Take care how you hear the word of God

Sermon for Sexagesima

2 Corinthians 11:19-12:9  +  Luke 8:4-15

Do you want to know God? Does it matter to you? Do you want to have eternal life in His presence? Do you want to enter His kingdom? And, once you’ve entered it, do you want to remain there, and be productive citizens there, and still be found there in the end, at the hour of your death, or on the Day of Judgment? There is only one way. Jesus reveals it in today’s Gospel, in the parable of the sower and the seed.

Now, Jesus often spoke in parables in order to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, how things actually work in God’s kingdom, or how God Himself works behind the scenes. But sometimes the parables themselves remained mysterious, and intentionally so, as Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel. To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables, that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. In other words, the mysteries of God are intentionally hidden from those who would rely on themselves and their own reason, from those who are not interested enough to actually search God’s word or seek Christ Himself for answers. But Jesus’ apostles were interested and did seek Him for answers, and they got what they were looking for.

In answering them, the Lord answers us, too, if we care enough to listen. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear! So don’t sit there this morning daydreaming or thinking about something else. The way to enter God’s kingdom and the way to remain there and be productive citizens there is this: The word of God must be preached in your ears like seed is sown in the ground. Faith comes by hearing. But take care how you hear! Because today Christ reveals the mystery of how God’s word works, and the sobering reality revealed in the parable is that God’s word, though always powerful, is often impeded and hindered, so that, much of the time, it doesn’t produce living and fruitful citizens of Christ’s kingdom.

The very notion that God’s word can be impeded calls for consideration. When God spoke the universe into existence, that word couldn’t be impeded or hindered. When God said, “Let there be light!”, there was light. When Jesus called out to the dead man Lazarus, “Come out of the tomb!”, he couldn’t remain dead. Whenever God speaks according to His omnipotence, from His almighty, irresistible power, it simply happens.

But here Jesus reveals a mystery to us, how God’s word works when He speaks to sinful human beings, when His word is sown into their ears to produce faith in the heart, to strengthen and preserve faith in the heart, and to produce good works that grow out of faith. And it isn’t done from His omnipotence. He allows people to resist it.

How does it work then? Well, it works, in some ways, like sowing a seed. The word of God goes out. Not a single word like “the” or a phrase like “when a large crowd had gathered together.” The word of God that is sown in man’s heart is the promise that always centers on Christ and comes back to Christ. It may include all the rest of Scripture, because all the Law and the Prophets point to Christ. But, in a few words, the word of God that is sown is the preaching of repentance and the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ Jesus.

And it’s always powerful. It’s always living and active, just as a healthy seed is always powerful to produce the plant or the tree that it’s intended to produce. The word of Christ that is preached is always powerful to germinate and sprout and grow and produce. There are no dead words of God.

But what happens when that preaching goes into men’s ears?

We’ll note, first, that it does have to go into men’s ears. The word of God has to be sown in our ears. Faith comes by hearing. The notion that you can commune with God or grow in faith by sitting out there in the desert, or by a lake, or under the stars, is ludicrous. The word has to be preached, and people have to hear it in order for any plant to grow in their hearts. So Jesus’ parable is not about the unbelievers out in the world who haven’t heard the word of God. It’s about those who do hear it, and that should make you perk up your ears, because the parable describes what happens in churches around the world. And it’s largely an indictment against many who call themselves Christians.

So, again, what happens? Sometimes, when God’s word is preached, it’s like seed that falls on a walking path. It quickly gets trampled and run over. It just sits on top until the birds find it, and then it’s gone. Those along the path are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. No one has the natural ability to believe God’s word when it’s preached. But even the conscientious unbeliever can use his external capacity to pay attention to what he hears, to ponder it, to think about it. But how many do even that? As for the Christian, who has been born again, in whom a New Man has been created by the Holy Spirit, we have been given the inner capacity to apply ourselves to the word we hear, to love the word, to be guided by it, and to pray for the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment and strength. But how often do we just let the devil come and take away the word from our hearts by not really listening to it, by neglecting it, by apathy and indifference? Take care how you hear the word of God!

