Sexagesima

(Audio)

Luke 8:4-15; 2 Corinthians 11:19 – 12:9; Isaiah 55:10-13

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Farming is hard. Did you know that? Pretty much everything is stacked against you: Not enough rain; too much rain. Not enough sun and heat; too much sun and heat. Weeds, insects, mold, blight. Bird flu, parasites, and more. It’s almost like all of creation is in bondage to sin, corruption, and death, or something? And, as it goes for the farmer, so it goes for the preacher, and so it goes for you dear Christian in your life in this world: You are under continual attack from Satan, the world, and your own sinful flesh, and you will enter the LORD’s kingdom only by persevering through trial, temptation, tribulation, suffering, and finally death as you follow and live your life in the One who was pierced and crushed for our sins and iniquities.

The Scriptures abound in agricultural themes and imagery. Jesus compared Himself to a grain of wheat that must fall into the earth and die that He should produce an abundance of new life: “Truly, truly, 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. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” Jesus, of course, was talking about His suffering and death. He was literally born so that He might suffer and die for us. Yes, that’s what Christmas was really all about: The Father sowed the Seed of His Word, His Son, into our flesh, into this world, so that He should suffer and die and be raised to new, abundant, and everlasting life for all who trust in Him.

The Parable of the Sower is a particularly beloved parable, perhaps in large part because Jesus actually explains what it means. The Seed is the Word of God, which is to say, the Seed is Jesus. Thus, the Sower is God the Father. These two, the Sower and the Seed, stand at the very center of the parable as the only agency, power, and life. The Sower sows the Seed, and only the Seed has the agency, power, and life to bring about new life and fruitfulness. However, the life-giving Seed, the Word of God, Jesus Christ, will be attacked by the devil, the world, and the sinful flesh of men. For, we are the soil: The hard soil, the rocky soil, the weedy and thorny soil, and, by the grace of God alone, sometimes the good soil too. Do not think that anyone, including yourself, is one particular soil alone, for we are each all of the soils at different times, often even in the same day. The point is that, apart from the powerful, life-giving Word-Seed-Jesus, we are just soil, and we are lifeless and fruitless on our own.

The Father sows the Word Seed, His Son, into this world, into our flesh, in full knowledge that He will be opposed, resisted, and rejected by most – indeed, by ¾, 75%, in the parable – and in the full knowledge that He will suffer and die. Moreover, the Word Seed Son Jesus also knows that He will be resisted, rejected, will suffer and die, and He goes willingly out of love and obedience to His Father. This is the Father’s will. And, the Son’s will, Jesus’ will, is the same as His Father’s. Resistance, rejection, suffering, and death is the Father’s will for His Word Seed Son. Yes, as much as it is the Father’s will that the Son should die that those who receive Him and trust in Him, but a remnant, should have life in His Name, it is also the Father’s will that those who reject Him and do not believe should be exposed, for in this way the LORD’s righteousness shines forth and God is glorified. The Prophet says, “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.” And St. Simeon prophesied of the infant Jesus, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed […] so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

The Father didn’t have to send His Son. By all rights, He shouldn’t have. But that’s who He is. God is our true Father who loves us with a perfect, selfless, sacrificial love. No, He shouldn’t have, but He did, because that’s who He is. The Father’s sowing of His Seed Word Son is a gift of grace, pure grace, no strings attached. We are the soil, inert, lifeless soil. Be we hard, rocky, thorny, or good soil, we are the soil, and we contribute nothing, but we only receive, or we reject, the powerful and life-giving Seed. We contribute nothing because we are creatures, created by our Creator God and LORD. What did the pot contribute to its creation by the potter? What did the painting contribute to its being painted? If a pot or a painting are bad, they might be destroyed or painted over. Not so with our Creator God and LORD. Though we, His creatures, rejected and rebelled against Him, He did the unthinkable, He set in motion a plan to redeem and restore us, a plan that would require the death of His Son. It was the Father’s grace alone that gave us a chance to be redeemed, and it is by His Word, Scripture alone, His Word Seed Son Jesus alone, that we can be redeemed. “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

The Sower sows the seed of His Word. This Word is living and powerful to conceive new life in those who hear it. But the planting of Christ is attacked by the devil, the world, and the flesh. Satan snatches the Word away from hard hearts. The riches and pleasures of this life choke off faith. Shallow and emotional belief withers in time of temptation and trouble. But see how Christ bears this attack for us! Christ’s cross was planted in the hard and rocky soil of Golgotha. A crown of thorns was placed upon His head. Satan and His demons hellishly hounded and devoured Him. Yet, through His dying and rising again, He destroyed these enemies of ours. Jesus is Himself the Seed which fell to the ground and died in order that it might sprout forth to new life and produce much grain. He is the Word of the Father which does not return void but yields a harvest hundredfold.

There’s nothing easy about farming. Likewise, there’s nothing easy about being a Christian. You are under continual attack from Satan, the world, and your own sinful flesh, and you will enter the LORD’s kingdom only by persevering through trial, temptation, tribulation, suffering, and finally death as you follow and live your life in the One who was pierced and crushed for our sins and iniquities. Thanks be to God our Father that He is gracious and merciful. He has sown His Word Seed Son into our flesh, and He has suffered all the assaults of the evil one in His own flesh and blood body, has suffered and died and rose again victorious of sin, death, and Satan the firstfruits of those who believe and trust in Him. Because He lives, we will live also, provided we do not give up. By the Grace alone of the Father we have the Holy Scriptures, His Word Seed Son. Remain in His Word and He will remain in you, and you will bear His fruit a hundredfold into life that does not end. Grace alone; Scripture alone; Christ alone. Faith alone; Believe it and live in Him.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.