"He Knows Not How"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Chances are, you like to feel needed, in some way or another. It feels good to be needed, to feel as though others value your existence, your contributions, your input into the general system of life. You probably do a lot of things because you are needed to do them.

Oftentimes, this is a display of the human desire for appreciation. You want to feel as though your life has meaning, so you look to the work of your hands to gain that appreciation for you. When others see the work you do, they appreciate how hard you work, how skilled you are, how dedicated to your craft. Whether in measure large or small, you want to be appreciated, to be needed, to be wanted.

This is a common motivation for those in various fields of service, as opposed to those who make concrete “things”. Those who serve others generally do so out of a desire to make a difference in the world around them. What that means varies from person to person, as you might see in the wide range of services in which people engage. The common thread is this desire to somehow change the world around you for the better, to leave your mark.

But, Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.” This is how the kingdom of God spreads. God calls His people, calls you, to scatter seed. In the beginning, while Adam and Eve were yet in the Garden, God commanded them to be stewards of creation, to care for all living things. Even after the Fall, God commanded that Adam should work the land and, by the sweat of his brow, plant and harvest and eat.

In the same way, the Lord calls each person to scatter the seed of His Word. On numerous occasions, the Lord speaks of the people each one teaching his neighbor the Word of the Lord. You are specifically commanded to teach His Word to your children and to all those of your household, in all your walk through life.

And, of course, that this gift not vanish from among His people, God has instituted His Holy Ministry, and He calls men into that Office to preach the Word. He calls and ordains those whom He chooses to be His instruments, His mouthpieces to proclaim His Word to you, His children. He calls His ministers to preach the Word in season and out of season, no matter the foolishness, no matter the cost. The seed must be scattered; the Word must be preached.

After all, seed not scattered bears no crop. If you leave seed shut up in a bag or a pail, what happens? At best, nothing at all. At worst, it grows mold, gets rotten, and starts to stink. The Word cannot be stored up for later and parceled out as you see fit. It must be scattered recklessly upon the soil of the hearts of men.

So the man of God scatters the seed on the ground. Then, “He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” The man scatters the seed, then leaves it alone and goes about his other work. And, miracle of miracles, it sprouts and grows. How does it do this? He knows not how. He did not cause it. He cannot make it happen by any work of mind or might. Farmers know that you cannot force a crop to come up. You can use the best seed, the most advanced equipment, and have the greatest soil, but none of that guarantees results. The seed will act on its own, regardless of your machinations.

Martin Luther once said, “While I drink my little glass of Wittenberg beer, the Gospel runs its course.” The job of the preacher is to scatter the seed, then get out of the way. Just like the farmer who must leave the seed alone in order for the plant to grow, the preacher broadcasts the Word into the hearts of men, and then lets it work according to the will of God. Neither the pastor, nor the parents, nor anyone else can do the Holy Spirit's work. You cannot help God. He says what He does, and He does what He says. You did not make the heavens and the earth. Neither can you create faith in the heart of a man. Sow the seed, let the seed lie, and go about your business while God works.

But how difficult this is to do! For you, like all people, have lost confidence in the Word of God. How can it be? How can it happen that you simply fling the gifts of God out there and they just start growing automatically? Surely, you think, we must develop some strategy. We must come up with some way to make the Word more interesting. We must make people feel welcomed and accepted and wanted with the Word. We must be able to quantify and test and evaluate the progress of the Word. But you cannot do any of these things. You cannot help God.

The problem is that you have forgotten how to pray, and how to let God be God. For what does it mean to pray “Thy kingdom come”? The kingdom of God comes by itself – automatically – without our prayers, but we pray that it would come among us. You would like to help. You would like to feel needed, feel like you did your part. But your part is to stay out of God's way.

In all this, remember that the seed itself is the kingdom of God. On the outside, the seed is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it falls into the earth, it grows into a great plant, in which all the birds of the air build their nests. This seed is the Word of God, the Word-made-Flesh – our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Our Lord Christ is the kernel who died and was buried into the earth, and from there sprouted and brought forth a great and massive tree, in which all the nations repose. From the tree of the cross His life-giving blood dropped and watered the ground into which He would be laid. There He died and was buried into the earth. And from the earth He rose again, to give life to the nations. The tree of death for Him became the tree of life for you and for all believers. Its branches extend to all lands, and people from every nation, tribe, language, and people come to rest in the shade of His holy Church.

Yes, this seed seems the smallest of all the seeds. What, in the whole scheme of human history, is the death of one poor Jew on a Roman cross in a violent backwater that has never known earthly peace? He was despised and rejected of men. He had no outward attraction, that we should esteem Him. And what of His death and resurrection? The message of the cross is foolishness in the eyes of this world. How could this death be the life of all the living? Yes. It is foolishness, but it works. The seed planted in the soil grows; you know not how.

Yes, that seed looks small and foolish and weak. What does a damp forehead and some old words do anyway? How can water do anything so great as forgive your sins? But it does. A few words spoken over you by some guy in old-fashioned robes forgives your sins and cleanses you from all fear and doubt. Really? You kneel uncomfortably and munch a little hunk of bread and a thimble of wine, and that is the Lord of Hosts sliding down your throat? It is foolishness. But it works; you know not how.

The man scatters the seed, then sleeps and rises, and the seed grows; he knows not how. The Word of God goes forth from the mouth of His messengers. It lodges in the hearts of His people. It combines with human means like water, bread, and wine. And it does what it says. The Word of the Lord forgives your sins. He works; you know not how, but you know that He does.

Preach you the Word and plant it home

And never faint; the Harvest Lord

Who gave the sower seed to sow

Will watch and tend His planted Word (LSB 586.6).

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.