Holy Icon

"How a Wood Sprouted and Grew into a Fruitful Tree", acrylic on canvas, Bishop Maxim, 2023

John the Dwarf is best known for his obedience. The most famous story about his obedience is that one day Abba Pambo gave John a piece of dry wood and ordered him to plant and water it. John obeyed and went on watering it twice a day even though the water was about 12 miles from where they lived. After three years, the piece of wood sprouted and grew into a fruitful tree. Pambo took some of this tree's fruits and went around to all the elder monks, saying "take, eat from the fruit of obedience". Postumian, who was in Egypt in 402, assured that he was shown this tree which grew in the yard of the monastery and which he saw covered with shoots and green leaves.