Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop- a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.

Several years ago when I was a principal I gave my teachers a small bag of wheat seeds, not much more than could fit in the palm of their hands. They looked at the seeds and looked at me. I then explained, “What you see is wrapped up in possibilities. Some of you see a handful of wheat seeds not even big enough to grind up and make a small muffin. Others of you see the possibility of feeding the world if the seeds are sown and the crop harvested. What do you see?”

Today’s lesson is all about seeds, soils, and possibilities. It begins with a farmer who has seeds. Each seed has the possibility of producing a crop. Within the seed God has placed the plan of germination, growth, and bountiful crop. The seed in our parable is the Word of God- packed with a plan and possibilities.

The soil is us. Remember in the beginning the soil was good, but when sin entered the world along with it came weeds, drought, and rocks. Apart from the working of God the soil would remain barren and nothing good would grow there, but God did not abandon us. He sent the Son, Jesus, who, as we hear in today’s Gospel lesson looked over the soil.

Jesus found the ground of some human hearts like a path- hard packed and beaten down. The Word of God that is sown on it can find no apparent opening in the ground. Then as now He could find the paths of some hearts are pounded hard by self-centeredness, pride and human reason. The Evil One had and still does deceive some into not teaching their children the Word of God and many pathways were found to be hard. Some justify the hardness because of heartache, disappointment, unfairness and disillusionment. Whatever the reason for our hardness the Evil One comes again and again to snatch away the only Seed that offers a real and life-sustaining crop. Remember it is written that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil. (Eph 6.11)

Jesus goes on to say that some Seed, which is good, falls on to shallow soil, soil with many rocks above and below the surface. Boy, can many of us understand soil like that here in and around Boulder. Because the rocks warm the soil the seeds germinate quickly and spring up but they can whither just as quickly because the soil is thin. It doesn’t hold the moisture nor because of the rocks, does it have room for the roots. Many of us are rocky soil. Oh we greet the Word with enthusiasm, and there is much growth at first, but as quick as it comes it begins to whither. Some of us come to church and greet it all with great enthusiasm but when the newness and the enthusiasm begin to fade, when our trials and troubles aren’t whisked away we begin to whither.

Others of us are like that soil that looks good on the surface- we have been prepared to receive the seed of God’s Word but in our sinfulness we crowd out this good seed with bindweed, which comes from worry and anxiety over the things of this life. We raise a bumper crop of the thistles, which are fertilized by the manure of our sinful thoughts, words, and worldly pursuits. It is written; No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. (Matt 6.24)

Apart from the working of God our soil would remain hard, shallow and rocky, and/or choked with weeds, but God has not left us. Remember The Father had raised up Old Testament prophets who would by proclamation seek to break up the hardened soil of our hearts. Even today He raises up teachers, preachers and God-fearing people to remove the rocks, mix in the mulch, and uproot the weeds. Still apart from this working of God our soil would produce nothing. We need to hear that the Father sent the Son that the soil could again be good soil and produce a bountiful crop.

The Son came gathering up the bindweed of our sins against God and each other. He took from us the thistles of our disappointments and heartaches. He came preparing the soil, turning it over with the shovel of His teachings. He worked in nutrients by the proclamation of God’s justice and mercy and His holiness and His grace. He broke up the hard ground of our self-centeredness, pride and misguided reason with His pickax of hard teaching- all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that all will apart from believing in the Son all will perish.

He tilled the ground with the plow that was the cross. When all this was done He climbed up on that cross. He allowed Himself to be bound there with the bindweed of our sins and the sins of all people. He was crowned with the thorny thistle of mankind’s rebellion and idolatry. His blood rained down from the cross washing away our sins, watering and nourishing the ground that it would be good again. Isaiah writes, By His wounds we were healed. He gave up His life that we could be a crop acceptable to the Father. John recorded Jesus speaking of His dying which brings life; Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12.24) To accomplish all this took every ounce of His life and He died. He was laid down in the ground, put into a tomb and heavy stone was placed over Him.

Picture a moment how even a small tree can sprout up and eventually after years and years lift a corner of a sidewalk, well, this Jesus did more than sprout up. Just as He foretold He rose up not years and years later, no, on the third day He arose, and He didn’t just lift a sidewalk, He pushed over the huge, hard stone that overshadows all people- that stone is death. It is written because He lives we will live also. (John 14.19) He rose that our soil might be good again, a suitable place for the seed of God’s Word to grow and produce a harvest acceptable to the Father, a harvest that is eternal life.

And of this Good Seed that fell on good soil…it produced a crop yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown. And my teachers sat there with a handful of seeds looking at the possibilities. Today you are pondering this lesson of seed, soil, and possibilities. Some of you may be saying, look at my circumstances or age or lack of resources. All I have is a seed that is God’s Word and where I live the ground is not very receptive. What can I do? Three things: first, give thanks that by God’s grace the Word of God has taken root in you by and through the means of grace. Celebrate that the Holy Spirit is at work in your heart working the soil of your heart by and through the regular hearing of God’s Word. Second, realize that the Evil One is hard at work too trying to snatch that Word of God from you even now. Resist him; send him away by and through the study of God’s word, by prayer, by confessing your sins to God and gratefully receiving the Lord’s full forgiveness, and resist the Evil One by and through fellowship with other believers. The third thing you can do is to listen to the inspired words of the prophet Isaiah, As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (55.10-11) This seed you have is not of your doing; it is the Word of God. You are called to sow it liberally, to broadcast it and then to pray that the Lord of the Harvest will bring forth the growth: first the sprout, then the plant and then the harvest. It is by working in the fields of the Lord that not only will others hear but God can keep our hearts and hands on what is most important- the saving message of Jesus.

All around us is the harvest field. Let us go out and sow His Word. Send us to work in Your fields Oh, Lord.

Amen.