paths and scorching heat are part and parcel of a farmer’s work in producing a harvest. Jesus understood this, accepted it, and explained it to his hearers in this parable. But if realism requires recognition of thorns and thistles and obdurate hearts and unyielding opposition, we should also note that the fact that the world is made and sustained by God and that the word of promise partakes of his omnipotence dictates that these harsh realities will never amount to more than the context in which