The St. John's Bible-Parable of the Sower

 Parable of the Sower and the Seed

Mark 4:3-9

Aidan Hart with contributions 

from Donald Jackson and Sally Mae Joseph

 Vellum, with ink, paint and gold

"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 rook in their inner being 
and fall away when they are persecuted. 
The thorny ground corresponds to people
 who understand God's work 
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."

Dear Lord, 
We pray that our lives
 may be filled with good soil.
Amen.