Isaiah 55:10-13; Romans 8:12-17; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Why can I grow weeds with no effort, but a plant that I actively tend to so often dies within a week? Growing a plant seems like it should be common sense. Plant it in good soil, give it water to grow, and make sure it has sunlight. Yet, that’s never been the case for me. Plants need the right conditions in order to grow and that is a harder task than many of us consider.

For you might think this is all about plants, but you’d be wrong. For just like plants, faith is just as difficult a thing to understand. It seems like it should be simple, easy even. But we quickly learn that the planting and growth of faith is a much more difficult endeavor than we ever knew.

This is what our Gospel lesson is all about this week as we read the parable of the sower. It seems a simple and straightforward parable. There are four different types of soil which are equated with four different responses to faith. But understand the question which this parable seeks to answer. It’s not what most think it is. For many assume that Jesus is classifying believers by the type of “soil” you are. But this isn’t the case. Rather, he’s answering a difficult question which the disciples had been grappling with throughout his ministry. Why aren’t more people believing in Jesus?

The different responses aren’t exhaustive either. Jesus very well could have rattled off more. But four was sufficient to get the point across. For faith doesn’t always take root and produce fruit because there are numerous opponents to the word. Be it Satan who plucks faith before it roots, or the tribulation which comes on account of the word that doesn’t allow it to root deep, or the sinful cares of worldly things (like money or fame). All of these can supplant the word in someone’s heart. Just like gardening, sometimes it’s easier to just let the weeds grow than to tend to the garden consistently. Yes, it’s much easier living in sin by worldly cares than to be good soil.

For so we must turn our question around and ask, how does faith grow at all? It’s not because we’ve proven ourselves to be “good” soil. Quite the opposite. Rather, it’s in the work and activity of the gardener, or sower. As we read, “A sower went out to sow,” Matthew 13:3. It is the gracious and radical work of the sower that any seed should take root. For the sower sows the seed generously. So too, God has sown the word generously among all people so that it may take root wherever and whenever it is able. And as if God should stop at that; he goes on to feed and nourish it by the ministry of Jesus Christ. It’s the preaching and teaching of Jesus that gives us growth, especially his life and death that both waters and nourishes it. Jesus goes to the cross to pour out his blood as the life-giving water so that faith may grow abundantly!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Blessed Lord, since You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!