God created you to have life. A full and abundant life. Everything about creation was about life. Even the tree in the Garden that God commanded Adam not to eat of it, even this was for life. Of course, things are different now. Because Adam and Eve ate of that tree and brought sin and death into this world of life. But what is not different is that God still wants you to have life. A full and abundant life. It's just that we don't know how anymore.

Who do you say that I am? This is the most important question you will ever be asked. Who do you say Jesus is? Peter, speaking on behalf of the twelve, gets it right. Not because they're smarter. But because it has been revealed to them by the Father who is in heaven. That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And so it is on this rock, on this confession, of who Jesus is and what He has done, that Jesus builds His Church.

Jesus had gotten the news. His cousin, John, was dead. Even though it wasn't a surprise, He wanted some time away. He is not unaffected. He wept when His friend Lazarus died. So here He goes to a desolate place by Himself. Death is not right. But this is exactly why He came. Come into a world we have desolated with sin and death, and save it. Save us. That's why satan tries so hard to keep you from here.

In the parable we heard from Jesus today, didn't you ever wonder... why was that treasure there in the first place? Who saw a treasure. But what do we see? We see people buried. Buried in sin. And yet the Son of God, our Saviour, Jesus, looks at you at gives you all He has for you. And if that makes no sense to you, you are beginning to understand that we cannot understand such love. And yet, it's true.

If Jesus were to tell this parable today, I think He might get accused of being a conspiracy theorist! An enemy came and intentionally sowed weed seeds in your field. Weeds just grow, Jesus! Everywhere! But Jesus wasn't being paranoid. This was happening to Him. The Pharisees were actively sowing seeds of opposition and doubt wherever He went. They didn't want to discredit Him or shame Him, they wanted Him GONE.

This week I want to tell you about another plant in our yard, but this one, one that we did not plant. It just grew by itself. A tomato plant in our front yard. And that plant we did not plant produced more tomatoes for us than the ones we did! The seed just grew, and produced an abundant harvest. The parable Jesus told today was about sowing seeds like that. Seeds that are sown that produce an abundant harvest.

Today, in the reading from Romans, Saint Paul talks about being trapped. But this is a far more serious kind of trapped than the others, bad as they may be. He is trapped in his sin. The struggle for Paul is not between his mind and his body, but between his Old Man and his New Man. It is between sinner and saint. But then Paul saw the light -- literally! Once Paul saw the light, he realized that to simply do better and try harder doesn't work.

Tough words we heard today! But Jesus doesn't hate families. They were His idea! But what Jesus does hate is idols. False gods. Which by catechetical definition is anything or anyone in this world that we fear, love, or trust more than God. And that can include the family. Now families are good. We thank God for families. But if family comes before God, that's not good. We've sinned. We need to repent.

Jesus sent the twelve out... Last week we heard the first part of that. And then the words we heard today -- more bad news. And you probably know how they felt. It's not easy being a Christian these days. The question is, what are you going to do? You gonna go back? There's no hope there. The wages of sin is death -- now and forever. He who denies Jesus is denied by Jesus -- but the free give of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So they came to Him, the one who had come to them, and for them. Here was the shepherd they needed. The one they had been looking for and waiting for. The one prophesied, and now here. That's why Matthew used the phrase he did, that the people were like sheep without a shepherd. He didn't think up that phrase himself -- it is from the Old Testament.