The reading from the Treasury this morning for the New Testament is the parable of the sower. Jesus says, "And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, ⁵ “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. ⁶ And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. ⁸ 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.” Jesus then goes on to define the parable to His disciples. He says that the seed is the Word of God. The seed that fell on the path are those people who hear the word and immediately the devil comes and snatches them up. This is like the Word going in one ear and out the other. Then Jesus says that the rocky ground is like those who hear the Word, grow zealous quickly, but then wither because they do not let the Word be inwardly digested and grow deep in them. The third group are those in the thorny ground, these are those who care more about the worries and anxieties of the world than the Word and therefore give their lives to worldly passions rather than the Word. The fourth group are those of the good soil who receive the Word by faith and live out lives in love and repentance. Luther speaks of this saying, "Lord, heavenly Father, if we must fall into sin, let us fall into any other sin, but deliver us from a hardening of the heart, and keep us in and with Him whom You appointed Lord over sin and innocence. If we do not deny Him or lose sight of Him, all sin, death, and hell will not harm us. Yes, what is there that might harm us?" (Luther's Works 43:67).

This parable that Jesus tells is not called, "The parable of the soils," but rather, "The parable of the Sower." This parable is not primarily about Christians, but about Christ, from whom Christians receive their identity and life. This parable displays to us the Love of Christ and how Jesus spreads His Word abroad. Jesus does not look for good soil and only place His Word there. Or put differently, Jesus doesn't look for righteous people and only die for them on the cross. Jesus did not come to die for those who can help themselves, but for all sinners who fail in the eyes of the Father. Jesus came to spread about His sacrificial death for the salvation of all. Some receive this, other' do not, and we cannot control this. Jesus died for all because His Father loves, not just the righteous, but the whole world as we read in John 3. Martin Franzmann put the work of Jesus in this parable to song singing, "The sower sows His reckless love. Scatters abroad the goodly seed. Intent alone that all may have the wholesome loaves that all men need" (LSB 586.3).  Jesus loves is not meticulous, but reckless in our eyes. Jesus' love is not something for just some people, but for all sinners. This means, that no matter the transgression, in Christ it is forgiven. As Luther put it, may we just not harden and in this reject the mercy of Jesus and the forgiveness of our sins.

The Churches vocation then in this world is not to find righteous people and make them more righteous, but rather to caste out the Gospel of Jesus for the forgiveness of sinners. The Church is the house of absolution in which and through which Jesus forgives sinners, creates in them new hearts, and presents them before His Father blameless and righteous. The Church takes unrighteous people and makes them righteous as they preach the Word and plant it home in the hearts of all who receive it. In short, may you know that Jesus does not withhold His Gospel from you, but scatters it generously on you your whole life long until He calls you home to Himself in heaven. Take heart and know that He who gives the sower seed to sow, will watch and tend His planted word in your heart.

Peace be with you. May the devil be silenced, the world be hushed, and the Old Adam be drowned anew so that you hear only the voice of your Savior Jesus who says, "I love you. I forgive you. You are mine own dear little lamb forever, "Amen.

Jesus' Sheepdog,

Pastor Hull