The typical images associated with this parable are the dry and rocky soil, the soil with weeds, and the good soil; in this illumination artist Aidan Hart draws our attention to the head of the sower and clothes which he wears. The clothes worn by the sower are not the clothes of a middle aged male Jew living in Nazareth, nor are they the typical contemporary outfit for a person scattering seed. The clothes are ones we can identify, maybe even wear.
Because we can identify with the sower, it is safe to assume that this illumination is calling us to take on this role. Believers have received the Word of God, and many have also partaken in the banquet of Christ’s body and blood. Christ has sown his word and nourished his flock, and like the good soil they must become a place for these seeds to grow. How to help the seeds grow? By going forth to become God’s word in the dark and broken world. Going forward and being nourishment for others by becoming the hands and feet of Christ through our words and actions. All of us, believers and non-believers, can be like Christ and walk and stand on the same soil to sow the seed, standing with those for whom the soil or hard concrete has become their bed or the only source of income they receive. Christ must be our inspiration and model. Instead of thinking that helping others is stooping to their level, we can take inspiration from Christ who lived with, served, and listened to the cry of the marginalized in his society. Christ’s mindset leads us to truly encounter and interact with the lives we so often neglect. The image displayed today echoes a unique call to believers in any tradition.
This commentary was contributed by James Gumataotao, a senior Theology major and a member of the Library’s Research Desk team.