LENT - WEEK 3
“Little Do We Know What We Do Sometimes.”
(A look at the actions of the soldiers that mocked Jesus before his crucifixion)
“They Crowned Jesus”
(In mockery)
We continue looking at the soldiers who mocked Jesus before he was crucified.
Today we look at the “Crown” that they put on his head in mockery and how it actually pointed out many realities about Jesus that they were not even aware of.
Matthew 27:27-31
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
“Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”
The Crown is a symbolic headpiece worn by the monarchy.
It represents power, glory, immortality, royalty and sovereignty.
It is often made from precious metals and decorated with jewels.
Many civilizations around the world wear crowns of sort that can be very different.
They are not all of the same type.
They often use different materials, but are almost always made from rare and symbolic materials.
Crowns of the east and west mostly use unusual or expensive materials like gold and precious stones.
Crowns of Native Americans use rare feathers of beautiful birds.
I call the Crown that the soldiers put on Jesus the rarest and most unique of all crowns since His Kingdom was “Out-of-this-world”.
In fact, it was “This kind of Crown” that established and defined his Kingdom.
He was a Servant-King.
He was a Suffering-Servant.
Though we do not know exactly what kind of plant or bush the Crown of thorns was made of, we do know that it was meant to inflict pain.
And pain it did inflict.
I know the pain when I merely prune the trees in my yard, much less have them forced upon the top and sides of my head.
All mockery is made to hurt others.
And mockery does indeed hurt.
It was physically painful to Jesus for sure, but unknowingly the greatest pain would be experienced by any soldier that mocked Jesus and later died without truly kneeling and bowing to Jesus as their Lord and Savior, acknowledging the King that He truly was, is and always will be.
The Bible mentions several kinds of Crowns of Jesus.
“His eyes are like blazing fire,
and on his head are many crowns.”
-Revelation 19:12.
Here are a couple of examples of the many Crowns that set Jesus apart as the King of Kings.
1. THE CROWN OF DEITY
[Jesus is God]
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” John 1:1-2.
“And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” John 17:5.
2. THE CROWN OF HUMANITY
[Jesus is Human]
“He made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
-Philippians 2:7-8
“And after He fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.” Matthew 4:2. “I thirst.” John 19:28
“… has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
-Hebrews 4:15
3. THE CROWN OF THORNS
[Jesus is a Unique, one-of-a-kind King]
The most unusual crown which was actually perfectly fitted for Jesus.
He actually created the thorns that made the crown, just like he made the tree which was cut into beams that made the cross.
“The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head.”
-John 19:2.
4. THE CROWN OF GLORY
“We do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
-Hebrews 2:9.
“None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified
the Lord of glory.
-1 Corinthians 2:8.
5. THE CROWNS OF EVERLASTING PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
“Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads… the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
-Revelation 4:4, 10-11.
The "thorn" is usually defined and interpreted in relation to persecutions and hardships.
For example Paul talks about the “Thorn in the flesh” that he faced.
“… in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
-2 Corinthians 12:7-9
Jesus went through the ultimate persecution and hardship dying on the cross and forgiving our sin.
His “Crown of Thorns” was actually a
“Crown of Glory”.
Let any “Crown of Thorns” that you experience be viewed as a “Crown of Glory” for Jesus,
believing that like Paul, God’s;
“grace is sufficient for you”, for His power is made perfect in your weakness.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to be more aware of all that you may be doing in and through my life.
And help me to be who you have called me to be.
I want to be a good representative of you, the King of Kings.
Thank you for all that you do for me.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen!
Pastor Dave Word of Life Church 17525 W. Bell Rd. Surprise, AZ 85374