St. Andrew's Lutheran Church and Campus Center
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Martin Luther on the Gospel for Sexagesima
What Happens to the Divine Word
"That on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." He says, 'in an honest and good heart'. As a field which is a large level piece of land, with no thorns, or thistles, so pure and wide, and open is the heart that is free from anxiety and greed about temporal food, and the Word of God finds room in it. Thus we may see that it is no marvel, that there are so few true Christians, for not all the seed falls on good ground; but only a fourth part, and that those should not be trusted who boast of being Christians and praise the teaching of the Gospel. Christ Himself here cries and says: 'He that hath ears to hear, let him hear'; as if He meant to say, 0, how few true Christians there are. Indeed, one cannot trust all who are called Christians and who listen to the Gospel. Much more is needed. Why should we be troubled that many are full of disdain? Is it not ordained that many are called and few are chosen? For the sake of the good soil, which brings forth fruit with patience, some of the seed must needs fall by the wayside, some upon the rocky places and some among thorns. We do know certainly that the Word of God does not remain fruitless, but that it always finds some good ground, as He says here, that some of the sower's seed fell upon good ground. For where the Gospel is, there are Christians: 'My Word shall not return unto me void'.(Sermon from the year 1525. W.A. 17. II.156 f.)
