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Some of the thoughts in this sermon came from Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (LC-MS) of Austin, Texas.
WHEN THE SEED IS PLANTED, SEE HOW IT GROWS.
In
the name + of Jesus.
Jesus told two brief parables, each one
about seeds. The first parable is about
how the kingdom of God grows inside each one of us. The seed is God’s word. It has been planted in you by the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit continues to
work in you to grow and strengthen the faith he has created. When the seed is planted, see how it grows.
When the farmer plants the seed, it looks
like nothing is happening. He sees
nothing but dirt for a few weeks. Still,
the farmer does not dig up the dirt to see how the seed is coming along. He trusts that the seed will do what it was
created to do. After a while, he sees
the sprouts starting to pop up out of the ground. As the weeks go by, the stalk begins to grow,
and then finally the mature crop comes in.
This is representative of the faith God implants in us. When the seed is planted, see how it grows.
We often think of the kingdom of God in
concrete terms—with a city and a capitol building and a throne. But when we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we are
not praying for a government or a nation.
Martin Luther describes our prayer this way: “God’s kingdom comes
when our heavenly Father gives his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe
his holy word and lead a godly life now and forever in heaven” (Luther’s Small
Catechism, 2nd Petition of the Lord’s Prayer). Or, as Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is
within you” (Luke 17:21). It is the
faith in us by which our Lord leads and guides us as his people. That gracious rule both saves us and directs
us to godly living. When the seed is planted, see how it grows. Faith is nourished and fed by the word and
sacraments. It is strengthened and
continues to grow. Your salvation
remains certain, but your life becomes more godly and your desires become more
pure.
Does that match up with what you see in
yourself? Maybe not as much as you hope
for. We continue to struggle with sin,
especially sins that are habitual or temptations that are appealing. We might become frustrated that we still battle
as much as we do and that we fail as much as we do. This might even lead you to question if your
faith is real.
God’s word does what it is designed to do—it
creates or strengthens faith. But the
growth is slow. Think of what it was
like when you were a little child. You
were waiting for your birthday, which seemed like it took forever to come. You wanted to be older, and it always seemed
so far away. The same is true for our
faith. Maturity takes time. It also takes meditation on God’s word,
devotion to prayer, and the experience of temptation, hardship, and discipline. By these, God works in us to increase our trust,
to teach us self-control, and to refine our faith. As long as faith is being fed, it will grow,
godly lives will result, and good works will increase.
The second parable is not about how the
kingdom of God grows within us, but how it grows and spreads throughout the
world. Jesus compares it to a mustard
seed which, he said, “when sown on the ground, is the
smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes
larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the
birds of the air can make nests in its shade” (Mark 4:31-32).
Those who like
to pick a fight with the Bible will be quick to tell you that a mustard seed is
not the smallest seed on earth.
Apparently, that title belongs to an orchid. But Jesus was referring to what is sown in a
Palestinian garden. I don’t know if they
even knew what orchids were, but they would not grow orchids to eat them. A mustard seed, however, would produce
something useful in a Palestinian garden.
The mustard seed
is about the size of a speck of pepper.
It seems insignificant, and you would not expect it to produce
much. And isn’t that how the kingdom of
God had its beginning? The prophet
Isaiah foretold the Messiah’s appearance this way: “He had no form or
majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him”
(Isaiah 53:2). Jesus was an average Jewish peasant, unimpressive
in appearance and seemingly insignificant.
His kingdom was established through his sufferings and death. There, he looked pathetic. He was a pawn in the power struggles of the
priests and the Roman Empire. He was
beaten into a bloody mess, pinned to a cross, and mocked ruthlessly. No one who witnessed Jesus’ agonizing death
would have said, “I am going to be live my life and face my death based on him.” You cherish the image only because you know
that this death is the payment for your sins.
Jesus died and was planted in a tomb like a seed. On the third day, Jesus sprung up from the
tomb to live forever. Then Jesus
commissioned his apostles to preach the gospel.
Their listeners repeated the message.
Then as persecuted Christians were scattered, the kingdom of God spread like
dandelion fluff that the wind carries off.
The Christian Church continued to spread across the globe. Today it provides shelter and refuge to
people of all nations, languages, and cultures.
When the seed is planted, see how it grows.
