THE CROWN OF THORNS

Communion Meditation

The soldiers platted a crown of thorns and put it upon His head, and arrayed Him in a purple garment, and kneeled down before Him, and in mockery said, “Hail King of the Jews.”

It was appropriate that they should think of the crown of thorns, because in the Garden of Eden thorns were a part of the curse.  God told Adam; because thou hast done this thing, and hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee, saying, “Thou shalt not eat of it:” cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat of the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it thou wast taken: for dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return.

 In Galatians four, Paul says that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for us; for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.

Actually the multitudes offered Jesus a crown when He fed the 5,000, but He refused that crown, and now at the crucifixion, they gave Him a crown of thorns.

In the book of Revelation nineteen, John tells when Jesus will return as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, He will be wearing many crowns. In Second Samuel, David captured the city of Rabbah and took the crown of the king, and put it on his head. The crown weighed a talent; a talent weight is about 75 pounds. The king of the Ammonites did not have to have an oversized head to wear such a crown, but he did have an oversized ego.

When Jesus comes again the many crowns He will wear; whatever the combined weight of those crowns may be, will rest easy on the head of omnipotence.

Remember that one of His crowns will be the crown of King of the Church. The Church is the Kingdom of God, and we need to remember that the Church is not a democracy, it is a Theocracy, and whenever the King makes a law we have no vote on the matter. He will be wearing many crowns, but He will not be wearing the crown of thorns.

Because He willingly wore the crown of thorns, the saints will be able through His grace to wear the crown of righteousness that Paul tells about in Second Timothy 4:8: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord shall give to me, and not only to me, but to all them that have loved His appearing.” Eat the loaf and drink of the cup, and remember that Jesus wore a crown of thorns that we might wear crown of righteousness.

Remember also that the Apostle Peter told the elders of the church, if they were faithful in the work of the eldership, when the Chief Shepherd appears they would be given a crown of Glory that would never fade away.

But it is with sober consideration that we remember the warning Jesus gave two Churches in Revelation. He told one Church, “I come quickly, hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown.” And to the other He said, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life”

In Revelation four we read of four and twenty elders standing before the throne, arrayed in white garments, and wearing crowns of gold. When they worshiped the Lord they cast their crowns before the throne.

As Christians we do not need to wait until we get to heaven to cast our crowns before the throne. Eat the loaf and drink the cup, and look at the One who wore the crown of thorns, and take the crown of your life here on earth, whether it is your intellect, your money, your greatest talent, and ability, and cast it at the foot of the cross.

The gospel song says it for us:

Crown Him with many crowns

The Lamb upon His throne.

Hark how the heavenly anthems drowns

All music, but its own.

Awake my soul and sing

Of Him who died for thee

And hail Him as thy matchless King

Through all eternity.