered to hear His Word proclaimed, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Pay careful attention and listen to what Jesus says here, for it has eternal life and death consequences!
The disciples, along with the people in the crowd, were unsure what to make of this strange story, and so they ask Jesus what this parable meant. As they are given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God—that is, since they have been chosen by God to inherit the kingdom and serve as future stewards of the Word of God, Jesus clearly explains it to them. He notes that the seed is the Word of God. So far, so good.
It is evident that God sows the seed of His Word far more liberally than any farmer would sow seed for his crop. But such is the gracious nature of God that He desires all men to saved and to come to knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ as their Savior. So, the Word of God is cast far and wide upon the earth, with the desire that everyone should hear it.
However, people's response to this Word of God varies wildly. There are some who harden their hearts to the Lord's Word, trampling it underfoot, and becoming easy prey for the devil and his fallen angels to snatch the word from them. These are those who hear the Word, but dislike what it says—who reject both God's Law and God's Gospel—casting it aside as irrelevant, wishing rather to trust only in themselves. The devil comes and devours them, leading them to forsake God's Word, even as he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden to do the same. "Did God really say….???" the devil asks, and people question the creation of the world, the moral teachings of God, and even the doctrine of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. A terrible situation indeed!
Another response to the Word of God is to at first receive it with great joy. This is often the case for people who come to faith as Christians, but who do not receive adequate instruction. They may be firm believers while everything is going well, but "in time of testing fall away." Jesus is great and wonderful as long as I have no problems, but when tribulation from the world comes along, that brief spark of faith can quickly vanish. When they are questioned about their faith and find they can give no real answers, it is easy to abandon the Word of God and give in to the pressures of the unbelieving world around them. They have no root, and so their faith can wither and die, as it is not sustained by God's Word and Sacraments. Just so with those who choose to forsake the Word and Sacraments for any extended period of time. Woe to you! God calls you to receive His gifts so that you may be sustained by His mercy in Christ Jesus. Repent before you completely fall away into death and eternal damnation in hell.
Thirdly, there are those hear the Word of God and their faith grows for a time. However, "as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature." These are those who are primarily tempted by their own sinful flesh. Their spiritual growth begins, but then ceases when they see that Christian living requires sacrifice of a personal nature. We cannot give in to every impulse of thought, word, or deed, but rather must discipline ourselves, take up our cross to follow Jesus.
Alas, this is too much for some who become enamored with seeking after personal pleasure and goodness in this life. They treat those whom God has given them to love with disdain, rather than those to whom they owe a debt of love and care. We seek after those things that serve our own selfish gain, rather than looking to the needs of others first. Our greed and self-importance lead us to fail to produce the fruit of faith—good works for our neighbor—indicating that our faith is dead, as St. James indicates in his epistle.
At this point you may be thinking to yourselves, like the disciples did in another situation, "Lord, who then can be saved?" To which Jesus replied, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." For our gracious God also evokes the response of faith to the hearing of His Word. As the prophet Isaiah (55:11) said, God's "Word shall not return to [Him] empty, but it shall accomplish that which [He] purposes, and shall succeed in the thing for which [He] sent it."
"As 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." These are those who hear God's Word and hold it fast—guard it and protect it as a great treasure—and bear good fruit in difficult circumstances—that is, they endure under much suffering. This Christian perseverance under suffering is inspired by a heroic will to hold firm, no matter what. As James writes in his epistle (1:2-3), "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."
So we humbly rejoice when suffering and trial come upon us on account of our faith, for it is another opportunity for our faith to grow, and for us to bear good fruit, by enduring with patient suffering whatever comes our way. But make no mistake. In persevering, the Christian is not referred to our own power, but rather to God and His Word. As St. Paul writes in Colossians (1:11), the Christian is "strengthened with all power, according to [God's] glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy."
So, beloved, you persevere under the attacks of the devil, the world, and even your own flesh, trusting not in your own power or strength, but rather in God and His Word. His Word brings you gifts for your strength and peace. Gifts of Jesus' blood and righteousness. For you know that Jesus Himself was cast as a seed into the ground that He might die for your sins. But now that He has arisen in glory and triumph, you are the good fruit that He bears before the Father in heaven!
Our Lord sustains you with His forgiveness for all your sins. All the times you have given in to temptation. All the times you have acted selfishly. All the times you have heeded the voice of the devil and ignored the Word of God. All those times—every sin—has been paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. His Word comes to you now, being planted deeply in your hearts, watered by His Baptism, fed by the Supper of His body and blood. This Word comes to you and transforms your hard heart of stone, surrounded by your thorny will, captive to the devil's lies, and changes it into good soil. A heart that is ready, willing, and eager to receive the Lord's Word with joy and thanksgiving, putting it to good use in loving service to your neighbor.
As Jesus said in John's Gospel (12:24), "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Our Lord Jesus suffered and died and was planted into the earth for your sake and mine. So that He could produce much fruit for the Father's kingdom—you and me! His resurrection from the dead is proof that we too shall be raised, and that we are part of God's kingdom by grace through faith in Jesus. St. Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15:20-24), "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ."
So, you and me and all believers, those who have persevered to the end with penitent faith in Jesus, will arise on the Last Day in glorious splendor, along with our Lord Jesus! For by His death He has destroyed death. And by His resurrection, He has provided life and salvation to all who believe. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" that he might bear fruit with patient endurance. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.