Context for Matthew 13:24-52
Jesus’ teaching is clear: it is faith not works that save us, and it is faith not works that will determine our fate on the Last Day. Certainly, works are an expression of our faith, but without that faith, they are meaningless.
As a Christian in the Lutheran Tradition, I sometimes grow weary of the constant emphasis on sin and salvation by grace through faith. I lament that there has to be more to this Gospel that I believe in and wonder why it is that I must constantly be reminded that I am a sinner.
Whenever that lament takes hold, I am reminded that I am focusing on the wrong piece of the equation. Certainly, I am a sinner in need of a Savior, but I am a sinner who is saved. Jesus already died for my sins, and I already have faith. This is the real reminder that I receive through the preaching of the Law and the Gospel.
It is from this reminder that I am encouraged to go out and do the things faith puts in my heart and mind to do. It is by this reminder that my faith, through the constant feeding of the Word and the Sacraments, can grow from the mustard seed to the mustard tree and can spread like the yeast through the bread maker’s dough.
We need to remember that we are sinners so that we can remember we are saved. By remembering we are saved, we can see more clearly the nature of the faith in our lives, and can act and grow according to that knowledge given to us by grace.
