THORNS – 1. Thorns symbolize the Passion of Jesus. Thorns are used to represent the crown of thorns placed on Jesus’ head (Matthew 27:29) as a mockery of His being the King of the Jews. 2. Thorns represent grief and sin. This refers to the parable of the farmer who threw seed in different areas. The seeds that fell among the thorns grew quickly but were choked out by the thorns (Matthew 13:7).

TREE – 1. The tree in a poor, withered state symbo-lizes death. 2. The tree in a healthy and strong state symbolizes life. It is interesting that sin started with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:9) and will end with the Tree of Life in Heaven (Revelation 22:2).

VINES – 1. The vine represents Jesus and is a symbol that dates back to the first century. It shows the relationship of God and His people as related in John 15:5. 2. The vineyard represents the church being cared for by God (Isaiah 5:7). This is especially true when the vine is covered with shields upon which the symbols of the apostles are engraved. 3. The vine, because of its fluid shape, was frequently used by artists to simply fill empty space in art and architecture. In this context it has no meaning.

VIOLET – 1. The violet, a small, lowly flower, is symbolic of humility. 2. The violet symbolizes Jesus, the very Son of God, who humbled Himself and made Himself of no reputation by becoming a man. 3. The violet symbolizes the Virgin Mary because she humbly