Day 5: The Crown of Thorns

READ

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. Matthew 27:27-31

Read also Mark 15:16-20; John 19:2-3; 1 Peter 2:23-24.

REFLECT

A crown symbolizes royal authority, power, and dignity. Yet, when we look at the cross, we do not see the kind of king typically deserving of such a crown. Instead, we see the complete opposite—a crown of thorns placed on the King of kings, intended as a mockery of His kingship.

Thorns are a symbol of the curse of sin (Genesis 3:18). The crown of thorns echoes that curse, as Jesus took upon Himself the weight of sin for the redemption of the world. This crown is one that was fashioned by the soldiers uniquely for Jesus to wear.

Jesus was surrounded by soldiers who stripped off His robe and dressed Him in a purple garment. He was spat upon, slapped, and subjected to intense humiliation, yet He did not retaliate. Instead, Jesus endured all this because of the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). He did not give the soldiers what they deserved, nor did He complain. Quietly, He allowed the mockery, knowing that this was the only way for His creation to be restored to Him. Jesus entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23-24). Jesus is the God of all gods and the King of all kings, fully capable of punishing them, yet He chose not to. Instead, He allowed them to fulfill what was written in Scripture. He willingly suffered to fully pay the penalty for our sins. It demonstrates the profound humility of Christ. The One who holds full authority in heaven and on earth willingly allowed Himself to be humiliated, for our sake.

When Jesus first came in the flesh, He came humbly enduring the crown of thorns. In the book of Revelation, Scripture tells us that Jesus is coming again—this time in power and glory. We are told that He wears many crowns (Revelation 19:12) and is worthy of all other crowns laid down before Him (Revelation 4:4, 10). We are reminded that the crown of thorns is the most humbling of all the crowns He wore. The crown of thorns represents Jesus’ humility and humiliation, through which you and I can be saved from our sins, find acceptance before Him, and be with Him in His glory. He wore the crown of thorns so that, when we place our trust in Him, we can wear the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8). The one who bore this crown of thorns now sits on the throne, ruling and reigning forever.

“Crown of Thorns”

by Ira Stanphill

There was no crown for Him of silver or of gold

There was no diadem for Him to hold

But blood adorned His brow and proud its stain He bore

And sinners gave to him the crown He wore

A rugged cross, became His throne

His kingdom was in hearts alone

He wrote His love in crimson red

And wore the thorns upon His head

He did not reign upon a throne of ivory

But died upon the cross of Calvary

For sinners there He counted all He owned but loss

And He surveyed His kingdom from a cross

RESPOND

• Reflect on the crowns of Christ. How do you view and respond to His kingship? Have you come under the authority of Jesus as Lord and King of your life? How can your life be an example of worship and yielding to who He is?
• Thank God for how Christ came on earth, humbled Himself, and became obedient to the point of death on the cross to make us righteous before Him.
• Pray that just like Jesus, we’ll take on His posture of humility even when faced with humiliation (Philippians 2:3-11; 1 Peter 2:23-24).

PRAYER

Dear Lord, thank You for humbling Yourself, wearing the crown of thorns, and suffering for our sake. Help us understand the depth of Your sacrifice on the cross, so that we may learn to live in gratitude, trusting in Your love and grace. Amen.

SONG

Reign Forever

by Victory Worship