The Parable of the Sower and the Seed
(Mark 4:3-9)
Aidan Hart, with contributions from Donald Jackson and Sally Mae Joseph
Natural hand-ground ink on calfskin vellum
Image copyright 2002 The Saint John's Bible and Saint John's University
In this icon-like image, the sower's halo, with its cross, identifies him as Christ sowing the word of God. His contemporary Western work clothes indicate that this image is a metaphor, in which the sacred message is revealed through a mundane action.
The four small hills along the bottom are the four kinds of soil on which the seed falls. The hard path, where the seed cannot take root and is eaten by birds, signifies the closed mind that refuses to hear God's word. The rocky ground, where the sprout is short-lived, stands for shallow people who accept the word of God but do not let it take root in their inner being and fall away when they are persecuted. The thorny ground corresponds to people who understand God's word but let material things choke their spiritual belief. The good soil, where the wheat has taken root and thrives, represents those who act upon the word of God and share it with others.
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The Parable of the Sower and the Seed
