Just Fine, Until…

The seed that “fell among thorns” sprouted okay and grew for awhile but it wasn’t long before it was choked out by the “worries of life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things”.



I modeled the thorns on thorn plants—often used today to make “crowns of thorns” reminiscent of the one pressed onto Jesus’ head. However, I imagined the roots as spidery things.

New Growth

I did a lot of preplanning for this painting—as is my way. The perennial question asked of artists is “How long did that painting take you?” We artists are at a loss to know why that would be so important. The stock answer--and a true one is, “All my life.” We’re always learning, observing, pushing ourselves to try new things—and researching. In this case, I have seventeen sketchbook pages of research.




Life as a follower of Jesus also takes time and attention to develop and mature.

The Root of the Matter

While there doesn’t seem to be much difference in the soils Jesus described in his parable of the sower but rather the amount, the plant produced by the soil in each case was very different. Remember—each group heard the gospel, the same gospel, and there’s no indication that one group heard it any less than another.


But the seed sown in rocky soil “sprang up quickly”, not putting down any roots of spiritual maturity. I’ve used sewing thread to represent the barely there root.

The Root of the Matter 2

Another seed seemed to have pretty good soil with the root beginning to develop well but its growth was stifled by thorns growing around it. (more on the thorns in the future)

The Root of the Matter 3

But the fourth seed landed in really good soil, putting down deep roots to take in all the necessary nourishment. I’ve illustrated the parable with the black mustard plant (the one Jesus refers to in other parables), which has a tap root—if you’ve ever gardened, you know how hard it is to pull up one of those!

From the Ground Up

I’m using some new techniques to build layer upon layer of “soil” for my Parable of the Sower project. It has taken more time than I expected but I’m pleased with the results.

In the parable, there doesn’t seem to be that much difference between the different soils but rather how much soil there is and what else (rocks,thorn plants) is there to derail growth. (Mark 4:2-20; Matthew 13:1-23; Luke 8:5-15)