What credence is there to looking at the parable of the sower (Mt 13, Mk 4, Lk 8) as Jesus’ comment on the nation of Israel, not as a parable about the condition of an individual’s heart? Does the agricultural imagery for the nation of Israel like field, vineyard (‘field of noble quality’), garden, and harvest found in passages like Jeremiah 26, Isaiah 5 and 37, Psalm 80, or Ezekiel 16 indicate that I’ve been misreading this passage or been mistaught? How should we think about this parable in light of this?

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