Jesus describes the kingdom of God in such
a vivid and wonderful way. He said that
it “puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air
can make nests in its shade” (Mark 4:32). My Mom used to have bird feeders in her backyard. She enjoyed watching the various birds feast
on the seeds in the feeders.
Occasionally, she would look outside, and there were no birds to be seen
anywhere. That was strange. So, she walked outside to see what was going
on. Then she looked at the powerline
overhead and saw a hawk perched up there.
The birds recognized the predator and were quick to take shelter in the
safety of the pine trees. There, the
hawk either could not find them or could not reach them.
This is exactly
what Jesus Christ does for us. The
kingdom of God is our shelter. It is the
refuge that we flee to from all our enemies.
St. Peter reminds us, “Your adversary the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The
devil’s name is Satan, which means Accuser.
The devil continues to accuse you, even dragging up sins that have
happened decades ago. He wants you to
despair of God’s promises, thinking that your guilt is so great that God will
not forgive you. After all, if you can’t
forget what you did, why should God? But
the devil is a liar. We flee to Jesus
who has destroyed the devil’s kingdom.
We take shelter in the kingdom of God and in the wounds of Jesus. From those wounds Jesus pours out the holy
blood that takes away the sins of the world.
He gives it to us in Holy Communion to feed our faith and to grant us
pardon and peace. Jesus nourishes the
seed which has been sown in you. When
the seed is planted, see how it grows.
Like birds which take shelter in the branches of the mustard tree, so we
rest in the shade of God’s kingdom of grace.
There is no fear there. If you
remember the days of Catechism Class, you also remember reciting the Ten
Commandments. In Luther’s explanation of
each Commandment, he began with the words, “We should fear and love
God….” We should recognize where
true power is found so we don’t fear the things that are powerless. It is as if God were telling us, “Do not fear
your sin. Jesus has cleansed you in his
holy, precious blood. Your sins do not
condemn you. So, don’t fear sin. Fear me.”
And again, God says, “Do not fear death or the grave. Granted, you will be spending a short season
in a grave. Death will come for all, but
do not fear it. Jesus has overcome the
grave. On the Last Day, he will cause
you to spring up from your tomb to receive life everlasting. So, don’t fear death. Fear me.”
Again, God says, “Don’t fear the devil.
The devil lies and deceives. He
tempts and accuses. But his words need
not alarm you. Jesus’ words are the only
words that matter, and he assures you of your salvation. So, don’t fear the devil. Fear me.”
Again, God says, “Don’t fear the world or anything in the world. Don’t fear natural disasters. Don’t fear sickness or disease. Don’t fear crime or war or terrorism. Don’t fear anyone who would dare to threaten
you. For you are my beloved children,
the apple of my eye. Don’t fear the
world. Fear me.”
We fear God because he is almighty and we are dust and breath, but we fear
and love God because he is our merciful Savior. With him is security from all that threatens
us. Nothing in the world can bring true
harm to us because this world is not our home.
Our home is the kingdom of God. The
life of a Christian may end in this world, but it does not end in the kingdom
of God. We are simply transferred to
glory everlasting. In this world, we delight
in God’s word and strive to order our lives according to it. That will not change when we enter heavenly
glory. In fact, it will only get
better. Our goal is not to establish
ourselves in this world; our goal is to dwell in the kingdom of God whether on
earth or in heaven.
When the seed is
planted, see how it grows. The kingdom
of God has spread throughout the world.
In it, people find safety and shelter from all enemies. As long as you are in the world, there will
be predators who want to snatch you away from the kingdom of God. This may come by threats to your body, life, wealth,
reputation, or family. Even if you lose
these, if you remain in Christ, you are safe.
The greater threat to your faith, however, comes through those who reject God’s word. Many, including people in authority or in your circle of friends, promote beliefs which rival and reject God’s word. Some arguments seem persuasive; others are so popular that it will be very uncomfortable to resist and to stand firm on God’s truth. The only safe measure is to take refuge in the shelter of God’s kingdom. The word of the Lord will sustain you against all attacks. Joining with God’s people and receiving encouragement from them is crucial. But you must seek this refuge for it to be any good. It is not enough for the birds to know there is a place to nest; they must reside there. Therefore, we go where our Lord is at work to save, to forgive, to protect, and to preserve us. Everlasting life comes only through the seed which is planted in you, and it is preserved only by the gospel which is preached to you and by the sacrament which feeds you. Blessed is the one takes refuge in the Lord.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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