Sexagesima (2025)
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Luke 8:4-15
Luke 8:4-15
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Jesus would frequently teach in Parables and to impart the message in such a way that it would be remembered, but would also hide a bit of the meaning and it would require explanation. Now this parable is explained, and what each part is meant to be, that we might understand what Jesus is teaching and how it is for our benefit. I want to be clear this parable has many different things that we could teach, but we will go through and stop at each soil type.
Breaking Down a Parable
They are meant to teach.
We value them still today as a concise way to pass on knowledge and information, but they are also a way to hide the teachings as Jesus points out. So they require a bit of explanation to understand, and to process.
First, identify the parts.
It is wonderful to have this parable included in the Lectionary as we have the descriptions of the parts, which means this gives us a beautiful template to understand the other parables and what Jesus is doing as he teaches the faith.
Then figure out where is Jesus.
So what is Christ in this parable, where is He active, and what is he doing? Well Christ is the Word made Flesh, and what the sower of the seed, the evangelist does, he shares the works of God and of Christ for you. Evangelism isn’t about the argumentation that is a separate discipline called apologetics, which is important and one wants to be ready to defend the faith, but if we can defeat all of a person’s arguments but don’t know what to share, then what is the point of apologetics, if we don’t know what the Gospel is.
What Question is Being Addressed?
This isn’t about who we evangelize.
The disciples are about to be sent out to share the Good News of the Kingdom, and even though they are sharing the message of salvation and calling people to repent, for they have witnessed the miracles of Jesus with their own two eyes. They will encounter resistance and rejection. They are called to share the gospel with all people, but
It is about why many don’t believe.
It’s the good news of salvation that God has kept His promise to Adam and Eve to Abraham, To Isaac and Jacob and He has not forgotten or abandoned mankind to their sins, but sent His Son to atone for our sins. So what happens, why do so many hear the message of salvation and fall away? Why do so many dear friends and family slip out of the faith and walk the road to their destrution? That’s why
This is hard to watch.
We share the gospel with family, with friends, and even our neighbors because we care about them, and yet how many times do we watch someone dear fall away? Now I know it is hard to watch, but I pray that none of our hearts ever become so callous that we don’t care about those who fall. For that is not what Christ did for us, no it was love that brought him forth from heaven for our sakes, and it was because of love that someone shared the Gospel with you, for we are to say the seed.
Sowing the Seed
We are called to share the Word.
Who are we called to share it with? Well what does Jesus say at the end of Matthew, with all nations, that is all ethnicities, people groups, etc. It doesn’t matter who they are, we are to be teaching them to observe everything that Christ commanded.
It’s worth sharing.
People don’t natural know who God is, they know there is a god, they know that there will be some form of retribution for the wrongs they’ve done in this life, that’s why guilt, fear, and shame continue to plague us. But if you do not know who God is, and what He has done for you, then you have no hope and all that is left is despair. Jesus didn’t suffer and die on the Cross to leave us in despair. He came that we might have life and ahve it to the fullest. Now
There are many challenges.
That’s what this parable is about, and he is telling it to the disciples because they are about to run headfirst into some problems as they go out and share the gospel. Not everyone will receive it well, and they will see this magnified after Christ’s ascension. So why doesn’t the gospel always take root?
We Know The Temptations
How often have we fallen?
I have taught you the word for years at this point, and shared it with you in Bible Study, and I know that you had pastors before me that did the same, and between all of us, the Word has been taught, but none of us hear can claim that we have never stumbled or fallen after hearing and learning the word. We are still plagued by these problems, for
We are not a single soil.
That would be easy to categorize people and blow them off. There are some days where our hearts are like the well traveled path and Satan swoops in and takes away the seed without us noticing, there are other times in our lives where the Word does take root, but the roots don’t go deep, and a person falls away during a time of trial, and there are times where we must confess, we chose comfort and money over what was right and let our faith be choked out. If we have experienced that, then why do we think our neighbor will be different?
We won’t run out of seed.
That’s a concern we have in life, that we might not have enough to cover our entire field, but not here, Christ has provided the seed from the storehouse of heaven, and it will not run out. Share it without fear, and by God’s grace, it will take root in the lives of our people.
The Seed Bears Fruit
Consider what the Word has done.
Throughout the ages the Word of God has brought hope to many people. It has helped free folks from guilt, shame, and given them hope in a world that would otherwise be overrun by sin. It shares with us who our Creator is, and how he care for each of us.
It blesses the World.
It is a light that shines even in the darkness. It brings peace in the darkest of moments, while we stand by a loved one’s grave, and are reminded that whoever has been baptized into the death of Jesus will be raised with him, and be they child, parent, spouse, or friend, we look to that day of the resurrection. Because the Word
It gives to us eternal life.
When it takes root in the proper soil it provides blessings not just for us but enough for everyone. For we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves and that love flows from the love that God has poured into our hearts through His Word. So let us share the word with all people that we might be saved.
My Dear Brotehrs and Sisters in CHrist, this parable reminds us of the blessings that God gives, but also alerts us to the challenges there are in sharing the word. Do not lose heart when you go out and share the Gospel with your neighbors, it is good and for their benefit.
