The Rev. Paul J Cain
Mark 4:26-34
The Lord Gives the
Growth
Proper 6B, 17 June 2012
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, WY
In the Name of Jesus.
Amen.
1 Blessed is
the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor
stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that
yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In
all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in
the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Reading the Psalms
with Luther: “Psalm 1 is a psalm of comfort. It admonishes us to gladly
hear and learn God’s Word and brings us the comfort that, in so doing, we will
have many and great benefits. Just as a (palm) tree by the water grows green
and brings fruit despite all heat and cold and the like, so also all our words
and works will prosper despite all enemies. Human doctrines do not have this
benefit, and, as the wind blows the chaff away, so they also pass away. For God
says that those who study His word please Him, but the others He allows to
perish.
“This psalm flows from the Third Commandment; indeed, it is
part of that commandment, for the command to honor the Sabbath is itself the
command to hear and learn of God’s Word. Psalm 1 is also included in the Second
and Third Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, for in these we pray for God’s
kingdom and His will, both of which are conveyed by His word.” So far Luther on
the Psalm of the day, Psalm 1, chosen to help us interpret the appointed readings,
including the Gospel of the Day, Mark 4. The bottom line? The Lord gives the
growth.
26 And
he [Jesus] said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the
ground. 27 He sleeps
and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces
by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain
is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Lord gives the growth. Jesus speaks in parables, but His
meaning is clear by faith. The farmer sows seed trusting that the Lord will
bring forth the growth. So it is with growth in faith and knowledge of God and
His Christ. The Blessed man or woman delights in the Word of God and meditates
on it in that heavenly joy in order to be a sturdy tree in Christ, nurtured by
God’s Word and planted in rich soil watered by the life-long blessings of Holy
Baptism. The Lord gives spiritual growth. We trust Him for daily bread and all
that we need to support this body and life. He gives you, in Christ alone, all
that you need for your spiritual life on earth now and in heaven for eternity.
The Lord gives the growth. It is His gift to you in Jesus Christ.
30 And
he [Jesus] said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable
shall we use for it? 31 It
is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the
smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet
when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and
puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its
shade.”
33 With
many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to
them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained
everything.
TLSB: Jesus did
not purposely make His teaching confusing. Rather, it was the people’s
preconceptions that made His teachings seem hard...
The Lord gives the growth. He gives growth to even the
smallest seed known to His ancient people. Even so, Jesus calls them to believe
in the one whom the Father has sent them to believe in. Jesus is that One.
Sunday morning is one of those private times when our Lord
Jesus explains everything He taught in His parables. Here we, the birds of the
air, so to speak, can gather in safe shady branches.
The point of worship is not what we do, but what God has
done and does now for you in Christ. He declares you forgiven of all your sins.
He gives you growth in faith and knowledge of Him from His Word by the work of
God the Holy Spirit. He gathers you together with other blessed people whom He
has called to Himself in Holy Baptism. He puts His own Body and Blood into the
mouths of His baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. He equips you to be
faithful to Him, faithful to your family vocations, and emboldens to you be
faithful in all of your life vocations that you may point others to the rest,
growth, comfort and peace that is here in Jesus’ eternal kingdom.
TLSB: God’s
kingdom grows mysteriously of itself, at its own pace, and through the power of
the Word. This reality often causes frustration among those who eagerly long
for a rapid expansion of the Kingdom, and all the more as we only have a
short-term view of things. But God’s kingdom grows according to His plan and
timetable. And it is a great blessing that things ultimately depend on Him and
not us, for only He is able to bring home a great harvest for life eternal…
TLSB: Jesus’ parables
reassure believers that over time the kingdom of God will grow incredibly
large, far beyond its unassuming beginnings. Precisely because the Kingdom
grows so slowly and its Lord is so patient, believers tend to become
discouraged and its enemies are emboldened. But in the end, the Kingdom alone
will stand, and everything else will be overthrown. Thank God, He shelters His
people of every nation in its eternal shade.[1]
The Lord provides the growth. We are not responsible for the
success of God’s Word, for the success of the proclamation of His Gospel. We
are given to be faithful, proclaimers of His Gospel, the blessed men and women,
husbands and wives, parents and children depicted in Psalm 1:
1 Blessed is
the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor
stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that
yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in
the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
The Lord gives you growth in Christ Jesus. Amen.
In the Name of Jesus .
Amen.
[1]
Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran
Study Bible (1663–1664). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.
