{"greek_wh":"13\u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03bb\u1f73\u03b3\u03b5\u03b9 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2 \u039f\u1f50\u03ba \u03bf\u1f34\u03b4\u03b1\u03c4\u03b5 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u1f74\u03bd \u03c4\u03b1\u1f7b\u03c4\u03b7\u03bd, \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u1ff6\u03c2 \u03c0\u1f71\u03c3\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f70\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u1f70\u03c2 \u03b3\u03bd\u1f7d\u03c3\u03b5\u03c3\u03b8\u03b5;\r\n14\u1f49 \u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u1f77\u03c1\u03c9\u03bd \u03c4\u1f78\u03bd \u03bb\u1f79\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd \u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u1f77\u03c1\u03b5\u03b9.","greek_rt":"13\u03ba\u03b1\u03b9 \u03bb\u03b5\u03b3\u03b5\u03b9 \u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2 \u03bf\u03c5\u03ba \u03bf\u03b9\u03b4\u03b1\u03c4\u03b5 \u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd \u03c4\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c0\u03c9\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c3\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c4\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03b2\u03bf\u03bb\u03b1\u03c2 \u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03b5\u03c3\u03b8\u03b5\r\n14\u03bf \u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u03c9\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03bf\u03bd \u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u03b5\u03b9","latin_vc":"13Et ait illis : Nescitis parabolam hanc ? Et quomodo omnes parabolas cognoscetis ?\r\n14Qui seminat, verbum seminat.","english_kjvl":"13And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?\r\n14The sower soweth the word.","english_niv":"13\u00b6Then Jesus said to them, \u201cDon\u2019t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?\r\n14The farmer sows the word.\r\n"}

So the writer put a parable that referenced one in Isaiah, after which he copied words that came after the parable he referenced in Isaiah about the doom of his people. Then the writer asks the reader to carefully consider the parables as metaphor.

There’s also an indication here that all of the parables are going to be some variation of this same theme: “you people are rotten and will be rolled back to the sea like the Assyrians did to the Hebrews.”

The poetry and grace of the phrase “The sower sows the word” in Greek (ο σπειρων τον λογον σπειρει – o speeron ton logon speerie) is nearly entirely lost in English, but this is a good attempt to grasp that. It is also the key to metaphorical comprehension. In verses 4-9, the sower is sowing “seeds”, but here we are told that “seeds” are “the word” – τον λογον (ton logon). “Logos” is the more familiar form of the Greek word for “word”, and it’s the basis for other English words like “logic” and “logistics”. In this context, “the Word” takes on a grand meaning – “Logos” is representative of all of Roman culture: it is the literary heritage, the legendary military support, and the rules for personal conduct that defined Romans for hundreds of years. It was their own stunning mix of Etruscan, Celtic, Greek, and Carthagenian cultures that made Rome unique, and they cherished this culture as a god in its own right – the Spirit of Rome.

But the structure in Greek implies an emphasis on the sower, as the sentence would make perfect sense without it, but its presence emphasizes that the action is performed by a specific person – one with authority and skill and wisdom. The sower is Caesar, and he is bringing civilization.

A reflection of this metaphor might be: “Civilization comes at the hand of Caesar.” This is a statement about authority, but also about the formative and structural power of the Emperor. Roman Caesar builds and destroys civilization at his own whim and on his own schedule, as the sower sows. The Sower sows the Word.

In Mark 2:2, Jesus is gathered together with his followers and he is preaching the Word. What may not have been so clear on first encounter has been illuminated: Jesus was establishing Roman civilization on the people, curing them from the sickness of Judean nationalism and evil spirit of rebellion.