The Secrets of the Kingdom of God

Luke 8:4-15

In many of the parables of Jesus, it is left up to the hearer, by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, to figure out what Jesus is saying. Today's parable is an exception. Granted, we still need the Holy Spirit to take hold of and to believe the promises of Christ, but here, instead of relying upon our limited wisdom to understand what Jesus is saying, Christ Himself interprets His own parable for us.

The seed, He tell us, is the Word of God. Now, when talking about the Word of God, we can mean one of two things. We can either be speaking about the Word of God as the proclamation of the Gospel—as, for instance, we have it in the writings of Holy Scripture or in the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. This Word, this Gospel, is what gives life and salvation to people. The opening verses of Luke, chapter eight, from which today's text comes, tells us that Jesus , “went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God,” (Luke 8:1). The good news of the kingdom of God —that's what the Gospel is; it's the good news of God's grace to sinners. And with that proclamation of the good news as the background, Jesus relates the parable of the sower.

Well, the second thing that the Word of God can also mean is to refer to Jesus Christ Himself. You might remember how the first chapter of St. John's Gospel starts out: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” (John 1:1). Jesus is the Word.

But, really, whether you're talking about the Word which is given to us through the Gospel and the Sacraments, or whether you're talking about the Savior Himself, you're really talking about one and the same thing. For this is how Christ reveals and gives Himself to the world—He comes to us in the Gospel and in Baptism and Holy Communion.

With that in mind, we consider the rest of the parable.

Jesus goes on to say that, “some [of the seed] fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.” This, He explains, are , “those who have heard [the Word; but]. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.”

The disturbing thing about this first classification is that these are people, as Christ indicates, who have actually heard the Word. He's not talking about those who have never had any exposure to the Gospel; but, rather, the path upon which the seed falls are the people who, in fact, have been privileged to heard the Gospel promise. However, in their case, God's Word goes in one ear and right out the other. And instead of the Gospel simply resting upon their hearts and minds, in the hope that perhaps, one day it would take root, the devil, Christ says, comes and steals that precious seed away.

There is no indication, given Christ's words, that these kinds of people are hostile toward the Gospel. It's not like they are enemies of God's Word who attack it with spite and hatred. Instead, they're simply indifferent about it. They don't embrace God's Word. Perhaps they're the kind of people who politely listen to our Christian witness and then go on with another subject matter entirely, as though nothing just taken place. Or else, they sit in a church pew and bide their time while their thoughts are on anything and everything except the message of salvation that Christ's Word is speaking to them.

And along comes the devil—the quite real and formidable enemy of the Gospel—and he steals away the promise, replacing it with a sense of self-satisfaction and security. For, those along the pathway simply don't believe in such spiritual realities. The devil makes sure of that.

“And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture… 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.”

In this case, not only do these individuals hear the Word, but they also take it to heart—but only for a short time. In a time of testing, (or, rather) in a time of temptation they fall away. Ultimately, they are tempted to give up on the word of promise that they have received. Perhaps they think that the sins to which they have given into are too great to ever be forgiven. Or maybe it's a case where their faith has been challenged or ridiculed by others who are close to them; so that, finally, instead of continually undergoing such scorn, they simply give up or give in in order to keep the peace.

The third group is similar. “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it… 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.” Temptations, again, are the issue. This time, it's the temptation covet what the rest of the world think is important. And, inevitably, the time and effort and interest that it requires to make those coveted things a reality translates into the time, effort, and interests that are taken away from spiritual things. There is a loss of priorities. There is a waning interest in worship and spiritual growth. And all too soon, the individual realizes that it takes two much effort to try and live a double life—one which includes both thorns and wheat; and the true fruit does not survive unto maturity.

And then there is the final type of ground. “And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold… they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”

This, dearly beloved, is where we all strive to be and to remain; for this is the only condition in which we can subsist as believers and be saved. So please listen carefully as to what is required.

First, Jesus says that the good soil is where the Word is heard. That might seem as though it's something that goes without saying, but is essential to our salvation. We must hear the Word. We cannot take for granted the fact that God wishes to speak to us today. His Word is living and active today, as the Epistle stated. His Word has a definite purpose, as today's Old Testament reading indicates. It's not something that can be taken or left, considered or overlooked, based upon our whims. Rather, “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.” God is giving us His Word so that we might be saved!

Therefore, the good soil is where God's Word is heard and, it is held, “fast in an honest and good heart.” An honest heart is a heart which is not deceptive—claiming to love Christ on the one hand, while failing to understand just what it means to believe in Christ, on the other hand. The good news of the Gospel is that Christ is your righteousness. Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He is not simply a pattern after which we should try to live our lives; for, no one can be saved that way.

Rather, we are called upon to trust in Christ alone—to hold Him fast in an honest heart that confesses, “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out,” (Romans 7:18 ). We are called to hold Christ fast in a good heart—in a heart which is good, only because Christ, who dwells in us, is good. We hold Christ fast in our hearts when we crave His grace, His forgiveness, and His strength.

Dearly beloved, please be assured that the seed of the Word will flourish in good soil when we faithfully rely upon the strength of the Gospel and the Sacraments to break apart the hard path of our sinful nature, to give root and moisture to our tender faith, to give us hardiness to overcome the thorns of temptation, and, finally to blossom into the full harvest of righteousness on the final day.

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Isaiah 55:10-13

"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. For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Hebrews 4:9-13

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 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. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Luke 8:4-15

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, [Jesus] said in a parable: "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. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And 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." And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he 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. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 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. 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. 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. 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.”

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