Sometimes, when God’s word is preached, it’s like seed that falls on rocky ground. It sprouts. Faith is created. But its roots are shallow because of the rocks, and the roots lack moisture, so that when the blazing heat of the sun shines on it, it withers and dies. Those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. But they have no root; they believe for a while, and in the time of temptation they fall away. The problem isn’t with the seed. The problem isn’t even the hot sun. The problem is with the rocks preventing the roots from going deep enough to get moisture, to feed the plant. There will always be sunshine; there will always be trials and temptations and persecutions. They don’t have to destroy the plant. In fact, just as a healthy plant flourishes under the sun, so a healthy Christian flourishes even in the midst of trials and temptations—not that the trials are ever enjoyable or easy to endure, but faith in God, and love for God and our neighbor, can still thrive if we’re firmly grounded and rooted in God’s word. A superficial faith, on the other hand, won’t last long, because it isn’t getting the constant feeding it needs from the word of God, which is not only the seed from which faith springs, but is also the “pure, spiritual milk,” as Peter writes, the living water that feeds and sustains our faith. If we neglect ongoing instruction in the word, if we neglect the Sacrament of the Altar, if we fail to pray for God’s help and strength, then what will we do when the world hates us because we’re Christians? What will you do when speaking the truth, when confessing Christ will get you fired from your job? Or mocked by your friends or teachers? Or shunned by your family? Or cancelled from society? Or thrown into prison? No, if our roots are shallow, then trials and temptations will overcome us, and faith and love will wither away and die. As Jesus warned the apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane, Watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation! The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Sometimes, when God’s word is preached, it’s like seed that falls among thorns and weeds. It sprouts. Faith is created. But as it starts to grow, the weeds move in and the young plant is crowded and choked and overtaken by the weeds. As for that which fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear and, as they go along, are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to maturity. You know how this works. You know how important it is to keep hearing God’s word and to keep gathering to receive His Sacraments. And you know how important it is to live a Christian, godly life, a life of love, a life of service, a life of obedience to God’s commandments, a life of prayer. But…COVID. But…work! But…politics! But…sports! But…family time! But…sickness! But…fun stuff! And the word of God gets crowded out of your thoughts and your heart and your life. Now, you can’t get rid of the cares of this life. And riches will always dangle out in front of you a promise of comfort and security and relief. And the pleasures of this life will always be pleasurable and enticing. So, what? Will you just give in to it? Let your faith die? Let eternal life pass you by, because you had all these fleeting things to care about or to enjoy? No time for God’s word. Oh well.

There’s a better way. Some fell on good ground; it sprang up and bore a hundred times as much fruit. These are the ones who hear the word with a good and noble heart, hold fast to it, and bear fruit with patience. This, obviously, is the kind of hearer God wants you to be, one who is not hardened like the walkway, or shallow and easily dried up by temptations and persecutions, or too engaged with earthly concerns to focus on God’s word and a godly life. God wants you to be the kind of hearer who hears and heeds His warning to watch out for all those things, the kind who prays earnestly that God would open our hearts, by His word, to His word, that we may believe it, hold fast to it, and always, every day, put it into practice.

And all this, with patience. With “endurance.” It’s a daily, ongoing process, to hear God’s word, to grieve over your sins, to run to Christ in faith for the forgiveness He promises to all the baptized, to commit each day to walking in God’s commandments, to pray for His strength and help, and also to give thanks. Every day, growing a little more, every day, producing a little more fruit. Patiently, slowly, continually growing into the saints that God has already declared you to be through faith in Christ Jesus.

All of that happens only by hearing. The fact that you’re listening now, if you are listening, is also an indication that the word has fallen in a good and noble heart. Not good and noble in the sense that you’ve earned God’s favor; you haven’t. Christ earned it for you all by Himself. But good and noble in the sense that you’re paying attention, and now, maybe a little more than before, you’re on the lookout for all those impediments Jesus has warned you about in the Gospel. May God, by His Holy Spirit, produce an abundant crop within you! Amen.