“Have any of you understood this parable?”
“Clearly the field our Father gives us is our heart, and we are free to plant good seed or bad”. The speaker was one who had moved from under the tree and had drawn closer to stand behind those seated. When I looked at him, I saw it was he who had remarked on Nazareth, at the clothiers’ stall. He spoke on-
“If we plant good seed, we will make of our lives something that will nourish us, and live on after, to nourish others. If we plant bad seed, our hearts will wither, there will be no goodness in us, and we will bring forth nothing but misery for ourselves and for others”.
“And what of the landowner?” asked Jesus.
“Surely he is our heavenly Father who gives all things”.
“You are right, Nathaniel”.
A murmur of approval ran through the crowd.
“People of Capernaum, look at this man, Nathaniel of Cana; he is a true son of Israel. There is no deceit in his mouth”
“Rabbi, how do you know so much about me from so few words?”
“I know all about you, Nathaniel. I knew you when I saw you sitting under the fig tree¹, and then I was seeing you for the first time, and I knew that you were walking the hard road to the Kingdom of Heaven. That impresses you? That is nothing. Watch and listen”.
Jesus stood up and, taking the leper’s hands, helped him to his feet.
“Let your robe fall to the ground”.
The man did so, and Jesus turned him round, slowly, to face the crowd. There were sharp drawn breaths, exclamations, and cries of ‘Miracle!’ and ‘He must be a prophet!’
The man was naked, except for a brief wrapping of the loins, and everyone could see that he was clean. There was not one blemish on any part of him. He looked at his own flesh, in utter bewilderment, then fell to clasp Jesus tightly about the knees, while tears streamed down his face. Jesus helped him to his feet again.
“This is no time for tears. Be happy and give thanks to God. He has taken away from you the burden of sinfulness”.
Jesus helped him into the clothes I had brought, and then told him-
“Go to the temple and make an offering of thanksgiving, and present yourself to the priests that they may examine you, and give you a written statement that you are clean, but do not tell them how it came about”.
The man could not utter a sound. He just stood there looking first at Jesus, then at his hands and arms, then holding out his arms for the people to see. He stepped towards the crowd. They fell back, unable to accept the evidence before their eyes. The man turned again to Jesus, looking at him with a thousand wondering questions in his eyes.
“Go now. Do as I have said, then go to live your life. Your trial is over. By your faith, you have redeemed yourself, in this world, and in the next”.
Then turning to me, Jesus said-
“Come. Take me to your friends in Capernaum.”
₁ ‘Sitting under the fig tree’- a euphemism for religious study.