The Bitter-Sweet Word

Texts:
Ezekiel 2:1–5, (6–7), 8–10; 3:1–3
Hebrews 4:12–13
Luke 8:4–8 (9–15)

The Taste of the Scroll

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Picture the scene with the prophet Ezekiel. He’s not in a temple. He’s in exile, by a muddy river in Babylon. And he’s flat on his face, overwhelmed by a vision of God’s holiness. He’s not just praying hard; he’s paralyzed. Spiritually, emotionally—he is as good as dead.

Then, a word.

“Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.”

And as God speaks, a spirit enters him and sets him trembling on his feet. Before God gives him a message, God gives him life. The Word of God, as Hebrews tells us, is living and active. Its first work is not to inform, but to resurrect. To cut through our paralysis and set us on our feet.

But then, God tells Ezekiel what this new life is for. And it’s a tough assignment. “I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me… And whether they listen or fail to listen, they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Let’s be honest: this sounds like a recipe for frustration. He’s being sent to hard hearts and closed ears. His job isn’t to win a popularity contest or guarantee results. His job is faithfulness. To deliver the message.

And to prepare him, God gives him a scroll. It’s not a light read. It’s written on both sides with “words of lament and mourning and woe.” A scroll of hard truth for a people in deep trouble. This is the bitter part of God’s Word. It’s the two-edged sword Hebrews talks about, piercing between soul and spirit, judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. It’s the word that tells us the truth about our rebellion, our pride, our need. This word is often bitter medicine for a sick world—and for our own sick hearts.

Then, God says something strange: “Son of man, eat this scroll.” Internalize it. Make it part of you. Don’t just study it; digest it.

So Ezekiel eats it. And he makes this astounding discovery: “It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”

How can a scroll of woe taste sweet? Because when you receive it from the hand of a loving God, when you take it into your very being, it becomes sweet. It’s the sweetness of knowing God’s heart—even His grieving heart. It’s the sweetness of being trusted with His truth. The truth, however hard, is sweeter than the most comfortable lie. The Word of God is the food of the soul.

Here’s the pattern for Ezekiel, and for us:

The Word Raises Us. (It gives us life and a purpose.)
The Word Confronts Us. (It speaks hard truth to our rebellion.)
We Must Ingest the Word. (We must make it our own before we can share it.)
Then, We Are Sent With the Word.

This brings us directly to Jesus in our Gospel reading. He’s telling the Parable of the Sower. And in it, we see the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s calling. God is still the Sower, broadcasting His living Word—the seed—onto all kinds of soil. And the results are just as mixed as Ezekiel experienced. Some seed is snatched away, some withers, some gets choked out.

The disciples are confused. “Why speak in parables?” they ask. It’s like they’re asking, “Why keep speaking to hard hearts? Why risk the rejection Ezekiel faced?”

Jesus’ explanation points to the condition of the soil—the human heart. The good soil, He says, represents “those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”

So, what does this mean for us here today?

First, let the Word raise you. Maybe you feel paralyzed—by failure, by worry, by a spiritual dryness. Hear Christ’s word to you now: “Stand on your feet.” His Word has power to give you life.

Second, don’t run from the bitter to get to the sweet. We love the promises, the comfort. But we need the whole scroll—the conviction as well as the consolation. We must ingest it all, trusting that even God’s hardest words come from a heart of love. Let the two-edged sword do its work in you. Let it cut away the hardness, the shallow faith, the choking worries. Let it prepare the soil of your heart.

Third, know your calling. Every one of us who has ingested this Word is now sent. We are sent to a world full of hard paths, rocky places, and thorny ground. Our calling is not to guarantee success. Our calling is to be faithful sowers. To speak the truth in love, whether it’s listened to or not. To live out the Word we have digested. Our faithfulness is the proof a prophet has been among them.

The same Word that raised Ezekiel, that was sweet as honey, that Jesus sows as seed, is here for you now. It is living. It is active. It is sharper than any sword. It can raise you from the dust. It can nourish your soul. And it can use your faithful life to produce a harvest that will last for eternity.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Amen.