gospel of Thomas 9

Jesus said, "Now the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road; the birds came and gathered them up. Others fell on the rock, did not take root in the soil, and did not produce ears. And others fell on thorns; they choked the seed(s) and worms ate them. And others fell on the good soil and it produced good fruit: it bore sixty per measure and a hundred and twenty per measure."

In this little parable, Jesus compares spiritual teaching to the sowing of seeds. And every teacher has this feeling: that their teachings sometimes fall upon deaf ears. Not everyone is ready for spiritual growth. The time has not yet come. And so when the teacher is casting his seeds around, some of those hearing the teachings will not accept them, will not admit them, will block them out – as the rock blocks the seeds, and does not allow them to reach the soil.

So from the teacher's perspective, it is clear that one is overflowing with teachings. And one is not concerned too much whether those teachings land on fertile soil or a barren land. 

From the perspective of somebody listening to spiritual teachings, it is something of a challenge, to look at oneself and see, am I receptive? Am I the good soil? Or am I covered in prickly thorns that are going to strangle any good news that comes my way? Am I stubborn like a rock? Not yielding in any way.

So for the seeker, this parable is a little question: Are you ready? Are you fertile? Are you waiting for a seed? And if not, why not? It may just be that the time has not come yet. Or it may be, that with a little humility and openness, you can become fertile, receptive, womb like.

So in this parable, Jesus is describing the relationship between a master and someone who is seeking. From the master's perspective, one cannot get too upset about where the seeds land. And from the seeker's perspective, there is this question, am I ready?

But this parable does not only apply to spiritual teaching. Anything creative has the same quality. When we are creative, when we are creating something, we are an artist. Creation is happening through us. And we cannot be too concerned with the way other people respond to the art that is being created. Our artistic creativity is an overflowing of divine creative energy. And we should be making the art for the love of it, regardless of whether it brings us fame and fortune, whether other people applaud the art or are critical of it.

It is the same for a rosebud. It is overflowing with a sweet perfume, regardless of whether anyone is smelling it. It does not even have a preference in that matter. It is in the nature of the rosebud, to produce a perfume. It is up to us, when we see the rosebud, whether we are receptive to its perfume or not. Do we take the time, to really smell it? Or do we rush by, and not even notice this great gift?

And though I have spoken of creativity. If you look more deeply, every interaction between two human beings is of this nature. One person is giving what they have to give. And the other may be open to it, or closed. And the giver has little control, and indeed should not want to have control, over whether the recipient is open or not. And for the person who is being offered the gift, it is their process as to whether they are open in that moment, or not. And neither he who gives nor he who takes should get too upset when the seed lands on barren ground. It is in the nature of life, that this happens sometimes. And there is plenty of seed. There is an abundance. So there is no problem.